Alexander Probst has been in the Newspaper Industry doing every thing from Art Director to Graphic Editor to a straight-up Designer. What Alex has realized about his awesome career garnering him handfuls of awards from the Society for News Design is that he loves creating games.
Me: I need some good ideas for a new game project. What can you tell me about any of your projects?
Alex: I have lot’s of ideas for different games, from simple puzzle games, to MMO’s, to FPS’s. I’m working on ‘Colorino‘, a simple addictive puzzle game (Candy Crush-like mechanics). We are trying to make a fun game for people to play while waiting in line or at the toilet. Something nice, challenging and fun.
Me: You had me at “gaming on the toilet”.
Alex: It’s my firstborn, my hopes and dreams of becoming a full time game designer. And we’re also working on another game called “New Trino Trips” that will (hopefully) come out sometime in 2014.
Me: So, what got you into this crazy Indie Scene, anyway?
Alex: Desperation! I’ve been playing games as long as I can remember and I’ve been a Newspaper Designer for 20 years. I’m really sick of it so I decided to start doing games in hopes to change profession.
Me: It’s never too late to get in to the Indie Dev Scene, what with all the game building software out there. Do you think the ease of access into Game Developing will affect the Scene or its occupants in any way?
Alex: It’s a double edged sword, good to have more and more people doing games and contributing to the overall market and ideas, but the bad side is that the market is getting more saturated. It becomes harder to stand out, even with a good game.
Me: Tell me about your experience in the Scene so far.
Alex: You are literally one in a million, so it will be hard to stand out. The best thing is the freedom to do what you want. It’s a great opportunity to meet people, grow, learn and create. If you’re making a game for people to play you can’t have that perfectionist mind set, that’s betting a lot on gamers patience.
Me: Has Indie Game Dev and Big Game Dev become a David vs Goliath cliché?
Alex: Definitely. Companies like Microsoft and Sony are now following the footsteps of Apple, Google and Steam. The possibility of making a “triple A” game by an indie company is real. Eventually, big companies will have to really compete or they will fade away (think EA).
Me: Do you think the Scene, the way it currently stands, has the longevity to get it through possible slumps in the near future?
Alex: It’s hard to say, the tools are getting easier, markets [getting] bigger… I think that eventually the gap between crap and quality will be so visible that many “mini-markets” will start to appear and the whole industry will diversify even more. Of course, those with more money or fame have a better chance, but the market is really democratic in many ways, gives everyone the chance at success.
Me: Now for the Lightning Round! What project would you love to work on?
Alex: I would love to work on something like Elder Scrolls. Something huge and elaborate, I would love to learn so many different things in one single project.
Rambling Shambles 