Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games

Why do we play just for the sake of play? What about it is so fun? Today, I'd like to introduce a famous book on this topic, and share my own thoughts as well.

The effect left behind in the wake of a sword swing is what I call a "blade trail." In today's Effects episode, I'll explain how these are made, and point out a few things to watch out for.

Imagine watching a DVD or streaming service that didn't let you pause, skip ahead, or rewind. Though developers have their reasons for how they implement cutscenes, I'd really like to see the same sort of freedom there.

When two Kirbys stand opposed in Smash Bros., players can see both of their faces. Likewise, you can see Mario's belly no matter which direction he's facing. This is actually pretty tough to pull off! Today, I'd like to explain how it works.

Games that let players experiment with abilities or equipment will naturally make them ponder how to most effectively build their character, and we should make sure to encourage that kind of thinking.

Today, I'll be showing you how to create sprites using nothing but lines of data—the origin of pixel art. Back in the day, this is how we used to do it!

Tune in for an example of something I still check by eye even in the modern day. Just because the values are the same, that doesn't mean the colors are—so don't be fooled!

What exactly does "bzang" or "bomf" mean? Today, I'll be discussing how difficult it can be to explain the sound effects we hear in our heads.

The first thing I want to know before buying a game is what it's actually like! Take care to make your game's selling points clear, especially if you're creating a new IP.

Given the challenges of developing a game, you'll often have to be flexible and adjust elements as needed. However, you should never tamper with the core concept that you started with!

Sure, it's best if a game is fun, but when it comes to licensed properties, you can't just make whatever you want. For games like these, there's something else that comes first.

Some games can be beaten by memorizing patterns, while others require mastering a skillset to overcome ever-changing challenges. Today, I'd like to talk about randomness—a requisite element of the latter kind of game.

Time for another Grab Bag! Whenever I gave gifts to my team, I made the most of the opportunity by turning the process itself into a game. We always had a good time with it!

If you're a game's director, or someone else responsible for conveying the right direction to your team, don't delay on making decisions. Choose an answer, and choose it quick!

Motion blur can make animations look more realistic, but some people might dislike the way it makes visuals appear fuzzy. Today, I'll be talking about the use of these afterimages.

The game essence seen in action games comes in a variety of forms, everywhere you look. In this video, I'll be summarizing just the key elements so you can observe how they work in these games.

Imagine a technique that lets you smoothly transition between two distinct animations. What does that even look like? This method relies on technology to pick up the slack where manual animation alone won't cut it.

Today I'll talk about "debug mode," an invaluable tool that helps development proceed smoothly. You might even catch a tiny snippet of debug footage I normally wouldn't be able to share with the public.

There's nothing wrong with drawing inspiration from an existing game. After all, that's how game systems and mechanics come to be refined. But there are a few things all developers should keep in mind when creating "similar" games.

Key config settings can be a huge pain to implement! The feature itself is an important one, but it's always an ordeal having to make it all over again with each new game...

A lot of people out there want to make games...which means if you want to make games, you'll have a lot of competition! This is something I hope both creators and consumers will keep in mind.

No spoilers, please! Don't show me anything! This Grab Bag episode is all about how I like to approach games and other forms of media with a blank slate.

In the past, score systems were a must-have for games—but these days, simply playing for points isn't enough to captivate players. However, changing the way scores are presented might just change the way they're perceived, as well.

Effects lack physical presence and are regulated by time, so their density is extremely important! This principle is true for graphics in general, but today, I'll be discussing the sense of scale for unique effects.

In competitive scenes, it's expected for each player's skill to be directly reflected—but not all games need to be so intense. For more casual games that will be enjoyed by a wider audience, you'll need a system for implementing handicap settings.

While this episode falls under the Game Essence category, game essence isn't the only thing that makes a game fun. This time, I'll be examining games that can really pull you in, even without any inherent push and pull.

Ambient sounds are likely the least exciting audio you'll hear in a game. All the same, they're vital for bringing your world to life—so you'll want to make them as natural and subtle as possible!

Objects in games are weightless, insubstantial imitations—and yet, they don't feel that way thanks to all the hard work creators put into maintaining the illusion.

Games are made up of sets of numbers, but it's up to their creators to decide what feelings those numbers convey. Like graphics and sound, game parameters are a kind of art, so we want them to be memorable.

For some reason, I find myself playing games in front of other people rather often... In a way, it's just like giving a presentation. Seeing is believing!

