Tag: Game Developers

DICE 2012: Tomonobu Itagaki on Aerosmith and Carver

My second-favorite DICE 2012 session was held by Valhalla Games co-founder and chief technical officer Tomonobu Itagaki. It was called “What we talk about when we talk about games”. A lot of you know Itagaki from his days with Tecmo’s Team Ninja (Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive). He’s known for dressing like a rock star and wearing sunglasses at night, while his games are famous for gorgeous graphics, crazy violence, and large breasts. With all of that in mind, this talk was not at all what I was expecting. It was sensitive, personal, and very revealing.

Itagaki talked a lot about American literature and how it influenced him. Poet and short-story writer Raymond Carver was and still is a huge deal to him. I’ve interviewed Itagaki several times over the last 15 years and had absolutely no idea he was so well read. Hearing about his knowledge of American literature was definitely cool. It was also a bit embarrassing to learn that a Japanese game developer would completely school me in modern American literature.

The second half of his talk discussed a completely different influence: the song “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith. Itagaki talked about a huge conflict he had with Tecmo and how it drove him to an alcohol-fueled depression that affected his work, his family, and his friendships. Hearing the song in the movie Armageddon moved and inspired him. It made him clutch his daughter as he cried. He cited the song as snapping him out of his depression — saving his life, his family, his friends, and his company.

While I appreciated how revealing and honest Itagaki was being, I have to admit that I was not thinking of Armageddon, but rather Blades of Glory. I’m pretty sure that movie hasn’t had a profound impact on anyone. Anyway, please check out Itagaki’s talk and let me know if you enjoyed it as much as I did.

DICE 2012: Tim Sweeney Talks About Future Graphics

My favorite DICE 2012 talk was given by Epic Games CEO and technical director Tim Sweeney. Titled “Technology and Gaming in the Next 20 Years”, the session focused on the future of videogame graphics. Considering Sweeney’s genius, I was greatly looking forward to what he had to say, but I was afraid that a lot of it would fly over my head. Instead, I was surprised by the great job he did at making high-tech concepts easy for idiots (i.e. me) to understand.

Sweeney kicked off the talk by introducing the mother of all graphics receptors: the human eye. From there he discussed how the human eye is the equivalent of a 30-megapixel camera. For tablet gaming, the most the eye needs is a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600. For console and PC gaming, the eye needs 8,000 x 4,000 at most. Using various data points, Sweeney talks about how quickly videogame graphics can get to those points.

I can’t recommend this session enough. It’s highly technical, but also easy to relate to and very enjoyable. I felt smarter just for hearing it. Give it a watch and please let me know what you think!

Watch DICE 2012 and the Interactive Achievement Awards

The fine folks at Gamespot will be live streaming DICE 2012 panels and the Interactive Achievement Awards. Both events are hosted by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. There’s some really, really awesome stuff here and I urge you to watch if you can. Below are the sessions Gamespot will be live streaming and links to the video awesomeness.

(Skyrim) Todd Howard Keynote – February 8, 2012 – 6:30-7:30p Pacific

(Arkham City) Sefton Hill Session – February 9, 2012 – 10-10:30a Pacific

(Twisted Metal) David Jaffe Session – February 9, 2012 – 11:45a-12:15p Pacific

15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards – February 9, 2012 – 7:30p-10p Pacific

If you happen to catch any of these sessions, please share your thoughts on them…and also rate the speakers outfits on a scale of one to five (no halves!).

Shigeru Miyamoto Retiring, Shigeru Miyamoto Not Retiring

Yesterday, my excellent friend Wired Chris Kohler reported that Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto was planning to “retire” or “step down” in order to work on smaller projects. For the last decade or so, Miyamoto has been more manager than creator. On the handful of occasions I’ve gotten to chat with him, he always mentioned that he missed working on smaller teams and having a more creative role.

Nintendo promptly denied the story, chalking it up to a misunderstanding. Some are speculating that the denial had something (everything?) to do with the company’s stock dipping two percent after Kohler’s story spread throughout the Internet.

In my heart, I believe that Miyamoto has been tired of being in upper management for a long time. I believe that he’d love to “step down” and work on a smaller team with a more creative role. What do you think is really going on? Is Nintendo covering its ass due to the stock dip? Or was this really all a misunderstanding? Post your theory in the comments section (please!).

Coffee Talk #422: Happy Birthday Shigeru Miyamoto!

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, stupid Pacquiao fans making ignorant excuses for their man even though he “won”, guessing Lisa Munn’s muff, or Android getting the new Netflix UI before iOS, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Today is Shigeru Miyamoto’s birthday! The legendary Nintendo game designer has been making amazing videogames for decades. Few people in the world perform at such a high level for so long, especially in entertainment. He’s truly incredible. I’m not saying he does it all by himself, but a significant part of what makes Nintendo so great and lovable is Shigeru Miyamoto’s “magic”. To me, he’s the Jim Henson or Steve Jobs of videogames.

