"Please Finish Your Game", Chris Hecker's GDC2010 Rant

This is the video from my GDC2010 rant, titled "Please Finish Your Game". http://chrishecker.com/Please_Finish_Your_Game The beginning has the 2010 Duct Tape Award presented to Heather Chaplin for her rant in 2009.

Category:

Gaming

Tags:

• gdc
• checker
• rant
• game
• development
• indie
• games
• design
• cactus
• braid
• jam
• indiegamejam

[Freecell82]

Isn't Chris Hecker the fucking idiot who gutted and casualized Spore?

[checker2718]

@Freecell82 If you're going to mindlessly repeat what you read on the internet, at least read the whole thing: forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/l­ist/8555.page

[UnpronounceableProb]

I agree with what you're saying Chris, but a lot of great games have come from rapid prototyping. Jon Blow made the original prototype for Braid in a week. Also, exploring a gameplay mechanic as much as possible isn't always a good thing. I heard you spoke to the dude who made ROM CHECK FAIL and told him that he should have explored it more. I have to agree with the creators stance though, exploring the concept is unnessisary and the reason it's so great is it's simple and tight design.

[checker2718]

I'm all for rapid prototyping, but if you find something there, don't stop! With RCF, Farbs made the good point that the game is basically dead in the water from a licensing standpoint, but ignoring that, I think the game could have been 100x better with more work...it's such a great concept, but again, it's not fully explored to its fullest extent.

[maxmythic]

completely agree 

[saluk]

@UnpronounceableProb Yep. Do the game jams. Get your creative kinks out. But when one of those prototypes has potential, you should take the next step. It's actually pretty rare for even very good prototype games to ever aspire to more.

[Disthron]

I don't suppose anyone has a link to a video of Heather Chaplin's 2009 rant. I'd love to see it.

[TubeofDestiny]

My 2 cents about that subject : OK game jams are the best things in the universe, it's like flying the cosmos on a robot zombie unicorn, in a vg universe : any idea can magically become a prototype in few hours, the real world no longer restrict creativity ! - however, while it's perfectly fine to draw tons of sketchs, one day you need to make a complete artwork. Everyone can throw ideas, some can draw sketches out of them, few can turn it into an oeuvre, why not trying to do the later one ?

[TubeofDestiny]

Haa I love youtube comments, everyone can be the drunken alcoholic at the bar for a minute :D (@nohophil)

[nohophil]

Chris, turn your thrown together banter/powerpoint into an actual finished game. It would make a finer, less hypocritical argument. And it would be more interesting than this crap.

Your message is fine, and a lot of people share your sentiment. Games *are* more enjoyable when they're finished.

Or, if you're feeling lazy, just change the title.

[machriderx]

also there's a difference between prototyping and making a quick game in game maker in 2 hours and then saying, that's it. it's done. releasing it and then working on another one.

[girlflash]

totally agree with this, its what made braid great, its what made vvvvvv great, its what made the cake I just ate great.

that said, whilst I intend to 'finish' the projects I care about in the way you mean, as I see it the great thing about these jams is I dont have to care, I get to take a weekend from my current project, and go wild. plus its good exercise... well not the kind that will undo that cake I had but you know what I mean :)