The Angst Affairs #14

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From: Pippin

date: November 25, 2014

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Hey Teddy,

I totally said I would write this to you on Monday and now it’s Tuesday, this a mere drop in the ocean of not writing my side of the bargain lately. As per usual not for a special reason on my side (unlike yours, where it sounds like things are very busy).

What’s up with Kyoto Wild in terms of needing to work out what to do? Beyond just continuing to make what looks like a pretty great game? Implementation stuff, or?

You asked why I make games – I’m worried this could be a bit like staring into the abyss (and not the friendly James Cameron one). The trite answer is something like “I enjoy it,” but that’s blatantly not true a lot of the time. I’m lucky enough to be in a goodish patch with Jostle Parent right now though, so I’m at least reminded of the satisfaction of making a game you think is interesting and at how many levels that can take places. Like, right now I’m just pleased because I have the little kids chasing a ball around a park.

The larger answer is something to do with always having made things in my life (drawings as a child, then stop-motion animation, then interactive stuff in HyperCard and Director, then writing, then comics, now games). In all cases it’s just felt like some innate thing I don’t really have control over in terms of wanting to make something that (mostly) diverts me and seems “important” (even if that’s just importantly silly). Games seem like the culmination of it all to me just because they seem to involve a really nice set of skills I’ve managed to pick up over the years (some small visual sensibility, programming, philosophy/critical thought, etc.). That said, maybe I’ll end up writing screenplays.

The basic answer: I have to make something, and right now it’s games?

Dare I ask…what about you?

This is already long, so let me just update Jostle Parent, which is going alright at the moment. I’m weirdly close with it now, with the proviso that I haven’t yet re-added death to this newly coded version. But so far the decision to refactor everything has worked out very well indeed and many of the problems I was having before have melted away. I’m also adding smaller details, like the children stopping in front of a TV if it’s on (which could be useful), or the aforementioned playing with a ball. Just working now on getting them playing in the playground, with the requirement that you watch them play. These are some of the touches of making them more relatable that I think you mentioned a very long time ago and which I’m understanding better now than I did then. You are wise.

That’s it. I would send you screenshots but right now the game is crashing after about two seconds of running and I don’t know why! Videogames!

– Pippin