The teams we rely on for bug testing can sometimes be larger than the actual development team on a given game. Today, I'll discuss some of the fundamentals of how this process works.

In my opinion, 1986 was a truly amazing year for gaming. Just look at all the big titles that released in Japan that year! I captured a lot of footage for this one...

When working with animation, it's important to consider how to portray fingers. Though they're small, animating them demands quite a lot of processing power, so we often need to find clever workarounds when possible.

Fully voiced games have grown more common these days, a fact which I'm grateful for. However, this does slow things down compared to games where you only read text. Today, I'll talk about giving players the freedom to move through conversations briskly.

The idea that words have power has merit—the things you say and how you say them can change the way you experience the world around you!

Games are at their most exciting when you can just barely overcome their difficulty. However, not all players have the skill to beat every game... How should we go about balancing difficulty in such cases?

Recently, many games have started offering support for players with different color perceptions. I've often considered this topic, even when creating games that lacked adjustable color settings.

Creating a game's visuals isn't as simple as making a model or drawing an image—it's the post-processing which lends them real depth and presence.

How do you store all your unwieldy games and consoles? In today's Grab Bag, I'll be sharing my own solutions!

We implement a variety of debug features during a game's development, and today, I'd like to introduce one of our more useful tools. This may be a Programming & Tech video, but it's got some Grab Bag and even some Graphics in it as well.

Trying to make everything "fair" will just result in everything becoming average—and that's no fun! Average just means mediocre, bland, and unremarkable.

There's no one right way to make a game! But you do need to hone in on the experience you want to provide. In this episode, I'll examine this from both sides of the issue.

Play testing allows developers to get valuable data for improving game balance, but be warned: it truly is an unending battle!

People want CPU-controlled players to move as if they were controlled by a human, but that's an extremely difficult demand to meet! Humans and computers are fundamentally different, after all—so how can we accommodate this?

When composing a piece of music, sometimes the perfect song to fit your vision already exists. This can be a great help, but also presents a potential pitfall—so be careful when referencing someone else's work.

"Flashing" refers to having elements like characters or the entire screen light up. Simple as it is, there are a lot of techniques involved. Be warned, this video contains lots of flashing effects!

Sometimes, one particular part of a game requires in-depth supervision to get right... It can take a lot of work to change something for the better—and today, I'd like to show you an example of how true that can be.

Assigning attack collision to an animation as-is doesn't often work out too well. While this task is generally handled by game designers, I've focused this video toward animators, too.

Deciding on a target audience and performing market research are both important, but they can't tell you everything, so don't let them limit you too much!

In this Grab Bag episode, I'll be discussing a very special gameplay experience I once had! I've shared recordings from some PRESS START concerts in the past, and you can look forward to more music in today's video as well.

In the internet age, it's easy to gather information and opinions online. However, I worry that it's growing more and more difficult to stay objective. When you feel like "everyone" is saying something, is it really everyone...?

"Help text" refers to the descriptive text that explains how menu items function. I highly recommend utilizing it! But please try to be as clear and concise as possible when writing this text.

It goes without saying that a battle between two equivalent forces will naturally end in a tie—but using strategy to overcome such stalemates is at the core of this genre's game essence.

As a player, I'm extremely grateful for downloadable updates and patches! As a creator, working on them requires time that could be spent on other projects or opportunities.

Just because you're using 3D models, that doesn't mean everything needs to be realistic. Today, I'll go over some "unreal" visual techniques you can try.

Games nowadays feature all sorts of cutscenes, which can offer players a break from the action or dive deeper into a game's story...as long as you get the balance and implementation right.

Just to be clear: I'm a director, not a producer! Many people aren't sure how these roles differ, so I'd like to discuss exactly that in today's Team Management video.

One of the most challenging things to design for in a game is giving players control right from the very start. While there's merit to starting out slow and building up the story, it's more suitable these days to cut straight to the action.

Skeletons are great for animating models, but there are times I want to push them beyond what they're capable of... This same concept applies to many other things as well.

It's not easy coming up with great ideas...and sometimes, no matter how hard you think, inspiration just won't strike! Here's what I do when that happens to me.

When planning things like game balance, it can be effective to consider exactly how good the player's actions really were. Just be careful not to make things too predictable!

When the Famicom was first released, it could make sounds unlike any console we'd ever seen—which only evolved further over the decade that followed. In this Grab Bag-esque episode, I'll be discussing the audio output of this simple game system.

