Games provide a much deeper form of interaction and escape by incorporating design philosophies that take inspiration from hyper-realistic worlds!
Akshay Ghag, our next pathbreaker, works as Senior Game Designer at Miniclip (Lisbon, Portugal), a developer and publisher of mobile games.
Akshay talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about working in different studios on entirely different genre of games, which exposed him to game design and the idea of making games that appeal to their core audiences.
For students, making a career in games in no cakewalk, but no problem is big enough to overcome. Keep experimenting and figuring things out for yourself, but with lessons from your previous experience and feedback from other creatives.
Akshay, can you share your background with our young readers?
I grew up in Mumbai as a hyper-active child. I loved playing any and every sport, reading and exploring on my own. Any time I did not spend playing outside or climbing trees, I would spend reading. By 14, I had completely exhausted my school’s library and a smaller one in my neighborhood. Both of my parents worked day jobs. My mother is a government worker and my father is an engineer in a private company.
I was clueless about my future. I wasn’t bad academically, but I couldn’t make up my mind on what I wanted to pursue. During the late 90’s I found out about computers, internet and video games and felt a connection. I was extremely curious about how and why this new form of media was so engaging and ground-breaking. As a family we couldn’t afford a PC initially, so I went to my friend’ homes or cafes. While playing a particular game, I happened to come across the editor tool used to create content and decided to make something of my own. I think this is what pushed me towards my journey.
What did you do for graduation/post-graduation?
I did my diploma in computers followed by engineering, and finished my post-graduation from DSK Supinfogame (a branch of Supinfocom Rubika from France) in Pune. The original university was shut down in 2017 and a different branch was opened in Pune.
What were some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and cool career in gaming?
Initially after school, I took my father’s advice and started my Engineering path with a Diploma in Computer Tech. I had a vague idea of aiming to become someone in the gaming or animation sector, using coding. I disliked my time during junior college, none of the subjects were interesting and I found myself reading to finish my exams rather than learning. I spent a lot of time out of classes, playing video games with friends and barely passed my finals.
My turning point was when I started my Bachelors in Engineering with the same mindset and got held back. I thought I had failed and couldn’t do anything in life, I did not like anything about Engineering and wanted to stop and try something more closely related to Games. Though rough initially, my parents supported my decision and allowed me to switch.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
I never stopped tinkering with games, learning about new media and things I enjoyed doing, throughout my Engineering days. I enrolled in an Animation diploma at Frameboxx Studio to learn software and techniques used in production & post-production for video games and media. Initially I wanted to be a 3D Animator, but as I learned more about the field, I decided on Designer. I did not want to limit myself to one aspect in video games, and being a Designer meant diversifying my involvement in creating games.
Before finishing my diploma in Animation, I found out about Supinfogame and their entrance exam through a friend in the university. I put together my rough Art portfolio from Animation and other technical documents related to game design on my own. I looked up how to structure a game concept to better my chances during the university interview. I had spent some sleepless nights in Engineering trying to finish submissions before. But for once I enjoyed sleeplessly preparing for this university.
How did you get your first break?
Part of the graduation process, which was finishing “Foundation”, was to secure an internship during the summer holidays. I created my design portfolio as a website with team projects, game prototypes and other smaller art projects. I sent countless emails to game studios with no replies. Our campus recruitment was only interested in the “Advanced” batch of students. I widened my search and got an internship as a Game designer on a niche mobile slots game, via a phone interview with the founder. After finishing my Advance course 2 years later, I got selected in an established studio in Bengaluru via campus recruitment. All of my previous and current experience has been with mobile games.
During my internships in Bengaluru, responsibilities included working on “Live” games or products which were released on app stores. Tasks also included getting well versed with the game’s systems, monitoring player behavior, going through reports and analyses to create plausible hypothesis for any problems perceived. Immediately after my first internship, I had the chance to work remotely for a Lithuanian studio. They specialized in creating games for kids, something I had never imagined working on. It was a unique experience, creating the game with their proprietary engine and coordinating remotely with another artist to make it happen. With my more recent experiences, I can concur that each opportunity had a distinct definition and responsibility for Design. I was very hands on in Glu Hyderabad where I worked on creating new content on a regular basis, for their Hunting titles. Each of these studios offered me a chance to work on entirely different genre of games, which taught me a lot about the types of players who enjoy playing these titles and how to cater to them. This is vital for any budding designer, learning what features or systems makes these games appealing to their core audiences.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
The first realization for me was being able to view games as products which make money, not just for fun and free. The challenge was adapting my thinking to this methodology, researching other competitors to see what they were doing differently, looking at trends and the market to see what worked and what didn’t.
