Anna Anthropy: An Interview

Anna Anthropy is certainly an intriguing individual, a person who breaks free of the constraints of modern-day gaming. Despite what some may thing of games today, there are certainly quite a lot of factors that are becoming apparent, namely that we seem to have the same type of portagonist (hetero men of manly caliber) and uninspired gameplay that doesn't really involve. That isn't to say that these games aren't fun (I'd be lying if I said I still don't have fun with Call of Duty regardless), but it's disconcerting when you realize that few people really attempt to break out of this. Anna certainly tries to do this and succeeds in spades. The interesting thing though is that in the interview, she doesn't try to focus on herself, but rather those around, and how she herself is just one amongst a huge ocean of potential game-makers.

In the interview, she talks about her experiences, many of which are outlined in the book, and how they relate to the idea of getting out there to make something new. She talks about how conventions in big corporate gaming are somewhat crushing the spirit of what can make it great, including her own experiences as to why she went into independent gaming. She talks about another person who had a similar experience to try and relate to others, such as the story of someone who contacted her, saying how depressed he was that his new job prevented him from creating his own properties because it "promoted competition within the company."

Another interesting concept she brought about the independent gaming world was the idea of goals in terms of money verses accomplishment. She basically argues how within the corporate world, the idea of making a "masterpiece" is somewhat gone, as the company has to act based on profit, and how it somewhat limits quality and performance. She then contrasts this compared to those she's seen online, who work on hours on end, speaking not of money, but of pride in their work, and how much more inspiring it is.

She uses these ideas to inspire anyone to make games, showing that you don't need a budget or a huge set of people to make something; all a person really needs is idea, passion, and practice. She admits that she herself did something similar, adding games based on freeware programs to her portfolio. She also goes as far to say that those who are "different" from "normal society" can probably go further, as they have a greater sense of freedom and ideas. I'd be inclined to agree; those who aren't bound by conventions in life can find ways to break them in art and make something revolutionary.