He Made a Game About a Joyous Journey. He Also Got a Bit Lost
Anthony Tan's game, Way to the Woods, featuring a deer and fawn, remains unreleased after nine years. Personal challenges, including his father's death, shaped its emotional narrative and Tan's artistic growth.
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Anthony Tan, a solo video game developer, gained attention at age 16 for his game concept, Way to the Woods, featuring a deer and a fawn navigating an abandoned world. Despite the initial excitement and a trailer debut at a major gaming event in 2019, the game remains unreleased five years later. Tan's journey has been marked by personal challenges, including the death of his father, which deeply affected his creative process. He began developing games at a young age, initially creating humorous projects before transitioning to more serious themes. The artistic style of Way to the Woods draws inspiration from Studio Ghibli films, aiming to evoke emotions similar to those he experienced while playing Journey. As he worked on the game, Tan grappled with self-doubt and the pressure to meet expectations, leading to a period of introspection. He ultimately found clarity in the game's narrative, which reflects his bond with his father and the beauty of everyday objects. Tan's experience highlights the complexities of solo game development, where he must juggle multiple roles and navigate the emotional landscape of his life while striving to create a meaningful gaming experience.
- Anthony Tan's game, Way to the Woods, has been in development for over nine years and remains unreleased.
- The game features a deer and a fawn exploring a world devoid of human life, inspired by Studio Ghibli films.
- Tan faced personal challenges, including the death of his father, which influenced the game's narrative and emotional depth.
- His early projects were humorous, but he shifted towards more sincere storytelling in his current work.
- The development process has been a journey of self-discovery and artistic growth for Tan.
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2 comments- "One of his ideas - a deer standing in front of a giant robot - materialized in a dream. When he woke up, he sketched it out. He built it in Unreal Engine, a popular software development tool by Epic Games." -- There are many stories of artists sleeping with a notepad next to their bed, writing down inspirations and ideas their subconsciouses work out.
- "It was a series of beautifully rendered images that were no more playable than the Mona Lisa. / "It was a facade," Tan said. "It looks like something, but it isn't something." / There was no plot, no story line, no gameplay loop to keep players interested" -- Lots of art starts with one inspiring element, and then the artist builds it out from there.
- "... turning the painting into a bona fide video game would take work. A lot of work. "I was pretty ignorant at the time at how much work I needed to actually do," Tan said." -- An old story of artist's visions.
- "He realized he was trying to please everybody. / "I didn't feel like I had anything authentic inside of me," Tan said. "I didn't know how to write anything. And I didn't know what I wanted to say.""
To me that is an artist speaking, not a game developer. I wonder, how much are game dev tools geared to artists finding their voice and communicating what makes their vision special and unique, and how much of the product is the dev tool maker's vision (their aethetic, their capabilities, etc.)?
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