Game Designer Interview 2 - Philip Jones

I also reached out to Midboss to see if I could interview someone there. 2046: Read Only Memories is totally on my list of favs. After some finagling (I imagine they are busy with preparing for PAX East) I was able to get of a hold of Philip Jones, the VP of Creative at Midboss. You can find them on twitter @probearcub and Midboss's website here

What are the main types of games you work on?
Our studio is quite young and most of us here are working on games for the first time. Our debut title was a cyberpunk interactive fiction with visual novel and point-and-click elements. That's gonna continue as a series real soon, but we're also looking at new and interesting types of games coming out, like VR. We'll also be exploring ideas in more quick action gameplay genres, to diversify for people who aren't as interested in story games. A couple of us also worked on a small Twine game called PUNKS for #ResistJam earlier this year. :)

How long have you been working in the industry?

It's just been over 4 years for myself, full time. A few no-name blogging and podcasting gigs eventually led to me joining MidBoss to work on the GaymerX convention and direct our Gaming In Color documentary. It's been a wild ride so far, but 'indie' can definitely feel disconnected from the rest of the industry at times, even when constantly being surrounded by so many amazing talented folks. We're kind of in a transition phase between games and I think I'm just eager to have something creative to sink my teeth into again. Looking forward to doing more big things!

How does designing a single player game differ from a multiplayer one?

I tend to think of all games as 'multiplayer' in a sense if you count the game's systems, language, feedback all specifically designed by humans for humans to explore, enjoy. The major difference between those two modes is designing systems that respond and give the player feedback for actions they take and enjoy the game that way, or designing systems that focus on how the content can be experienced and enjoyed as a result of cooperative or opposing actions between avatars.

When you are playing a game, what types of experiences do you find to be most rewarding?

Bright colors. Customization. Collectibles. Trial and error gameplay. Distinct signature characters. Exploration. Wistful music. Arcadey UI/UX. Cuteness. Those are probably some of the most common trends in my top favorites. :) 

On the other hand, what types of experiences are the most fun/rewarding to design (or are they the same)?

I've really enjoyed working on ROM as a chance to improve my writing and narrative design instincts. A lot of plot and worldbuilding is one of our specialties and something we'll continue, but sometimes I just need 20 minutes of SSX/Tony Hawk/Crazy Taxi/Mortal Kombat/Need for Speed/Animal Crossing to take a break from it.

What sort of skills or traits do you think are the most helpful to have when it comes to game design? 

Programming is one skill that's always useful especially if you want to build your own games, but there are so many different genres, engines, scripting languages and tools.. my first inclination would be to ask what KIND of games one would want to make, and the great part about the industry now is that there will be lots of ways to start in any direction for beginners. :)

What are some of the biggest challenges to overcome when designing games?

Crunch in order to meet deadlines is afflicting the industry pretty harshly. Graphic fidelity and animation has improved so much that companies are pricing themselves out just to keep up with competition, and it's near impossible for any new studio to join the ranks of that field. Budgets are so high and there's so much risk (your game can be profitable or not by the difference of getting 7.0 reviews vs 8.0 reviews) nobody wants to really innovate so all the shelves have sequelitis. The mainstream game community culture isn't aware of most of these issues on a large scale, and there are a lot of pockets of gamers that spend a lot of energy attacking things like "SJWs" and "diversity" instead in order to maintain the status quo, despite the fact they're also somewhat dissatisfied with today's major titles.

What sort of things inspires you, are there any websites/resources you always look to for inspiration?

I'm constantly inspired by the other queer indie developers I've met and know, the other queer and NB people I know in pr, journalism, pretty much all over the industry. We have a facebook group and discord chat for specifically non-binary people in the industry and it's very rewarding to be around people like me where we can be open in a professional setting. Matt Conn personally has done a lot of the heavy lifting to make things like that possible not only for gaymers and I wouldn't want to be working anywhere else.

Do you have a favorite project you’ve ever worked on?

Oh! I ran a podcast for about 18 months called the SSX Ubercast that basically recapped the very impressive marketing campaign and developer releases while the 2012 title was being developed. Had on a bunch of community members and pro players, including the game's creative director for 3 interviews. It felt like I was breaking into something, though it didn't directly lead anywhere. Still one of the most fun times in my life. 

Finally, do you have any advice for students?

Go! To! Events! You can usually get student discounts on most industry events and half of this job is being seen, making meetings, getting your foot in the door and having a name with your face. Also if you're working on a uni game project, submit it to festivals or your local IGDA chapter if they're doing something. :) Soak up as much as you can and it's easy once you make your first friend.