PixlBit

Can you briefly describe your game for those who aren’t familiar with it?

"Gutterdelve" is a horror/rpg hybrid I made in Rpgmaker VX Ace!

What got you into game design?

I loved playing games almost all my life! Ironically as a child in 6th grade I actually kept "idea books" of potential game ideas. These included crude illustrations and descriptions. Of course my first game concept "Wonder-Kids" was a more whimsical construct than "Gutter-delve".

What games inspired your work more than others?

Silent hill 2-3 and Persona 4 were very large influences. I wanted to create an rpg but did not want to play it "too safe" with the usual "Save the world" story-line. 

How long did it take to develop your game, and what were the biggest challenges you had to surmount?

In truth the total development time was around 3 years. I started it in Rpgmaker XP but eventually moved it over into VX ACE. Sadly that required me to begin again from scratch! The characters stayed roughly the same but the story around them drastically changed quite a few times. My biggest challenge was testing for all the bugs and spelling errors. When you're just one guy working on a game a lot can go awry. I envy big companies that have editors and game testers on stand by!

Your game is inspired by real life events and has an intense emotional core.  Did you have a story you needed to tell, and do u think games can be more than “fun”?  Or is that what makes some games fun?

It became that. Initially the game was more light-hearted. However, as I went along it evolved into a much deeper entity. I took quite a lot of risks, especially with Deidre's and Ben's respective story archs. I actually live with bi-polar disorder and I've also known many friends who have fought with mental illness or who had a history of sexual abuse. Not surprisingly those themes became rather paramount in the story whereas the more epic supernatural stuff was pushed into the background.

 How did you release your game?  Did you market it in any way?

I released my game prematurely on RPG-MAKER-NETWORK. (RMN) During that phase it still had a lot of problems and still had "random encounters". I also took some heat for the game's concept art. (Admittedly my illustrations were more racy and more suggestive then anything that made it into the final build itself) 

Later Gutter-delve would see a re-release on Gamejolt. Quite a few little things were edited gradually (random encounters were completly removed in favor of seeing enemies on the screen) and the game eventually used a "royalty free soundtrack" done by Blake and Kevin MacLeod so I could avoid any nasty legal repercussions. Most of my friends helped me reach that decision!

What has the response been like? 

I have people who really loved the game. People who were touched and even befriended me on Facebook after playing it. (Fallen Virtue, Atlas Atrium, and Voodoo Fox in particular.)

On the other hand, some people literally have a seething vendetta against Gutter-delve. It's drawn fire from tumblr social justice types and perhaps those impressionable youngsters who think being the next "Jaded-angry-video-game critic" is a badge of honor.

Assuming you want to make games true to yourself it's a given you're going to get dissenters. Not that my game is "perfect" but having points knocked off for a conversation between female characters that happens in a kitchen or over the darker thoughts of the main protagonist as opposed to his scrupulous actions seems a bit "petty" to me. There are constructive critiques and then there are blatant claims of sexism and misogyny where none exist!

There's a metaphor that states when someone has a hammer they see everything else as nails and that bolds true for people who WANT a controversy!

What are some of the problems you have faced since releasing the game?  And would you do it all again? 

There were a lot of misunderstandings and I had to endure many allegations that while untrue really hurt my feelings. Unfortunately I think a lot of people judged me for the illustrations I presented before giving the game itself a chance. But if you asked me "Are you ashamed of the visual concepts you presented?" I'd be forced to shrug and laugh while muttering "Nope". Because I'm bi-polar I deal with hyper-sexuality. Drawing is my therapeutic way of dealing with all that erotic tension. I likewise have no regrets over portraying troubled somewhat broken protagonists or themes certain people find uncomfortable. Would I do it again? Probably!

Overall, are you happy you developed an indie game?

I am! Uh,happy I mean! It was a terrific learning experience and it's good to have something of mine out there for people to experience!

 What do you think are the biggest challenges indie developers face?

There's this false assumption "the indie gaming scene" is more tolerant of new ideas than the mainstream. So it's a bit discouraging when you discover many people are just as narrow-minded there as anywhere else. But if you can work beyond that it's very rewarding!

Another problem us indie developers have is a lack of man-power,resources, and PR. There's no one to be our public face to rectify our mistakes and we're limited to the meager tools at our disposal. Due to budgetary constraints the products of our love usually cannot be as "flashy" as an AAA release.

Dwelling on such shortcomings can be frustrating but there is an audience who appreciates games that are more from the heart and less from the wallet!

Can we expect a sequel?  Or is it on to a new project?

I want to do an expansion to Gutterdelve in which getting the true ending opens up a visual novel that continues the story from Liam's point of view. Don't know when that version will see the light of day though. It's still kind of a blur in my head!