Q: What do you think about the 'Games as Art' concept ? Some people claim that games are a form of art and could/should carry a message or have a meaning, or generally be more than just a pasttime.What do you think? A: Games are art. Period. Sometimes, they're terrible art. However, they tell a story. There's visuals. There's writing. There's dialogue. There is a depiction of some aspect of the world or the human experience, which aims to make an emotional impression on the individual. How could they not be art? The idea that games aren't art is based on some sort of twisted idea that, to be true art, something can't be fun, or must involve some sort of suffering on the part of the parcipiant. Bollocks. I consider The Sims and Planescape: Torment to be art. I really do. Computer games now are like movies in the first few years of that medium. Movies were very crude until they really took off. A: Do you write a design document before creating a game ? Some people seem to think it is very important, while others prefer to design the game on the fly. Q: I should. But I don't. It's one of the advantages of working alone. I do, however, write TONS of stuff. Notes. Variable structures. I work for months before I write a line of code. I don't see how it is possibly to successfully create a comples program without doing this. Q: What do you think about realism in role playing games ? Is it needed? Or don't RPGs really need to be that realistic ? How much do you consider realism when you design a game? A: Realism for, well, realism is for reality. RPGs simply can't be realistic. Never have been. Never will be. It just doesn't fit with the genre. Q: Do you design with balance in mind ? Do you think balance is important at all ? If you do, how do you achieve balance in your games ? Does it come naturally or do you 'test and tweak' ? It's one thing all games, computer and otherwise, have in common. All games MUST have balance. There's no two ways about it. Balance is the essence of a good game. If there is one move or strategy that works better than all others, that is a flaw. If no move or strategy works, the game is a failure. I design as balanced a game as I can, but you can never truly balance anything without making it, playing it, and tweaking it. Q: The Exile/Avernum universe is quite popular.Can you tell us a few things about how you design game worlds ? A: This is going to sound terrible, but the answer is: I spend 5 minutes thinking about it. I spend very little time coming up with game settings. It's shameful. Q: And while we're at it, what do you think is it that makes your game worlds (esp. Exile/Avernum) so popular ? A: I don't think game worlds are popular. I think games are popular. If the game sucks, it doesn't matter how good the world is. If the game is solid, who cares about the world? Q: While it may seem similar to the question above, I think this should be a seperate question : how do you create atmosphere in your games ? Are there certain formulas or procedures ? This question is roughly equivalent to "How do you be a good writer?" I don't know. I just do it. Q: What are some of the elements that make a role playing game fun to play ? A: My favoritye is breaking the game into small pieces, so that the player is always tempted to play just a little bit more. Also, lots of stuff. Lots of hidden things. Quests. Special encounters. Blank space is the opposite of good in an rpg. Q: What makes a game replayable ? A: A wide variety of choices for the player, each of which leads to a dramatically different game experience. Q: Online RPGs are very successful lately, but many of them degenerate into hack'n'slash orgies.What do you think about online RPGs ? A: Love them. I LOVE hack'n'slash orgies. Intellectualism is overrated. Most of the time, people play games for the same reason they crochet, or do crossword puzzles, or whittle. To relax and rest the brain. Anyone who doesn't understand this is in trouble. Q: Can you think of any ways to keep them from turning into online Diablo-clones and gear them towards role playing ? A: Role-playing is fun, but overrated. I thing Planescape: Torment was oneo f the greatest rpgs ever, but it bombed. One the other hand, Baldur's Gate sold a trillion copies. Why? Because role-playing is fun, to a point. Eventually, pretty much every rpg fan just wants to hit things. Q: The games industry seems to be in a critical period.Big companies are collapsing, classic series are being cancelled (Quest for Glory, Ultima, etc) and generally things aren't looking very bright. Do you think this is a chance for independent developers to become successful ? If there's no air in a room, small creatures who don't breathe much will die just as soon as big creatures. If the computer game industry is in trouble, it will hurt everyone. But, last I checked, our industry is still making phenomenal amounts of money. So I'm going to wait to offer opinions on this problem until I am convinced that there is a problem. Q: Generally, what do you think about the future of the indie/shareware game scene ? A: There are always niches which the big boys don't care about. Indie developers who work hard and fill those niches should do well. Thanks to the miracle of the World Wide Web, bottom-feeders like me will always have a place. Q: Do you have any tips for people trying to break into the shareware industry ? A: FIRST, WRITE A FUN GAME - SO FUN THAT PEOPLE WILL PAY YOU MONEY FOR IT. THEN MARKET IT. These two steps are all you need. Most people fail at the first one. A game has to be GOOD before people will pay for it. Q: Is it wise to start off by creating a shareware game? Sure. If it doesn't sell, it will still be the best resume you could possibly have for breaking into the industry. Q: Is it perhaps better to create some freeware games first ? A: As a professional, I tend to thing that freeware is for people who can't get people to pay. I would use the word "losers", but I am a kind person who doesn't want to offend people. Q: If you were starting today, what would you do ? A: What I did. Write a fun game and work my ass off marketing it. Q: Any other tips for aspiring game developers ? A: FIRST, WRITE A FUN GAME - SO FUN THAT PEOPLE WILL PAY YOU MONEY FOR IT. THEN MARKET IT. Oh. And visit my web site for examples. http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com :-)