Pulse


MEET THE DEVELOPER FUNFAIR GAMES


FunFair Games: Social, activity and simplicity


Part of G3 Magazine’s Meet the Developer serial feature, Laurence McDonald, Creative Director at FunFair Games, details the design team’s methodology and creative ethos from the drawing board through to the finished product.


How do you approach the challenge of designing a title that is new and unique, yet familiar and recognisable to players?


Laurence McDonald, Creative Director, FunFair Games


To bring a social element to


our first title, Astroboomers: To The Moon!, other players’


activity is on view, both in real- time and historically, and players can express


themselves and talk to each


other through emojis and we’ll look to add chat and more community features


incrementally as our games gain traction.


P92 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS


At FunFair Games we develop multiplayer games with a single outcome, which is different to the slot games currently flooding the market. As we’re delivering games for the next generation of players, research is essential, both external and among peers.


We want to find out what’s being actively enjoyed, but not solely in the established gambling sector as that’s not our future audience. Instead, we are targeting generation Y and Z, which are often gamers on mobile, consoles and online, but who don’t currently gamble. Tat’s not to ignore what’s currently working in the gambling space, but it’s vital to see entertainment parallels between these sectors and come up with alternatives.


We begin with a game overview which defines an expected theme and any key elements we may want like a character. Math modelling begins and visual concepting for the environment and elements within. Audio comes along further in the process once we have an agreed visual theme and have a better feel for where it can be used.


Lloyd Purser, COO at Funfair Games, told G3 that FunFair's titles are designed to be social, active and simple. As Creative Director, how do you bring this brief to fruition?


Social - because our lives from a technology perspective have adapted over the last 10 years to gravitate to these platforms. Tat element can’t be ignored, and this directly impacts features and presentation.


Further, this is an area that has traditionally been ignored in the online igaming space to its detriment, other than perhaps a chat room or social posting. As we try to target a younger generation that is always connected and in constant communication with their peers, we inject as many social aspects as possible in our games.


To bring a social element to our first title, Astroboomers: To Te Moon!, other players’ activity is on view, both in real-time and historically, and players can express themselves and talk to each other through emojis and we’ll look to add chat and more community features incrementally as our games gain traction.


Active - is to provide more than the norm of hitting a button and waiting for the result. Tis is again part of ensuring high levels of engagement that players not only want but expect in their entertainment.


Simple - obviously for ease of use but more importantly to have wide appeal and not overburden new players, create an easy-to- understand premise and a level of enjoyment.


What is the relationship between the commercial and creative arms of the company? How much creative leeway does your design team have?


We’re very fortunate to have the creative freedom and, with the technical strength that the business is founded upon, we’re able to seek and discuss solutions openly and tie those in with the commercial aims. Of course, looking to attract a new generation of players also brings a large amount of creative freedom as we serve different types of gaming experiences.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134