Level Up.pdf

422 LEVEL 17 And Now the Hard Part
creators of Fat Princess (SCE, 2009) had to redesign their cartoony
four- fingered game characters to have five fingers 2 for the game ’ s
release in Japan.
• Find ways to remove design blinders, the phenomena that happens
when you are too close to your game. It results in game creators
thinking their game is too easy or half- baked elements “ good enough. ”
Recruit other people to play your game and give feedback. Use focus
group testing when applicable and iterate on your game design in all
stages of production. This is something that publishers are really good
at … providing what I call the “ 10,000 foot view ” — an objective look at
your game. They ’ ll help you identify weak spots and strengthen the
good parts.
• If something doesn ’ t work, then throw it out. Don ’ t be precious with your
ideas. They ’ re a dime a dozen. When you do throw something out, have
a backup plan in mind. Don ’ t make throwing away work a habit. It ’ s
better to plan things out to anticipate problems than to waste work. It ’ s
better to be getting rid of good ideas; that means you have too many
good ideas! You can always use them on the sequel 3 .
Cutting content happens in every game. But the more you cut during
preproduction, the less you will have to cut during production. Make sure
you are cutting content for the right reasons. Don ’ t cut or change content
that connect and have an impact on multiple game systems or you will be
asking for trouble.
2 There are at least three explanations to why the four - fingered visual is considered taboo in
Japan. Yubitsume is the practice done by members of the Yakuza; the cutting off at the
knuckle of the pinkie finger as atonement. The resulting mutilated hand has the appearance
of having four fingers. The number four, pronounced Shi , also means death. It ’ s an unlucky
number; much like 13 is in western cultures. The Burakumin are a social class that is still met
with discrimination. The four - fingered sign was used to designate Burakumin (because they
often worked with four - legged animals) and became a derogatory gesture. Modern Buraku
activist groups have sued over the use of the four - fingered sign in Japanese media.
3
S.I.F.S. — “ save it for the sequel ” — was a popular saying at many of the studios I
worked at.