If there were ever a caped crusader of the video game world that I looked up to in this industry it would have to be Tim Schafer. This is why Tim gets my nod today in my new segment – Developer of the Week. Now why, you may ask, is Schafer so well deserving of this praise? Well, for one, he’s made some really amazing games over at Double Fine Studios – and they’re usually indie and quirky, and those are definitely the types of games I go for.  He’s got a huge list of games, with some of the most notable being: Psychonauts, Stacking, Costume Quest, Brutal Legend, Once Upon A Monster, etc. and two – he’s doing something amazing using a little known site called Kickstarter.com

These games may seem childish to some hardcore gamers, who love to do nothing more than cap noobs on Sunday afternoons, but these games are an art that I don’t see many development teams aiming after lately. Games are art, despite what some folks tend to believe; they are more than just bloody, depraved, mind-numbing junk. Double Fine Studios proves my point. Schafer understands what it’s like to be a gamer, because he is one, but he also looks at games in a way I wish more studios would. He looks at games as artistic endeavors, and thus, where this article begins is at the heart of his artistic side. Perhaps I should let him explain, because if you haven’t seen his Kickstarter promotional video yet – you’re sadly missing out on greatness.

Tim makes an extremely valid point here; one of my favorite types of games ARE adventure games! I have fond memories of playing games on the old Apple or playing games that used MSDOS programming. [Here’s looking at you Museum Madness!] I fondly miss the days of old when one-click inputs were a way a game functioned perfectly. Now I’m not asking everyone to adopt this method to develop his or her games – that would be ludicrous and downright inconsiderate. Tim wants to develop a “point and click” adventure game though? I’m all for it! Given his talented studios’ art styles, vision, and drive to make games that appeal to the masses, I say the more that support this project the better. They’ve already raised over 1,000,000 dollars in funding – and they’ve still got plenty of time to go! I, for one, know that I’m going to be tracking the progress of this game and it’s implications into the game development world.

It’s sad, but honestly, in my humble opinion, I feel like big publishing firms can suck the very life out of the art of a game. They focus on the business aspects of the game so much that, often times, I find the new generation of games to be less enjoyable some times. Now this is in no way a knock on publishers, or on any game company for that matter, but it’s simply an endorsement of games as artwork and enjoyment. Schafer seems to have his sights set on a goal, a point and click old-school adventure game for all to enjoy. I can’t wait to see it come to fruition and I know I’ll be watching the documentary closely to gain insight to the video game development world.

The idea that he wants to focus on a point and click game totally hits home for me and makes me smile. The prospects of accessibility grow enormously, and I am sure that gamers, both abled and disabled will appreciate this movement towards a point and click game. They were incredibly popular back in the day when PC gaming and console gaming was just becoming an in-home staple, and so it’s a joy to see that this lost art form might be coming back to the main stage for video game audiences everywhere. If you would like to support Tim Schafer’s brain matter idea baby, and you would like to see it grow to a full fledge adult, graduate from high school, get married and somehow swoon it’s way into the hearts of your household – please feel free to visit Kickstarter.com in the link provided.

 http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adventure

Much love Double Fine Productions! Thank you Tim Schafer for providing the gaming world with a fossil of perpetual awesomeness! I look forward to seeing the finished product, and playing it till my heart swells up and bursts from happiness!

– Chad K.