In childhood, each of us proved to our parents that we need a good computer for studying, and we will play a new game “Very a little”. Parents did not understand that the online game could not pause, and told us "Good to play! You can’t make money on these video games!". Now the gaming industry has developed to incredible scale – e -sports tournaments are competing with large events from the world of ordinary sports, the volume of development and sales is amazing, and for record donates you can buy an apartment in the pioneer.
But what do we know about creating games? Even enthusiastic gamers, whom the state of the industry cares more of their own relationships, is not all known. One thing can be said with confidence – the development, release and even support of the game – classes not from the lungs. Almost everyone who is involved in this process must surrender to him entirely.
Good games are not born from the air, to create them you have to shed a lot of blood, sweat and … pixels. Sit more comfortably, because today I will tell you about Jason Schreyer’s book of the same name.
Introduction
Before starting, I will say a couple of on -duty words – it is necessary to observe formalities. The book itself appeared on the shelves in 2017, and by 2019 we were published as much as 2 times in different translations. And then I take off my hat before the second translation performed by Alexandra Golubeva. Before her the book was translated by a certain Stepanova l. AND., which was not familiar with the word at all, and her designs were one more awesome than the other. Fans Uncharted 4, For example, she suggested “blinding with new mechanics” – and, the game is sees, her efforts were in vain.
Alexandra, unlike her colleague, is more than frailing when he says for the industry – not without reason she works as a narrative designer in Russian Gamdev. In her performance, the book is pleasant and understandable even to a person far from the industry. So, dear Stepanova l. AND., It’s not enough to be a translator – you must also be in the subject. Go continue to work on all sorts of imperishable works, like “50 nights of pleasure. Sexual adventure scenarios ".
The only thing I still want to turn about when talking about this wonderful edition that fell into my hands is a framing phrase. It would seem-well, garbage, what to find fault, there is just some information that should attract attention. And then I will say – that’s exactly! The editor clearly understands the material, but as if it is furious – it is trying to turn the book into a work of art, then into a dry documentary. I am not saying that this was not worth doing at all-but it was possible to choose some kind of single vector for such footnotes! Moreover, the most diverse reasoning – more than enough.
But let’s no longer crush causal places and look under the cover. What kind of stories are waiting for us in this book? I must say right away that some reviews came out shorter, and some longer, but only because I do not want to stretch the material where he does not deserve it.
Pillars of the people’s grandmother
From the first story, we can notice the excellent language of the story – the professionalism of Schreyer, as a journalist, is quite obvious. Practically without using emotionally colored words, with the exception of citation cases, Jason immediately makes us understand – the game industry should be for people, not for publishers. He cunningly woves his opinion into a story about how Obsidian studio at the critical moment of his existence had to face crowdfunding, that is, folk financing.
The influence of users on Gamdev has not been so close since the origin of the second, and what happened within the framework of this story perfectly reflects the change in the industry and a new type of existence of indie development.
It doesn’t matter who in front of us is a simple programmer or one of the directors – Schreyer is trying to show the story from each respondent. I really liked how he works with a description of emotions. Throughout the book, he does not resort to this instrument so often, but never does it just for a checkmark. In the same story, he is trying to show a critical moment for the company through the emotional reactions of its leader and anonymous employee from the team.
Tears, fear and despair can hardly be called positive – but they sew an array of different personalities together with a thin thread. You read – and you involuntarily think that even in the industry, where numbers and algorithms reign, nothing human is alien to people – and this is exactly what every studio and their products are unique.
Intertwined with emotions and cold statistics, so, reading about Pillars of Eternity, difficult
Understand – it’s still about people or about numbers? Because of this, mixed feelings do not let go before
end, – and here, suddenly, under the very final, Schreyer reconciles people’s feelings and soulless calculations. The open ending of this chapter only enhances the effect – turning over the last page, you suddenly understand that you have just told the amazing story of the real warriors of ideas, whose war never ends – and all this money, terms and other circumstances were the fields of their battles.
