How our perspective about game changes after becoming a developer

[Abhilash]

Hello All  !!

I don't know whether you find this interesting , or you noticed it or not.  

The perspective of a person sitting in stage watching a show changes when He/She is taking part in that show. Because now He/She knows about what is happening behind the curtain (stage). 

This is fascinating, when i  wanted to play a game i actually read reviews and buy that. But now, I see the story, battle system, features, etc. and give review myself  . Being developer, i can see and understand what is going on behind the graphics (in the code). Its like watching a game naked (mind my language   ).

But the true user in myself is  somewhat dying. I actually care about feature rather than the effort of the developer or vice-versa choosing either of them (Heisenberg 's uncertainity Principle  ).

Topic Of Discussion

1. Is this happens to you too?

2. What exactly he loses or what exactly he gains when he becomes a developer from game player(user) ?

3. Anything you wanna Share?

 

[Probotector 200X]

Well, I've noticed I play games slower after starting to work with RPG Maker. But that's because mainly it's another hobby to consume (DEVOUR) time. I suppose it did take a little bit of the "magic" away.

Something about games makes them seem a little less special after trying to make my own. On the other hand, complete, great games are awesome, and it inspires me and humbles me at the same time.

I do often wonder how certain things were programmed. Or why some things weren't done. I know now why lots of ideas I thought were cool when I was young aren't done...because of the amount of work involved!

 

[Abhilash]

 I suppose it did take a little bit of the "magic" away.

Yeah, right brother i was just saying that. The magic blow off as you put your brain into games.(I mean how it is made).

 I know now why lots of ideas I thought were cool when I was young aren't done...because of the amount of work involved!

 

Yeah, totally , game development is not a 1 man's job. (there might be exceptions). And also rare ideas come when you can't utilize them.

My First RPG was Vampire's Dawn: Deceit Of Herectics (a java mobile game) . Then Actual RPG Game (made by RPG Maker) was Vampire's Dawn: Reign Of Blood. And now i wanted to make something like that but little less annoying and much more emotional.

My point is sometimes, some games inspires you to develop more.

 

[captainproton]

Sometimes, I find myself thinking, "Isee what you did there," and really respecting the people who make the games, especially the good ones. There's been other times, though, when I think, "man. I literally *can* make a game better than these people."

Working with RM definitely changes your perspective. It shows you how much work goes into something, how hard some aspects are, and how surprisingly easy other aspects are. (And makes you wonder how the professional team of devs got it wrong). More often than not, though, I'm like, "respek, yo."

 

[Abhilash]

 "I see what you did there."

I like that expression , totally agree with you @captianproton

 

[cabfe]

I can't tell all the things I didn't notice in games before making my own.

There's just so many aspects to it that you get to learn, it's a fantastic experience.

Tools I never touched, gameplay elements I took for granted or easy...

Of course, often you play games made by a team whereas we're mostly solo developers, so the amount of work and final result can hardly be compared but still.

There's also a side effect: I can no longer read a story without finding all the inconsistencies I didn't notice before. That kind of ruins the pleasure sometimes.

I guess that's it when you become "part of the team" of developers/artists/writers/etc.

You can't talk about anything, game making included, if you haven't tried it yourself already.

 

[whitesphere]

If anything, I have found, as I make my own games, I can appreciate the great RPGs far more, because after making your own, you quickly realize how incredibly hard it is to get everything to flow just right. 

When I look at Chrono Trigger now, I can see how much work went into balancing everything (7 characters) to provide a fair but challenging fight for any set of characters, and how much work it is to create good cutscenes, and to make really good, visually interesting maps, and to create a compelling story that is spelled out largely through the tasks the player does. 

And that's NOT including the excellent management and coordination it takes to get a whole team to work together to produce something so coherent.

Granted, with RPG Maker and the many amazing Resource Packs for it, we have the tools to make amazing games.  But saying "Anyone can do it" is like saying "I can give anyone some high quality paint, a professional canvas and some top notch brushes, and they'll make a masterpiece." 

We all have the tools to do it, but it takes a special set of abilities to actually make something truly great with them.  I mainly create games because I enjoy the process of creation, not because I ever expect to make a truly great game.  There's something inherently satisfying about drawing a map out, or creating a cutscene and having your party experience it 5 minutes later.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Biggest thing I've noticed: "WHY DID YOU DO THIS?" has become "I KNOW WHY YOU DID THIS, BUT WHY DID YOU DO THIS??"

I think the biggest moment I realized that I was never going to play games the same way was when I was playing an older game, and there was an event that I could keep triggering over and over and over again that I really shouldn't have been able to and instead of just thinking "odd" I giggled over it and purposefully set it off a lot of times while telling my friend "I see what they did wrong there." The making of Lunar: Eternal Blue disc was also fun to watch their computer screens when it showed the programming bits because I think it showed a very similar set up to RPGmaker - something enough for me to poke little things.

