How To Be A Game Designer In Ireland

Posted on 2nd July 20155th July 2015 by

Have you ever wondered if you had what it takes to make a video game? Whether it’s an actually achievable goal or just a pointless pipe-dream?

We talked to the team behind an upcoming Irish indie game, Eternal Spirits, to find out what challenges await for anyone willing to throw the gauntlet into the game development arena.

Warning – this article contains high levels of inspiration and encouragement.

The team is headed up by creative director Joe Chu, with Audrey Dooley as lead animator and Sean Bolger as lead programmer, though the team stresses that they all contribute quite evenly to all aspects of Eternal Spirits

What was the driving force for all of you to decide “that’s it, I’m making a video game!”?

Sean:
For this particular game, I just loved the style of gameplay, that Metroidvania style of gaming where you’re constantly learning new skills to unlock more exploration. I’ve always wanted to make a game like that, ever since I started gaming.

Audrey:
Myself and Joe went to college together and we’d take the bus home on the same route. And the conversation always just turned to “If we were to make a game, it would be like this!” We had all of these ideas and we worked out who we’d need for the team. It was just really fun to be chatting about that on the 46A.
Then a year later, Joe said to me “Hey, I’m making a game. Want to do the art?” And it was just that simple, of course I was going to say yes! It was also just so great to be able to see my animation playing out, that I could actually control it. That was a great moment for me.

Joe:
My driving force is a combination of both Sean and Audrey’s answers: I always criticize games. Anytime I’m playing, I look at it and think, what would I do to make this better? What would be different? What I really wanted was a game full of secrets for you to discover. That was important.
And difficulty. Difficulty is a big factor for me in games. I mean, if a game is way too hard, you will get frustrated. But if I’m struggling with a boss and it takes a few goes to beat it? I get so much satisfaction out of knowing that I gained the skill need to beat it. I grew as a player. Like in Dark Souls. Just not as crazy hard.

And what does it take to make a great, memorable game then?

Joe:
Unlike a lot of modern games nowadays, many of which are very cinematic, I think it’s essential that games are fun. I know that sounds simple, but there it is. Fun. You play a game because it’s fun to play. It doesn’t have to look like a billion dollar blockbuster, you just need to play it for an hour and wonder where that hour went. Gameplay here is key.

Audrey:
I do think a game should have nice aesthetics and visuals though.

Joe:
That’s true, but that comes second. Aesthetics are really important but not the most important thing. You can have a very artistic looking game, but you might only play it once then because….well, you’ve already looked at it. Look at a game like Super Smash Bros. People keep playing that because it’s just plain fun. The art style helps, but it’s not the most important element there.

Audrey:
Well, that’s true, but there’s a lot to be said for interactive storytelling.

Joe:
You’re right, and I really like the direction modern gaming is taking with interactive story-telling. I think that’s really important too, because it shows video games are a legitimate art form. As a retro gamer though, for me it’s always going to be about whether or not it is fun to play.

Audrey:
I think we both agree that the gameplay should drive how the art looks.

Sean:
My view is that every aspect of the game should be conducive to gameplay. That might seem like a very elementary thing to say, but it’s true. It’s a full multimedia experience. You have audio, you have visuals. You might feel emotions or be told a story, but that should feed into a game.
For example, if you unlock a cutscene and it makes you feel sad or happy, then that should feed into the gameplay somehow, not simply be contained in that scene. Look at a game like Papers, Please. If I were to describe that game in a word, it would not be fun! I’m entertained by it. It’s slow paced, kind of depressing…it basically makes you choose between feeding your child or letting someone’s father die. That is grim!

Joe:
I know I said a game has to be fun, and that’s true. But what Sean says is true too. Everything has to work. You need good audio, you need good presentation. And it all just feeds back into the sense of playing the game.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making Eternal Spirits?

Audrey:
Just finding time to make the game. You get up for a shift at work at, say, half 5 in the morning. Then, when that’s done, you have to push yourself to go for another shift of work, even though you’re tired.
Shen’s design took nearly 4 months. We put a lot of work into that, but we definitely could have cut that time down if this was our full time job.