But war is war, and lunch is on schedule, so let’s see what’s next?
Processing not marked on the map
The second story is dedicated to the notorious Uncharted 4 – But, unlike the story about Pillars of Eternity, She starts right from a place to the quarry. The reader is immediately put in front of the dilemma – that if the treasures (as processing are called here) are needed by people who are used to them? What if you can add to them – like alcohol or tobacco?
We all hear the word "workaholism" and think about the poor fellow from Japan, sleeping right in workplaces, but what if in reality this is not such a distant concept?
The narrative begins more abstractly – I even had to close the book and check if this was the same Schreyer?! We are smoothly told about a certain layer of the existence of the studio Naughty Dog – and imperceptibly slip a conflict for the development of history. If the first chapter began with the inner drama, then this one is from the external confrontation between the studio where the standard personnel turnover occurs, and the press, which immediately seeks to find the guilty.
We will find a completely different series of development of the game, intercepted in the process, a completely different management, unique for Naughty Dog – And it’s just awesome! Seriously, I did not expect that the second story would be so much different from the first. In addition to the main events, Schreyer feeds us, his sweet readers, no less sweet insiders – finally we will find out why the kranchs are called that way, or where did the expression “go to gold” came from by journalists.
It was not without a light approaching one, which Kotaku loves to dig up so much, but it doesn’t smell like a dirty laundry – we just learn about a portion of content, which did not get simple gamers like us in the game – and why it happened so.
People and numbers do not mix in history Uncharted 4 – The story goes much calmer than the story about Pillars, and dedicated to people alone. From a literary point of view, it is much better than the first – it is perfectly looped, carries an understandable message. If I have something to complain about, then only to the fact that Schreyer did not set this story the first! It seems to me that she introduces the industry much better than a meat grinder Obsidian. But the truth is always one in books – and it remains behind the author, so it would be necessary to know the honor.
Hikkana Valley
If we are talking about journalism, then, sooner or later, we will inevitably encounter a biography – and “blood, sweat and pixels” were no exception. We are waiting for a fragment from the life of a very strange person named Eric Baron. You can take popcorn for this chapter, because you are not expected to throw facts in the face – only a drama, even more drama. What is not here: creative flour, search for support, sudden insights! If I did not know what it is Stardew Valley, I would have decided that in front of me is a secret evening from the world of video games, no less.
But I would scream my soul if I had not noted the subjectivity of Schreyer in this story. He zealously seeks to show how a simple person – like you and me, becomes part of the world of video games. This is good, I do not argue, but the author does not ask some questions that a simple thinking person cannot help but ask us – it seems like it gives us to answer them, but it seems that he holds us for fools!
Is the truly independent https://casinobetti.uk/ development of games so good, which is sometimes considered to be? And Eric Baron himself – maybe he is a genius, but how infantile and irresponsible he is? If the first two stories show both sides of the medals, then here they are just trying to lure us cheap – and it is difficult to get rid of such a feeling, I honestly say. In the photo – Eric Baron during the interview.
At the same time, I take off my hat again (which is in a row?!) Before the literary talent of the author. Schreyer very carefully selects the words and designs that he describes communication with the hero – he wants the reader to associate himself a little with him, but he remembers what a strange character in front of him.
In the end, the confusion everything is growing, and even the success story does not seem like that-but the happy ending comes somehow by itself. After all, happiness is also individual and relatively, like everything in this story. The page is turning over, as if itself – it seems that you have to go to the next part.
The devil came out all -time
You know what is cool? Schreyer can make the reader unexpectedly and cool not one, not two, not three, but all four times – he copes again, tell you! Previous stories are preparing you for the fact that now you will read about the development of the game from the beginning to the end again … But what if the story suddenly starts with the release of the game? So it happens in 4 parts dedicated to Diablo III!
