Petri Purho Interview in LEVEL

By: Derek Yu

On: February 25th, 2008

Thanks to Hideous for scanning/translating for us an interview with Petri Purho in Swedish gaming magazine LEVEL! Petri is the creator of countless experimental games, including the IGF 2008 Grand Prize winner, Crayon Physics Deluxe. He also summons demons onto Earth when he undoes his ponytail and starts wailing on the guitar.

Here’s the scan, and here’s the translation:

In Finland, there’s a guy playing with crayons and physics on a computer screen. How can you not love something like that? Time to talk to Petri Purho.

So who is Petri Purho?

Well, I was born in 1983 in Kouvola, Finland. For almost 16 years I’ve had game programming as a hobby and I’ve worked on different projects. During fall 2006 I started Kloonigames with the idea of releasing a new game every month on the internet. Except for when I had a months vacation, I managed to do that.

How did you get the idea of Crayon Physics Deluxe?

I got the idea when I heard about a children’s book named ‘Pelle and the red crayon" and it’s about a kid who draws the world with crayons. That’s the basic concept of what I’m working on right now. You can draw whatever you want instead of just rectangles, and that opens up new possibilities and a free, interactive world.

What’s the hardest thing about designing a world like this and the endless amount of variables that you have to predict?

First I thought the biggest problem would be the open nature of the game, and that people would cheat through the levels. Then I found out that that’s not a problem since Crayon Physics Deluxe is not about finding a specific solution, but more about getting the players to find creative solutions. Personally, the most fun thing about it is finding unnecessarily complicated solutions to solve very simple tasks. So the biggest challenge is to create challenging puzzles without at the same time limiting the player’s creativity.

Will you be able to create your own levels?

Absolutely, the game will include a level editor that you can play around with, so if anyone hates my puzzles, they can create their own.

Crayon Physics Deluxe looks like it’s the Nintendo DS’ best friend. Do you have any plans on trying to create the game for different platforms?

The problem is that it’s hard to find a publisher, money and so forth to be able to publish the game on the Nintendo DS, but I would love to play it on that machine.

You released the prototype for free, but what will you do with CPD?

I’m going to try to sell it on my website for about $20 and there will of course be a demo that you can download and try first.

And finally, will I be able to draw penises in the game?

Absolutely. That’s what I do all the time. And if you’re like me and you like to draw penises, you can make that your goal: To clear all the puzzles in CPD just by drawing penises.

So You Want To Make A Game

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: February 22nd, 2008

Continuing with the 1UP theme, 1UP has an interesting article up called “”http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3166380" title=“1UP: So You Want To Make A Game”>So You Want To Make A Game" which features interviews with Tower Defender Paul Preece, Madman Jon Mak, and Finnish Rock God/IGF Champion Petri Purho, giving advice on love, life, and game development. (Mostly game development.)

Read it here.

P.S. I’ll have some super-special exclusive GDC content for TIGS in the near future, but I need to collect myself first. I was not ready for this insanity.

The 1UP Show, Featuring Phil Fish

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: February 22nd, 2008

Here is an indie-centric episode of The 1UP Show, featuring an interview with the ever awesome Phil Fish — now an IGF winner at long last.

I’ve had the pleasure of spending some time with a few of the 1UP folks since I’ve been here and, I gotta say, it feels good knowing there are people who “get” indie games within the mainstream press. (Also, they’re pretty cool to hang out with.)

FUN FACT: Cactus is older than I am.

GDC: Oodles of Videos

By: Derek Yu

On: February 21st, 2008

Not sure when video of the award show in its entirety is going to be available, since G4 is covering it this year. It’ll be pretty awesome to see Phil Fish say “fucking” (or rather, “bleep!”) on national t.v. And they’ll undoubtedly blur out Petri’s amazing sign…

In the meantime, hit the jump for some indie-related vids:

Jon Blow Says “Fuck That”

By: Derek Yu

On: February 17th, 2008

The almighty Jeff Lindsay, web god and Guardian of the Tiger Sauce, interviewed Jonathan Blow for Game Helper:

(Photo Source: Sklathill’s GDC 2007 Flickr Set)

TIGSource Interview: Jamie Fristrom

By: Derek Yu

On: January 26th, 2008

Lars Doucet recently did an interview for TIGSource with Jamie Fristrom. And just who is Mr. Fristrom?

Be forewarned, it’s loooooong interview. But a great read that covers a wide range of topics, including game design, XNA, team management, moral responsibility in game development, and Richard Garfield (the guy who created Magic: the Gathering). Definitely worth checking out.

GeekNights Podcast: Tarn Adams Interview

By: Derek Yu

On: January 16th, 2008

There’s a great podcast discussion with Tarn Adams on GeekNights. Tarn, as you may or may not know, is one half of the Dwarf Fortress team, and its sole programmer. The other half, Zach (also Tarn’s brother), develops stories which Tarn makes work within Dwarf Fortress’s intimidating game engine.

The podcast focuses on Dwarf Fortress, but Tarn touches on a variety of subjects, from his older games to his thoughts on gaming and game design in general. I found it to be pretty fascinating.

And, I gotta say, for a self-described introvert and the developer behind one of the most insanely detailed games ever made, Tarn is very well-spoken and sounds really down-to-earth. Respect!

Gamelab Interview: cactus

By: Derek Yu

On: January 11th, 2008

Speaking of cactus, here’s an interview that Gamelab did with him recently.

Derek Interviewed on the 1UP Show

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: December 28th, 2007

TIGSource Interview: Matt Hammill

By: Derek Yu

On: December 21st, 2007

Matt Hammill is one-man-show behind the beautiful action/puzzle game Gesundheit!, Comic Dice, and other fun, nifty things. Recently, Steve “moshboy” Cook took the opportunity to ask this talented Canadian illustrator/game developer a few questions about life and the pursuit of gaming.

Read More…