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John Murphy (Studio Head, Young Horses)
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Tuesday, March 21
Time: 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Summits Pass, Independent Games Summit Pass
Topic: Independent Games
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: Video
Audience Level: All
In this session, John Murphy of Young Horses (Octodad, Bugsnax) discusses how his team makes their weird-yet-compelling games. Using Bugsnax as the example, John explains how the team at Young Horses decides what game to make, figures out what the game wants to be, and makes tough design decisions.
Would you like to learn what movies inspired Bugsnax? Want to know which AAA game Bugsnax relentlessly stole from? Need to learn why Bugsnax doesn't have a mini-game where the player chops up adorable food-bugs into bite-sized pieces? After this talk you too will understand what it means to make games like a Horse.
Attendees will learn how Young Horses balance their desire to make games that both appeal to a broad audience and are strange and surprising to both make and play, how emergent silliness translates into a first-person creature-trapping game, and about the challenges and opportunities of creating comedy in a systemic game.
This is for anyone interested in making games that attempt to balance newness, weirdness, fun, and approachability.