We are waiting for the world of post-release support, reasoning about the responsibility of developers and the need to work on errors. Schreyer knows what to write about – he is again looking for a response not in statistics, but in the hearts of the creators. It is sincere words and passion that key employees Blizzard And, in particular, teams Diablo III tested for the game, attract the reader.
Schreyer abstracts what is happening from the outside world and leads a story only about the internal cuisine of the company – this resembles the story of Eric Baron, only we are talking about a huge team working in the sweat of the face. This story also has a separate hero – one of the members of the team, but, oddly enough, I regretted this in the process of reading. While we are not talking about him, you see a single organism in this team, large power – but personal thoughts here are neither to the village or to the city. Trying to be objective, Schreyer put up a pig for himself and violated the integrity of history.
The spirit of the narrative in this part is again vague, the entire development cycle seems to live from one commotion to another – but this is a story about how feedback, professionalism and reverent attitude to their brainchild were spun together and received a name – Reaper of Souls.
But not all companies are given the same cool and overcome all trials with their heads raised Blizzard – Already in the next part, we will recall this.
On the halo of war
Starting read about Halo Wars, You immediately understand – here, as in history Diablo 3, Do not need a hero. The inner voice begins to pray – "Please, Mr. Schreyer, don’t go here, I beg you really!"The thing is that from the threshold we are introduced to the studio Ensemble, living as one big family. But, suddenly, the author gives us a hero – and I have nothing to complain about!
If the development team really resembles a family, then the invited game designer is someone like a prodigal son or a good neighbor who sees the charms and vices of his family nest-more objectively than its inhabitants. It is from his position that we see several conflicts at once – inside and outside Ensemble, between colleagues and bosses with their subordinates – even with other studios!
This story is more tragic and larger than others – although not so long. We see a clash of desires and reality, and even sworn idealists are obvious to which of these forces there will be a victory. We are finally dipped in a well of severe reality – and the time, by the middle of the book, we already realized that Gamdev does not resemble a bed covered with pink petals – and now we also realized how harsh his world is.
Players will only learn that the long -awaited game was on the shelves, and maybe they will buy it. But will all the dollars in the world have enough to close holes in the souls of the creators? To this question, Schreyer wants to know the answer already from us.
However, you should not lose heart, as in life – the black strip always follows white, though? After all, the truth?
No one expected the Dragon the Inquisition!
Finally! Forgive me in advance, dear reader, because in general I can hardly objectively perceive this part. I know that "Inquisition"It is customary to hack for the mmo-nobody model of grind, for a bunch of bugs and all this, but I love this game-albeit strange love. And now they give me a little more about her – I just can’t miss such a chance, here. Each of us has such a crazy pleasure-someone likes Mafia 3, Someone AC: Unity and so on, so I’m not even particularly a shame.
By the sixth story, Schreyer has already gained his author’s style in my eyes – from the first lines we understand that the game prevented the game better: the engine that had to be shoveled from scratch, the prototype, which was sorry to throw, the twofold history of the series itself Dragon Age and so on.
When we are represented by one of the people responsible for the game – Mark to the court – we are already waiting for that it is he who will become the hero of the story, but then Schreyer perfectly deceives the reader, for which I am incredibly grateful to him. By the second half of the book, the author has finally learned how to do without a central acting person if it can make a story better.
BioWare studio is far from the ideal, but it is much easier to believe in circular bail than in the opus about Diablo – although the Blizzard team seems to be asked.
There is, of course, a minus of this approach with the absence of a hero that I did not even think about before reading. It consists in the fact that the whole part is perceived as one large article – that is, it is felt less book than the others, although it creates a more integral picture.
But this problem is easy to survive, because history Dragon Age 3 It is not trying to bring the reader closer to the game industry even more – all the rest are doing well with this! Instead, Schreyer simply throws his audience of casts in reality to rest a little with his head after a bunch of rich stories.
Again the expectations of the creators do not correspond to the result, again ordinary people do well, but it turns out Inquisition – Against the background of the whole book, the sixth story looks the most light, and it is certainly in its place. Honestly, if they had not given me a break after a hopeless story Halo Wars, Read more would be simply stuffy.
