Discussion: what game developer (past or present) would you most want to visit/meet?

All the games we love wouldn’t exist without the teams or individuals who have slogged hours on end to make them come to life. This week, we’re interested to know: what game developer would you most want to meet (or visit)?

Xairylle: Squaresoft. Not Square-Enix. Squaresoft or simply, Square. Actually, one of the farfetched dreams I had when I was in high school (aside from building my own Gundam) was to work for Square. I had a weird emotional attachment to Final Fantasy at that time and I fancied on learning how everything was done. And I don’t mean technical like programming and art design although those things are cool, too. In fact, Square was one of the reasons I took up Computer Engineering, but looking back now, I’m more concerned and interested with the meetings and the brainstorming.

I want to know what kind of people who made the game that contributed a lot to my youth. How do you people come up with these things? What were the ideas that were ditched? What happens to these ditched ideas? What was it like when a bunch of creative people come together? Although I know these things happen in all game development studios out there, but my attachment to Square’s Final Fantasy makes it all the more—how do I put this—”intriguing” to me.

Mary-Anne: Blizzard Entertainment. I’d like to see the museum at the front, walk through that epic office, and ogle at all the storyboards. I’d like to do a lot more than all that, actually, but like most fangirls/fanboys I’m at a loss for words when you ask what I actually want to see. Blizzard games have featured very heavily in my life, starting from age four till now, and I’ve recently begun contemplating ditching my Wildstar subscription for Azeroth once more, even though I know I’ll just go in, check Org out, then AFK out and not log in for the rest of the month. I’d love to just visit and have a standard studio tour, and perhaps get an autograph from Chris Metzen and Samwise Didier and I’m going to stop thinking about it now before I start crying.

Iain: Black Isle Studios. Without a doubt the games of Black Isle Studios have taken up more of my time than any other developer, ever, Black Isle developed my all time favorite game Planescape: Torment but also created Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and of course Fallout. Its games were never the most beautiful but the imagination behind them was staggering, the worlds were all encompassing, and the characters incredibly rich. I want to meet minds that can create a barbarian who believes his pet hamster is a trans-dimensional space hamster!

“Go for the eyes Boo, go for the eyes!”

Charlie: Irrational Games. Alas, the studio died earlier this year, so visiting them at this point would require a time machine, but I’d really love to have been around for the early design phases of both System Shock and the original Bioshock to see how things came together. It’s rare that games get story and gameplay right at the same time, not to mention stories and gameplay that mesh together so well. And while neither game was perfect, I’d still love to have been there to see what their magic formula was for getting these games to turn out so well.

Rishi: Ion Storm. The guys responsible for both Deus Ex and Daikatana. I’d love to see what happened when it came to making those games. They’re polar opposites in terms of critical appeal. Which is why I’d kill for a way to go back in time and be a fly on the wall while Warren Spector marshalled his troops to put Deus Ex together. And while I’m at it, a mind reading device to see what was going through John Romero’s brain while making Daikatana.

Jing: Blizzard. The world has come to expect only the highest quality games from them, and so far it’s an expectation they’ve always been able to meet. Being able to see first-hand how that’s done and learning more about their company culture would be a great experience.
Plus, as a huge fan of eSports and MOBAs, I’m hoping to get some Heroes of the Storm swag and possibly some inside information!

How about you?

(Image sources: 1, 2, 3)