[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.64,0:00:08.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So let's say you want to make a video game. Where do you even begin?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.32,0:00:12.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some developers start with a story\Nthey want to tell, or a premise they want
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.83,0:00:18.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to explore. Others start with some emotion\Nthey want the player to feel, like terror
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.04,0:00:19.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or accomplishment.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.81,0:00:25.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Others still start by using the technology\Nto simulate something, like a planet, or a
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.15,0:00:30.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,universe. And, of course, plenty of developers\Nstart by taking a game that already exists,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.37,0:00:33.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and adding in a few extra features.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.12,0:00:36.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Nintendo is, predictably, quite different.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.74,0:00:41.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whether it's making a brand new game or the\Nlatest entry in the long-running Super Mario
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.37,0:00:47.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,series, Nintendo always starts with the same\Ngoal: coming up with a new way to play.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.65,0:00:53.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what you do in the game, and how you do\Nit, is used as the catalyst to drive everything
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.58,0:00:58.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,else - from the design of the main character,\Nto the way you deal with enemies, to the genre
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.69,0:01:00.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of music on the soundtrack.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.69,0:01:06.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"That’s how we make games at Nintendo,"\Nsays Shigeru Miyamoto - creator of Mario,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.45,0:01:12.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Zelda, Pikmin, and more. "We get the fundamentals\Nsolid first, then do as much with that core
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.11,0:01:15.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,concept as our time and ambition will allow".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.50,0:01:20.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so, in this episode of Game Maker's Toolkit,\Nwe're going to look at how one of the world's
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.10,0:01:27.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,greatest game developers finds success by\Nprioristing play.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:27.45,0:01:32.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In many of its games, Nintendo starts by coming\Nup with some interesting new action for the
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.52,0:01:36.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,main character to perform. The late Gunpei\NYokoi,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.01,0:01:40.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,said "I first take the character which you’re\Ngoing to control and replace them with a dot
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.43,0:01:45.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a placeholder, then I think about what\Nkind of movement would be fun".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.17,0:01:52.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The most famous outcome of this way of thinking\Nis this guy. You might know him as Mario,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.72,0:01:58.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but when he arrived on the scene he was simply\Nknown as Jumpman because this portly Italian
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.27,0:02:01.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plumber is defined by his leap.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.02,0:02:07.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not only does he have the most dynamic and\Nexpressive jump in all of gaming - 2D or 3D
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.84,0:02:12.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- but his breakout game, Super Mario Bros,\Nis all about the jump.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.01,0:02:17.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mario leaps onto platforms and over pipes.\NHe jumps into bricks to break them and blocks
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.33,0:02:22.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to unleash power-ups. And that includes the\Nfire flower which shoots at an annoying 45
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.28,0:02:27.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,degree angle meaning you have to jump to get\Na good shot. And the flagpole is always one
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.52,0:02:30.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,brick off the ground, so you have to jump\Nto finish the level.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.88,0:02:36.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Miyamoto toyed with other ideas, including\Na shoot 'em up stage, but dropped them because
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.19,0:02:38.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"we wanted to focus on jumping action".
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.59,0:02:44.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh, and don't forget about jumping on enemies\Nto kill them. That might seem like an obvious
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.62,0:02:50.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,way to dispatch foes as that's how Sonic,\NAladdin, and scores of other platformer heroes
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.02,0:02:53.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,do it but - get this - no one did it before\NMario.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.84,0:02:58.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Miyamoto came up with that by asking: what\Nis the logical way to defeat an enemy in a
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.87,0:03:01.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,game about jumping?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.16,0:03:06.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's a real advantage to forging a game\Naround a strong main mechanic.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.44,0:03:11.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When you can interact with almost everything\Nin the game by using this mechanic, Nintendo
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.06,0:03:16.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can make a game where the player's range of\Nactions is very small and easy to learn - but
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.37,0:03:20.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the number of things they can interact with\Nis huge.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.07,0:03:25.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When talking about Pikmin, Miyamoto said "the\Nbasic action that you conduct is very simple.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.47,0:03:30.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a matter of simply throwing the Pikmin\Nat tasks and calling them back. And yet with
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.74,0:03:35.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Pikmins’ abilities and the breadth of\Nstrategies available, it opens up broad possibilities
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.85,0:03:38.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of how you can approach the gameplay".