Well, rested and will be! We are moving to the seventh chapter!
On, man, shovel!
Lived and was Mario. Only he was not a plumber, but a real medieval knight! And he also had … a shovel? Yes, in the case of Shovel Knight, The smell of independent development comes from the name and concept. But this is not the same situation that the personal indie had in the case of Eric Baron and his Stardew Valley or folk -paid – like Pillars of Eternity.
Stories Halo Wars And "Inquisition"Gradually led us to the fact that everyone could not do all one person and is important, but this story is just the essence of this idea. Here we are talking about a team of 5 people, and each of them is individually valuable, although not all are disclosed the same. While we are talking about household trifles or a creative flight of thought – they exist separately, but it is worth starting the development process – and these five seem to merge together! Otherwise than as a team, to perceive them simply will not work!
These people are driven not only by the desire to cash in on their own brainchild or to better understand their audience – they set themselves a sky -high goal – to create a new classic from the world of video games! On the one hand, it only remains to sigh and say “nichrome for yourself!", But on the other, maybe only such high thoughts can lead to the desired result?
This idea turns everything over – we seem to read about the treasures and life on the verge again, we find out again about the difficulties of development, but you know, as they say – the devil is hiding in trifles? Everything is exactly what happens here. Perhaps that Yacht Club Games is a separate family, even more believes than in the "family" of the studio Ensemble From the history of pro Halo Wars.
The half -open finale through the eyes of Schreyer himself only adds interest in history – we live this moment with the author and think only that we want to continue this path with him. So what do we actually wait?
Fate-prisoner
If not for the actual basis, then at the beginning of the story about Destiny you might think that you read some kind of mockmented like the “wheels” of Arthur Haley. Here, of course, there are no references to Leo Tolstoy, but the chapter itself seems too epic, too obvious – and most of all I am interested: if I read this part of the very first, I would have the same feelings? Or is it the game of Schreyer with the styles of the narrative confused me? However, at the end of the book about such things, it is already difficult to argue.
If you discard the standard traction for all these stories – like scandals on Twitter, Teroks with a publisher and other Kuter, then a team from Bungie It looks straight by the canonical yarner hero. Friends and enemies constantly make themselves felt, pride breaks up, and efforts are rewarded.
Even outsiders like Tyrion Lannister, on the voice acting of the ghost, organically fit into this epic saga – and how cool the prophet in the face of the team looks cool Diablo III from Blizzard, I am generally silent! It was as if Merlin himself, from the fourth chapter, wandered, and found Arthur straight in the eighth, and that sword of stone could not pick out everything.
However, I have a very impudent claim to this story, like the reader – nafig, in fact, I read it? Another road from nowhere? Is there something more here as a result-or at least different from a mixture of stories Uncharted 4 And Halo Wars? I will let you decide for yourself if you undertake to read, but I still have too many questions.
All these eight stories showed us how diverse the development, release and support of the game. But, no matter how many difficulties, before us every time there was only the history of the industry, which developed evolutionarily – I would even say, excessively calmly. The time has come for a new word, the time has come for something more-it’s time to turn the page to turn over!
The wildest Polish hunt!
Here it is, dear readers! Here is a story that is rightfully crowned by everything that was walking in front of her! Here you have a real revolution in the gaming industry that you were waiting for! Rightfully, a parable of the tongue about the Polish studio CD Projekt Red It is worthy to crown the book.
Everything begins with the world around us – the harsh reality of the Eastern Slavs with foul disks on flea markets and the invisible barrier between us and the gaming industry. To say that this is close to many of us – to say nothing, everyone had childhood, even if not everyone has such a harsh.
It is very interesting to read about how simple localizers with noble thoughts came to the creation of an immortal masterpiece, which many play to this day. And, although I mentioned the revolutionary approach, it cannot be said that there were no just a bunch of prerequisites for this event. The pen of the pen is in the first two "Witches", The harsh historical realities of Poland itself and the market environment in the person of the same Skyrim It made a considerable fraction.
