We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mai Hou. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mai below.
Mai, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
First and foremost, I ensure that the ideas for my games are unique, not previously explored by others. This approach enables me to face unique problems and challenges in my creative process, preventing me from entirely imitating the works of others. I found that solutions to easy problems often lack creativity, while complex problems typically require creative solutions.
I seek inspiration and insights from various mediums, including games, movies, paintings, and other forms of art, both classical and contemporary. The solutions I derive usually do not have a significant connection to the works that inspired me; they are mostly borrowed in terms of method and approach. Sometimes, I even draw inspiration from my misunderstandings of these works. This creative method occasionally leads to peculiar outcomes, but it is also an integral part of my creativity.
I regret spending too much time on social networks. A lot of the information there is quick and simple, not very helpful for creativity.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m an indie game developer with a background that’s a bit unconventional in this industry. My journey started with an undergrad degree in Electronics Engineering, followed by a stint as a web front-end engineer. While I enjoyed this work, I yearned for a medium that allowed more personal expression. That’s what led me to game development, which I began exploring in my spare time.
I’ve created several puzzle games, a point-and-click story about a grandma, and participated in game jams, collaborating on projects with Serotoninphobia. However, creating indie games in China felt isolating due to the lack of a community to share and collaborate with. Seeking a more collaborative environment, I moved to the US in 2019 to start my MFA at NYU Game Center.
My thesis project at the Game Center was “Nainai’s Recipe”, made by me and my partner Fan Fang. “Nainai” means grandma in Chinese and some other asian languages, and we chose to focus on a grandma character because we realized that our grandmothers have many untold stories. The more we engaged with them, the more their unknown sides fascinated us. Our aim was to create a game that captures these hidden narratives, inspired by the familial themes prevalent in many Asian films by directors like Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Edward Yang, An Lee, Hirokazu Koreeda, and others.
The original concept for our thesis project was a time-travel detective game featuring a grandma, blending elements of games like “Return of the Obra Dinn” and “Unpacking.” However, this idea proved too abstract, and we struggled to make progress. Then, during the pandemic, as we found ourselves cooking more, we discovered a new angle for our game. We realized that our enjoyment of cooking stemmed from exploring how different cooking methods change food and affect the dynamics of relationships during cooking and eating. This revelation led us to pivot our game into a cooking-themed narrative, intertwining it with the original story idea.
The game is not just about cooking; it’s an exploration of family, culture, and the unexpected stories that emerge from simple, everyday activities. It’s this blend of the personal, the cultural, and the interactive that makes our work exciting and unique.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the ability of abstraction is important when making games, espically, simulation games. For instance, with “Nainai’s Recipe,” a big question we constantly grappled with was how to authentically capture the essence of cooking in-game. It’s this delicate balance of simplicity and complexity – you want the simulation to feel real but not so intricate that it ceases to be fun. Finding that sweet spot usually involves creating prototypes, which I often do by implementing simplified prototypes directly in the game. some times I can experience a similar game play in an existing game, which is faster.
I also like to focus on details. It could be as minor as a sound effect, a quirky object the player can interact with, or a subtle game feature that’s not part of the core gameplay. I like adding these touches even in the early stages of development. Sure, it takes extra time, but these details help bring the game to life, allowing both our team and playtesters to envision what the final product could be like. Plus, crafting these small elements is a relaxing change of pace – it keeps the development process engaging. Interestingly, some of these minor features have evolved into key components of the game, which is always a pleasant surprise.
Lastly, drawing inspiration from other mediums has been pivotal for me. This approach has been instrumental in crafting unique designs and narratives. Whether it’s a technique from films, a theme in text books, or a style in paintings, integrating these elements can elevate a game from good to great. It’s about seeing beyond the game itself and finding connections in unexpected places.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
Many books have played important roles in my development. One of them is Sculpting in Time by Andrei Tarkovsky. One of the greatest film making books written by one of the the greatest filmmakers. The book not only changed my understanding towards films, but also influenced how I perceive and approach game development.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://houkanshan.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/houkanshan
- Other: https://houkanshan.itch.io
