‘successful’ in a numeric sense. Of course it’s important to market and all that, especially if you’re planning to sell something, but before you worry about marketing, worry about whether you enjoy making games enough to finish one in the first place.
“In the same vein, I think people put too much stock in the performance of others online,” McMaster continues. “People post their best work, of course, but behind every great GIF showcasing a cool prototype, are 99 other attempts that went nowhere. Meanwhile, you get to see every failure you make. “You should be creating games that excite you specifically, full of things that you care about. That’ll be more productive than asking other people what you should make. Of course you need to think about your target audience, but if you don’t include things you care about, it’ll be harder to find direction and motivation.
“The same is true for graphical styles. Game artists of the past spent decades honing appeal in pixel art, low-poly models, and other low-fidelity assets, so modern indie developers with limited time and resources should look to them for inspiration. There’s a lot to learn from.” He is also keen to point out that your inspirations and aspirations in indie game development don’t necessarily have to be retro, though.
“Also, learn from things that aren’t games,” adds McMaster, wisely. “Experience other kinds of art. Art that you aren’t used to. Art that excites or challenges you in some way. You can only create from what you know, after all. Learn from reality, too. If you’re making a racing game, try studying the mechanics of how an engine works, or look at the history of transportation. You just might find a crazy mechanic or design concept that feels fresh.” VARIETY AND KEEPING IT SIMPLE As for why people decide to make these retro-style games in the first place, McMaster has a hunch. “Honestly, I think it’s just a matter of variety,” says McMaster. “There are more games coming out than ever, but so many of those games are derivatives of the same few genres, when the back catalog of gaming history has so many interesting and novel concepts to explore! I feel that the short, random loop of the roguelike is really just people yearning for the arcade genre, for example. Where are the Pacman-likes? How about Chulip-likes?
“I would not particularly suggest that people make a retro-style game to learn the ins and outs of game design,” explains McMaster. “I would just tell them to keep it simple, regardless of the genre they’re aiming for. It’s much better to finish a small project than get halfway through a needlessly bloated one and give up because you didn’t plan it properly or couldn’t figure out enough of it. Cavern of Dreams has been out for a few months now, meaning that its developer has had plenty of time to take in the reactions since launch. “I can tell the game doesn’t appeal to everyone’s tastes, as the game leans pretty hard into puzzle-solving,” muses McMaster. “I’ve seen some valid criticisms too, which I appreciate. Still, it’s nice when people tell me that they like some specific part of Cavern of Dreams that I made a point to focus on. That makes the whole ordeal feel worthwhile.”
February/March 2024 MCV/DEVELOP | 49
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