Gamepad Interviews Nick Harper, creative Director at Ubisoft

Posted By: GamePad
March 12th, 2007

Describe the key steps - from conceptualization to release - that a game goes through
The first stage is conception where we evolve our idea into something solid. Then we go into pre-production where we focus on one section of the game and get it feeling just right. And then finally we enter full production, where we know everything about making the game so we can ramp up the staff and finish everything off. The whole process varies in time from game to game. Some games take about a year and others will take up to three years, with staff ranging from about 50 to sometimes 250!

How do you get out of creative ruts?
I find the easiest way is to talk to my team mates about ideas that I have had and then as we brainstorm their ideas will give me inspiration and I'll feel a lot better. Sometimes, though, you just have to chill our and watch a movie or go for a walk or something - it's a good excuse I think.

What are the typical game designer's hobbies?
It really varies from each person. I have two young kids so I spend a lot of my time rolling around on the floor with them climbing on top of me! When I get the time I'll go and see a movie or read a book, but I tend to read factual books rather than novels. I just finished reading a book about the moon landings which was really interesting. Of course we all like playing games a lot, probably too much! And that's not just videogames - a lot of game design people like playing board games, but those unusual strategy games (usually from Germany) more so than traditional games like Monopoly.

What is the future of video games - what kinds or genres will be leading the game industry of the future? (MMO vs. 1-P, Sim vs. Fantasy)
Wow that's a tough question! Okay, let me think about this hard. I've deleted my last four answers so hopefully this is the one I'll go with!
I think games will be accepted as the most powerful form of entertainment and story telling. As an industry we'll work out how to beat Hollywood rather than copy them. I think organic control systems will become the standard, so we're no longer using a joypad with thumbsticks but something that everyone can understand immediately.
I think that virtual worlds will become really popular, but hopefully not worlds that try and simulate real life but enable people to experience something that is impossible in real life, like flying (Superman style not in a plane!) or traveling to mars or something. I think that games will take over from TV as time slot experiences, so instead of switching on American Idol at 8pm you switch on a gaming experience and spend an hour with your friends and family in some amazing place.
I think that user-created content will become huge and the future game designers will be discovered making stuff on the videogame equivalent of myspace And I'm sure sports games will remain really popular!

BONUS QUESTIONS

You're playing a video game 30 years from now. Describe what it's like!
It's like Zelda but with breathtaking graphics, a world populated with other player characters, and the ability for me to build my own castle and protect it. Oh, and it's probably full of in-game advertising.

If you could be any game character, who would it be?
Yoshi, or Lara Croft, depending on my mood that day.

What game have you played that you really wished YOU worked on?
Ico. I think it's one of the first games that shows how we can really evoke emotions in the player. It was really a work of art. Amazing. Go and buy it and play it!



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