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.86,0:03:45.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Other examples of unique actions include shooting\Na water gun, firing ink, turning into a painting,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.34,0:03:48.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,plucking things out of the ground, and using\Na vacuum cleaner.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.82,0:03:53.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In Luigi's Mansion for Gamecube, Luigi interacts\Nwith the world almost exclusively through
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.48,0:03:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,his vacuum cleaner. He can't even jump but\Nwhere his brother overcomes every challenge
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.38,0:04:03.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a big springy leap, Luigi uses his hoover\Nto solve puzzles, suck up ghosts, collect
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.85,0:04:07.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,loot, check for booby-trapped doors, and more.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.30,0:04:12.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So while some developers might say their game\Nis about prejudice or ideology or the decline
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.68,0:04:20.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of the American frontier, how many games are\Nliterally about using a vacuum cleaner?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.08,0:04:25.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when Nintendo needs to add in extra mechanics,\Nit can attach them to those main actions.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.86,0:04:31.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, Splatoon is primarily about shooting\Nink and swimming in ink - and so, you can
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.76,0:04:36.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reload your gun or climb up a high wall by\Nshooting ink on the floor and then swimming
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.79,0:04:39.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in it. No extra buttons required.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.48,0:04:42.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,God that's good.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.52,0:04:47.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, not every game is built around\Nsome brand new mechanic. Nintendo is, after
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.75,0:04:53.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all, not exactly known for making entirely\Nnew games and characters - or new IPs as the
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.39,0:04:58.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,industry calls them - and there are only so many things you can strap to the back of a Mario brother
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.43,0:05:03.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Nintendo games are still driven by new\Nways to play and so sometimes it's about putting
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.88,0:05:07.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a new twist on an already established mechanic.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.41,0:05:13.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That might involve reinventing 2D gameplay\Nin a 3D world, as we saw in Mario 64 and Zelda:
Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.98,0:05:19.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ocarina of Time. It might be about putting\Nthose old mechanics in an interesting new
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.07,0:05:24.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,context, like Super Mario Galaxy which is\Nstill fundamentally about jumping - but now
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.32,0:05:29.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in micro gravity. Or how Pikmin 3 is still\Nabout commanding Pikmin, but now with the
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.47,0:05:32.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,added stress of juggling three heroes.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.09,0:05:36.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And sometimes, Nintendo looks to come up with\Nan interesting new system that governs how
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.32,0:05:42.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you play - like the three day timer in Majora's\NMask or the interconnected map of Metroid.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.95,0:05:47.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whatever the case, there's got to be some\Nnew gameplay that can help drive things - or,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.69,0:05:50.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nintendo says there's no point making the\Ngame.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.35,0:05:54.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When Miyamoto was told that fans wanted to\Nsee a new F-Zero game, he said "I’d like
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.73,0:06:00.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to ask those people: Why F-Zero? What do you\Nwant that we haven’t done before". To Miyamoto,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.96,0:06:08.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the thought of just making another racing\Ngame with more attractive graphics is unfathomable.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.58,0:06:17.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nintendo designers are big fans of the design\Nprinciple "form follows function", which basically
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.16,0:06:23.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,means that how something looks is determined\Nby how that thing works. It's something that
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.09,0:06:27.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Miyamoto likely picked up when studying industrial\Ndesign at college.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.18,0:06:32.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's why boos blush when you look at them,\Nand why enemies that charge at you in Super
Dialogue: 0,0:06:32.03,0:06:36.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mario World look like quarterbacks, and it's\Nwhy whenever Nintendo re-releases the original
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.91,0:06:42.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Mario Bros it swaps turtles for Spinies because\Neveryone keeps trying to jump on the damn
Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.35,0:06:47.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,turtles.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.38,0:06:52.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But Nintendo goes further than that, and uses\Nthe new gameplay at the heart of a game, to
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.08,0:06:55.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,determine almost every aspect of the presentation.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:55.37,0:07:00.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once Splatoon's mechanics had been developed,\Nproducer Hisashi Nogami says "we then conceived
Dialogue: 0,0:07:00.83,0:07:04.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the characters and the world vision to match\Nperfectly with the gameplay".