Let’s celebrate this gaming treasure by talking about your favorite Shigeru Miyamoto games and what he means to you as a gamer. Fire away!

Ken Levine Talks Occupy Wall Street and BioShock Infinite

The Washington Post has a great interview with Irrational Games creative director and co-founder Ken Levine. Similarities between BioShock Infinite and the Occupy Wall Street movement are discussed. I highly recommend giving it a full read; it’s a fantastic interview with one of the sharpest minds in game development…

The Washington Post has a great interview with Irrational Games creative director and co-founder Ken Levine. Similarities between BioShock Infinite and the Occupy Wall Street movement are discussed. I highly recommend giving it a full read; it’s a fantastic interview with one of the sharpest minds in game development.

One curious aside in the interview is Levine talking about BioShock Infinite getting heat from leftists and white supremacists alike. Check it out:

The games tend to be a Rorschach for people, and I’ve heard both sides of reaction [to the demo]. I had the displeasure of going to a white supremacist site that made a point of saying this game by “the Jew” Ken Levine was about killing white people. But then I went to this leftist site that said this is about discrediting leftists movements. Games, as I said, are a Rorschach, and I don’t want to be making games that are expressing a political or philosophical view.

For some reason, in my head I hear a white supremacist calling him “the Jew Ken Levine” similar to how South Park’s Eric Cartman says “that damn Jew Kyle”. Though perhaps that’s just me….

Anyway, head on over to The Washington Post, enjoy the interview, and let me know what you think (please).

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Coffee Talk #417: Developers Setting Their Own Game Pricing

Epic Games president Mike “Busta” Capps is wise, handsome, and charming. In a recent interview with Develop, he proposed the idea of game developers setting their own prices for games and downloadable content. Capps said…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Steve Jobs creating the iPad out of spite, Lindsay Lohan in Playboy, or your favorite streaming television app, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Epic Games president Mike “Busta” Capps is wise, handsome, and charming. In a recent interview with Develop, he proposed the idea of game developers setting their own prices for games and downloadable content. Capps said, “Right now we’re not even allowed to change the prices of virtual content. We’re not even allowed to set the prices. I just don’t think this protectionist approach is going to be successful in a world where the price of virtual items changes on a day-to-day basis. Double-A games will never come back unless we get rid of this notion of a game being $60 or not released. The console manufacturers need to let this happen.”

It’s an excellent idea that could be fantastic…or terrible. Certainly it’s ridiculous that some crap motion game has the same price as Gears of War 3. One argument is that price should reflect a game’s budget and/or quality. The counter to that argument is the movie business. A ticket to a small-budget indie-film costs the same as one to a mega-million Michael Bay monstrosity.

Then there’s the fact that some developers would find a way to screw up game pricing. Certainly larger companies with a lot of experience or smaller companies with savvy executives would find a way to get the most out of flexible game pricing. However, I expect there would be just as many cases of developers setting unreasonable or unrealistic prices because they’re too attached to their creations. Gaming is still a relatively young business and I think that its immaturity would show up if developers could price their on wares. Publishers are often viewed (sometimes unfairly) as an evil force in the gaming business, but the suits have their uses.

What do you think of Capps’ idea? Can you envision a world where game developers price their own software? Would you prefer flexible game pricing over a rigid system? What benefits and perils do you see with having developers price their own games?

DICE 2012 Speakers: Itagaki, Hilleman, Ballard, and More

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has revealed the first batch of speakers for its DICE 2012 Summit. As many of you know, DICE is my favorite event in the videogame business. It’s a relatively small gathering of gaming’s top creators, gaming’s top executives, a few people from outside the industry (oceanographers, movie directors), and idiots like me. The first speakers announced for DICE 2012 are fantastic. Check out their bios from the press release:

  • Tomonobu Itagaki, co-founder and CTO, Valhalla Games Studios Co., Ltd., world-renowned game designer who created the game franchises Dead or Alive the next gen Ninja Gaiden and the forthcoming Devil’s Third to be published by THQ, will be speaking on “What We Talk About When We Talk About Games”
  • Richard Hilleman, Chief Creative Director, Electronic Arts, will be speaking on “Games as Language”
  • Glen Ballard, president, Augury, Six-Time Grammy Award winner and Oscar-nominated producer/songwriter and arranger will be speaking on “Greater Than The Sum: The Miracle of Collaboration”
  • Isaac C. Gilmore, managing partner, 3SJ Tactical Solutions, previously a non-commissioned officer in the United States Navy where he was a member of SEAL Team 7

I’ve met Itagaki several times and enjoy hanging out with him. It’ll be cool seeing him again at DICE 2012 and hopefully we can do another interview where we’re both wearing sunglasses. Hileman is awesome; he’s one of those mad geniuses in the videogame business that makes me feel really stupid. I’m really looking forward to hearing what Glen Ballard has to say. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to ask him about the incredible music acts he’s worked with. I’m going to keep away from Gilmore though. I’m scared of SEALs.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the first speakers announced for DICE 2012. If you have time, please leave some questions you’d like me to ask. If I have the opportunity to interview any of these guys, I’ll try to slip them in (giving you credit, naturally).