Let's discuss UI. Whenever possible, it's best to make your menus understandable even without the use of words. In today's video, I'll be sharing some tips that will help you get a bit closer to this ideal.

As you might recall from my Retro Game Master crossover, two people can compete by playing the same game at the same time. This versatile method lets you turn any kind of game into a competitive one.

When playing games with other people, I make it a point to be as kind as possible to beginner-level players. Some say it's impolite to hold back, but that's just not true! Some rumors have suggested that Super Smash Bros. was created as a result of the story I discuss in this episode, but I can confirm that's not the case. This experience had no influence on the concept behind Smash Bros.

A well-established character will have a well-established silhouette. While colors, accessories, and other stylistic choices can be important, try switching to black-and-white to make sure the design feels just how you want it to.

Particles are a type of effect which scatter outward in large quantities. You'll often want to display lots of these particles, but that can be easier said than done. By the way, this is the final video in the Effects category!

I started the original Smash Bros. DOJO!! back when internet capabilities were much more limited—and it turned out to be very different from other official websites at the time. By the way, this is the final video in the Marketing category!

It may not seem like much is happening during screen transitions, but there's a lot of loading taking place behind the scenes. Still, you should try to keep them as short as possible!

In today's Game Essence video, I'll be discussing a way characters often end up getting balanced: by rounding off both strengths and weaknesses. While that process certainly can resolve issues, it's hard to say it makes a game more fun...

A long time ago at HAL Laboratory, we used to bring in team members' children and their friends to play test our games. It's much harder to set this kind of thing up nowadays, but we got some great results out of it...!

Don't fight with your teammates! Don't hold grudges! Don't make people upset! At least, not when you don't have to. You never know when these things might come back to haunt you.

I know my games have taken a lot of precious time from my players...and I'm sorry for that! By the way, this is the final video in the Planning & Game Design category! We made it all the way to 30 episodes.

Rotation is a simple form of movement! However, that simplicity means we have to be careful that things don't end up looking too mechanical. By the way, this is the final video in the Animation category!

Today, I'll be talking about a type of display that remains popular among a small subset of gamers: CRTs. Many viewers have likely never seen one before, so they're a perfect fit for another Grab Bag episode.

When polishing a game, I give each and every detail a thorough check—and today, I'd like to introduce a small part of my supervision feedback from the development of Sora. By the way, this is the final video in the Graphics category, and the last time on this channel I'll be discussing my role as a supervisor.

A heads-up display—"HUD" for short—refers to information overlaid on the play area of the game screen. It's a handy term to know, and is a feature that's naturally essential for games! By the way, this is the final video in the UI category!

Let's say you want an object to fly from left to right across the screen. That's easy to implement, but that's exactly why it's important to think of ways to change things up a little! By the way, this is the final video in the Design Specifics category!

Game developers are intimately familiar with the games they're working on, so it can be easy to lose sight of ways in which first-time players might struggle. Try to make sure this doesn't happen to you! By the way, this is the final video in the Game Essence category!

I believe very strongly in the title of this video. As such, I'd say it's absolutely worth making your game's sound a top priority. By the way, this is the final video in the Audio category!

In my many years working as a game director, I've learned that making compromises and resolving problems are even more important aspects of the job than creation. By the way, this is the final video in the Team Management category! We're now at three episodes to go, including this one.

It wouldn't be right to end this channel without touching on this topic. By the way, this is the 31st and final video in the Grab Bag category!

This final video belongs to the Work Ethic category, in which I've shared my thoughts on how you can best approach your professional life. And with that...this channel's planned content is now complete! I hope you'll join me in the near future for the special finale episode. Thank you all so much for watching!

For the special finale episode, I'll be discussing the ins and outs of the creation of this channel. I'll talk about why I'm wrapping things up, and maybe even share some surprising info along the way? By the way, this episode will fall under the Game Concepts category, since I use that category as a space to discuss the ideas behind my various works. Of course, this one's not an actual game, but on my Japanese channel this category is called "Project Concepts"—so it's not strictly restricted to games, after all! Though my final video's been released, the channel itself won't be going anywhere. I hope it can serve as a study guide of sorts for those already in the game industry and for those aspiring to join it. Additionally, I expect I'll be using this channel again at some point to share announcements or maybe upload something a little more laid-back. Whatever the case, I hope our paths cross again soon!