Gibbage Interview

Welcome to the first edition of the Indie Spotlight at VGcore.com. We’ll be spotlighting various games from the independent market, showcasing titles that could be the next Geometry Wars or Wolfenstein franchise. For those of you who think you’re unfamiliar with independent gaming, some of you may have already played an Indie game without even knowing it. Titles such as Little Fighters, Bejeweled, or Alien Shooter all fall into the category of an independent game. Here at VGcore we’ll be taking gamers behind the scene of popular titles in the underground of gaming, and titles that could be appearing on the next-gen consoles as arcade hits.

To kick things off this week we have Dan Marshall, creator of the game Gibbage. If you need a little info on what the game is like, you can read our review or visit the homepage for a demo of Gibbage. In this interview, Dan gave us his insight into the current trend of independent gaming, as well as a little info on his game, check it out below.

VG Core: Gibbage has a bit of a presentation like Smash TV...sort of like it's a television show, broadcasting the duels to viewers. Is that part of the game's theme, or is that just how the game seems to be presented?

Dan: Even when I had no idea what the story to Gibbage was, the one thing I was resolutely clear about during development is that it's definitely not a sport. Deathmatch games always seem to come off as brutal futuristic sports, so I wanted to steer well clear of that whole vibe.

I didn't really want to present a plot at all to be honest; Worms or Bomberman never really had a plot, and it didn't matter in the slightest. You just understood what was happening and took it all at face value. So instead I opted to drop little plot hints around various maps in a manner more similar to Half Life 2, so if players really want to know what's going on in the universe they can piece it all together. Alternatively of course, you can remain completely oblivious and enjoy a pure, brutal cartoon deathmatch.

VG Core: Do you think independent games borrow more from mainstream games, or mainstream games borrowing more from independent games?

Dan: I think pretty much everything Indie developers are doing is based at a core level on mainstream titles. There are so many quirks and nuances to designing a game that have been refined by professionals over the years it'd be foolish not to take heed of their expertise.

When you're making a game, everything from gameplay ticks to menu-screen layout needs designing, and it's much smarter to piggyback on a successful format than come up with something utterly alien to the player.

Of course, some Indie gamers are doing truly experimental and innovative stuff, which is completely great and the direction we should all be heading in. As we get better at it and the tools available become cheaper and more accessible, expect to see a turnaround and the big boys cribbing off us for
a change.

That said, Loco Roco is clearly just a complete rip-off of Gish.

VG Core: Gish is pretty popular in the independent scene. How many gamers do you think will take note of the similarities between Loco Roco and Gish? And do you think Loco Roco’s popularity will do anything for the market value of Gish?

Dan: Probably not. Although they're extraordinarily similar concepts (move a gloopy ball from one end of the level to the other) their design couldn't be more different. One's insanely cutesy and the other's extremely dark. That minor difference actually makes them feel like wildly different games.

VG Core: What do you think of the current state of independent software? Do you think it's heading in the right direction, creatively and publicly?

Dan: Most of it's utter tosh, obviously. Too many Indie Studios are pandering to the lowest common denominator and selling 'casual' games at $20 a pop to bored office workers. It brings in money to buy them food and shoes and stuff, but they're drab, lifeless games. There are a handful of people –
hobbyist Indie developers mainly, rather than full-time ones, who are heading in the right direction. They're producing games in a similar vein to Gibbage that are designed for the hardcore PC market.

Now all we need is for the hardcore PC market to sit up and notice. Gibbage was released back in April, and I've been plugging it absolutely everywhere ever since. It's practically a full-time job on its own. You blog press space here and there, which brings in an extra trickle of sales, but it's
rarely enough to keep you afloat.

I've had great reviews all across the board and I've been Indie Game of the Month and Internet Game of the Month in a couple of publications. The word is that Gibbage is great, and well worth the £6/ $10 asking fee. Unfortunately, the people that games like Gibbage are marketed at simply don't pay attention because they can't take their eyes off the latest bump-mapped carpets in Generic FPS Shooter VII.

Publicly, we've got a long way to go yet.

VG Core: That’s a very interesting point about the market focus for Indie games. Joshua Dallman, creator of Shelled, expressed how his game didn’t fare well because it crossed genres that many gamers weren’t ready for. Hardcore gamers didn’t care for the casual elements, and casual gamers didn’t grasp the hardcore elements. Do you think Gibbage’s high review scores and popularity haven’t struck a chord with hardcore gamers because they have a stigma of the Indie market as being a “casual market”?

Dan: I think hardcore gamers have got a relatively skewed view about what makes a good game, and that's that if it doesn't look blisteringly stunning, it's not worth bothering about. It's something that's only going to get worse as the next-gen consoles find their feet and start simulating real-time bodily fluids as well. Indie games have this stigma attached that screams "Low quality! Low quality! You'll only play this for half an hour!". Besides, when you can get 6 month-old blockbusters online for $20, who's going to shell out for a crappy little Indie title? I know I wouldn't.

VG Core: Do you think there needs to be more publications catering toward casual gamers, or do you think more publications need to target independent software for casual gamers?