Coffee Talk #395: Your Dream Dinner for Four

If you could have dinner with three people from the history of the world, who would be at your table? They can be game developers, actors, musicians, etc. It’s your dream dinner for four and I’d love to hear your…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, rain ruining my U.S. Open (tennis) background noise, why my coffee beans are late (again), or dinner/drinks with two excellent people, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

If you could have dinner with three people from the history of the world, who would be at your table? The only condition for this game is that the people you choose have to be real (this is mostly to prevent one of you from choosing He-Man or Bugs Bunny). They can be game developers, actors, musicians, etc. It’s your dream dinner for four and I’d love to hear your picks! Here are mine:

Muhammad Ali: “The Greatest” would headline my dream dinner. I’d choose the Ali that was banned from boxing and speaking out against the war in Vietnam. Ali was already an extraordinary athlete with unmatched speed for a heavyweight boxer, but his stance against the Vietnam War made him so much more. He lost three prime years of his career, but inspired so many people while he was away from boxing. He became more than just an athlete. He became an icon.

John Lennon: My feelings about Lennon are similar to my feelings about Ali. He was already a renowned performance artist and songwriter, but his post-Beatles activism made him so much more. I love that he used his fame to spread positive messages and to get people to think. I also love the continued to write great songs when doubters thought he was washed up. I’d love to have ’70s John Lennon at my dream dinner.

Steve Jobs: My last spot was a tough choice. As I mentioned to you last year, I’d love to have a one-on-one dinner with Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. For some reason, I’m being a stickler with my dinner-for-four scenario and am disqualifying Miyamoto because he would require a translator (sorry Bill!). The final spot goes to Apple’s Steve Jobs. This would be 2005 Jobs, fresh off his Stanford commencement speech. In addition to getting his thoughts on making products people are passionate about, I’d love to hear about how he felt about getting booted from Apple, elevating Pixar, and returning to make Apple better than ever.

So that’s my dream dinner for four. Now let me know who’s sitting at your table (please)!

John Carmack Talks Licensing, Mobile, Tools, and More

Gamasutra has a must-read interview with id Software’s John Carmack. The brilliant programmer covers a wide variety of topics in this four-page interview, including Rage, frame rate, the decision to stop licensing id Tech, the benefits of being acquired by ZeniMax, the true power of mobile devices, and more. I highly recommend reading the whole thing. You’ll be a smarter gamer for it. Here are some highlights:

Why the company stopped licensing its id Tech engine:

It’s interesting when you look back at our technology licensing — it was never really a business that I wanted to be in. In the very early days, people would pester us, and we would just throw out some ridiculous terms, and we were surprised that people were taking us up on it.

I didn’t want to be in the process of supporting a lot of outside teams — because we feel beholden to not make radical changes, and pull the rug out from underneath lots of other people. If it’s your own team, you can make the sensible decision of “It’s going to be worth it. It’s going to suck for a while, but we can make our way through it.” But you don’t want to do that to other people.

Why Microsoft gives its Xbox 360 developers expensive tools for free:

Microsoft has got some pretty good static analysis tools, and normally they make you buy, like an $8,000 professional edition of Visual Studio, but they give it for free to all Xbox developers — which I think says an interesting thing about this stuff. Where Microsoft figures that, well, nobody blames them for crappy software on Windows, but they do blame Microsoft a bit for crappy software on 360, so it’s in their best interest to put more static analysis tools available there.

One of the biggest problems with PC game development:

It’s pretty sad, the fact that we have these PCs that are sometimes 10 times as powerful, and we have more trouble holding 60 frames per second on the PCs because of drive and OS unoptimalities. And there are reasons for all of them. I’ve done enough driver work on OpenGL to understand why things wind up the way they are.

And sure, on the PC, you can go ahead and you’re running two megapixels. You can turn on anti-aliasing, and you can have much bigger page tables for the virtual textures, and all this stuff. But still, if you want it to get done in like 16 milliseconds, the graphics drivers are a huge hindrance right there.

As I said before, it’s a fantastic interview. Carmack is awesome. I guarantee you’ll learn at least four things from this story. Now go read it!

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