A few weeks ago I received an interview request from a writer at Gamecritics.
I took it, but I haven't heard from them since that.
So I'm posting the interview here now.
> How did you first become interested in the idea of> recording and archiving "artful" plays of videogames?
Personally, my interest sprouted when I saw the famous
Super Mario Bros 3 "timeattack" movie played by some
Japanese fellow called Morimoto.
When I found that the author had created many other movies
as well, such as Rockman and Rockman 2 movies, I began trying
my hand at it (starting with Super Mario Bros), while developing
my website to provide these movies and information about them.
It's quite obvious that many people started the same way - they
first saw a timeattack movie somewhere and they started looking
for more.
I don't know how Morimoto started, but it's clear that his SMB3
movie that quickly spread over the world in the end of 2003
was an igniter for this worldwide phenomen.
Famtasia, the Japanese NES emulator we began with, has had
rerecording functionality (the necessary feature for making
these movies) since April 2000.
> Take us through the basic process involved in the creation of a> "flawless" gameplay video. How long does this process take?> (a range is fine).
For a gameplay movie to be flawless, it must be as fast as possible,
it must not miss a shot, have no wasted efforts, and so on.
Creating a such movie involves planning and carefulness.
The game is played at slow speed (the emulator slows the game down),
doing small segments at time and optimizing then as well as possible,
redoing until it goes well. The finished (and unfinished) product
is reviewed many times, at full speed and at slow motion, to find
things to improve and to invent new strategies and then played again.
Creating a such movie is very timeconsuming. You can easily elapse
4 hours for a 10 minute sequence - and that's only for the first
revision. For some games, planning can need lots of time.
Creating a releasable movie can take anything from 4 hours to 6 months,
depending on how much free time you have, how complex the game is, how
careful you are and how skillful you are.
Many improved movies are also based on observations from previous
movies, so it's actually difficult to estimate how much time goes
into producing a good gameplay movie.
> On your site, you say your goals for these videos are "creating art > and providing entertainment." Can you expand on what you consider the> artistic side of these videos? What makes a playthrough beautiful?
The character of a game is basically an actor.
The player is a director.
The task for the player is to create a movie that is entertaining to
watch, given the story (the game).
Just like when directing movies, one can not mechanically define how
to direct. Although we have collected some guidelines, creating a good
show is still a matter of creativity.
We're only limited to the script (the plot of the game)
and what the actors (the game dynamics) can do.
Taking the most advantage of these is an interesting quest.
> While your site says you strive to make entertaining videos, is also> says you also strive "to eliminate all slowness" from the videos.> Which part is more important? Is this a competition, an art form,> or both?
There are basically two camps within us - two major goals.
Some people want to see how far the game can theoretically
extend - to find all the superlatives of the game, such
as the fastest possible time to complete the game.
Some people just love the show, and they want to see creativity.
Aiming for speed usually pleases both, because perfection in speed
forces to think of ways of playing that are too risky to attempt
in normal playing.
Competition exists - old movies are often being replaced with new
ones that are "better". Almost always the "better" movie is faster
than the older movie.
> The videos on your site use emulation and constant saves to perform> seemingly impossible videogame feats. Do you feel this goes against> the spirit of these games as consistent, self-contained worlds?
If a child receives a box containing an expensive toy as a birthday
present, it's possible that he'll enjoy the box more than the toy.
This is creativity.
We're doing the same for these games.
Instead of walking on the paths created for us,
we create our own paths, our own legs and so on.
And we're not listening to people who say "you can't do that!".
Just like children.
> You address many misconceptions and stereotypes about your videos on> your site. Do you find many people that still believe your videos are> hacked or editted?
During the first months of this year (2004) when Morimoto's SMB3 movie
was finding new audiences on daily basis, I saw lots of people getting
the first impression that the movie is edited.
Some people read Morimoto's comments of the movie
with a machine translator.
Rumours were flying and people were adapting them and believing
everything that would make the movie somehow despisable - no matter
whether the claim is actually true or not.
Lately I haven't seen these claims anymore, but it's likely that
some people still think that way.
> A huge community has sprung up on the internet around the creation> and perfection of videos like the ones on your site. Why do you think> so many gamers have come together in pursuit of this goal?
Because it is interesting.
It also gives people some sense of pride and self-satisfaction when
they manage to do something nobody has done before and when they know
their movies will be watched with admiration.
> Many of the games in these videos are considered some of the> toughest ever made. Do you feel that showing the games being played> so flawlessly demystifies them, in a way? Does nostalgia make some > of these games seem tougher than they actually are?
I think these old games are not easier today than they were 15 years ago.
It's likely that watching a movie of Ghosts'n Goblins played with
ease affects the person's opinion towards the game, but it doesn't
make it any easier to play.
> Personally, I'm often mesmerized watching the amazing feats in these> videos. Have you heard from any other viewers who are appreciative > of your work? What have they said?
I have received two kinds of feedback.
Almost everyone who has emailed me of something related to the movies
or my site, has expressed that they enjoy the movies and wish to see more.
Then there are some who complain because they feel we're cheating
and doing harm to honest competitive gaming. These ones tend to be
quite loud sometimes.
> What does the future hold for the art and craft of creating gameplay> movies? Is the community running out of relevant games to conquer?
The old consoles are still holding some interest.
However, we're also stepping slowly towards the newer systems.
What started with NES movies, has now extended to SNES (Super Famicom)
and Sega Genesis (aka. Sega Megadrive) as well.
Speedrunning is not a new phenomen - it has probably been going on
ever since the first games were made. Humans are competitive.
Toolassisted movies for games such as Doom II and Quake have been
made for many years already, and they're still being improved.
> Finally, what is your favorite gameplay video?
I like the Tetris movie ("tetris_japan_finals.mpeg") that
can be found in the Internet. I don't know the details of it,
but it's played on an arcade machine and it's really awesome.
It's not tool-assisted.
I also posted this now because I think I should put up a history page or a history chapter at my site. Some of the material in that interview could be used.
Good interview.
I still think that an interview with morimoto(somehow keeping in mind his sole fluency in japanese) would be really interesting, I just wish he was more available for such an event.
It really is a more noble activity than it is given credit. There was no malevolence intended when these things got started. They just started getting scape-goated and harassed for reasons that are kinder if not spoken.
I remember when I first found these movies. I was searching for the keyword "Rockman" because I was trying to find the elusive Rockman OAV series. Instead, I got a video by a guy named Morimoto. I was impressed. So I searched for other games, and I believe it was the Castlevania run where I saw a link for Bisqwit's website. I've been hooked since. Even after learning that "tools" were used for the movies, I was still impressed because I knew it still took a lot of work and it was entertaining to watch. These videos have partially replaced television for me.
Damn, Bisqwit must be one gifted 12-year-old to use English as a second language as well as he does.
;)
but then you take my 75 perchance chance of winning, if we was to go one-on-one, and then add 66 and two-thirds ch...percents...i got a 141 and two-thirds chance of winning at sacrifice
