Get to know the people that make great videogames
Last week on Sup Holmes (now on iTunes) we welcomed passionate pixel pusher Paul Veer to the program. Paul loves videogames, so naturally, the art and design of the Kirby, Pokemon, and Sonic franchises were irresistible subjects to his wonder mind. After playing Sonic games off and on for 20 years, I’d never fully understood the long lasting appeal of the series. It always felt like the Poochie of 2D platformers to Mario and Mega Man’s Itchy and Scratchy. Luckily for me, Paul is an expert Sonic fan, and he explained why the games can be so enthralling.
It sounds like the thinking required to master the better Sonic games is not all that different from the mentality you may need to become an expert animator. You need to enjoy the process even when it’s slow going, be twice as careful once you get get good enough to move fast, and once you get good and fast? That’s sounds like an amazing feeling. It’s no wonder Paul has enjoyed both pursuits so much over the years.
We also talked about Paul’s dream project (a game about a woman who sings songs about your life!), working with Vlambeer (Super Crate Box, Gun Godz, Luftrausers), the beauty of Vanillaware games, going to college for game design, Wario Land: Shake It!, and so much more. It was a great time!
Thanks again to Paul for appearing on the program, and tune in this tomorrow at 1pm PST/4pm EST when we welcome Cassie Chui, artist on Electronic Super Joy to the program.It’s going to be futuristic.