By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net

SINGAPORE — Game developer Peter Molyneux, known as one of the pioneers in the “god game” genre of video games urged developers here to continue pushing the envelope of game development.

Having been credited for making god games like the seminal Populous, Molyneux shared his past experiences, his thoughts about today’s development trends, and his company’s new project that he claimed will be a big surprise for gamers.

Molyneux has been in the business of creating “god games,” which lets players act as a divine or omniscient entity controlling the creation of an entire world that can affect units in a make-believe, virtual world.

Speaking during the Games Convention Asia 2008 here, the soft spoken Molyneux said he has seen a lot of changes in the way games are developed — not just on the programming but also on the business aspect of developing games. He admitted that he missed the days when developers could talk freely about a game they are creating. Today, he said that development firms and publishers are legally bound not to mention anything about a current project.

Nevertheless, he understood the virtue of silence especially in this multi-billion dollar game development industry.

With over three decades of work as a game developer, Molyneux is among the who’s who in the gaming industry present in the Game Conventions Asia 2008.

Molyneux is known for creating the game Populous in the late 1980s. This set the trend for future god games, which incidentally were followed up by Molyneux’s later works, such as the Black & White series and Fable series. These games were designed by Lionhead Studios, which he founded in 1997.

Several gaming journalists were able to catch up with the busy Molyneux who was more than willing to share some points about his experiences as a developer and also to point out the changes in the game development business.

“When games start costing millions of dollars to make and the experiments and inventions you’re working on are the lifeblood of those games and they take so long to develop, it’s not surprising that some sensible person turn around and say, ‘Peter for goodness sake, there’s so much you can lose by saying these things.’ It’s just this industry is growing up,” he said.

On the question on the growing complexity of games, Molyneux said the difficulty of creating games remains high even now with availability of off-the-shelf development tools, which he dubbed middleware.

Making the game Fable 2 (to be launched in October for the Xbox 360), for instance, he said that his development team used a lot of middleware, which made it easier for them to make it more complex and immersive. He even considered middleware as a foundation tool for developers who can focus more on making a game more compelling.

“So I look back and it seems to me, it’s always been equally hard to make a game. I used to have to write keyboard drivers, now you have to invent AI (artificial intelligence) systems on top of navigation system. It becomes complex but it stays the same. I’ve never met a single developer who turned to me and said, ‘it’s easier now,’” he said.

Even while working as head of Lionhead Studios, Molyneux still missed being a programmer where he spent writing codes for 20 hours a day.

He missed the days when his only nourishment were sodas and boxes of pizzas strewn around his computer.

“I miss the ridiculously childish way of developing games by just having ideas, throwing them in, and seeing if they work. But the interesting thing is I probably enjoy making games now than back then,” he said.

Younger generation of developers is finding it more exciting to make games now, especially with all the tools available.

Molyneux said he sees a lot of passion and dedication among developers now but he advised that the most important thing to remember is there is not a single piece of game design that does not need to be changed.

He said game developers must challenge the norms and to keep reinventing.

“It’s that invention of something new and different the people really want. Everyone wants something new and they haven’t felt before. And that is where the world is going to. And that’s the thing that young generation should come in and they should say, ‘No that’s not the way. This is how we’re going to do it,’” Molyneux said.

Molyneux disclosed that his team at Lionhead is currently working on a new project that is based on an experiment that his company has been doing for years.

Molyneux, however, wanted to keep this project a secret. He did not disclose the date or platform it has been set to play. He promised, however, that it will be “an amazing breakthrough.”