Danilo Radojcin explained Eipix’s approach to hidden object puzzle adventure games during his Casual Connect Europe lecture. Developers, including Eipix, have “researched our market and we’ve looked for what our focus group wants us to do, and we’ve created this genre from something that already existed,” he says.
Danilo Radojcin is a junior game designer, with the responsibility to tell the full story behind the games, at Eipix Entertainment. He had already been familiar with the hidden object puzzle adventure game genre for some time when an ex-roommate, who is now the head of the Eipix Mobile Team, called him. His other former roommates were also part of the Eipix family, and he asked, “Why are we here and you’re not?” Danilo had always wanted to work in the games industry, so he decided to give it a try, and says, “I’m still not regretting it, not for a second.”
Finding His Dream Job: Game Designing
Before coming to Eipix he was a web journalist and columnist working for a Serbian online pop culture magazine, Frenzy Spark. There he wrote game reviews and columns about gamers, their way of life and their point of view. He was also working at a school for children with developmental disabilities, teaching them computer software skills and creative writing. He finds his writing background a tremendous help in his current position.
He enjoys the dynamics of his work at Eipix. “There is always something to do, and everything can change in the blink of an eye,” he says. He is amazed by how much work every game designer goes through to create just a few minutes of gameplay and by how much one can learn from this type of research. And he particularly enjoys working on the HOPA genre, something he has loved for some time.
Danilo had always wanted to be involved in game development but claims, “I never had the courage to try.” So, instead his focus was getting his mother, sister and girlfriend all addicted to HOPA games. Eipix gave him the chance to make one, and now he says, “I have my dream job and lots of space for advancement.”
As a child he hoped to become a graphic designer to create various visual identities for his favorite gaming companies. He went on to university to study graphic design and engineering. Then he discovered the world of game design and began imagining himself as a concept artist. Now he works with graphic designers and concept artists on a daily basis, and he has found a way to realize his dream.
As far back as Danilo can remember he was interested in gaming and always had some sort of gaming equipment available; in fact, he claims that even before he could walk he had already broken several joysticks. His earliest memories are tied to Commodore 64 and the ZX Spectrum.
By the time he was going to school, he was constantly drawing and spending most of his free time using Photoshop; he has always been interested in art and design. When he discovered game design, he decided to try it out, but only when he had the appropriate knowledge.
He admits the first gameplay he designed was rather weak, even for a beginner. So when the game was assembled the gameplay was the biggest fault. And some of their outsourcing teams were absent; they had to fix the game themselves, fast! They spent days working late, overcoming the problem by using story elements, distracting the player and adapting the story. “The process of changing something which was done wrong in the first place was definitely the most tiresome job I ever did,” he relates.
The Creative Process
Danilo’s creative process begins with imagining how the setting for the game looks: the time of day, the time period, the scenography and the main story. Then he does sketches of various important elements, such as maps, certain scenes, different items and cinematics, at the same time researching all the elements he will use later. Next he does a trial version of the Game Design Document, which will go through multiple changes during the production process to improve the game.
The inspiration for his designs differs from genre to genre. If he is working on a horror title his main sources are horror movies and books by Stephen King and Clive Barker. A crime game will have him reading Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie. His main sources of inspiration are books, movies and TV programs, particularly those from the time period in which the game is set. Usually his inspiration is a combination of many elements that he finds around him.
Creative blocks are a regular part of his process, something he admits everyone who does any sort of creative work experiences. He deals with them through relaxation, and if that does not succeed, he turns to researching the task as much as he can until ideas return.
Constantly trying to improve gameplay, having to work with limited and repetitive mechanics and avoiding repeating aspects of previous games are the main challenges he finds in game development. But the reward comes, he says, from “seeing a game you’ve worked on so hard reaching number one on the top list and reading all the awesome feedback from thrilled users.” And giving lectures and presentations all around the world is also a plus. In fact, he claims being chosen to represent his company at Casual Connect Europe and knowing his CEO believes he can do a good job is the most satisfying moment of his career so far.
The “dream game” Danilo would like to create would be some kind of first-person shooter role playing game, perhaps similar to Borderlands and Borderlands 2, but done in MMO style. He would fill it with an extremely wide variety of choices and an extremely large world to create “some kind of FPS-RPG-MMO Frankenstein’s beast of a game. It would be the largest fun melting-pot online!”
Research to Succeed
To someone interested in a similar career, he suggests: “Research! If you are interested in game design and game development in general, the most important things are patience and research. Depending on the game and the genre, every developer and game designer will have to learn as much as possible about the subject. To do the job well, you must learn about game surroundings, game elements, basic mechanics and many other elements. The more you know about individual parts and elements, the market and the production process, the better you will be at designing and creating great games.”
When Danilo has free time he is often still gaming, hanging out with friends playing board and social games; he feels nothing beats a good FPS or MMO game. He is also a passionate soccer fan, loves Star Wars, and tries to do at least two marathons every year. But his favorite hobby is definitely watching movies with his girlfriend.
Danilo sees many exciting things coming in the games industry in the next few years: more users, easier development, more complex stories and interface changes. He also expects to see the implementation of various 3D sensors and changes in gamer demographics. He points out that the games industry evolves with the technology pushed by the increasing number of gamers. Eipix is responding by working to find ways to keep users happy while they seek to acquire new focus groups. They are expanding to various markets and consolidating their role as a regional leader in game development.
Comments
