Console makers embrace indie video-game designers
While other kids dreamed of becoming an astronaut or president, he felt destined to be a video-game designer.
Conquering space or politics might have been easier. Besides a good idea, game developers have needed a distribution deal to get their work on consoles like the Xbox or PlayStation. And over the years, the industry has been shrinking to a handful of big players that use large teams of in-house programmers.
But Silva is a one-man game maker for the Xbox 360. He's among a growing number of independents working to distribute their games to Internet-connected consoles with the help of game-box makers seeking to meet demand for titles beyond the usual shoot-'em-ups or big-budget sequels.
Microsoft, Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. have all opened up digital distribution channels to their consoles. The financial risk is low, and it helps console makers keep an eye on up-and-coming talent and ideas. Is also boosts the number of exclusive titles for each machine.
"They understand market dynamics, how platforms work. They see how indies can get in there and disrupt things," said Corey Bridges, a veteran of Netscape's early days who co-founded Multiverse Network Inc., a platform for developing virtual online worlds.
This year, Silva, a former restaurant dishwasher who lives in Utica, N.Y., became something of a poster child for Microsoft's developer tool, XNA Game Studio. After winning Microsoft's "Dream-Build-Play" contest last year, Silva's game, "Dishwasher: Dead Samurai," will be published on the company's Xbox Live Arcade network later this year. The action game features a dishwasher who sheds a lot of cartoon blood in a dark, zombie-filled underworld.
Creating a successful game, however, is still a huge undertaking. Silva has been working on "Dishwasher" for more than a year.
"A lot of kids that set out to make games try to make a rival 'Halo,' rival 'Warcraft,' something really ambitious, not realizing that those games are made by hundreds of people," he said. "It's not an era where one person can go out and make the next 'Halo."'
Microsoft, in 2006, was the first console maker to offer a version of its professional development tools for people without a serious background in programming.
Recent comments
Hahaha! Hey Useful, how about you use your abilities to say something...
Useful Hates Their Job | July 1, 2008 at 3:28 p.m.
I wish he could use his abilities to make my handheld devices work...
Useful | July 1, 2008 at 2:43 p.m.
Silva, like many of us, took the initiative to get into this growing...
Aspire | July 1, 2008 at 9:12 a.m.
