Interview

You don't need success to be successful: Kiwanuka co-creator Andrew Lim on dealing with the downs of development

Living with the game development lottery

You don't need success to be successful: Kiwanuka co-creator Andrew Lim on dealing with the downs of development

Success is everything. It helps us pay the bills, it pushes us to limits we never knew we had, and it forces us to constantly look towards new horizons.

Success isn't everything. The pursuit of success can break us physically and financially, it can alienate us from those we care about, and, ultimately, it can force us to change who we are, and who we want to be. 

Neither of those definitions are wrong, because 'success', is all about perspective. That's why Andrew Lim, CMA Megacorp's marketing guru, and one of the masterminds behind the beautiful iOS puzzler, Kiwanuka, believes it's important for game developers to remember that success comes in many forms.

Beating the financial game doesn't have to be the ultimate goal, and, 'win' or 'lose', it's crucial that game developers don't lose sight of what they've already got.

Life isn't on your side

You can plan for months. You can even plan for years if you like. Unfortunately, life has a way of tearing up those plans in an instant, and sometimes game developers are forced to abandon ship because of nothing more than good ol' fashioned bad luck. 

"At one point our lead designer Chris broke his ribs go-karting, and we were already half-way through the process," said Lim, explaining how Kiwanuka was within touching distance of being scrapped due to a freak accident.

"He couldn't move his upper-body, which was a problem because he's our lead designer. So, in his cast, he had to sketch out levels by only moving his hand because he couldn't move any other part of his body.

"He was just rigidly staring at the screen designing our game, and I've never seen anything like it. So, as great as it is to have a small team, there's a brutal reality to it. Every time your team goes through something it has a dramatic effect on the outcome of the game."

Of course, the CMA team managed to bounce back, but life isn't a fairytale, and, more often than not, the good guys don't win.

"You can't take away from the fact that, as good as you are, there are no guarantees," explained Lim.

"I've seen many talented developers and friends have to deal with a scenario such as losing their main designer or lead developer, and, of course, their project got cancelled.

I've seen many talented developers have to deal with losing their main designer or lead developer.
Andrew Lim

"We were lucky in the sense that Chris didn't hurt himself more when he had the accident. A lot of it is luck, and anyone who says it isn't, and who believes it's all down to skill, hasn't really spoken to people in the industry enough."

You don't need success to be successful

No developer is safe from the spontaneity of life, but the small size of indie developers does make them particularly susceptible.

It's at those times, the times when life sees fit to kick you when you're down, that it's important to remember that commercial success isn't the only path to happiness.

"I see great games all of the time that just don't come out because something's gone wrong. It varies from physical and emotional injuries to life taking a shit turn, and those are the things you can't predict, and they make us really vulnerable," said Lim.

"[That's why it's important to remember that] success isn't everything. Of course, it's easier to say that when you're winning, but I've been on the other side of it and sometimes life just gives you a bad hand, and there's not much you can do about that.

"What you can do though, is have another go, and I think sometimes it's just about remembering that you have to keep going.

"I wish I had a catchphrase, but I don't really. Having been in that position I feel like when people say stuff like that, and I read about it in articles, I find it hard to believe, because when it's tough, it's tough, and there's nothing anyone can say to make it easier."

It's hard to pick yourself up and dust yourself down after such a debilitating experience, but, according to Lim, you must try and find that silver lining. Allow the situation to ground you in the reality of life.

Failure is a grounding experience, and my struggles helped me appreciate the things that I'd taken for granted.
Andrew Lim

"What I will say is that it's a grounding experience, and my struggles helped me appreciate the things that I'd taken for granted, such as my family and friends," offered Lim.

"It made me realise that they are more important to me than any success I'll ever get, and that's true even when I succeed now.

"It's easy to forget, because when you succeed you imagine you always had a plan, and then the second something goes wrong you realise there are some people who love you when you're up, and not when you're down.

"It's the ones who love you when you're down that matter. When I didn't think we were going to finish the game because we'd run out of money, that realisation made me happier than anything that happened afterwards."

You can find out more about the trials faced by Andrew and the rest of the CMA team by checking out our making of Kiwanuka.

What do you call someone who has an unhealthy obsession with video games and Sean Bean? That'd be a 'Chris Kerr'. Chris is one of those deluded souls who actually believes that one day Sean Bean will survive a movie. Poor guy.