13AM Games
Next up to take their place in the Indie Corner Spotlight is 13AM Games from Toronto, Canada. Alex Rushdy, the CEO & Creative Director, kindly gave his time to answer my questions.
How long have you been a developer?
I’ve been a developer since 2014 – 4 years now!
How many years has your team been developing games?
Same amount – 4 years!
Who, or what, inspired you to become a games developer?
I became pretty fed up with the types of games that were being released and wanted to do my part to make games I would enjoy. That, and the fact that I was inspired by classic treasure games like Gunstar Heroes, Alien Soldier, and Sin and Punishment. Those made me consider basic design principles and what makes action fun.
What was the inspiration for your team’s name?
It stands for 13 Absilio Mundus, a Latin phrase meaning to leap from the Earth.
Describe a usual day in the life of an indie development team.
Well, we start every day with a meeting letting each other know what we are doing, and then we get right to it! We are a small company, and we all wear a lot of hats, so we do a lot of different things at different times. We could be testing one day, making art the next, designing levels, etc. It can get somewhat hectic, but we make it work!
Can you describe the process/timeline of developing a game?
Well, it starts with an idea, and that idea turns into a massive game design document that fleshes the idea out into specifics and digestible chunks. Once we’ve lined up how the game will look and play, we start building it, testing to make sure it’s as fun in reality as it was in our heads. It usually isn’t! So then we change, adapt, and keep building until we “Find the Fun”- once we do, we have to mostly throw out that old game design document, and write new
How do you juggle all of the aspects of games development?
That’s an amazing question. I have no idea. I lose a lot of sleep, I guess!
What is your ambition as an indie developer?
I want to make games that put smiles on people’s faces. I also want to push myself to create new experiences that people have never seen before and to bring back old ideas in a new light that makes them worth revisiting. As long as I’m creating and learning and getting better, I’m happy.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into the games industry?
Attend a game jam! Get a taste for it! Stay humble! Be nice! Work well with people! That’s a good start, I think.
Where do you see gaming heading in the next decade
I see streaming becoming bigger and bigger, and significant changes to the whole monetary model for gaming. I also see games getting more and more social.
I want to say a huge thanks to the team at
Reverie - PS Vita