Game development was still a fairly new industry, which meant teams were lean or had experts only. This means you need to know the ins and outs of your role, the game you’re working on and the tool it is built on. During my time at one such studio, I had to ramp up and learn my job very quickly because the game relied on constant content updates. It was a regular mix of creating levels in the engine, maintaining excel sheets, troubleshooting work, collaborating with others and not disrupting their timelines. I would end up spending an ungodly number of hours to ensure I met my deadlines and was not considered dead weight. But I enjoyed my work.
The biggest challenge for me personally is to be competent, by catching up with recent trends & best practices and then on top of that, be the voice of Design. As a Designer, you need to constantly ensure your work is fun and engaging. Only then will it be popular with people and monetizable. Building your voice as part of a product team is the biggest, continuous endeavor according to me.
Where do you work now? What problems do you solve?
I work with a mobile game developer & publisher, based in the EU (Oeiras, Lisbon, Portugal) currently. Given the scope of design in games, we have a mixed bag of problems to solve. It could be a new genre of game you haven’t played before or a new way to balance a game. As a designer you have to be on your toes, learn and grow everyday inside and outside your job. Specifically for mobile games, I would recommend learning to prototype or create games that you’ve played or thought of. Familiarize yourself with popular engines like Unity, Cocos, GameMaker, Godot etc. Review popular games, break them down to learn how they work. Deconstruct their economy, numbers and systems. Get accustomed to creating mockups of ideas or game screens with image editing software like Photoshop or Gimp. Through trial and error, learn how to pitch your game ideas to your team. Design has a lot of different definitions at every studio I’ve worked at.
What’s a typical day like?
A typical day for me would involve fine-tuning or creating gameplay systems on an excel sheet, based on the game. Suggesting gameplay features or tests on another project, based on key performance indicators(KPIs). Sharing an innovative game or feature I came across and discussing it with other Designers. Trying to create a short game pitch with mockups to convince managers about the feasibility of the idea and why it would work. Lastly, playing a lot of different games on mobile and pc. I can summarize what I love about my job: the ability to work on vastly different games and maybe leaving a mark on the industry if I’m lucky.
How does your work benefit society?
I like to think games provide a much deeper form of interaction and escape. The feeling of fun one experiences with games is unparalleled compared to other forms of media. I am a small cog in that process and proud of the part I play.
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
I was lucky to be part of a team which fought for, believed in and helped build a game outside our current expertise. I drew inspiration from some of my favorite game systems and features, to create something new for that project. I was able to add enough of “me” to that project via my design philosophies and research. Nobody except our team believed in the game until it was ready. Sometimes you take a leap of faith.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
Always keep learning. Stay curious. No problem is a big enough wall that can’t be sidestepped. Not everyone can be good at the same thing. Keep experimenting and figuring things out for yourself, till you find what makes you tick. Find the best person in your field of choice and emulate what they do. Building something on your own is a cathartic experience. Build the same thing again, but with lessons from your previous experience and feedback from other creatives. Remember to be open to new things and criticisms.
Future Plans?
I want to do a lot of things, game development related and outside of it. Firstly, refine what I know and learn some more about building better games. Attempt to create a game by myself, launch it on the store and keep polishing it. Create art assets for it using tools I used to work with previously but haven’t recently. If things go well, that would be a good starting point to think about opening an “Indie” dev. studio.
Outside of directly creating games, I am also interested in guiding designers or mentoring them in their approach to design. I don’t know how I’ll be able to do this at the moment, but I’ll figure it out. I’ve also recently reconnected with one of my favorite hobbies: cooking. I have always wanted to explore that to some extent. Maybe a game, or just a pastime.