Level up KL 2022 is in full swing, with an extensive buffet of lectures on various topics for those in attendance. Mufizal MokhtarGeneral Manager of Virtuos Kuala Lumpur, gives an insight into his twenty years in the game industry through his lecture “Why Game Developers Are Important to Our Digital Future”.
He paints a picture of a future in which information is available everywhere. You may not even have to think that far in advance when you can create this opportunity within video games. “Video games are a great medium,” he says. “When you make video games, you study real life, physical things and human behavior.”
But Who do people make these games? While you might understand the scope of a video game developer, you might not get the full idea of how the games are made. Let’s start by introducing your “dream team” of game developers. This core team then starts the development process based on a shared vision.
Team members get started in their respective roles:
- The Creative Director does the market research and thinks about what the game should be about
- The Game Director devises the systems and challenges to make the game fun
- The Art Director is in charge of the visuals and determines what the game will look like with concept art
- The technical director puts together the engine so that the game can really run
- Last but not least, the production director needs to get all these people together to outline the budget and associated risks and ensure that the product can be delivered
Mufizal reiterates how games are related to studying the world and talks about how he has worked with many different people, from historians to data scientists. By leveraging this pool of talent and knowledge, game developers can create realistic or simply beautiful digital worlds. Advances in technology have changed the way games can be made, and conversely, developers have even more ways to capture the “essentials” to create their work.
“When game developers study the world, they can enrich both the physical and digital space.”
VIRTUAL REALITY | VR
While it wasn’t something “new” per se, getting it to the masses was initially difficult. It had to become more affordable and manageable, which Palmer Luckey made possible through the Oculus Rift. John Carmack got wind of it and led to… DOOM 3: BFG Edition.
Today, VR is used in the medical industry and is capable of performing remote operations through the Oculus Rift.
INCREASED REALITY | AR
AR wasn’t initially made for games, but as game developers you would look at how to further immerse people in the games you make. Satoru Iwata loved AR and in fact worked closely with The Pokemon Company’s president, Tsunekazu Ishihara, to provide feedback for the global phenomenon we know in pokemon go.
AR has even more potential for general public consumption. Mufizal Highlights Assassin’s Creeds Discovery Tours that allow you to discover the real settings on which the games are based, as highly interactive learning tools.
SIMULATION GAMES
There are quite a few more ‘breezy’ simulation titles – Operation Simulator, everybody? – but there are others that offer more authentic experiences to give players the chance to ‘become someone else’. Microsoft’s Flight Simulator is such a prolific series where you can fly around the world in a wide variety of aircraft in what is virtually a perfect replica of the real world.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | AI
Machine learning is AI that is taught about the world, feeding it with data and letting it calculate scenarios. “Machine learning” as a term was popularized by Arthur Samuel and demonstrated the concept of machine learning by teaching a machine to play checkers.
In turn, as the demand for bigger, nicer games grows, technology needs to keep up. NVIDIA’s DLSS technology uses AI to improve your game’s performance.”
SO WHY IS THIS ALL IMPORTANT?
Ultimately, game developers are game developers because they want to make games that are fun, immersive, and God willing, successful. We all have dreams of what we want the world to be as opposed to the world we live in now, and game developers are that ticket to give us one vision through the video game medium.
“We believe Southeast Asia is the future of video game development,” he says, adding, “Wherever we go, you, the game developers and video games, will make the future fun. I’m looking forward to it looking forward to talking to you and sharing dreams about the future.”
Video games are really in that unique niche where the interactivity offers opportunities for exploration that no other entertainment medium can compare. The technology used in games, as we can see here, is not only limited to games, but can also be used as tools for education beyond the ‘fun’ factor.
Where do you think we will go as the industry grows?
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