Embracing the community

Working with a community website can be a gigantic task. There are months and months of planning, when each feature is carefully discussed and made to fit into a huge puzzle of user contributions in order to maximize the time spent there. But the results can always surprise you. One has just to visit a Cybercafé in Brazil and see people using Orkut scraps like a primitive (and not particularly private) instant messaging system to fully grasp how this works.

Trying to get your idea back on rails will take a lot of work. Google tried integrating GTalk into Orkut as a way to push their own IM system and solve this issue, but as far as I can tell, the results weren't exactly perfect either (even if the move is quite clever). We ran into a similar situation at GameTV: we forgot to block CSS editing in our blogs, and soon everyone was using this trick to customize their looks. Unfortunately, the less experienced users were also supressing their own Edit button and getting stuck out of their blogs, resulting in dozens of emails complaining about it.

A producer must be one with its audience, not unlike Sam Walton made a point of checking his WalMart stores personally. There is much to be learned from your users, but to study them without influencing the results (like in a Focus Group testing) can be a herculean task - if you want an example, you have to look no further than Microsoft and their UI and original Xbox controller to show just how little users can communicate what they truly want.

So the real trick here is harnessing these needs and wants and focusing them into a product that keeps them coming back for more. I am going through a very complicated stage right now, trying to guess from other sites... but the real work will really begin once the site is live. And then, we'll see.

New projects and it all comes together

Well, as my game design consultation winds down (though I am still giving overall project consultation), I have landed a new job at another Internet start-up that I believe has a lot of potential. I know "Internet Start-up" is practically a swear word these days, but I sincerely haven't been this excited with a project in years. Also, it helps to be earning some actual cash to pay the bills.

One of the best parts of this new project - other than the fact I hope I will be able to pimp it in more precise terms because it won't be secret for so long now - is that fact that it seems like a curious culmination of almost everything I have been doing for these last 8 years. I know, hard to envision without actual facts... but I hope those will be forthcoming. And thus, I will be able to post more frequently.

I love this electronic entertainment industry, something I have been doing through all of its ups and downs. It helps cement my passion for it, and it will be good to finally feel like I was able to give something back.

Watch this space.

Congratulations, Mr Hirai

Kaz Hirai, the new head honcho at Sony's gaming division, has given one of the most amusing interviews ever. In it, he had such great quotes as:

"It's difficult to talk about Nintendo because we don't look at their console as being competitors. They're a different world and we operate in our world -- that's kind of the way I look at things."

"[Xbox 360] lacks longevity ... Last time I checked, they've never had a console that's been on the market for more than four or five years and we've committed to a ten year life cycle, so you do the math."

"Unless things go really bad, there's no way that at the end of a life cycle our competition is going to have a higher install base."

"We don't provide the 'easy to program for' console that [developers] want, because 'easy to program for' means that anybody will be able to take advantage of pretty much what the hardware can do, so then the question is what do you do for the rest of the nine-and-a-half years?"

"I'd like to think that we continue official leadership in this industry."

And I thought after Kutaragi was fire... I mean, after his *retirement*, we wouldn't have any cooler soundbites anymore...

Teamwork!!! Let's go!

Working with game design inside a bigger team is usually a big challenge - and something I have been experiencing once again now with my new project. I had the uncomfortable position of coming in with a design already in place, and basically having to scrap it and start over. The hardest part is not doing it from scratch, or even fitting it to the briefed spec... but dealing with the previous designer, who I will need to work with for the rest of the project. Don't get me wrong, she is GREAT, and I don't think I could ever pull it off without her aid... but retooling someone's baby and getting the chemistry between everyone going can be tricky.

But there is a great upside. This is a small, independent project. And so, we can steer clear from the huge corporate pressure that a project would have in a bigger company. Why is this so meaningful? Well, I believe the current business practices tend to leave every single member of the team working separately on a self-contained aspect of the game... which is great if you are looking to be the most cost-effective possible, but forces a lot of people to work in a very abstract manner.

I like comparing videogames to Hollywood, in that the interactive media "grew up" too fast - or rather, almost not at all before it became widely commercial. And in doing so, didn't mature as media before it had to worry too much about being part of a well-oiled industry. Working on small independent projects allows one to have a much more concrete view of the project, and have every single member pitch in on almost every issue. And I am a strong believer that even a musician should give his opinion about gameplay, and a texture artist should have a say on the physics engine, and the programmer is great for finding solutions in just about every area (aren't they always?).