For example CDPR Schreyer is trying to show the perfect cocktail for a delightful game – besides all of the above, the attitude of the board of directors to the development team, and the common love of CD Projekt Red In Poland.
It was the atmosphere of acceptance and trust that made it possible to create a third "Witcher»As he is. Not without bugs, not without kranch – but the result speaks for itself. And, believe me, the story is worth reading not even once – you don’t notice some details at first, but then it’s nice to open it again that I did not notice from the first.
"Witcher 3"Became not just a game – he paved for CDPR The path to becoming not only the most famous gaming company, but gave rise to one of the world giants of Gamdev! And, I would like to say that for Sima Schreyer ends, but, as the slaves on chariots said the kings – “Memento Mori”, that is, remember the death.
Twice unlucky
If I had not been familiar with the story of the game before the book, I would have thought that I was reading the next tortured success story and spat on the first page – I will not be shy of my soul, at first everything looks quite commonplace. Eat Lucasarts, There is another star wars game – so what from that?
But something is going wrong from the very beginning. Story Star Wars 1313 – This is another case when Schreyer pleasantly surprises the reader with how he knows how to create Sassens. It seems that the work on the game lies on the shoulders of the profile team, at the E3 exhibition, everyone is just bastarding from the game, and the demo makes an indelible impression. Even endless edits from George Lucas himself do not ruin the development process as much as they could! But all this time, the shadow of an unknown threat hangs over the development team – very in the spirit of star wars, isn’t it so?
After several alarming bells – both from Lucas itself and from the leadership Lucasarts, – It happens inevitable.
I will not reveal the details, because in them – the whole essence of this part, but one should know one of you as a consumer – Star Wars 1313 It is the only game from the whole list that you, unfortunately, will not be able to play today.
If we talk about numbers and people, then here – again we are talking about the latter. This is the story of strong creators- and the creators who survived the loss of their brainchild. The last story is very well completed by the cycle, although it differs sharply in tone from the previous one – the reader creates that he saw all the facets of Gamdev, although by this moment the incredible scale of this mysterious world is already clear.
Well, have fun, loaded – and there will be! It’s time to summarize!
Conclusion
I think you already made conclusions for yourself, dear reader, is it worth a book of your time and money or not. But still I will say something that I have not mentioned before in any of the parts.
This book should not be bought if you are waiting for a hard and fierce gonzo-journalism. Jason Schreyer is not Hunter Thompson, but also the Gamdeva – not the angels of hell. The book is focused not on immersion in the development and publication of games, but on comprehending this process at different levels, so here the specifics obliges the author, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Schreyer himself writes that he focused largely on another work – Masters of doom David Kushner. The full name of this book is Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Creed An Empire and Transformed Pop Culture or "how two guys created an empire and transformed pop culture". We are talking about two Jonah – Dee Karmak and Romero – and the book tells their story since childhood – and before work in ID Software And the creation of the legendary Doom.
So, since we compare – in my opinion, Masters of doom It will be more understandable to the reader not involved in the game industry, but, at the same time, less interesting in content – in the book they tried to reproduce developers and real labor process, which made its content more personal, but less informative. Paradoxically, such a work would rather make friends with the industry far from it, but it did not find popularity.
And finally, I praised the author likely, the time has come and scold. No matter how much Jason Schreyer tried to interest any reader, the professional democration greatly affects him. If you are behind the external orbiting gaming industry, then it will be more difficult for you to “get involved” into what is happening. The thing is that the author is trying to tell about the terms, such as "Pooping" or "Krancha" – and he even succeeds. But some things, in his opinion, should be known to the reader a priori. For example, how important is the E3 gaming exhibitions, or how much the resource is authoritative Metacritic On the issue of evaluating games. For a simple collection of stories about people in the book, a much specific context, which quite greatly narrows its target audience.