Twenty-Some Questions:
A Moment With
Jon Compton,
Decision
Games/Fire & Movement Magazine
So, there we were, minding our own business, when 20 Questions suddenly gets an email. “Have we got a candidate for you,” says Brian of One Small Step, Inc.
“Well, bring it on,” says we.
Always on the lookout for new material, NGG 20(or so) questions brings you - Jon Compton.
Who
are you, who are you with, and what the heck do you do?
Jon Compton,
Editor of Fire & Movement magazine. I’m an independent contractor.
How long have you been in the gaming
industry? How did you get started?
15 years. I got involved in the industry through the unlikely collision of
a power failure and an angry wife (not mine).
What, if you can remember, was the first
game that you ever played? If you can’t remember your first (shame on
you!) then what was the first one that really lit your fire?
Richtofen’s War
by Avalon Hill
Are there any game companies or designers
that you admire, and why?
I admire old SPI
and GDW. They were both explorers, and willing to push the envelope in
both design and subject matter. I fear we will not see their like again.
What, if anything, would you say is the
hardest thing about the gaming business?
That’s easy:
making money! If you’re into military games, it’s practically like being a
charity.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you
be doing?
Hah, I’d be doing
one less thing! Probably spend more time with my girlfriend.
What changes, in reference to the gaming
industry, would you like to see take place in the future?
It’s not going to
happen, but I’d like to see less variety, believe it or not. There are
simply too many producers making mediocre product. The barrier to entry is
just too low to ever stop that though. But I’d like fewer products, better
developed.
Do you play electronic games? (Playstation,
PC Games, etc.) If not, why?
Not very often.
Simply don’t have time. And, given that I work on a computer most of the
day, I just am not that interested in looking at one for recreation too. I
prefer more social interaction.
Do you play role-playing games? If not,
why?
Yes, but not
often. I prefer to play Amber with good players. Very challenging, very
creative, no system limitations. You’re only limited by your imagination.
Do you play any miniatures games? If not,
why?
Yes. I love
miniatures. There’s sort of a feeling of pride in fielding troops you’ve
painted yourself. Hard to describe that feeling.
If you could convert any game into a
PC/Home console game, what would it be?
Avalon Hill’s
Dune.
Finish this sentence:
There is something really wrong with
_______________, and here’s why:
Game
development: It’s
just not done anymore. Once upon a time the role of the developer was to
take the often over-wrought machinations of the designer and to strip away
the excess and create a worthwhile game to play. It simply isn’t done
anymore. Eagle Games Age of Mythology is a case in point. It had a couple
interesting ideas, mostly stolen from Puerto Rico, which were not
developed into a game, but rather were patched together into a strange
semi-functioning hodge-podge of band-aide solutions. In other words, no
development.
Finish this sentence, or make it into a
paragraph:
When I am gaming, I like
multi-player games and lots of beer.
If you could be any superhero, who would
it be and why?
Batman. Mostly
because he didn’t have super-powers. He just had to be more inventive (and
meaner).
Do you have a favorite movie – if so,
which one? If not – why?
Hatari. I’ve seen
it so many times that it’s like hanging out with old friends.
Do you have a favorite book or series of
books – if so, which?
Dune.
What’s cooler: Ninjas & Kung-Fu, or
Zombies & the Undead?
Ninjas & Kung-Fu
What was the first game that you designed?
Miracle on the
Marne
In music, many musicians compare personal
musical success to the Beatles’ “Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”
– like the ultimate goal. (I’ve put out many great records, but still
haven’t put out my Sgt. Peppers yet. – Ozzy). Have you, as a designer,
designed your Sgt. Peppers, so to speak? If not, what game has come close?
No, and nothing
even come close.
What advice do you have for any would-be
game designer?
Don’t design a
game just to design a game. Have something to say with your design; a
reason for designing it that has to do with a certain perspective or point
of view you want to bring to the table. Study successful games and figure
out what makes them good, and what gave them legs. Any fool can throw a
bunch a existing systems together and call it a game. Don’t be a fool.
Where do you get inspiration for your game
designs?
Books.
When you do get an idea for a game, where
do you start? What is involved in your game creation process?
I start with what
it is I’m trying to say with the design. I try to zoom in on that as much
as possible and discard things that are exogenous to it.
Posted 05-15-2005