If anyone has a chance, I strongly reccomend watching the bonus disc that comes in the Special Edition of Metal Gear Solid 4, where you see Hideo Kojima's role in the production. He basically opinates in a very concrete manner in just about every area of the game. Sure, you gotta be Mr. Metal Gear himself and own your own production studio to be able to wiggle your way around the huge corporate overhead, but it still should be a lesson for anyone who wishes videogames to be treated as art someday.

And that is why I love my current project :) Our last meeting was great, with just about everyone vetting the design document I came up with. And the fact I had a say in the art direction and overall music direction gives me hope that this could be big. It will take time, certainly. But I believe I am doing the right thing.

Torneko, we salute you

The past few days I have been pretty entertained playing Dragon Quest IV, a DS remake of a game that dates back to 1990, one of the last few great games released on the NES/Famicom. Not only was I impressed replaying the remake of the first one on the Game Boy, but the feeling of awe came back all over again. It's not impressive on a technical level, but almost solely on its simple yet effective design.

Recent RPGs have tried to ease the boredom of grinding (spending hours leveling up) with ellaborate schemes to further make each character individually different - Sphere Grids, License Boards, Mantra Experience... I could spend days thinking of different formulas proposed by different games, but DQ gets away with it by simply making you noticeably more powerful with every level - and each character gain abilities and stats in his or her specific way. You don't worry about who to teach Wind spells - they will learn it on their own when the time comes. But what really surprised me was a chapter just waiting there in the introductory part of the game - Torneko's story. Spoilers ahead, for those who care about this.

Torneko is about the antithesis of the RPG hero: he is a middle-aged fat merchant (married with a kid, even!) with the sole aspiration of opening his own weapon shop. If that isn't enough of a shock, the actual gameplay starts with you getting a packed lunch from your gorgeous wife. Now, what you will probably end up doing is walking to the town's own weapon shop where you work as the clerk for the owner. You literally step behind the counter and random character come in asking to buy and sell weapons. You pick YES/NO answers as to wheter you want to display your stock, buy or sell items. Some characters will even notice they can't equip a certain item and ask if you will still sell it to them. Items that the store doesn't usually carry only appear after you bought it, and disappear as soon as someone else buys them (which can include yourself).

Now, this may sound simple, but makes the world of Dragon Quest suddenly much richer. Anyone who has played console RPGs knows that most cities feel like cardboard cutouts, with plain buildings lacking regular facilities (when was the last time you saw a toilet in a RPG?) and people repeating the same sentence over and over... this little stunt makes you feel for all those guys behind counters in all these games. The game is full of little tricks like this in a smaller scale, like have certain characters follow you then settle in different towns, and making the world feel like a living, breathing landscape.

I don't know that anyone ever named this kind of quality, but I like to call it "texture". Very much like taste is the primary factor in food, gameplay usually is the first thing we look in terms of a videogame. But even in culinary the texture can make or break a dish... and these little touches really can separate a bland game from a great game. I still remember to this day how I used a glass bottle in Zelda: Ocarina of Time in a small pond with a fish... and I managed to get it! Most games would not have bothered with this kind of detail, but it really makes the experience so much nicer for the player.

Obviously, certain games can get an even bigger boost from this quality. Management games like SimCity, and it really makes them stick on the player's memory. Seeing every single person in your theme park let go of their balloon at the same time when you completed your goal in Rollercoaster Tycoon was always a thrill.

Feedback is everything.

Retracing steps

Those who follow the career of Shigeru Miyamoto (possibly the most famous videogame designer in the world) probably heard some of the stories about his childhood and how those defined him in this profession. I had a similar experience yesterday, and it was quite revealing.

Miyamoto tells the story on how he would walk around his neighborhood during his youth and once he ventured into a cave he was afraid of, and the excitement and surprise of his discoveries would fuel his creativity for games such as Super Mario Brothers and Zelda. I think I experienced a bit of this, as I was driving through a part of town that was near to places I go to a lot, but some entirely new streets.

