Interview w/ Jonathan Cummings
Interview – Jon Cummings
Wednesday 17 May 2017
Our level 3 (Form 7) media class of Tereora had an interview
with game-developer/gamer Jon Cummings.
This was an exciting experience to be given a little insight in the gaming
industry as well as the skills/dispositions needed to make a video game. I had
learnt quite a bit from this interview and I think it will be very helpful
towards creating a video game of mine own:)
Here are some questions and answers I found interesting and helpful to creating a video game.
Q: How long did it take to develop ProtonWar?
A: Proton has been in development for about 2 and half years so far. It is still in early access, I'm unsure how much longer I will work on it. As with all arts, it will be done when its done.
Thoughts/notes: While Cummings was developing ProtonWar, he said feedback was a very important factor when developing a game. Its about creating a video game for your audience and not only for yourself but at the same time its something that you like:)
Q: What skills/dispositions are needed to develop a game?
A: Many, and those skills are constantly changing as technology changes. I honestly think that anyone can develop a game, the main thing for me is to have passion for what you are doing. With passion and dedication, you can do anything.
If you are looking for skills that would get you hired, I think the most valuable are probably art skills, environmental art, 3D modelling programs like 3D studio max. Art is getting better and better in games and more complex. Art and level design is the most time-consuming parts of making a game from my experience.
Thoughts/notes:
I've learnt that technology is flux. Skills learnt now can be irrelevant later because of how fast technology is developing nowadays.
Most valuable skill to have is art skills, environmental art, and 3D modelling.
Q: What were the challenges/barriers?
A: The biggest challenge for me has been marketing, getting people to know about your game. I feel like you could spend 50% of all your time just on marketing and it still wouldn't be enough. It's very hard to break through these days with the amount of games being made. Its hard to get noticed, particularly being an indie dev.
Thoughts/notes: I realised the amount of video games on steam, and thought about how hard it would be to gain recognition for your video game. Considering this, I truly believe the difficulty of marketing.
Q: What learning do you think happens when we are gaming?
A: It depends on the game obviously. But I think the biggest thing would be problem solving skills. Your brain is a muscle, the more you solve problems the better you get at it!
Thoughts/notes: Your brain is a muscle! Enhanced reflexes, improved memory and better solving are practised in particular video games.
Tip: Get some exercise
Here are some questions and answers I found interesting and helpful to creating a video game.
Q: How long did it take to develop ProtonWar?
A: Proton has been in development for about 2 and half years so far. It is still in early access, I'm unsure how much longer I will work on it. As with all arts, it will be done when its done.
Thoughts/notes: While Cummings was developing ProtonWar, he said feedback was a very important factor when developing a game. Its about creating a video game for your audience and not only for yourself but at the same time its something that you like:)
Q: What skills/dispositions are needed to develop a game?
A: Many, and those skills are constantly changing as technology changes. I honestly think that anyone can develop a game, the main thing for me is to have passion for what you are doing. With passion and dedication, you can do anything.
If you are looking for skills that would get you hired, I think the most valuable are probably art skills, environmental art, 3D modelling programs like 3D studio max. Art is getting better and better in games and more complex. Art and level design is the most time-consuming parts of making a game from my experience.
Thoughts/notes:
I've learnt that technology is flux. Skills learnt now can be irrelevant later because of how fast technology is developing nowadays.
Most valuable skill to have is art skills, environmental art, and 3D modelling.
Q: What were the challenges/barriers?
A: The biggest challenge for me has been marketing, getting people to know about your game. I feel like you could spend 50% of all your time just on marketing and it still wouldn't be enough. It's very hard to break through these days with the amount of games being made. Its hard to get noticed, particularly being an indie dev.
Thoughts/notes: I realised the amount of video games on steam, and thought about how hard it would be to gain recognition for your video game. Considering this, I truly believe the difficulty of marketing.
Q: What learning do you think happens when we are gaming?
A: It depends on the game obviously. But I think the biggest thing would be problem solving skills. Your brain is a muscle, the more you solve problems the better you get at it!
Thoughts/notes: Your brain is a muscle! Enhanced reflexes, improved memory and better solving are practised in particular video games.
Tip: Get some exercise
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