The head of the studio Ice-Pick Lodge Nikolai Dybovsky He performed at the exhibition Future Games, which passed June 16 in Tomsk. As part of this exhibition, he spoke for almost an hour about the gaming industry, games, a little about himself and his studio, and then answered questions from the hall. And now I am in order and without gag, I will outline the performance of Dybovsky.
Well, I’ll start from far from. From a conversation about industry
So at the beginning of his long monologue, Nikolai said that he did not understand how the video game industry works. And this despite the fact that he has been working in it for 19 years. And his main argument was that the video game industry is changing too quickly. And she does this in the most predictable way. Example: a year before the release of the first iPhone in 2006, Ice-Pick Lodge could get a mobile unit and make mobile games. But this did not happen why? And because Peter Potapov (Technical Director ICE-Pick Lodge) said this direction has no prospects, although he is a good specialist. Nevertheless, an iPhone comes out a year later, and the market turns over. And after that and the crisis of 2008. And most Russian developers and publishers either went bankrupt or went to make games for social networks and mobile phones.
Well, during the conversation about the industry, one cannot but affect the fact that the market is simply oversaturated with games. Good, interesting and not very, but deny the fact that almost any student, if there is a desire, well, and some basic knowledge, and skills in programming, can make his game. What can we say about major publishers who are subordinate to hundreds of specialists and huge budgets. And according to Nikolai, this is also a problem. The industry cannot offer something radically new, stands still and uses already clogged and in some way vulgar, cliche. And this is not surprising, because the publishers do not want to risk money, and go along the most beaten path, and if they go to experiments, it is very reluctant, and even then there’s usually nothing to risk. And then indie developers appear. A certain outlet for gamers. After all, they are often full of new ideas and solutions, and do not risk anything. And therefore, indie is now a fairly popular direction, as for developers, t.To. They can show all their imagination and creativity, and not be in the harsh framework that the publisher sets. And for ordinary players who can play something like that, as they say in games with the “soul”. But as mentioned above, any fool in our time can make its game. And because of this, find a really good project, among all this indie garbage, to which Steam alone is overwhelmed by the ears, it is very difficult. Dybovsky himself compared this situation with the feast.
Imagine that we are hungry. And we have a table on which there are a ripe pear, warm bread and hot tea. And we will enjoy eating this juicy pear, tast of bread and drink tea. We will come across and be satisfied and satisfied. And now we will imagine a similar situation, only the table will break from different dishes. We will make an entry once, two, three … already ate, there is no strength, and there is even more part of the table where we did not go. So it is with games
And in some ways he is right. There are a lot of games, and not all of us manage to play a corny play or read a review, not to mention to go through all the games by 100%. This was reinforced with a sad joke.
“20 years ago, it was a https://queenvegascasino.co.uk/bonus/ success that your game was bought, passed, all the Easter ladies were found, and then passed once again five. 10 years ago, what your game was bought and passed. Now that they bought and just launched "
After all, it is true, how many games you bought on sale with thoughts “then I will play someday”, and did not start them? And according to Steam statistics, most players play sessions for about an hour. And here we have the situation that the games are stumbled, they do not come up with anything new, and if they come up with, then because of the fear of a commercial failure they do not realize, and if it does a single-linker, then there is a great chance to be unnoticed. And you probably ask what to do with it, what games to develop or something like that. And Nikolai Dybovsky answers us that he does not know.
It’s hard for us to imagine this. We think of relying on what we have already seen and proceed from the same, and therefore it is difficult for me, like most of those who read this blog, it is difficult to imagine this. Step in the left, step into the right, but vryatli we will be able to come up with something so innovative and progressive that it will make everyone aak. Although who knows, who knows ..
But when this something new will appear and people will reach for it, it will begin to gain popularity, this something will become an alternative to the culture that is official, recognized. That is, all the same large publishers will not use this and will bend their line in the old fashioned way, but ultimately the current culture will either be rebuilt or will be destroyed by the culture not official, as outdated, and a more progressive will come to its place. But over time, this culture will also heal, reaching its peak and stop in development, and everything is new. There will be nothing new due to risks, another “underground culture” will appear, which will over time displace the existing. And so in a circle, to infinity … At one time, this happened to all kinds of art.
We talked about the future, about the past, and what is in the present ICE-Pick Lodge, what’s with the new Mor?
And with him not everything is so good and smooth as I would like. As Nikolai Dybovsky said, at the moment when the original fans asked them to cut a remake, they thought that it would be easy. Indeed, you just need to transfer the existing project to new rails, and you can not worry for success, the fanbaza is available. After all? As it turned out, later, no. According to the same Dybovsky, the game is very outdated, and they had to redo a lot in the game, so that it would now feel like then in 2005. And despite all the efforts of the developers, transfer to a new engine, laudatory reviews and fans of the original, this did not help the commercial success of the game. And as for the other two characters who were in the original, but were not present in the second part, their way out can be strongly linger, and in the most contrary, not to take place at all. Nicholas also gave advice to beginners and not only, developers not to do what their fans ask for, according to him, this is not a grateful. The head of the studio also stated that they will no longer make games similar to the pestilence or almost any project that they did before. According to him, a game of this type is hopelessly outdated, but they have their own fans, but someone likes it, and someone wants more such titles, but such a minority, and he himself is already tired of such games.
His monologue ended on this, and then he answered questions from the hall. The vast majority of questions were not very interesting, but I will insert it all that way.
Will there be with the game industry what, for example, happened to the movie. That is, the vast majority of modern blockbusters are produced in Hollywood, but there is a small niche of copyright cinema?
This has already happened in some way, we have many large publishers who are almost monopolists in the market who produce a certain number of games a year every year and make a lot of money on this, and there are indie projects. And in my opinion in the future it will be more strongly manifested.
And Alexey asked the following question:
In the industry there are large studios that dictate trends and make the most loud hits. Naughty Dog or Dice for example. And if you are a novice game designer, is it worth going to work in a similar studio or if it is better to start your own path.
Dybovsky answered this:
Yes, there really are studios that dictate the fashion on which everyone is equal and should be equal to them. After all, you need to be equal to the best. But if you are going to work there, then most likely in such a team you will become just a small screw. And this is not bad if someone suits someone. But if you want to somehow prove yourself and your talent. Then of course it is better to start your way, with your team.
That’s all. Summing up the performance of Nikolai Dybovsky, you can understand that in the near future, our beloved game industry will find great changes. But this is his opinion, but whether you agree with the position of the director of one of the leading video game studios of Russia or you have another opinion on this subject? Then, welcome in a comment, there will be something to discuss.