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.89,0:07:09.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you ever got to play Splatoon during\Nthe prototyping phases, you would have controlled
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.52,0:07:14.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a big white block. The designers came up with\Nthe squid kids afterwards, when they needed
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.81,0:07:19.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to find a character that could swim in ink,\Nand would clearly separate the inking and
Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.27,0:07:21.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,swimming mechanics.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.47,0:07:26.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And entire characters can come about as extensions\Nof the mechanics themselves - like Navi, who
Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.92,0:07:33.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a personification of the z-targeting system\Nin Ocarina of Time. Or this Lakitu, who carries
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.21,0:07:36.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the new-fangled camera in Super Mario 64.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.05,0:07:41.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or the Luma who hides in Mario's hat and shows the player when Mario's spin move is recharged.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.99,0:07:49.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In this way, gameplay needn't be abstract systems but organic parts of the game world.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.71,0:07:55.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Splatoon's producer also revealed that because\Nshooting ink is a bit like spraying graffiti,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.18,0:08:01.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the game got its punk rock music and 90s aesthetic.\NSimilarly, the only reason Super Mario Sunshine
Dialogue: 0,0:08:01.28,0:08:05.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is set on a tropical island is because the\Nwater pistol gameplay made the designers think
Dialogue: 0,0:08:05.65,0:08:07.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about summer.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.12,0:08:12.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The mechanic can even drive the narrative.\NSorry to burst your bubble but the story in
Dialogue: 0,0:08:12.72,0:08:18.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Zelda games isn't part of some grand overarching\Nnarrative but it's simply there "to bring
Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.05,0:08:23.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,out the best of the fun and interesting gameplay\Nelements", according to late Nintendo president,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.60,0:08:24.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Satoru Iwata.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.69,0:08:29.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A Link Between Worlds has a mad artist for\Nan antagonist because Nintendo needed some
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.62,0:08:35.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reason for why Link can turn into a painting.\NAnd even Ocarina of Time's beloved story came
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.11,0:08:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from a process like this. Miyamoto wanted\Nboth young and teenage Link in the same game
Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.00,0:08:45.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the writers had to come up with a time\Ntravel plot to make it happen.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:45.07,0:08:49.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This might seem like a crazy way to come up\Nwith a story, but it can help ensure that
Dialogue: 0,0:08:49.82,0:08:54.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there's a deep connection between what you\Ndo in the game, and what happens in the story.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.90,0:08:59.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Consider Yoshi's Island, which has a narrative\Nabout protecting baby Mario, and gameplay
Dialogue: 0,0:08:59.91,0:09:02.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mechanics about protecting baby Mario.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.55,0:09:08.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most developers come at the other\Nway round. They dream up stories, characters
Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.30,0:09:13.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and worlds, and then work backwards to figure\Nout what gameplay mechanics might fit. It's
Dialogue: 0,0:09:13.72,0:09:16.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no surprise that they're rarely very successful.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.28,0:09:24.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, okay, I shouldn't paint Nintendo as some\Ngame design gods and every other developer
Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.31,0:09:28.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as just getting it completely wrong. Though,\Nmaybe...
Dialogue: 0,0:09:28.18,0:09:34.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No, no. Nintendo gets it wrong sometimes.\NAnd other developers get it oh so right - indie
Dialogue: 0,0:09:34.68,0:09:38.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,developers, for example, are particularly\Ngood at building their games around unique
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.57,0:09:44.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,gameplay. And I loved how the new Doom completely\Norbits around the melee mechanic - it's at
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.18,0:09:49.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the heart of the combat system, it gives you\Nhealth, and it ties into movement. You even
Dialogue: 0,0:09:49.69,0:09:56.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,use the melee button to open doors, just like how Samus\Nopens doors by shooting them. Doom might
Dialogue: 0,0:09:56.05,0:10:00.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,be the most Nintendo game that Nintendo would\Nnever, ever make.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:00.84,0:10:05.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then you get a game like Portal, which\Nis so beautifully built one super smart bit
Dialogue: 0,0:10:05.47,0:10:10.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of interactivity that it's no surprise Miyamoto\Nhas said that game was "amazing".
Dialogue: 0,0:10:10.31,0:10:15.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because for Nintendo, the way you play a game\Nis simply more important than anything else.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.81,0:10:20.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it's not just the jumping off point for\Na new project, but every other element - the
Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.53,0:10:25.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,enemies, graphical style, locations, music,\Nstories, and characters - are picked and produced
Dialogue: 0,0:10:25.24,0:10:29.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to frame the most fundamental aspect of a\Ngame.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:29.27,0:10:34.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when every aspect of the game is suggesting\Nthe way you play it, it becomes effortless
Dialogue: 0,0:10:34.65,0:10:40.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to pick the game up and get stuck in. And\Nso this is one big reason why Nintendo's games
Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.43,0:10:44.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,often feel quite different to everything else\Non the market.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.28,0:10:50.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They're more playful and toylike than most other games.\NThey're more accessible and inviting - but no less
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.22,0:10:55.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,complex. And, quite frankly, they're some\Nof the most elegantly designed games ever
Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.32,0:11:02.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,made. And so, even after missteps and miscalculations,\Nwe're there. Ready and waiting for whatever
Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.76,0:11:06.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this iconic Japanese developer comes up with\Nnext.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:09.18,0:11:13.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hey there, thanks so much for watching. This\Nepisode was a pretty big undertaking but I
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.87,0:11:18.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hope it sheds some new light on what makes\NNintendo such a fascinating game developer.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:18.80,0:11:24.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted to say a huge thank you for helping me reach\N100,000 YouTube subscribers, and extend another
Dialogue: 0,0:11:24.84,0:11:29.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,thank you to everyone who has taken the time\Nto translate the subtitles on these videos
Dialogue: 0,0:11:29.48,0:11:31.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into other languages.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:31.18,0:11:35.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Game Maker's Toolkit is proudly funded by\Nits fans, over on Patreon. Who don't just
Dialogue: 0,0:11:35.86,0:11:40.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,get a fuzzy feeling in their tummy for helping\Nsupport independent games criticism but also
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.22,0:11:45.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tonnes of goodies like bonus videos, video\Nrecommendations, game reviews, and more. And
Dialogue: 0,0:11:45.55,0:11:51.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,those donating 5 bucks get to see their name\Nat the end of the video like... this!