I know it may sound stupid, but there was an amazingly beautiful blue sky, and I suddenly found myself feeling somewhat alien to this city I have been living in for my whole life. It was a little tug of wonder with a dash of discovery and a lot of excitement. I realize that place had been there all along, just a few steps from places I drive by almost daily... and yet, it was completely unknown and just waiting to be discovered.

I find it interesting that one of the cool responses to this sensation was an impulse to try and just explore other streets I have yet to traverse, as if these places are just lurking there, waiting to be discovered. It's that same drive to press DOWN when you see a pipe in a Mario game... you never know exactly what you are going to get.

People who can translate those experiences into games are bound to be the geniuses of game design as an art... and hopefully they will define where this art form goes.

Documentation can be fun

I spent most of my working day today documenting my current project, which was a lot scarier in my head than it ended up being while actually doing it. The process was mostly smooth in the beginning, but complexity started creeping in during the second half. I am guessing we'll have to press on with production and then cut the corners during the testing phase.

But what I think was the most interesting thing was that it was a joy to do. I was somewhat concerned that just writing processes and rules would be hard to flow and a nightmare to organize. But it was neither. They just kept coming out steadily, and then I went back and started filling in the blanks and adding more elements. Not only that, but some concepts also popped up during this phase.

Right now, the design still seems solid, but it's getting a bit too hard to swallow - as in, it will scare the shit out of the casual crowd. This is quickly becoming very complex, but still in the manageable zone due to most of the verbs and actions being so intuitive. That's the upside of using a very figurative system for a game - and something I had been insisting from the beginning.

My brain is melting right now, though. I sincerely did not feel the hours passing at all. I am taking a break now and playing some Mega Man 9. I feel like I earned it.

Nod from an old master

I never hid the fact I am an insecure person. I am always second-guessing myself and I don't take compliments easily. But despite that, people know that I manage to speak looking pretty confident and knowledgeable about the subjects I like (well, I guess I *was* an actor, but that's not the point). Thing is, I did a first prototype of the groundwork for one of my new projects - which happens to be in the exact area that my old mentor is now working with. And he came over yesterday night and I showed it to him.

"Is this your first attempt at this kind of thing?", were the first words out of his mouth. I must admit I was slightly disappointed, until he completed his sentence, "because it took me a few tries to get the hang of the basics like you are showing here". Oh, the thing is FAR from perfect and he did have criticism, but the fact is... I just may have some talent for this whole design thing after all.

I will not lie. I think it was partly luck, partly having been given an excellent framework by the people who came up with the story concept behind it. But even then, some of the loose ideas that I threw at him resulted in very positive comments - in the "whoa, this is awesome!" area. I had my creative side buried for so long now, I forgot I was able to do some of these things. This may sound strange, but this kind of inspiration isn't exactly something you open a tap and it comes out on demand. It's as if a spark had laid dormant there, waiting for the rock to be moved. I don't think this will be happening this easy from now on... but knowing it's there? It just warms me up inside and gives me some of the confidence I need.

***

Creativity is a bizarre thing. I told my old master that I have a few crutches I use - among them my beloved mechanic pencil, which is a rapport I share with the guy who came up with the story and this project. I actually gave one exactly like mine to him after he mentioned he also loved them. Music can be another one: I have a playlist on iTunes called "Emotion" that helps me write. They are very much like Dumbo's Feather. I realize it's just a tool to focus my inner potential, but they are necessary nonetheless.

Sensibility is my other tool. I shared with my master that I fear the academic environment because of their need of referencing arcane references and using complex jargon - I am a very intuitive person, with a very analytic mind. I destroyed (with no pride, I must add) the earlier prototype of the project just briefly looking at it, going at a lot of flaws I saw - they were transparent to me before I even had a playtest, just looking at the documentation.
...
You know, it's funny. There is this friend of mine who likes to wear this mask of a grumpy, mean person who lost faith in Humanity. But he has a huge heart and is one of the most sensitive people I know. I like talking to him because he can point out the archetypal scenes, songs and actions that fill fiction and reality in seconds. I can too, to a degree, but he blurts it out casually and I am not even sure if he realizes just how sensitive he really is for those things.
(it doesn't hurt he is also very good at pointing the race's stupidest stunts)

The thing I like the most about him? It's that sometimes my sensitivity feels as much as a curse of weakness as a quality to me. But seeing it reflected on him, it makes me feel great for it.

