Joystiq

Silent Enemy teaser designs some bullies

David Hinkle — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:00:00 EST

The next project from Papo & Yo developer Minority, Silent Enemy, tackles another sensitive topic: bullying. Many of the developers were bullied and that history affected the design and development of SIlent Enemy.

Silent Enemy teaser designs some bullies originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive launches are sometimes necessary, Papo & Yo creator says

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:59:00 EST

Papo & Yo cost developer Minority Media $1.5 million to make, and its exclusive release on PS3 in 2012 earned back some of that cost. It came to Steam last week, and during GDC creator Vander Caballero told us the PC launch should "cover the whole cost of the game." If it weren't for Sony and that exclusive PS3 launch, however, Papo & Yo may have never seen the light of day.

"If you are an independent you have zero marketing money," Caballero told Kotaku. "You have nothing. Then you need someone to support your project. So, if someone asks you for exclusivity and it's going to help you to bring out your product into the market, I think that can be good. Sometime, I think it's the only way to get something out."

Caballero's next game with Minority is Silent Enemy, an exploration and puzzle game set in a harsh, mystical Canadian tundra, but with a message about bullying. Minority doesn't have any platforms locked down for Silent Enemy just yet, but Caballero is considering PS4, PC, tablets and Ouya.

Exclusive launches are sometimes necessary, Papo & Yo creator says originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Papo and Yo devs confront more monsters in next game, Silent Enemy

Jessica Conditt — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST

Minority attempted to make its next game a departure from the emotional, draining experience of its first project, Papo & Yo, by crafting a hunting-survival, documentary-style game set in the harsh tundra of Northern Quebec. Somewhere along the development process, that turned into a game about bullying.

Silent Enemy still takes place in the frozen wasteland of Northern Canada, but its message, mechanics and impact have shifted dramatically. Papo & Yo creator Vander Caballero and Minority Design Director Ruben Farrus are collaborating to weave a subtle story about the hopelessness, weakness and determination that victims of bullying regularly face. That message, however, is covered in piles of snow and steeped in legend.

It's an exploration and puzzle game in mind for PC, tablets, Ouya, PS4 and possibly other platforms by the end of the year, but with no concrete plans so far. The prototype uses an Ouya controller, since its touch pad makes sense for the gameplay, but that doesn't guarantee it will launch on Ouya, Caballero said.

Silent Enemy takes place in a world of permanent winter, where springtime is a legend, the bedtime story grandma tells the children to help them fall asleep. Once, animals and humans flourished in the spring, but one species hated such a fruitful time: the crows. They chased springtime away, leaving behind only glowing gold fragments of the season, now hidden throughout the landscape. Players find these orbs and trail them around, using a mix of magic and logic to navigate the whitewashed world.

Yes, it's still a game about bullying.

Gallery: Silent Enemy (Concept Art)

Continue reading Papo and Yo devs confront more monsters in next game, Silent Enemy

Papo and Yo devs confront more monsters in next game, Silent Enemy originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Papo & Yo sales 'good' on PS3, but didn't cover development costs

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:30:00 EST

Papo & Yo was a top seller when it launched on PS3 in August, and creator Vander Caballero is satisfied with its numbers, even though sales haven't covered all of the game's development costs, he told Joystiq at GDC. Papo & Yo will hit Steam for PC on April 18, and that extra push should cover the gap left by PS3, Caballero said.

"Despite the good sales, the cost of the game has to be covered," he said. "We have covered already parts of the cost of the game, but when it comes out on Steam, we'll make money. Then we'll cover the whole cost of the game."

Caballero was excited about the coming Steam launch, which will begin accepting pre-orders on April 4. Those who buy it between April 4 and 17 will receive a 10 percent discount ($13.50), plus the game's original soundtrack for free. "We're really happy, since all the people who heard about it will actually be able to play it now," Caballero said.

