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It's no news that indie games have stealthily, but surely, reached the spotlight in computer games. Even if gruff space marines, mighty warriors, powerful wizards and the good old mascots have their big share of the gaming public, there's a bunch of smaller developers that must have been secretly plotting an uprising to bring experiences that do not fit the previous descriptions. And the bigshot publishers have set their eyes on these promising stars for quite a while now, taking their chances and bringing these alternative games under their wing – and in time, some of these smaller developers are even hired by the big companies, though keeping their style intact.
One of the developers that fits this example like a glove is Los Angeles-based thatgamecompany. Counting with indie darlings like Jenova Chen, who worked on "Cloud" and the first version of "flOw" (respectively using a proprietary engine and Flash), this studio is known for their friendly gameplay, characteristic art style, and nature-themed games which also doubles as food for thought. We had the chance to interview Kellee Santiago, president and co-founder of thatgamecompany, who shed some light about the studio's origins, style choices and much more.
Check out what our Venezuelan neighbor has to share regarding thatgamecompany's work in our exclusive interview:
FinalBoss: Thanks for your time! Introduce yourself to our game fans!
Kellee Santiago: Hi! I'm Kellee Santiago, President and Co-Founder of thatgamecompany.
FB: How did you start your career in game development?
Kellee: I was producing and managing theater when I decided to attend the Interactive Media MFA program at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. It was there that I studied game design, and it opened up my eyes to the possibilities of video games as a communicative medium. Heh, that might sound pretentious, but it's true! I've always loved to create and to entertain, and I played video games growing up, but never connected the two until then.
I started working on whatever I could, interning at Warner Bros. Interactive, helping out on student projects, and then I worked with Jenova and the team on "Cloud". Jenova and I really found kindred spirits in each other, and similar drives, so we decided to start building out what started on "Cloud" into a commercial game development studio.
FB: Do you enjoy playing on your free time? If so, which games and genres are your favorites?
Kellee: Yes! I really like all sorts of games. In AAA I really like Action & Adventure and Third Person Shooters. I have to confess to having a total soft-spot for "chick games" like "Diner Dash", and anything co-op (lately it's been "PixelJunk Monsters"). And, of course, anything Indie. "The Path" by Tale of Tales, "Passage" by Jason Rohrer, and editorial games like "Achievement Unlocked".
FB: When was thatgamecompany founded? How many people work there, and how is a day at the company?
Kellee: thatgamecompany was founded in 2006, started with three people, and today we're ten. A typical day at the company usually starts by meeting up on what everyone's doing and what needs to get done. That will typically lead to conversations about features that are in progress, or going over new work by the engineers, artists, or designers, and then we're off rollin'! There are some breaks for hacky-sack or remote-control car racing, but that's pretty much it.
FB: You are currently on a second-party relationship with Sony, right? How is that working for you so far?
Kellee: Splendidly! The support we've received has really been great. As second-party, we are able to connect more directly with other Sony developers, and the developers of the Sony tools, both of which have not just helped us make better games, but have helped make us better developers. And our goals align very well - they are creating PSN as a place for unique, quality content, which is exactly the kind of content we aim to make.
About Flower, flOw, Cloud and more
FB: We've noticed that nature seems to be quite the recurring theme (flowers, water, clouds) on your games. Could you elaborate on that?
Kellee: I can't really elaborate on it more than it's been a source of inspiration for Jenova in the past. We try to make games that are relevant to a wide audience, that crosses culture, gender, and age barriers. Themes of nature definitely lend themselves very well to those goals.
FB: The simplicity of your titles' interface is impressive, and usually is very friendly for any player. Is this a basic principle for your projects?
Kellee: Absolutely. Because we want the content of our games to appeal to a wide variety of audiences, we are very sensitive to the needs of both active gamers as well as people who haven't played games in awhile, or haven't played at all. We also want our games to be complete experiences, from the moment you start to the moment you exit. If it was up to us, there wouldn't even be opening titles!
FB: "Flower" offered a very intriguing and unique experience. How was the creative process behind it?
Kellee: The idea for "Flower" grew organically (no pun intended) from a number of inspirations. One was to try and capture the feeling of being in a large flower field; to capture both the sense of beauty when you see them all, but also the visceral feeling of being up close to an individual flower. If you do a Google image search for "flower" you discover photographs from people all over the world, all fascinated with this aspect of nature. Technically, it was an exciting challenge. What would happen if we took this aspect of video games that is normally an afterthought on the edge of the world – the bushes and grass – and put it right in front, and make the entire game about it?
What I really like about "Flower", though, is that it feels like a very personal expression of Jenova's. The story and the themes that are expressed in the game really evolved from what I see as his current interpretation of the world around him, and the game invites the player to participate in that space. It has an intimate feel to it.
FB: What was the inspiration for "flOw"? There are some big games that included elements that are quite reminiscent of the "microorganisms in a pool" setting... :)
Kellee: Hah! So we've heard. But "flOw" actually was the result of Jenova's MFA Thesis work on studying Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow Theory, the theory of how humans achieve "fun" or "happiness," and how to apply that to designing video games. Jenova then collaborated with TGC game designer Nick Clark to develop a simple game that would illustrate his conclusions from his research.
FB: In time, "flOw" has received an expansion pack. Are there any plans of one for "Flower" as well?
Kellee: Currently, TGC is focused on our next PlayStation Network project, but stay tuned on our website! We have been working on releasing the soundtrack, and supporting "Flower" fans in other ways.
FB: It's been quite a while since indie games have had their chance to shine on consoles (like "Alien Hominid", "Every Extend" and "Cave Story", just to mention some of the older ones) with full-blown remakes. Are there any other "hidden treasures" you'd like to see on the spotlight?
Kellee: Anything by Daniel Benmergui. It would be awesome if he had a channel on PSN.
FinalBoss' Classic Round of Questions
FB: Which game made you think "I wish I had created that", and why?
Kellee: "1 vs. 100". It's so simple (although obviously very difficult technically!) and so profound. I love the "event" feeling of the game, of being a part of something completely temporal and knowing you are experiencing it with thousands of other people. I really hope publishers continue to support the event-style game design because there are so many exciting possibilities beyond just a competitive game show.
FB: Have you ever been to Brazil? How well do you know the country?
Kellee: I've never been! But I would really love the opportunity to visit! I was born in Venezuela, and that's really the only South American country I know!
FB: What's your advice for people interested in getting into game development?
Kellee: Make games, make games, make games. By whatever means necessary!
FB: Please leave a message to our readers and game fans!
Kellee: Gamers - you rule!
FinalBoss would like to thank Kellee and the gang at thatgamecompany for bringing us all a breath of fresh air in their titles, thinking out of the box and creating very touching experiences which anyone can enjoy. Stay tuned for our next interviews!
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