We are ourselves, indeed, our biggest critics.

Outlook: promissing!

God, I can't stop listening to this song!

Of friends and dreams

A couple of interesting things happened yesterday that got me thinking quite a bit. One of them was an e-mail from my younger brother, discussing and sharing our aspirations (in a dream level, we are talking "be the richest man in the world" level here) among friends. I have also noticed something that popped up from my therapy before, which is the fact I am right now concerned with a lot of people I love. So when I talked to a man involved in the project I just left and he said something about our passion for an enterprise, it got me thinking quite a bit.

Anyone who knows me can tell that I usually fall in love with the stuff I am working with. I will make sacrifices and go that extra mile for it, trying to plot a grand future for it and then fighting to attain it. But the person I talked to yesterday basically stated that your relationship with work should stay professional - which, painfully, I realized I had to agree with. Yet... letting go of that love isn't easy, as anyone who ever fell and felt can say.

So I was torn yesterday, feeling like he shared a big nugget of wisdom with me that I needed badly, and yet my heart ached with the thought of never loving another enterprise again. This love is not only a fuel, but also a comforting reassurance that got me where I am right now: if not for my passion for videogames, I would never have landed the opportunities I had. But I wasn't even too worried about that. I was afraid I would never get that rush from unslept nights during crunch mode and the joy of seeing your site premiering and the first users walking into community zones for the first time. I know I got quite a kick from the live blogging we did from E3 this year.

But all of this made me remember of something I dealt with a long time ago in therapy, which is my concern for others. It just kept coming back, as I tried to shield my employees from some of the harsher aspects of my former company. It was somewhat of an herculean task bound to failure, but I felt like there was no other choice and my therapist helped me understand it was not my duty. But now I look around and see ruins, and in them some of my best friends. And I ask myself "what can I do for them?"

As I jump, I avoid the trap of feeling responsible for them, but I won't keep my hand from stretching to help each and everyone I can. This commitment is all the more special because now I don't do it out of need - I do it out of love. And I expect no recognition. I just don't want to see those people - who I see have such enormous potential - let themselves down. My therapy helped me realize I might be thinking to greatly of myself to play this savior role... but I sure as hell remember being on the other side of this equation.

So... yeah.

Work generates energy - not the other way around

A couple of years ago I was invited to Nintendo's event to unveil the Wii price and release date in Manhattan. It had been YEARS since I had last been to the Big Apple, a city I have always loved. It was a long, tiring flight, and I arrived there with no sleep whatsoever at around 6am. By 9am I had dropped my things at the place I was staying... and started walking toward B&H to pick up some photography material my mom had asked me to bring her.

You know, I was like 25 blocks away, which in NY terms is quite a bit. I figured I'd walk a bit to get onto bigger and more lively streets and take a taxi. Before I knew it, I was there. The energy of a place like New York City just flows into you, and if you are sensitive enough, you can pick up on it and just assimilate it. And that's just what I did. It felt awesome.

So today I had a meeting on Paulista Avenue and I felt something similar again. I have always loved Paulista, but today was special. While I am taking my sabbatical I had some time to think a little bit about the things I want to do, and working on Paulista sounds kind of like a dream. Part of me would love to work at home and do my writing at my own pace... but I don't know that I could entirely give up on that energy. It would be great to marry both, however I can't see that happening.

I am also getting a better understanding of the so-called "ozio creativo" that Domenico de Masi described. I know that companies like Google are standing firm ground on that with their 20% time policy, but actually experimenting that full time has been a real eye opener to me. I am seriously considering studying and reading more while I work on personal projects and being a consultant to others for a little bit.

So, while no major announcements arrive, I just wanted to share this a bit. I have a STACK of cool books about game design and psychology just waiting for me, and I drool just thinking about them. I have also been sketching some story ideas and game designs that stayed way too long stuck in my head for me to ignore any longer. And while it makes me no money right now, it's doing WONDERS for my morale and mind.

Hopefully my business cards will be ready soon and I will get a chance to give those lectures I am so looking forward to...

Piercing the shell

I think that it was quite appropriate that the last post was number 42.

