He began by telling us that he had taken Fine Art at uni as 'a bit of a skive', and that it was the only thing he was really any good at. I was taken back by this statement. By him being unafraid to tell us something so revealing about his beginnings. Showing us that he was human, and not some super-driven, super-determined machine, that had always known what direction to take in life. This was comforting. He expressed a feeling of tedious boredom towards the industry, for companies always sticking to what they knew, simply rehashing what had been done before. He talked about innovation and new ideas, and how it was only evident in perhaps a couple of games a year. He told us that the 'people who call the shots' want only surefire bets when it comes to making games. Ideas that have been done over and over again, and that are guaranteed to bring in profit. Rather than adventurous, innovative concepts, that are more likely to entertain. Sean also explained that the radical approach to making new games was always a financial risk. But, to defend this alternative way, he said that we are here to entertain an audience, and not bore them. That making risks is good. I felt strongly that this was a fundamentally sound philosophy. Although, he went on to explain that things were beginning to chance within the industry. That new platforms such as the IPad, allowed lots of new companies to emerge and produce games, without all the massive financial backing of the larger companies. And that this left plenty of room for the innovation that was so sorely missing from the mainstream market.
Sean then built upon these points, by giving us some background information on himself. He highlighted a potential link between indie game developers, and what he was part of in his youth, the Punk subculture. How they would get together, organise themselves, put on their own shows, and demonstrate the punk ideal of 'Do it yourself'. He told us not to wait for other people to authorise our galleries. To get out there and be pro-active. My attention was fired up by the mention of Punk. I couldn't believe I was sitting here, listening to a high-ranking industry professional , talk about taking a punk attitude to the 'grown-up' world of business. He said how it was an attitude he carried with him through life, right up until today, and how it was something he let into everything he did. I found it very inspirational to listen to this message.
Someone in the audience then asked what Sean would look for in a potential employee's showreel. He immediately ruled out sci-fi archetypes like spaceships and robots. Because he had seen those a thousand times before. He would go for something fresh, something that he hadn't seen before. And I felt that I could relate to this also. If I was looking to employ someone in a creative role, I would want them to be highly imaginative, with their own take on things. Things that I personally would never have thought of. These would be very important factors. He continued by telling us about his friend at work, who has no border between her work and the rest of her life. That she was totally an illustrator, and not just someone who illustrated for money. This seemed to be what real passion was. Someone who lives and breathes what they do, someone who stays at work until 2am in the studio, rather than clocking off at 5.
I was very glad I had come along that afternoon, and spent time afterwards asking Sean more questions.
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