TIGSource: IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)

IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)

Brandon "BMcC" McCartin — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:46:00 +0000

Jonatan “Cactus” Söderström’s lecture for the 2009 Independent Games Summit, The Four-Hour Game Design, opened up his bizarre creative process, revealing some of the design guidelines and key tricks that have allowed him to make more (awesome) games per day than the rest of the industry combined manages to put out in a year.

It may have been the greatest presentation ever.

Starting from his Desktop, Cactus skipped over a few folders called things like “Weird Porn” and “Nude Pictures of Me” to one simply named “GDC.” Within, bearing the icon of a pixelated heart, was his presentation… made in Game Maker.

After registering Windows Media Player live on stage to test the audio, and eventually realizing he had to un-mute his laptop, Cactus started it up. A Brain-Damaged Toon Underworld style animation began with a character only he could have drawn declaring, “I AM INTERNET.”

I ripped some (TIGSOURCE EXCLUSIVE) screens from Cactus’ laptop while he was asleep, but there will eventually be a video of all the “slides,” or perhaps even a download of the presentation/game itself, so I won’t spoil too much of it now. Here’s a brief summary, in the extended:

LESSON #1:
Don’t Make Games In Four Hours If You Stink

In the first section of the presentation, “WHY,” Cactus likened game development to “having a baby,” then proceeded to drive that metaphor well past the line of any decency, with upsetting photos to boot. Highlight: The hardest part is “getting it out”—it’s painful and the end result is often not what you expected. (But at least you learn from it.)

LESSON #2:
When You Make A Game, Try To Make A Good One

The main points of the second section, “CREATIVITY,” were: Always experiment, be serious about what you’re doing, renew your concepts, don’t think the game needs to be fun (it could be “interesting or weird or just freak you out”), and try to create a cohesive experience.

For times when you’re not feeling creative, Cactus recommended mimicking another game, but challenging its original concept, trying to do things better in some way. (This bit was supplemented by a trippy 3D scene of dialog between two polygonal characters, which I now know had randomized camera angles.)

LESSON #3:
Try To Be Original When You Make An Original Game

In the third section, “GRAPHICS,” Cactus outlined a number of simple ways to use your game’s tech to multiply the effectiveness of basic, easy-to-produce art assets (such as sketches, pixel art, geometric shapes, and so on). He then gave many strange examples of using color & saturation, rotation, scaling, basic animation, flicker, movement, atmosphere (“RAIN EFFECT”), and other quick tricks to make the visuals considerably more interesting without too much extra work.

LESSON #4:
Sometimes Games Don’t Have To Be Fun

In the fourth section of the presentation, “GAMEPLAY,” Cactus asked the age old question: “Who wants to jump on an enemy that many times?”

He then went on to show a few minor gameplay changes in different situations that have a huge impact on the feel of the game. For example, he played a potential horizontal shmup where you must shoot incoming square “asteroids” a bunch of times to destroy them. A bit later he played an updated version that was faster, with less hits required to destroy each asteroid, and a quick explosion effect that made the game clearly more awesome. Unfortunately, he lost pretty quickly when playing this, so he had to move on.

LESSON #5:
Don’t Work Too Hard, You’ll Get Tired

In the fifth section, “PREPARATIONS,” Cactus gave some health advice, pointing out the critical importance of going to the bathroom, eating (but not too much, unless you want to end up in the bathroom again), having an idea ready before you start, using the right tools, and taking every shortcut possible.

If you work cleverly and take care of yourself, you won’t need to work as aggressively, either, and the game will become less of a headache to pull together.

LESSON #6:
Games Made Of Rock Don’t Always Rock

In the final section of the lecture, Cactus pointed people toward TIGForum member Dr. Petter’s excellent SFXR, which he’s been using for pretty much every project nowadays, and recommended collaboration with online musicians eager to compose. (That, or stealing their music. But if your game wins an award or something, “it might be a good idea to email” them about it.)

A final tip was displayed, “Some Games Have Good Music,” and the slideshow abruptly ended. The audience sat in silence for moment wondering if there was going to be another curve ball, but once it was understood that the thing was actually over, the room erupted into applause.

Now, to a game developer, the direct content of this presentation didn’t give that much new information, but, at least for me and everyone else I talked to, as a whole it was incredibly inspiring and enlightening. I imagine a number of developers well aware of these techniques may not have thought to really use them like this. And if anyone in the room hadn’t heard of Cactus before, this must have been a knockout. It was just as free-form, exciting, and sometimes confounding as a Cactus game, and surely one of the most interactive, unpredictable talks GDC has ever seen.

Even giving a lecture, Jonatan can’t help being Cactus.

P.S. He made, like, forty more games while he was speaking.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Secret Admirer

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:49:53 +0000

A small part of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leFub-Z02kg#t=3m30s

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Q

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:37:14 +0000

surz fo uz?

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Q

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:22:28 +0000

needz moar!

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Psyco Jelly

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 22:15:54 +0000

I’m a man… And I want to have his babies.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by crackers

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:04:57 +0000

I’m decompiling him with my eyes.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Xeno

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:30:55 +0000

quote:Vallen said about 21 hours later:

This just in, Cactus isn’t actually a person, but a project made by Game Maker in order to self-replicate.

We must decompile him and learn the source!

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by r13

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:14:29 +0000

that’s why i still believe in humanity - there are creative minds which aren’t assholes at the same times

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Brian

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:39:52 +0000

Great job. Now I understand why he hasn’t been able to talk lately.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Well?

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:37:30 +0000

Where’s the section where he tells you how to make people pay for a game and then not make the game?

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Dusty Spur

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 04:23:20 +0000

cool cactus. it knows what up…!

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by crackers

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:46:51 +0000

Pfft, four hours, rookie. Those dudes over at Glorious Trainwrecks do their games in two.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by phu

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:24:57 +0000

What a freaking tease! Here’s hoping the video makes it online soon, I read this at work and was hyped to find the vid when I got home.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Gainsworth

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:35:31 +0000

WHY AM I NOT AT GEE DEE SEE?

Answer: I am a student in Australia who does not make games so much as play them.

REGARDLESS, I’d love to see This. And that Rant. Oh lord I need to see that rant.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Cobalt

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:06:21 +0000

Those are some weird-lookin’ sprites. They remind me of voxel technology for some reason.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by kareemk

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:49:45 +0000

epic reportan epic presentan

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Andy Wolff

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:28:23 +0000

<3 cactus

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by BMcC

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:54:32 +0000

Hahaha, it’s true.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Shih Tzu

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:01:56 +0000

you guys Cactus has the best business card ever

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Melly

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:56:10 +0000

WE DEMAND LIVE VIDEO.

@Vallen:

You know, that’s not a farfetched idea.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by codekitchen

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:28:27 +0000

Video or it didn’t happen!

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Memphis-Ahn

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:16:29 +0000

Cactus’ games are always awesome. Even if they’re not “fun” they’re still enjoyable, especially the freaky ones.

It’s interesting to find out the process behind the making of his games.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by SkyWhy

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:05:21 +0000

Seriously, Cactus, can I have your underwear?

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by hokku

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:53:50 +0000

He’s gone from my indie game hero to my overall game development hero.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Garbled

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:45:51 +0000

I am telling you, THIS KID KNOWS WHAT IS UP. He probably sneezes out games in his sleep and doesn’t even realize it!

I mean, he made a shoot em up with a pornographic final boss fight.

"IGS '09: The Four-Hour Game Design (Cactus)" by Ragnar

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:44:46 +0000

Anyone taped it? I REALLY want to see this.