XBox Fan Force

 James Silva isn't your ordinary independent developer. After winning Microsoft's Dream, Build, Play contest  acclaimed with his critically and commercially the Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, the young developer received a contract to see the game published on The Xbox Live Arcade. 

Now Silva has returned with the quirky, retro and equally impressive I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1IN IT!!1. The game, a twin-stick shooter with cartoony graphics and one hell of a soundtrack is a bit of a word of mouth title -- the type of game you're more than likely going to recieve a text message from your freinds about at three in the morning. But make no mistake about it, it's worth the loss of sleep.

Silva recently sat down and talked exclusivley with XBFF about his games, becoming a minor celebrity...and...Bruce Lee...

Hit the jump for the ful linterview

XBFF: So, why game design?

JS: I’ve always been a bit creative, and ever since I was young I always viewed game design as a bit of a holy grail of creative expression.  I was that kid who drew levels for ambitious sidescrollers with lofty ambitious of pitching them to Nintendo, who would scramble to throw money and people at my designs.  Incredibly, that scenario never panned out as planned, so I learned how to make my own games instead.

XBFF: Were there any games that influenced you as a designer?

JS: Plenty!  Whenever anyone asks, I always tell them that Marathon is the best game ever; I don’t think any other game has been able to captivate me like Marathon did (the fact that I was probably 13 or 14 when it came out may have factored in).  Otherwise, I play a bit of everything!  Recently, I really got into Fallout 3 and Batman: Arkham Asylum; Dishwasher obviously has smatterings of Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry, and Z0MB1ES was recently referred to as “plagiarism” of Crimsonland by what I presume is that smartest guy on the Interwebs.

Z0MB1ES seemed like a really bad idea, but the design philosophy was something like: hey, I can make a game that costs a dollar, let’s take two weeks and make a game that’s worth about a dollar!  What’s the worst that could happen?

- James Silva

 

 

 XBFF: We hear there’s a connection between Dishwasher Dead Samurai and Bruce Lee – care to explain?

JS: Bruce Lee started out as a dishwasher, at least, that’s what happened in Dragon (I guess it’s also fair to conclude that he fought demon shogun in his dreams as well?).  True or not, the image of the guy derided as that lowly dishwasher transforming himself into something quite badass is an image that kept me inspired (and pissed off a lot of coworkers) when I was a dishwasher.

XBFF: After you won Microsoft’s Dream-build-play contest, did you feel like you’d arrived? Did you feel pressure to deliver a quality experience?

JS:  Yes and yes; with great opportunity comes great responsibility (or something). 

XBFF: Both Dishwasher and Zombies have a very distinct visual style. Was there anything that inspired you to give your games the cartoony style?

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

JS: The cartoony style is just how I draw.  I think trying to draw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in my youth may have influenced it.

XBFF: While many have pointed out the program’s faults, you’ve defended XNA and went on record saying that you love developing on the platform. Why do you think developers are having so many problems with the platform?

JS:  Random unpleasant philosophy time (bear with me): I think there’s a bit of psychosis that’s inherent to hobbyist game design.  Drawing pictures, writing books, recording video, etc., are all forms of creative expression where what you see is what you get; by contrast, game design is a form of creative expression where the designer uses a cryptic, undecipherable-to-the-common-man technique to build a living universe, complete with its own laws of physics and science, environments, and inhabitants.  If there was a more perfect setup for a god complex, I’d like to see it. 

 This all sounds a bit nutty, but you know what?  It’s a conclusion I arrived at through my own experiences.  A little humility does a dev well.

 So, to bring that around to actually answer the question, I’d suggest that the most outspoken critics of the platform are the ones with the most outrageously inflated perceptions of the values of their respective games (sorry guys!).  And hey, if I’m wrong (which happens often), I invite anyone who’s had a disappointing run on XBLIG to try their luck with a Windows release.  Fair?  Good?  Good.

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IN IT!!1

XBFF: Your latest game I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IN IT!!1 seems to take a tongue-in-cheek look at the zombie genre. Was the game’s original title something you always had planned?

JS: Z0MB1ES seemed like a really bad idea, but the design philosophy was something like: hey, I can make a game that costs a dollar, let’s take two weeks and make a game that’s worth about a dollar!  What’s the worst that could happen?

XBFF:We have to ask about the game’s awesome soundtrack – who’s singing and where can we get an MP3?

JS: That’s me singing (naturally!) and the MP3 is up on my blog right now!

XBFF: Now that I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IN IT!!1 is available, what’s next?

JS: Top secret plans, of course!

I MAED A GAM3 W1TH ZOMBIES 1N IN IT!!1 and The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai are available right now on the Xbox Live Arcade and come highly recommended by The Xbox Fan Force Staff.