Since I mostly do art stuff though, just looking at how much art goes into a game I stare at think "Someone made all these things." "someone DREW that" "someone made that effect." and it really makes me admire the little things more.

It hasn't really changed my emotional connections when playing a really good game though. If I end up immersed in the world, I'm going to forget all about development and lose myself.

 

[Abhilash]

Thank you all for sharing with us

One thing i'd like to share, when i learned how to design a logo professionally and i was reading their (untold signs Eg, Bold letters means more promising company ) Now whenever i go to supermarket , i usually got distracted by the brands there and think "who've made these logos" ,"if i can do better or worse?"

and also "what is the hidden meaning?" this takes me long and i forget many things to buy .    

 They are similar in respect of "Blowing the magic away". Looks  like i met God and now i'm less concerned about prayers. 

 

[Another Ned]

Biggest thing I've noticed: "WHY DID YOU DO THIS?" has become "I KNOW WHY YOU DID THIS, BUT WHY DID YOU DO THIS??"

Couldn't sum it up better. Worst when it's an already good game and one begins to notice all the tiny little flaws which prevent it from being a REALLY good game. Or a game that's okay, but could be good, if only [insert reason here]!

But overall, subconsciously analyzing games (also visuals and narratives) actually adds to my enjoyment of the media. I also became more appreciative of little things, as well as more understanding of flaws/problems I now know are due to budget constraints/time running out/etc.

Plus, I can both play games AND learn stuff about making them, so that's the best thing ever ("Doing research" is my go-to explanation when not-quite-understanding relatives see me play games).

 

[Dimitris]

Knowing the inner workings of something, either that is a game, or a song, or watever, I believe that you lose some of the magic. I can give a music example, because that's what I know best, but I think it works to the other subjects also. Take the song Wonderwall by Oasis. Most of us when we heard the song said "Wow, it's beautifull" or whaever. When you play guitar, as I do, and look at the chords and how easy it is to play, then the song loses a little of its charm. I believe that happens because most people believe that, something so good it is difficult to achieve and create and when they learn that it is actually easy, they get dissapointed because they believe they could do it themselves. I believe it is that kind of good and driving ego that makes this happen. That is my oppinion, I'd like to know what you think about it guys.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Interesting. I have the opposite feeling on that for the most part.

I can't think of a time I've looked at something with simple artwork and felt disappointed that they made that decision for their creation. The art doesn't suddenly become less charming to me. If it's something I can tell was made with low effort, that's a different story. But a simple ground work or design style or chord or whatever doesn't instantly mean low effort. It was a design choice that was made and how it is implemented is what matters most.

Knowing how things are being made makes me appreciate the effort in them that much more. Whether the effort be in creating something complex, or taking something simple and finding a way to mass market it into something extraordinary in the eyes of the public. I do not stare at the art design of tetris and think anything less of it simply because these are just coloured squares making shapes; the rest of the product holds it up. Now, those shapes are instantly recognizable but a ton of people - I've seen tetris pieces win character polls - that only earns my admiration that someone could take such a simple design and make it mean so much to so many.

 

These designs are not any less appealing to me because they are simple.

 

I've never heard Wonderwall, but I am guessing it is a song with more than just chords. And those elements come together with the chords and make it a popular song that people find beautiful. That someone took a simple beginning and shaped it into something loved by many is a thing that can be admired I would say. Something that is charming in its own right.

 

Though I do agree the feelings of "I can do that/I can do better" are powerful tools towards driving some people to work on things. When that happens, it's great! Sadly, a lot of the people who sit there and think these ways just type that into the internet and make no motions towards actually creatively pursuing those statements. Which is really sad. Get out there and show us you can too!!

 

tl;dr - Simple things aren't any less charming to me just because I can identify they are simple and how they are simple.

 

[captainproton]

@Makio-Kuta: I totally agree. Seeing how the pieces fit and the parts move only makes me appreciate it more. Looking at a rock an knowing it isn't just A Rock, but that it's just part of a huge story about rain and wind and chemical elements and tectonic plates and cosmic dust--it's pretty amazing.

 

[Abhilash]

I think you guys are liking this topic ... 

Sometimes, i think how a simple thing can become so famous. But then i say to myself "That's the power of simplicity" Therefore i feel simple and easy aren't synonyms in some respect. E.g. When i learned about logos I found that even simple one can attract more customers and are therefore memorable.   

But now i know in computers nothing is "automatic" you've to code for everything(until Artificial Intelligence Rule the world  ) Although reusability is there but that seems less. Even a pixel change in sprite can change a look of RPG Games