Joe:
We’re all from an animation background so we find flaws in animation fairly easily. We’re pretty ruthless. And animation is a slow process, so that’s very time consuming.
And of course, coding was tricky. Coding can legitimately drive you insane! Coding needs to work with the animation, with the gameplay, and that means playing, replaying and re-replaying the game, to make sure there aren’t any bugs. So, while there are a lot of challenges, the biggest challenge is in just finding time to take all of those challenges on!

Sean:
Coding is a really big part of that. Thinking back on the prototype we built, we learned how important it is to really know what you’re making. Design is key. You need to know every aspect of the game you’re making. Because if there’s a bug in the programming that affects the game negatively, you need to be able to think to yourself “OK, if this is doing this here, what is it going to do at that point, or in this area?”
If one thing breaks, it’s so easy for it to break another aspect of the game. Hacking can help with that, and hacking sort of comes with the territory in games design. But it is brute forcing your way into making the game work, so it’s not really ideal, but it’s necessary sometimes!

Was that a skill you needed to acquire for making Eternal Spirits?

Joe:
I did have to learn a lot of coding. If Sean wasn’t here and I wanted to move ahead, I knew I was going to have to do a little bit coding. We didn’t go out specifically to learn new things, but that’s not to say we’re not learning new things all the time.

Sean:
There’s really no point in doing a project like this unless you’re prepared to learn something from it.

Audrey:
With creative projects, it’s always a process of learning. I’d never animated for a game before and one thing I learned is that sometimes less is more. You really don’t want exaggerated movements if it takes a long time in-game.
You need to keep the needs of the player in mind. If it’s a fast-paced game, quick and simple animations are what you need.

Were there many things that you decided to do differently, once you began making Eternal Spirits?

Joe:
We made a 3D prototype first, then we decided 2D was more suited for this game. And we’ve made a lot of changes, even after we went for 2D.
That was a learning process and we came to realise that some things made sense to have in the game and some things didn’t. The version we have now is pretty different from the original prototype, but this version is much closer to what I’d envisioned. And what the guys here had in mind, of course. It’s a very collaborative effort, this isn’t just my show.

Sean:
We’re definitely a collaborative effort. We sat down a while ago to talk about all of the upgrades, and everyone here brought something to the table. No one person took control there, it felt natural and organic.
I don’t think we’d change anything because, like Joe said, we’ve already had a big re-haul. We’re making the game we all had in mind.

Audrey:
We very nearly re-hauled Shen’s entire character design. A few times, actually. Joe wanted to get rid of Shen’s scarf for a while, because it was difficult to animate, but I wasn’t having that.
I love Shen’s scarf, I think it makes him stand out.

Joe:
I’m glad we didn’t get rid of it, he looks way better with the scarf.

Considering you’re all friends making this game, is it ever hard to be critical of each other, or each other’s ideas?

Sean:
It’s actually useful that we’re all friends because we all have similar interests. We all went to a gaming society in college, and I think we all went to an anime society as well, at least at some point. We gelled together well, in terms of what we like in a game.

Joe:
Myself and Sean clicked immediately, because we were more serious about gaming than most people. We liked the challenge, we always competed in the tournaments they had in the gaming society. And we both won them once! We’re hardcore.
But to answer your question, I don’t like lying to people when it comes to their work. If I think it can be better, I will tell them. I won’t tell them it’s bad and then not offer constructive criticism. I try to see it as a collaborative discussion, where we identify the problem and then try and work it out.

Audrey:
Except the scarf. He just wanted me to get rid of the scarf.

Joe:
And she said no, and that was the end of that! I don’t know how they feel about me, they probably think I’m an asshole.

Audrey:
Absolutely. Joe is always insulting my work. But I really don’t mind at all. I know that if Joe is critiquing my work, it’s not him saying it’s bad. He’s just exploring ways it might be better, and we work well together because we know that’s just how it is.

Sean:
I don’t think we’ve had any clashes whatsoever. We all equally scrutinize each other’s work, simply because we want to make the best game possible.
I remember putting something forward about Shen’s attacks and how they should work….