Papo & Yo sales 'good' on PS3, but didn't cover development costs originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Papo & Yo takes more than inspiration from South American graffiti

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:30:00 EST

Papo & Yo's gorgeous South American-esque world is punctuated by graffiti - from the cartoonish to the abstract. During a preview at E3, I found myself stopping to gawk at giant birds and other creatures for many moments, often resulting in the game's handler asking if I needed any help. What I should've said was, "Yes. Can you tell me who made these incredible images throughout your imaginary favela?"

Thankfully, developer Minority realized that the art is incredibly appealing, and wrote up a post on the US PlayStation Blog detailing the history of the graffiti. As it turns out, rather than using source images and recreating a facsimile of South America's street art, Minority worked with three renowned South American artists to develop images for Papo & Yo's world.

Sebastian Navarro (AKA Charquipunk), Simon Paulo Arancibia Gutierrez (AKA La Robot de Madera) and Inti Castro (AKA INTI) are all collaborating on the game. One such example of their contribution is just above, though I saw several different, very impressive pieces in just the 20 minute demo at E3. Of course, we'll all get to take a closer look when the game launches on August 14 on the PlayStation Network.

How Papo & Yo takes more than inspiration from South American graffiti originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Papo & Yo gets a suit and a new trailer for E3

Ben Gilbert — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST

Our main little man from Papo & Yo got himself a fancy new suit to go with his fancy new E3 trailer, it seems. We'd like to tell him that the new duds are anywhere near as impressive as the sweet new gameplay clip, but that'd be a straight up lie. See both for yourself, just above.

Gallery: Papo & Yo (E3 2012)

Papo & Yo gets a suit and a new trailer for E3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Papo and Yo and dealing with tragedy

David Hinkle — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST

Everyone has a coping mechanism for those times they have to endure pain and tragedy. Papo & Yo creator Vander Caballero grew up with an abusive and alcoholic father, and we're learning about it through the game's goals and imagery. Caballero's father is represented by a companion and monster (who recently received a redesign). It can sometimes be a comforting figure, but when consuming frogs (metaphor!) it becomes a literal beast.

Gallery: Papo and Yo (GDC 2012)

Continue reading Papo and Yo and dealing with tragedy

Papo and Yo and dealing with tragedy originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony to invest $20 million into PlayStation Network and Pub Fund over the next three years

David Hinkle — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST

Sony believes in its Pub Fund initiative and the PlayStation Network, and is putting up the cash to prove it. Over the course of the next three years, Sony will commit $20 million in seeking out independent developers to create games like Papo & Yo, Okabu and PixelJunk Sidescroller. Brandon Stander, director of marketing for PlayStation Network, describes it as a commitment of faith in the Pub Fund and a goal to bring "innovative, different, unique gameplay" to PSN.

Continue reading Sony to invest $20 million into PlayStation Network and Pub Fund over the next three years

Sony to invest $20 million into PlayStation Network and Pub Fund over the next three years originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Papo & Yo preview: O meu amigo, o monstro

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:30:00 EST

If you haven't seen Papo & Yo's endearing announcement trailer, you should probably go check that out right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. All set? Great. Now that you've seen it, you'll understand why it was one of the few E3 2011 games that I made a specific point of going to play, just for me.

Papo & Yo is a story-driven puzzle game about a boy named Quico who lives in a Brazilian favela, and his two best friends: a quirky robot named Lula and a rhino-like creature named Monster. Lula, unfortunately, scares the hell out of Monster, rendering him too petrified to move when she's nearby.

Monster, on the other hand, is an adorable, friendly giant. That is, until he eats a frog (he's addicted to 'em!), totally flips out and tries to kill everything. I didn't see that part, though -- the demo actually ended with Monster gobbling a frog and a fade to black. What I played, rather, was all about puzzle solving.

