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March ‘23 IN THIS ISSUE of our monthly newsletter:
◗ Our annual Creative Jam turned to PUNK this year
◗ International Women’s Day at TCR ◗ Accolades of Little Orpheus help out a cause
◗ TCR supports the efforts to raise money for Syria and Turkey
◗ TCR at One Big Game ◗ Environment Art explained by Dominique ◗ Narrative Designer series with Arone Le Bray ◗ TCR Spotlight - Michael Michael
◗ EXCLUSIVE - 'IMMORTALITY' Recommendation
◗ EXCLUSIVE - TCR Friday Jukebox - PUNK
◗ EXCLUSIVE - TCR Recommends |
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Although we’re in peak production on two exciting projects, we found the time to do our beloved Creative Jam. For this, two full workdays are allocated and we are encouraged to create anything we want, all subject to a theme. This year our Creative Director Dan Pinchbeck gave us this brief: “Time to bust off the constraints and get fast, filthy and footloose. Theme of this game jam is PUNK. Now go make stuff, break stuff and have some fun.”
Fun we had! All of us split into teams or worked on our own to sew, bake, model, paint, record, code and sculpt our interpretations of this mischievous theme. |
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Previous years’ themes and results: Chaos, Mythology, One Button. |
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International Women’s Day at TCR |
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Exactly two years ago we got together and started these regular worker-led Women of TCR meetings. They have grown into a wonderful space where we support each other and grow together. Here is us on the 8th of March celebrating the big day - happy International Women's Day, everybody! 🌹 |
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Accolades of Little Orpheus help out a cause |
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Now all done with bureaucratic hurdles and we can finally say THANK YOU! A few months back, the brilliant Indie X team granted Best Game Award to our precious Little Orpheus. It only made sense to channel the monetary part of the award to the incredibly important Clock Tower Sanctuary The Clock Tower Sanctuary - Brighton & Hove's only day centre for 16-25-year-olds experiencing homelessness. Huge thanks to Indie X for your love for our game and the generous material gift that we were able to use for a good cause. And as always - enormous thanks to everyone working at The Clock Tower Sanctuary. Our partnership with the CTS has been spanning over a few years now, and we've been able to collaborate in a variety of ways, which has been so fulfilling. It is appalling that in the current conditions, there is still a necessity for such spaces, but whilst that's the case - we're there to support. |
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TCR supports the efforts to raise money for Syria and Turkey |
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Our latest title Little Orpheus was a part of this important games bundle supporting Direct Relief, International Medical Corps and Save The Children efforts in Türkiye and Syria, after the horrific earthquake that shattered the region. This bundle was live from March for a week and sold 115,255 bundles, leading to €3,420,372 raised for charity. |
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TCR Spotlight - Michael Michael |
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Who makes video games? People make video games. The invisible heroes behind the titles you love. #TCRSpotlight celebrates one of our studio members every month, in a form of a post about them! This month, please meet our wonderful Lead Level Designer Michael Michael. 🎁
"After completing a Games Design degree course at Teesside University, I thought a foot in the games industry would soon follow. I was wrong. It took nearly a year to finally land my first role as a QA tester at Frontier Developments all the way back in 2005! After working my way up to Level Designer, I pursued new challenges at smaller companies and got a feel of that indie vibe. This journey gave me a wide range of design experience in a variety of different genres, from puzzle/platformers, co-op stealth, and MMO games before going big again & joining Sony London Studio. Whilst there, I got VR design experience working on Blood and Truth (which provided interesting challenges). Finally, I joined TCR as I was yearning for that indie vibe again." The vibe is fantastic with Michael around. 🤗
Who are people in Michael's field that he is inspired by?
"I still get inspired by the era of gaming that I grew up in. The 16-Bit era, to be more precise. The console war between the Sega Megadrive and the Super Nintendo resulted in some quality games being released. So, I guess you could say that I look up to all of the developers from back then. Thank you for making it such a memorable and enjoyable time for me! (In case you're all wondering, I was in Camp Sega.) I also want to give an honourable mention to the SFX pioneers of the past; people like Ray Harryhausen and Jim Henson. Their creations fed my imagination from an early age, and they have stuck with me ever since." Harryhausen was a huge inspiration for our Little Orpheus!
What advice would Michael give to someone trying to get into the industry, in his role?
"Persevere. It's easy to become disheartened by how hard it can be to get into the industry, but it doesn't mean you're not good enough. Companies can sometimes be very specific with what they're looking for, but keep trying. And when you're set - even as a Lead, it's okay if you don't always have the answer straight away, it's okay to say "I don't know." Designing is an organic process. You never have all the information you need at the start."
Michael's hobbies? Reading horror literature. Eg: Some Will Not Sleep by Adam LG Nevill. Misery by Stephen King or Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand. And re: games? "Well, I have to go back to the 16-Bit era for this. Streets of Rage 2! One of the best soundtracks, too! Lately, Little Nightmares 2 (that atmosphere!), Yoku's Island Express, and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (similar to Streets of Rage 2, eh?)." 🎮
A song that calms Michael?
"Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks - I love the lyrics. They have a great "oh well" vibe to them that I find very relaxing."