Joe:
We’d never outright say “Oh that sucks”

Sean:
I was about to say, “Joe told me that my idea sucked”

Joe:
Oh the fireball thing? That did suck! But I explained why!

Sean:
He did give me good feedback on why my idea sucked. But I’ve given him feedback on why his ideas suck, so we’re on the same level really.

Audrey:
With creative processes, you need that sort of honesty. You need to say stupid things and make mistakes in order to come up with the good ideas.

What do you guys think of Ireland as a country producing video games? It’s not a big game-producing climate.

Joe:
Well, you have Japan and America, they’re big contenders. Down the line is Europe. And we’re nowhere even close to Europe. The most successful game in Europe is The Witcher…

Sean:
But that’s at the triple A level…

Joe:
That’s at the triple A level, but in terms of the indie level, you can look at Ireland where there have been eight kickstarters for videogames. And all of them were either unsuccessful or cancelled. I think there are only three games [from Ireland] that are being sold on Steam, and there a couple, more recently that have been greenlit. That might not be the best way to gauge the Irish climate for making video-games, but no Irish game has ever really done well on Kickstarter.

Sean:
There are a lot of young developers in Ireland though, who are eager to dive into technology and to make games. There’s a lot of enthusiastic people and a lot of hype. There is an interest in the area, and some great ideas. Unfortunately, there’s just not a lot of consolidation on those ideas. You get a lot of people who have put ideas out there, but they haven’t refined it. They never really complete them.

Joe:
Terry Kavanagh might be the exception…
[Terry Kavanagh is an Irish developer who made games VVVVV and Super Hexagon]

Sean:
He works out of the UK.

Joe:
Terry Kavanagh is probably our biggest name. He is Irish, but yes, he works from the UK so…(shrugs).
Actually finding a games company to work for in Ireland is very difficult as well so the general rule of thumb is to simply start your own company and pray.

Audrey:
You were actually right, Sean, in that there is a lot of interest in this area. But there’s not a lot of formal education in the area.
I did animation in college and a student there wanted to make a game but the reaction was simply “We don’t know how to do this. Why do you want to do this?”

Sean:
Ireland only got its first Level 8 course in games design last year, in 2014. Even then, it was focused on apps and multimedia as opposed to console or PC gaming.

Joe:
Carlow had one that was Level 7, and I think there was one other. It’s only now though, officially, that we have a four year Level 8 course.

So, you could say the games industry is actually growing in Ireland, albeit slowly.

Joe:
It is growing, because interest is growing. It’s the most profitable form of digital entertainment in the world. It used to be films and music but now, it’s games.

Audrey:
Some people who work on games….they’re just dentists.

Joe:
My lecturer who was making a game, he used to be an accountant. And he just wanted to make games. So he went in for the plunge. It was a total gamble, making a game always is.

Would you say that it would be a little easier to develop games outside of Ireland? Even in the UK, like Terry Kavanagh.

Joe:
I don’t think it would be a huge amount easier. Ireland has never really been at the forefront of technology, but England…I doubt it would be miles ahead.

Audrey:
They do have a Masters in Animation in England, which they don’t have here in Ireland.

Joe:
There would be bigger games companies in England, so I think getting a job with a games company, at least, would be easier. Indie devs, it would probably be about the same.

Sean:
London is very ‘buzzy’ for smaller teams though. It’s actually possible to just get some office space, jump in and do the game. It’s expensive, but it’s possible.
With Ireland, I don’t know all the ins and outs of it, but there are stringent rules on office spaces and setting up companies. You have to go through a lot of hoops in order to justify making a game.
And of course, London is densely populated. A lot more variety in terms of skill sets. You’re far more likely to stumble upon people with the skills you need. I think that’s why Terry Kavanagh went to England: there were simply more people over there with the skills he needed to make his games.

So, what advice would you give our readers if they were to go out and make a game?

Joe:
Just go out and do it.

Audrey:
Be passionate, go out there and do it. Don’t put it off. Just do it.

Sean:
Play some games. Figure out exactly what sort of games you want to make, that you enjoy playing. Learn a bit of java script and that’s the first step to getting out there and doing it.