So our D-day has arrived and all the preparation, print material, HDcam, lights, diffuser, cables, and the 100 other things come out of the suitcase, and I find I’ve left behind a headphone jack converter. Frankly I’m glad it was only that – and that it turns out it wasn’t really needed after all. But its the kind of thing that could just tip you over the edge if you were a bit stressed. In fact, I was far more stressed packing than I was setting up. At that point its like walking on stage – there’s nothing more to be done, but learn and improve as you go, and deal with whatever comes your way.
Koelnmesse is huge. Of course it is. The numbers that surround Gamescom and GDC are huge. Around 250,000 people turned up last year, and according to Michael Gilbert our Koelnmesse rep, more are expected this year, and the venue is so large it still has empty halls, shuttered up or hidden behind curtains. Those empty spaces, when you glance into them remind me of the cathedral and church builders, who knew that to make infinity palpable, you had to confine it. I remember looking up at the Hagia Sophia mosque, on a backpacking trek to Istanbul, and realising that restrictions are of what pushes man to create great beauty.
And restrictions are what have pushed me and James to think on our feet, rely on our passion, and our ability to make a virtue out of limited space and funds.
Our booth is a box. Outside is an “info counter”. The total is 12m². A utilitarian four plug socket unit, hangs from one wall. But hell. Its our space. So up go the lamps, the tripod, the literature and the TV display. And pretty soon we’re collecting people who’s eyes have been caught by our rolling demos and that subtle poster (Just in case you can’t see it in the booth photo)
Within a few hours we’ve spoken to a core of useful people, and even one big cheese who sends over someone from one of his many development studios to come and have a chat. Early in the day as it is, I haven’t got my sales patter down to concise art, and end up going on a bit, but with a passion which apparently seemed to work. And I am passionate, about good storytelling, and a narrative based games shouldn’t neglect the talent and problem solving that come from their older cousin of film and the grandaddy of them all - theatre.
The arts have a long history of excelling in the face of restriction, or even because of restriction. I learnt very early as an actor that total freedom of choice in an improvisation, for example, is crippling. Knowing what you can’t or won’t do is often a good place to start. Creating the world of a game can be incredibly versatile and fluid – everything can be changed, the only obstacle seemingly being the deadline (and how many of those end up in the bin?) Communicating that working within restrictions can free creativity can sometimes feel like you’re being a kill-joy. But even the most free creative acts are faced with restriction, as the simple act of moving something from imagination to something tangible, means using materials and tools that have their own rules you must work with, and around.
It seems that the virtues of dramatic content in some games are gaining in weight with many looking for that extra something for their game. I understand that David Cage and Guillaume’s GDC presentation were well attended, and much appreciated. Convergence needs its champions, and yesterday proved that the greatest champions are likely to be open minded developers.
This first day had us encouraged (and relieved, perhaps) that not only do we have an audience, but that we’re not alone in offering the benefits of a cross-discipline approach. It really feels that a tide is turning.
More on that in the next blog…
PL
Posted: August 19, 2010 at 1:16 pm
