Games and Growing Up

By Tommy Leung on 08/30/2010 in Games, Life

For someone who works in games, I write little about games. I know quite a bit about the medium. I enjoy reading giant tomes on the history of video games. The topic might be too dry for some but, I love it. To learn what was going on behind the scenes during the development of various big name games is like reading US Weekly for celebrity gossip to me.

I have very little interest in celebrity gossip. I’ll watch and love their movies, TV shows, and listen to their music but, their gossip and drama is not for me. How companies go from almost bankrupt to becoming a major success interests me. How a few people can create a breakthrough game in their basement and go on to change the world interests me.

Games as a Kid

I grew up in the 90′s. Being born in the mid 80′s means that I really remember nothing about that time. It was 1990 by the time I was four. It’s really only from the early 90′s and on that I have any recollection of life–everything before that is quite hazy.

The first video game experience I had was with the Nintendo Entertainment System at my grandmother’s house. The first games I played were Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. Those games are still entertaining today–a testament to their designs’ lasting appeal.

I can’t say video games played a bigger role in my life than anything else specifically but, it is one of my favorite forms of entertainment. I may have very well watched just as much TV, listened to just as much music, and even read just as many books–granted, I don’t read much fiction.

How major a role video games played in my life is irrelevant. I don’t love TV like I do video games. The business and development of games interest me a lot more than that of TV. I like to watch TV shows but, I don’t really care how it’s made–I care more about its part in marketing.

From Hobbyist to Professional

The amount of time I spend playing games–and playing in general–has decreased as I’ve gotten older. My consumption of all entertainment has probably decreased as well. It’s pretty hard to be consuming and producing at the same time.

These days, I spend a lot of time working. Not just at work but, also all the work I do for me. Apparently, life doesn’t really progress if  I just sit still. I need to be constantly learning and doing work so that I have things to show for. What a drag!

And, there’s quite a few people with my name–I have a common first name and my last name isn’t that unique in the country of 1.5 billion people. My Google rank is always in flux so I have to stay on my toes. If I want to stay up there in the rankings and continue gaining relevancy, I need to keep producing. Keep thinking. Keep learning.

I chose to be part of the video game industry. One of those technology industries where the technology part is always changing! And to make things worse, video games are purely entertainment. One amongst a sea of many others that are much easier to come by and more established. What we do is not a necessity so we have to constantly innovate and push the envelope just to stay relevant!

The video game industry is not for the faint of heart when it comes to doing work. Mix that with my drive to be more than just another anonymous face and there’s little time left for all those cherished childhood activities.

Everyone Needs Play

But, we all need a break sometimes that doesn’t include bars and alcohol–for the sake of one’s liver. I end up playing a handful of games over the course of the year. Usually they are the big releases or the releases from franchises I’ve come to know and love. I don’t often try new games. It’s sad. As a game developer: almost sinful!

When I do sit down to play a game, it’s usually over a weekend. I just disappear. I’m busy to everyone. I set aside a block of time and play the whole thing through and move on. I prefer the 15 to 20 hour games. I can mow through those in a weekend.

If I don’t finish a game in one set block of time, I don’t quite know when I’ll have that time again. When I do, I may have forgotten where I was in the game and what I was supposed to do next. All of which makes me not want to continue and I eventually forget about it.

This is a poor strategy for playing any large volume of games. In fact, in 2010 I have only completed Mass Effect 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I expect to play Metroid: Other M. I started Uncharted but, have yet to finish it–I probably won’t. I’m playing StarCraft 2 in super small bursts. I bought Suikoden on the PlayStation Network Store and I’m playing that right now–kicking it back to the mid-1990′s.

Game Experiences and Game Development

In all likelihood, I will end up having completed 5 or so games this year. Many times more games were released this year along with all the games I’ve not played from years past.

Which means I would have experienced a small percentage of all games released in 2010 and that percentage gets smaller and smaller as we add on the years. This appears to be a problem amongst most gaming professionals outside of game journalists–their job is to play every game that comes out.

I don’t foresee there being a way to increase the amount of games I experience in a year. I also think that’s perfectly fine. As long as I’m experiencing enough–from every medium–to be able to produce good games, there’s no problem.

There’s so much to do in life that getting any of this done is an amazement.