Developer Pop Quiz is a weekly interview series in which we ask developers from around the industry the same 10 questions and post their responses.
Two years ago "Scribblenauts" set a new standard for user interaction in a video game, allowing the player to create virtually any item they could imagine and use it in the game. In a few weeks "Super Scribblenauts" is poised to somehow top it's predecessor, and one of the minds behind that game, 5TH Cell CEO and Creative Director, Jeremiah Slaczka is hoping it'll be an even bigger success. But who is Jeremiah Slaczka really? How'd he get started in the industry? What game did he once abandon development of? And, most importantly, what do his dad and soccer have to do with him being in the video games industry? This week's Developer Pop Quiz will answer all those questions, and more.
Name: Jeremiah Slaczka
Title: CEO / Creative Director
Company: 5TH Cell
Job Description: Directs 5TH Cell and its titles.
First title worked on: "Siege" (Mobile)
Most recent title worked on: "Super Scribblenauts"
What game has most influenced you, and why?
Well, I’d say probably "Final Fantasy VI." It was the first game that got me really into game development. I tried to make a prequel set 15 years in the future that follows the earlier years of Kekfa and his best friend Gearhart, two street punks who joined the army and how the two grew apart as Kefka slowly went mad and gained power from experimental magic infusions the army was giving to soldiers. The project never got finished sadly.
What are you playing right now?
"Limbo," "Minecraft," "StarCraft II" and I just finished "Lara Croft" - that was amazing! It blew my expectations out of the water. I thought it was going to be a stinker, but man what great co-op fun!
What was your first break in the games industry?
I guess starting 5TH Cell, I never worked in the game industry as a professional before 5TH Cell.
What's the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
I played soccer a lot as a kid, and my dad would always tell me "When you go out there remember that it’s your ball, so don’t let anyone take it from you." This basically means don't let other people dictate how to live your life, you do what you feel is best, not what others think is best for you. I've done pretty well from that. That's not to say don't listen to other people's opinions or advice, but at the end of the day weigh those opinions and do what you think is best for you.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I look for inspiration everywhere - movies, books, my friends, my experiences, my past and games. In fact other games usually influence me the least when it comes to new ideas. I usually just want to make what I find interesting.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned about game development?
Less is more. There's too much emphasis on bigger and more, which usually equates to filler and lack of substance. 40 hours of gaming means nothing if 30 hours are filled with grinding your heroes up to face the bosses. The best game experiences like "Portal" or "Limbo" or "CoD4" never wore out their welcome by adding arbitrary hours of fluff or recycled modes.
Who do you think will come out on top this console generation?
The consumers. There's so much competition and so many different ways to play games these days the people who are really benefiting the most are the consumers.
What do you think is the biggest problem current games suffer from?
Lack of direction. I hear it time and again how game companies and projects just change on the fly to whatever is the new hot thing, or they spend years with no real plan or direction. You need a vision, and then you need to focus on that vision to see the game through to completion.
What is the most important thing that has happened to gaming in the last 10 years?
The most important and best thing that happened to games was that they’ve opened up to allow smaller companies to flourish. In 2000, you had PC development only as a way to do your own thing, and now you have iPhone, Steam, Facebook, PC Casual, DSiware, XBLA, so many avenues that didn’t existed before. And the industry is better for it!
Where do you see gaming in 5 years?
No idea really, it’s moving so fast these days. Five years ago there’d have been no way you’d be able to predict Kinect or Move or "Farmville." Stuff is exploding in all directions, it’s a little scary and a lot awesome.