Dan: I think casual gamers should try playing some proper games for a change instead of just endlessly clicking on things all the time. I also think magazines and websites should stop being so blinkered and start paying attention to the Indie scene, primarily because they're supposed to be informing their readers of the latest trends. At present, very few publications are doing that, which is a real shame.

They seem to think that if a game isn't for sale in a shop it isn't worth bothering about. I've had several emails from magazine editors saying "Sorry, *we don't really cover that sort of thing.*", which is infuriating because in a day and age where nigh-on everything they write can be found on the Internet for free weeks before they get around to publishing it, they should be actively seeking out and promoting rare stories like Indie titles. Instead, they just publish the same story you've read on Gamespot and charge you for the pleasure.

VG Core: It seems, though, budgets and propaganda seem to differentiate the popularity of any single title on the market. Considering that most games are popular based on a feature or gimmick, do you think that media propaganda would actually help the independent scene, or cause gamers to resent the games? I ask this because a lot of Indie games generally rely on fun for outsourcing recognition, not a gimmick based on graphics or physics. Whether casual or hardcore, it seems gamers are more interested in a feature or two that captures their attention, rather than a game that is generically fun.

Dan: I think the written press needs to take note of Indie games and put them in front of their readers and say "Look: there's this one, too. It's good, you should try it.". I don't think that'd do the scene any harm whatsoever – it's all about exposure. The more you get, the further your game spreads. That's why I'm doing this interview right now when I could be sitting in the park drinking beer; as a result of typing these words, I'll sell an extra handful of copies, which in turn will snowball as those people tell other people about Gibbage.

Media propaganda is good; it's free and it spreads the word. Perfect.

VG Core: If you were offered the opportunity, would you consider porting Gibbage as an "arcade" title to one of the newer console systems?

Dan: Like a shot. It's actually ideally suited towards a console, I think. A small team could produce a swanky-graphic version of Gibbage with online stat-tracking and trendy physics in six months flat and flog it on Xbox Marketplace no problem. It'd be a huge hit. Guaranteed.

VG Core:A lot of Indie games have made the transition into the Xbox Marketplace with striking success. Heavy Weapon is about to join the fray as well as a couple of other well-known Indie games. However, do you think it helps the independent market for games to border-cross into console territory as a “secondary” time-filler, or do you think it strengthens the market with a place for Indie titles on a console?

Dan: I think the more platforms available to Indies the better; that way there's more scope for innovation and crafting something truly mind-blowing.

When the Xbox 360 first came out, there were few good games on it, and as a result everyone was turning to the smaller, cheaper downloads. It's all anyone was playing at one point.

Look at the recent furore over StreetFighter II's resurgence: it's insane. Gamers' willingness to accept and engage with these smaller niche titles is extremely encouraging.

VG Core: While violence in gaming has become a hot topic among politicians--such as Reservoir Dogs recently coming under fire from British authorities. Considering that most hardcore gamers don't mind excessive violence...what do you think most casual gamers think of the violence in games? And do you think that casual gamers are the prime targets most politicians are hoping to sway in their view of gaming violence?

Dan: Casual gamers get concerned when one of their little bricks disappears because they didn't click on it fast enough, let alone when a ragdoll cracks his skull open on a banister.

VG Core: Following up on that question, though, do you think the legal effects of mature video game content would ever affect the independent market and, quite possibly, the very projects of independent creative minds?

Dan: Eventually it will. Eventually an Indie will develop something so completely gruesome and horrible that'll make the mainstream media sit up and say "What? What do you mean noone's regulating these people?! Ban this sick filth now!" in a similar manner to the furore over DooM back in the 90s. As
a result, we'll have all sorts of extra constraints placed upon us, we'll probably have to fork out money we don't have for age-restriction ratings and it'll be the complete and utter death of the industry. Cheery thought, no?

VG Core: Ha, yeah definitely. But it’s fascinating that the censure gap between mainstream and independent titles seem to lie in the amount of money each market makes, respectively. Had GTA San Andreas not been a mega-blockbuster for TakeTwo it begs the question if the game still would have come under so much fire. Games like Half-life 2 and Resident Evil 4 have consistently made top-ten most violent games list for parent focus groups and other anti-violent censurers. However, a game like Alien Shooter or After the End completely escapes the fold simply because they didn’t make a billion dollars. If Gibbage did sky-rocket in sales, would you start looking over your shoulder or start finding new ways to make the gib look more or less like real “tomato sauce”?

Dan: No, I think Gibbage is cartoony enough that it'd be difficult to call it worryingly violent. I think the difference is that games that sell a hundred bazillion copies have the budget to make disturbingly realistic graphics. The sort of stuff the Indie trade is doing is well over a decade behind that, so there's no real danger just yet of being accused of corrupting the youth.

VG Core: Thanks for taking time out to answer the questions. Any final comments for aspiring Indie developers?

Dan: You've got a prime chance to make something unique and legendary, so don't piss it away.

If you'd like to download a demo of Gibbage or gather more information regarding the game, you can visit www.gibbage.co.uk. If you'd like to purchase Gibbage, you can click here. If you have a game you'd like to suggest for the upcoming Indie Spotlight or you're a developer who wants your game spotlighted, send comments, suggestions or feedback to Cyguration@VGcore.com

Article By: Cyguration