If you haven’t already done so, turn on your Wii or PC and download 2DBoy‘s masterpiece of game design, World of Goo right now. Yes, it really is that good.You may have seen review scores elsewhere: 9, 9.5, 10–and it deserves every single one of them. While we don’t do numeric scores here, if we did you could rest assured that World of Goo would get an 11. And a half. I’m sure you’re asking in your very best faux Eric Cartman voice, “But why?” Well let me tell you.
In one theory of game design (one with which I agree wholeheartedly), it is deemed wise to make your game accessible–which is to say that it should be easy for people to pick up and play with minimal instruction. World of Goo achieves this better than any game I have ever seen-it literally requires no instruction whatsoever. You point, you click, you drag, and if you have 2 brain cells floating around in your skull you will have figured out the basic mechanics of the game exactly 5 seconds into the first level. Now don’t mistake that for me saying the game is easy–this game will kick your ass in ways that most others could only achieve by breaking your thumbs.
For the first 2 or 3 levels you will have a chance to become increasingly familiar with the basics of the game and the behavior of the goo balls with which you will build structures of varying types; after that the challenges will ramp up quickly. World of Goo never cheats or pulls a fast one on you–the mechanics are always simple, and the goals all share in common that they require you to think. As you progress through the game you will be introduced to numerous new kinds of gooballs with varying properties. Some of them stick together and stay forever. Some can be set and reset over and again. Some fly. Some burst into flame.
But there’s something more than even the game itself that is truly an inspiration: the guys who built it. World of Goo was created by just two guys–in debt, no office, working out of Coffee Shops in San Francisco. Seriously. Gamasutra has an interview with these guys and it’s quite amazing and enlightening to look at what they’ve achieved and the way in which they’ve achieved it.You should read the full interview for a lot of insight into their process, but here’s an excerpt from Kyle Gabler, one of the devs, that should be taken seriously to heart by anyone who has a dream, some skills and the passion to work their ass off:
“Here’s my financial situation. I have $60,000 of student loans. When I left EA, I had $30,000 in the bank, so a net worth of negative $30,000. So, I guess if we can start a company with negative $30,000, then I think everyone should know that it’s possible to start a company. You don’t have to have money. All you have to do is be stupidly optimistic. ”
Amen, brother!
