IBD #08 - The Chinese Room interview

05/10/17 • 56 min

The Chinese Room was founded by husband and wife duo, Dan Pinchbeck and Jessica Curry. As writer and composer, Pinchbeck and Curry have led their studio to BAFTA wins for Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and helped define a genre with Dear Esther, a title that started life as a Source Engine mod.

That latter title was in part a response to Pinchbeck’s frustration with games academia of the time, which he felt was too preoccupied with the theory of game design and not enough with the practical application of ideas. He’s kept a foot in the academic world thanks to his position as visiting lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, and ongoing discussions with PhD students.

And that’s where we kick off this week’s hour-long chat, with discussion of The Chinese Room’s ties to the world outside of the day-to-day running of a successful indie studio. Later in the episode we talk about the delivery of story through game play, the danger of deskilling over the course of a long project, and Pinchbeck’s frustration with the heavy focus on frame-rates and the technical minutiae of game creation. First though, we start with him talking about the joy of public speaking and keeping a hand in the wider discussion surrounding game design.

Brought to you by the writers and creators of Independent By Design: Art & Stories of Indie Game Creation, the Indie By Design Podcast (IBD) is the show that goes behind the scenes to explore the world of game design and game designers.

Visit us at indiebydesign.net - Twitter: @indiebydesign - Facebook/independentbydesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Visit us at indiebydesign.net - Twitter: @indiebydesign - Facebook/independentbydesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

IBD #07 - Ghost Town Games Interview

Ghost Town Games has catapulted to fame following the success of its maiden release, Overcooked - winner of 2 BAFTAS. The game, which tasks players to work together to prepare, cook and serve food, has stolen the hearts of many thanks to its focus on co-ordination, co-operation and its ability to entice those that don’t usually even play games. It does all of this without muting its potential for complexity.

Here we to talk Ghost Town’s co-founders and sole permanent members, Phil Duncan and Oli De-Vine, about move away from Frontier Developments, where they worked prior to starting their studio, the origins of Overcooked’s local multiplayer design philosophy, the art of building games to be played in a communal setting and more.

Visit us at indiebydesign.net - Twitter: @indiebydesign - Facebook/independentbydesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

IBD #09 - Jason Rohrer Interview

Jason Rohrer is one of the most admired and respected game designers amongst his peers. Whilst his games are typically considered too individual and challenging to garner wider commercial success across a mainstream audience, there’s no denying the influence he has on those interested in the art and design of videogames.

In 2016 he became the first videogame creator to have a solo retrospective of work exhibited in a museum – with arguably his most famous release, Passage, positioned alongside the likes of home security MMO The Castle Doctrine and the impacting, experimental storytelling work Sleep is Death.

Indie By Design host John Robertson talks to Rohrer about everything from his early life and how that has influenced him, his family and how those around him impacts his games, the drive for originality and his opinion on some of the less thoughtful responses to his work.

Visit us at IndieByDesign.net - Twitter: @IndieByDesign - Facebook/IndependentByDesign

Music by Ben Prunty.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.