I will once again apologize for the lack of updates, but I am hoping that this will soon change, and the reasons should soon become more obvious. You see, I think these last couple of month I've been inside a cocoon, very much preparing my metamorphosis not unlike a butterfly. I did a lot of maturing, a ton of thinking and - I would like to believe - achieved a lot of self-confidence. But not the important type: the one you gain by actually reaching your goal. "Testing your strength", as my mentor put it.

So finally, these last few days the puzzle pieces have been falling from the sky, and much like a self-playing Tetris game, landed in beautifully architected places by chance. I see a path forming, and a whole new enterprise revealed itself in the form of a card game a friend wants me to develop for him. I could hardly be more excited. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I believe the legacy I left at my current (soon to be "previous") job will also allow the new generation to evolve. I need to talk to my successor today, and my hopes are high.

So now that I feel ready to leave my cocoon, there is a good chance you will all be hearing a lot more from me. So I grab my drill and reach for the top, preparing to kick reason to the curb and pierce the Heavens!

(Yes, I just finished watching Gurren Lagann yesterday. Yes, it was awesome. Yes, I feel even more inspired by that)

I don't think the current state of change is about to end, either. I still feel a ton of turmoil ahead of me. But, I think, for the first time in my life... I welcome it. I see the potential for growth, not the whispers of despair. So now I will steel my conviction and believe in myself - and show the future who is in charge!

Teaching - what's not to love?

Well, as a new chapter of my professional life seems to draw to a close, I am once again rekindling and old passion: teaching. Since I managed to accrue some nice experience since college, I think I am now ready to share some of what I learned.

Right now, I am trying to focus a little bit on WHO would be interested in what I have to share. Some opportunities are already coming to light, others will need some work to present themselves. But I am truly excited with the possibility of helping others to understand the wonderful world of interactive entertainment and community building.

In a somewhat unrelated but sad note, just as we went to pick my mother-in-law from the airport for her first visit to Brazil, my cat B.B. ran out of the house and was killed by a car. B.B. was feisty and never really settled down at home, and while he was a lot of work... he will be sorely missed. It's kind of hard not to miss a cat you had to feed with a baby bottle every 4 hours for his first month of life (his mom died when he was four days old). But, in a way, his demise helped me realize a lot about myself. Here's to you, B.B.


P.S.: for the record, I am NOT leaving the GameTV project. I am just changing my relationship with it slightly. But there is a lot of cool stuff coming from there, including more of this videocast

Road to GameTV 2.0

Well, as the first phase of our project reaches maturity, we started working on our 2.0 project. The layouts are now in place, and we have officially started actual programming. It is pretty exciting, but for the first time, I am totally psyched that the coolest parts are not technical.

No, this time, we are focusing on content. But how do you do that? Well, we are looking for better ways to communicate with our audience. The first trick is figuring out how to not sound stupid for the hardcore, but still reach the casual. But more than that, we want to avoid sounding too CNN-ish. That was one of my biggest problems with my old gig, and a bad habit I kind of brought over.

Some of the ideas we have prototyped are nothing short of awesome, in my humble opinion. I will probably test drive some of them here, so watch this space ;)

Everything starting anew

Well, I guess the two of you who read (if you indeed still do) this blog already know, but here goes nothing: I left my job at Universo Online (UOL), and am officially working on the site for GameTV, the new TV channel focused on gaming and the teenage market.

The site won't be up til mid-august, I believe - and when it does I'll have a blog there in Portuguese. I will try to keep this one going for my North American family sake... hopefully doing a better job than the current one.

Also, if anyone know: I need to help my mom put her site (Stela Morato, Fotógrafa e Produtora Culinária - Photographer and Food Stylist for you guys) on Google. If anyone has any idea how, I would welcome that.

I think, therefore I haven't disappeared

No, my legion of imaginary and inexistant readers, I have't vanished in a puff. Work was crazy during the holiday crunch (in fact, I have an entry draft saved here... ugh) and I didn't manage to post. But I am back, and hopefully should be back to my old routine... of not posting that often - whatever.

Well... my boss is on vacation, but his workaholic self keeps him from not working on the site anyway. Things were actually not as bad as I expected, and I think we could have some good days ahead of us.

I'll keep you guys posted, as well as I can.