My Path as a Game Designer

Working on Making my Story Useful (Mostly for Myself, Sharing is Selfishness)

WHY THIS PRESENTATION?

GIVE THE AUDIENCE A SINGLE

SAMPLE OF A DESIGNER’S PATH

THROUGH THE LAST 20 YEARS

WHY THIS PRESENTATION?

WHERE ARE THE STORIES ABOUT

THE STEPS WE TAKE TO

IMPROVE?

WHY THIS PRESENTATION?

WE KNOW WHAT GAME

DESIGNERS DO.

WHY THIS PRESENTATION?

WHY DO DESIGNERS MAKE THEIR

CHOICES?

WHY THIS PRESENTATION?

HOW DID MY EXPERIENCES

SHAPE THE DESIGNER I AM

TODAY?

WHY THIS PRESENTATION?

WHO AM I?

WHO AM I?

TOMO MORIWAKI

18 YEARS OF GAME DESIGN

WHO AM I?

13 YEARS CONSOLE

5 YEARS MOBILE, PC

WHO AM I?

3 YEARS PUNK UNDERLING

WHO AM I?

2 YEARS UNQUALIFIED LEAD

WHO AM I?

6 YEARS PROJECT LEADERSHIP

WHO AM I?

4 YEARS CONSULTING

WHO AM I?

3 YEARS CO-FOUNDER

WHAT IS GAME DESIGN?

WHAT IS GAME DESIGN?

MANIPULATION

What is Game Design?LEARNING TO SPEAK A

USER SEGMENT’S

LANGUAGE

What is Game Design?

CREATING AN

EXPERIENCE

What is Game Design?

TRANSLATING IT INTO

THAT USER SEGMENT’S

LANGUAGE

STARTING POINT

STARTING POINT

A PLAYER OF

GAMES

STARTING POINT

A CONSUMER WHO LIKES WHAT

THEY ARE TOLD TO LIKE

STARTING POINT

A FANBOY WHO’S

DEVELOPING A SENSE OF

TASTE

STARTING POINT

AN EMERGING IMAGINATION

THAT I COULD DO BETTER

DIE BY THE SWORD

1999

FIRST GAME DEV EXPERIENCE

THE POWER OF ITERATION

NO FEAR OF COMPLEXITY

NO CONCEPT OF LARGER

EXPERIENCE OF THE GAME

FIRST GAME DEV EXPERIENCE

COMBAT

LEVEL DESIGN

“ANIMATION”

FIRST GAME DEV EXPERIENCE

JUNIOR CREATIVE

JUNIOR CREATIVE

I KNOW WHAT I LIKE,

AND I THINK I’M RIGHT

JUNIOR CREATIVE

I’M FIXATED ON THE DETAILS

JUNIOR CREATIVE

I CAN ONLY REALLY

PERCEIVE THE MOMENT

JUNIOR CREATIVE

I STRUGGLE AND RUSH

TO GET TO THAT

MOMENT

JUNIOR CREATIVE

I ACQUIRE THE SKILLS BOTH

TECHNICALLY AND CONCEPTUALLY TO

CREATE A GOOD MOMENT

JUNIOR CREATIVE

I ONLY CARE ABOUT

WHAT I’M WORKING ON

2000

2001

TRYING TO GROW UP

LEARNING TO PLAY BY

THE RULES

TRYING TO GROW UP

SEEING THE WHOLE

GAME

TRYING TO GROW UP

HELPING THE

TEAM

SPIDERMAN

THE MOVIE

2002

FIRST LEAD POSITION

WORKING ON BEING

A DECENT LEAD

FIRST LEAD POSITION

UNQUALIFIED LEAD

UNQUALIFIED LEAD

TACTICS!

GET THE STUFF YOU LIKE

DONE

UNQUALIFIED LEAD

RESPONSIBLE FOR

SCOPE

UNQUALIFIED LEAD

NOW YOU HAVE TO

CUT

UNQUALIFIED LEAD

BAD AT SEEING THE BIG

PICTURE

UNQUALIFIED LEAD

CLOSING AS A LEAD IS A

WHOLE NEW WORLD OF

FOLLOW THROUGH

SPIDERMAN 2

2004

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

DIRECTION

THE GAME AS A

PRODUCT

DIRECTION

WHAT DOES THE PLAYER

WANT?

DIRECTION

WAIT, WHO IS THE

PLAYER ANYWAY?

DIRECTION

COORDINATING

DEPARTMENTS

DIRECTIONSTRATEGY?

LESSON ONE:

UNIMPORTANT THINGS CAN

SUCK

DIRECTION

TAKE WHAT YOU DO

WELL AND DO IT BETTER

DIRECTION

MAKE SACRIFICES FOR

THE HIGHEST PRIORITY

DIRECTION

YOU WILL BE JUDGED BY THE

HEIGHT OF YOUR HIGHS

DIRECTION

COST TO EFFECT RATIOS DON’T

SOUND SEXY, BUT THEY LEAD TO

GOOD STUFF

2004: HAVING CHILDREN!

2004: HAVING CHILDREN!

GREAT DEVICE TO EDUCATE

YOURSELF ON HOW TO BE A

BETTER DESIGNER

2004: HAVING CHILDREN!

CARING ABOUT THE NEEDS AND

WANTS OF THE USER

BOOM BLOX

2008

LEAD DESIGNER

MEDAL OF

HONOR

2010

PRODUCER

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

“THAT’S NOT A GAME”

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

“ONLY AN IDIOT WOULD SPEND

MONEY ON THAT”

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

WHAT PREJUDICED JERK I WAS

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

PLAY IT UNTIL...

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

LIKE IT!

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

OUR ABILITY TO LIKE IS MORE

NUANCED THAN OUR ABILITY TO

DISLIKE

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

“BUT I PLAYED IT, AND I GET IT.”

MATURING PERSPECTIVE

NOT AS MUCH AS SOMEONE

WHO LOVED IT

2011 CONSULTING

BEING ALONE IS SCARY AND

DIFFICULT

2011 CONSULTING

PRACTICE IS EVERYTHING

2011 CONSULTING

IT’S WEIRD NOT KNOWING WHAT

YOU KNOW

2014 HYPERKINETIC

THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU AND

COUPLE OLD FRIENDS REALIZE

YOU COULD START A COMPANY

2014 HYPERKINETIC

EVERYTHING IS THE

SAME!

2014 HYPERKINETIC

THE DEGREE TO WHICH

EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT IS

OUTSIDE OF YOUR PERCEPTION

2014 HYPERKINETIC

THE DEGREE TO WHICH

EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT IS

OUTSIDE OF YOUR PERCEPTION

2014 HYPERKINETIC

AT FIRST

2014 HYPERKINETIC

COMFORT ZONE… NOT

EPIC TAVERN2016?

EPIC TAVERN

2016?

DESIGN DIRECTOR

WHAT IS A GAME?

BLOCK OF COMPRESSED DATA

WHAT IS A GAME?

TO BE DECOMPRESSED BY A

PLAYER