Huge thanks for being under #TCRSpotlight this month, it's a joy to get to show off our fantastic team members. 🖤 |
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TCR at One Big Game |
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“Building on the rip-roaring success of 2021’s Xbox Game Studios derby which saw Rare face off against Playground Games, 2023 is super-sizing the soccer-based shenanigans in the name of SpecialEffect! This year, 24 teams from across UK game development studios will descend upon St. George’s Park in the heart of England on Wednesday, April 26, and play around-the-clock football to raise money for charity.”
SpecialEffect transforms the lives of physically disabled people right across the world through the innovative use of technology. At the heart of their work is the mission to maximise fun and quality of life by helping people control video games to the best of their abilities. We couldn't be more proud to be building a team for this special occasion. |
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Environment Art explained by Dominique |
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Dear fellow game devs! Have you ever introduced lighting to your scene in game and felt like things were too dark despite there being plenty of light? Or maybe there’s an asset which feels like it wasn’t fitting into the scene, but you couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t matching its reference? Introducing: the PBR Value Checker 2.0. Dominique Buttiens is our Principal Environment Artist and he has been delving into the theory of PBR (Physically Based Rendering) and, from his findings, has created his own universal texture value checker. He shares an in-depth look into PBR, the tool created and how it can help artists create realistic looking assets that look good in any lighting conditions. |
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Narrative Designer series with Arone Le Bray |
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Our parent company Sumo Digital have put together these great series about the craft of Narrative Design. Starring none other, but our own Principal Narrative Designer Arone Le Bray! Check out the first installment of the series above. fin |
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EXCLUSIVE - 'IMMORTALITY' Recommendation |
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Every month our newsletter recommends a video game that our studio members love. Often these are arthouse indies that we wish to put a spotlight on. You can now see all of them in one convenient thread here!
We’re not being very original here, so many rightfully adore this game. But it’s really - that genius. Similarly to what Dear Esther did back in the day, IMMORTALITY challenges what a video game can be. “Marissa Marcel was a film star. She made three movies. But none of the movies were ever released. And Marissa Marcel disappeared. An interactive trilogy from Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story.”
It’s Lynchian, it’s dark, it’s sexy - the game is pulsing with original ideas and brave artistic direction. And extra shout-outs to Manon Gage, the main actor - Hollywood is clearly where she’s headed, outstanding performance. |
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EXCLUSIVE - TCR Friday Jukebox - PUNK |
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Every Friday we at The Chinese Room have a different music playlist spinning, the theme for which gets set by the person who got voted as having submitted the best song the previous week! We love sharing these with you, our dear newsletter readers!
To honour our Creative Jam, of course PUNK was the theme. But the songs are not all so punky, you’ll enjoy this one! |
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Work at a Lighthouse 😮 |
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Random, but very cool. St Marks Wildlife Refuge in Florida has a lighthouse built in 1831. It is now looking for a keeper...
"200 years ago the lighthouse began beckoning boats to these muddy shallow waters. Today, the pillar still woos visitors anew." You can actually apply to be a lighthouse keeper! |
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EXCLUSIVE - TCR Recommends
Your monthly top-up of game dev resource recommendations, curated exclusively by members of our studio. 🖤
Art Environment Artist Gabriela Woch:
The Noble Approach: Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation Design - "It's pretty expensive but it's from the makers of Looney Tunes Art style, something we could have used reference for the Little Orpheus Art style."
Design Senior Game Designer Jade Jacson:
Why You Get Spooked From 4th Wall Breaks - "My favorite channel regarding game dev is Daryl talks game, he analyzes games by using psychological studies to explain why we feel a certain way while playing or what brings happiness/horror/discomfort/etc... and how to use it in games. You learn so much by watching his videos." Lead Level Designer Michael Michael:
Uncharted 4 is the Best Game I've Ever Watched | Girlfriend Reviews - "I'm playing Uncharted 4 at the moment, and this is a great analysis of why it's such an entertaining game to watch someone else play. This "Girlfriend Review" made me smile and makes some excellent points." Lead Designer Rob McLachlan:
Steve Lee (Level and Game Design) YouTube Channel - "Excellent videos on level design from Steve Lee." Senior Narrative Designer Sarah Longthorne:
Writing for Emotional Impact: Advanced Dramatic Techniques to Attract, Engage, and Fascinate the Reader from Beginning to End - "Writing For Emotional Impact’ by Karl Iglesias. Some of the examples have aged poorly so bear that in mind, but it’s practical and digestible and gets to the root of how to move your audience. It’s aimed at screenwriters but has takeaways for storytellers in any medium."
Programming
Junior Programmer Sebastian Ploch:
Growing A Healthy Ue4 Ecosystem: How Splash Damage Approaches Development - "Slide deck from Splash Damage created for Unreal Fest, on how Splash Damage approaches development using Unreal Engine."
Misc Senior Marketing Executive Marijam Didzgalvyte:
No Girls Allowed: Unravelling The Story Behind The Stereotype Of Video Games Being For Boys - "An interesting Polygon article on how marketing played a key role in pushing women out of the industry and out of titles that would not be men-centric."
Technical Producer Pascal Siddons:
How to Get Into Tabletop RPGs! - "Shut Up and Sit Down (based just around the corner from the office!) this month did a great video on how to get into tabletop RPGs and a great breakdown of how to get started running your first game!" |
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