Gallery: Papo & Yo (6/10/11)

Continue reading Papo & Yo preview: O meu amigo, o monstro

Papo & Yo preview: O meu amigo, o monstro originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Papo & Yo turns a friend into an adversary on PSN in 2012

David Hinkle — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST

They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. But what if your best friend is also your worst enemy? That's a question posed by Papo & Yo, a new puzzle-platformer from independent Canadian studio Minority.

The game stars Quico, a young boy living in a favela with a giant pink monster for a best friend. The only problem is the monster has a taste for frogs and whenever he (she? it?) eats one, a change occurs. Quico's also got a super high-tech robot for some reason. Frankly, if we were Quico, we'd sell the bot and move the hell out, but that's just us.

Papo & Yo will be exclusive to PSN through Sony's budget-matching Pub Fund and has a 2012 launch timeframe tentatively penciled in. Papo & Yo will make an appearance at E3, so we'll get our hands on it then. In the time being, hit the jump for a teaser trailer.

Continue reading Papo & Yo turns a friend into an adversary on PSN in 2012

Papo & Yo turns a friend into an adversary on PSN in 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game census concludes that minorities under-represented in games

David Hinkle — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST

Even though you've seen CJ gangbanging in GTA: San Andreas and Faith gallivanting across a vast urban landscape in Mirror's Edge, it doesn't mean minorities and women are finally getting a fair shake in gaming. According to a census of video game characters conducted by SoCal researcher Dmitri Williams (via NewScientist), it's still an area largely dominated by white men. Gasp!

Of course, with an undertaking as huge as checking every character in every game ever, this data of Williams and company comes with a few caveats. First of all, the census went down in February of 2006 and has only surfaced recently thanks to NewScientist. Second, the only systems and games combed include the top 150 titles sold on Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation, PS2, PSP, GameCube, GBA, DS and PC. Still, it's a lot to sift through and -- when the dust settled -- Williams and the gang came up with a couple of charts and some data to back up their claim.

[Via Game Politics]

Game census concludes that minorities under-represented in games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PrimePlus assesses the current state of black characters

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, Business

PrimePlus has a fairly interesting piece about the current state of black characters in video games. The editorial maintains a very moderate approach to the charged subject, covering the differences between Western and Eastern development, along with how black characters have been portrayed over the years.

The piece mostly focuses on upcoming titles and games from the last decade, like Mass Effect, Half-Life 2, Gears of War and GTA: San Andreas. Without getting "politically correct" or preachy, the editorial notes that representation isn't an "exclusive concern to the population of black individuals." It points out that "more socially imaginative avenues of inspiration" would be welcome, which is something we can agree about.

[Via Edge]

PrimePlus assesses the current state of black characters originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joseph Saulter: 'Why should I have to be a white man?'

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:23:00 EST

Filed under: Culture, GDC

Joseph Saulter, chairman of game design and development at American Intercontinental University, has been a vocal advocate about the role of minorities within the industry.

Speaking about Microsoft's Blacks in Gaming gathering last night he says, "It's great to see that things are happening and we are getting toward the vision, but it's still not the reality." He says the potential influence that diversity would bring to the industry isn't being recognized. Explaining he's spent his life as a black man, he half-jokingly says when he looks around the game industry he feels himself asking the question, "Why should I have to be a white man? ... Meaning I bring a unique characteristic in my African-American culture. It would be nice to bring my cultural expertice into an arena. We go into this white business -- and it's not that the business is white. It's that the culture in the business is white. I'd like to see people create what I am in games and be accepted for what I do."

Saulter says the industry is like a "horse with blinders" on when it comes to issues of diversity. It's not that they are outright ignoring minorities, it's just that the focus is so straight ahead and narrow, companies don't take the time to reach out. He says there are programs like the Urban Video Game Academy based in Atlanta, Maryland and Washington D.C., which attempt to get kids into game design and should be looked at as an opportunity by developers to find potential talent. He compared getting a job in the industry like riding a horse. He believes that minorities don't care if they get knocked off the horse, that's only fair -- but they'd still like a chance to ride.

Joseph Saulter: 'Why should I have to be a white man?' originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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