Being Design/Engineering led vs Marketing led
I think it’s very important for creative people and developers to try and make something on their own, and then see if it’s fun or not. The game development process in Taito eventually changed, and we, the game creators, were increasingly expected to listen to the sales team, which came up with new title concepts they thought it would sell.
Personally, I don’t think that is the correct approach. Creators should try to make a game on their own first, and then it should expand into a larger project. This is what I’ve felt throughout my whole career.
The point is that it needs to be creatively led first, before the management gets involved. If you don’t try to make something first, you will never know if it’s fun or not. Younger people who want to make games should play really old games. They may not have good graphics, but there is something shining within them in a playable sense. There’s definitely something to be learned from those games and also to inspire people to make something new. Forget about the graphics, focus on the core design. What makes it fun.
Tomohiro Nishikado – creator of Space Invaders (and countless other games)
