Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai has started a new YouTube channel called “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games.” Check out the latest batch of uploaded content via the embedded video below:
M: Grab Bag 2 (Category Compilation) #10～#14
In Category M: Grab Bag, you never know what you’re going to get. Here, we delve into topics that don’t quite fit neatly into the other categories—though the conversations still largely revolve around games. Check it out and see what you think!
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 M-10 Competing with the Past
3:07 M-11 Games and Eye Strain
5:51 M-12 Mastering Up
8:21 M-13 The Family Computer (and the NES)
14:06 M-14 Development Secrets of the Original Kirby
K: Programming & Tech 2 (Category Compilation) #06～#09
In Category K: Programming & Tech, I cover topics involving game programming and data. I’ve done my best to keep things simple for general audiences.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 K-06 Knockback in Super Smash Bros.
3:27 K-07 How Multiple People Work on One File
6:04 K-08 Debug Mode
8:45 K-09 Transparency Features
J: UI 2 (Category Compilation) #09～#15
In Category J: User Interface (“UI” for short), I explain the menus, information, and other displays shown on-screen during a game.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 J-09 I Want to Choose Fast!
2:57 J-10 Let Them Skip, Let Them Pause
5:16 J-11 Button Settings
8:33 J-12 Advancing Text
11:27 J-13 Adding Help Text to Menus
13:56 J-14 Making Things Clear, Even Without Words
16:26 J-15 HUDs
I: Audio 2 (Category Compilation) #08～#14
In Category I: Audio, I go over topics regarding sound in games. This includes music, sound effects, voices—everything.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 I-08 The Original Piece is Always Right
6:53 I-09 Strong Attack, Light Reverb
9:51 I-10 Giving Feedback for Sound Effects
12:49 I-11 Balancing Ambient Sounds
14:48 I-12 Using Other Songs for Audio Reference
17:43 I-13 Famicom and NES Audio
23:57 I-14 No Masterpiece Has Bad Audio
H: Effects 2 (Category Compilation) #07～#11
In Category H: Effects, I discuss some of the myriad special effects used in games. These are the kinds of visuals whose true value can be seen when in motion.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 H-07 Billboards
2:15 H-08 Blade Trails
6:11 H-09 Making Effects the Right Size
8:11 H-10 Flashing Effects
12:19 H-11 The Limitations of Particle Effects
G: Animation 2 (Category Compilation) #10～#18
In Category G: Animation, I share some of the tricks we use to animate characters and other elements in video games.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 G-10 Damage Animations
4:20 G-11 The Perils of Interpolation
8:38 G-12 Facial Animations
10:57 G-13 Flipped Animation
13:56 G-14 Animation Blending
16:58 G-15 Portraying Fingers
19:07 G-16 Always Keep Attack Collision in Mind
21:44 G-17 The Limitations of Skeletons
24:52 G-18 Rotation on Two Axes
F: Graphics 2 (Category Compilation) #07～#13
In Category F: Graphics, I explain what goes into making art for games. Rather than sharing tool tutorials and the like, I offer practical points to consider when creating game visuals.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 F-07 The Basics of Pixel Art
3:05 F-08 Unifying Visual Style
5:47 F-09 A Fight Between Live Action and Animation
10:14 F-10 Do Graphics Impact Fun?
13:01 F-11 Odds and Ends of Supervising
24:50 F-12 Making Things Look Miniature
27:15 F-13 Dealing With Color Disparity
[Playlist F: Graphics]
• [F: Graphics]
E: Team Management 2 (Category Compilation) #08～#15
In Category E: Team Management, I offer strategies for managing dev teams smoothly. As games are often a team effort, this information should prove useful.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 E-08 Making Games as Part of a Company
3:46 E-09 Finish Everything Within the Day
6:48 E-10 Don’t Put Decisions Off
9:16 E-11 Bug Testing Systems
13:32 E-12 Play Testing Keeps Going
17:02 E-13 Directors and Producers
21:02 E-14 Elementary School Play Testers
23:09 E-15 A Director’s Job is to Trim
[Playlist E: Team Management]
• [E: Team Management]
D: Design Specifics 2 (Category Compilation) #09～#18
In Category D: Design Specifics, I talk in-depth about systems and mechanics used in games. There’s some occasional crossover with the Planning & Game Design category, but I tend to examine the topics here in greater detail.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 D-09 Maps Are Game Screens, Too
2:35 D-10 Unexpected Results
6:36 D-11 Flick Input
9:01 D-12 Teaching Players How to Play
11:17 D-13 Randomness Spices Games Up
15:09 D-14 Handicap Systems
18:45 D-15 Average and Mediocre Are the Same Thing
22:20 D-16 Online Updates
26:15 D-17 Speedy Screen Transitions
28:53 D-18 What Happens When You Shift the Center of Gravity?
C: Planning & Game Design 2 (Category Compilation) #10～#18
In Category C: Planning & Game Design, I talk about topics to consider when coming up with game ideas and mechanics. These are good things to keep in mind when thinking of new game concepts.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 C-10 Making Tutorials Feel Natural
3:06 C-11 Praise the Player!
5:37 C-12 Don’t Be Unresponsive
8:10 C-13 Game Writing is Unique
11:45 C-14 The Fun in Picking Sides
14:13 C-15 Motion Sickness in 3D Games
17:35 C-16 Staying Organized with Hierarchical Outlines
19:56 C-17 Planning Your Game’s Rewards
25:04 C-18 Avoiding Comparison
[Playlist C: Planning & Game Design]
• [C: Planning & Game Design]
B: Game Essence 2 (Category Compilation) #07～#15
In Category B: Game Essence, I define “game essence” as risk and reward, and explore how it impacts the push and pull at the heart of games.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 B-07 Falling Sells the Feeling of Flight
2:41 B-08 Do We Really Need Enemies?
5:57 B-09 Consider Rewards First
8:37 B-10 Do Competitive Games Have to Be Complex?
12:36 B-11 Game Essence in Falling-Block Puzzle Games
15:21 B-12 Dying Comes as a Relief?
17:45 B-13 Mountain Climbing Is More Than Just Climbing
20:21 B-14 Make Retries Quick
23:13 B-15 Is Your Game Appealing Enough to Start Over?
[Playlist B: Game Essence]
• [B: Game Essence]
A: Work Ethic 2 (Category Compilation) #11～#20
In Category A: Work Ethic, I talk about the ways we approach and prepare for our jobs. The topics in this category apply to all lines of work, not just game development.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 A-11 Don’t Rely on a “Plan B”
2:14 A-12 Branching Tastes
6:18 A-13 Broad Input, Broad Output
8:36 A-14 Keep Your Internal Pressure High
11:17 A-15 The Majority Shouldn’t Always Rule
13:52 A-16 The Power of Suggestion
16:21 A-17 Staying True to Your Concept
19:15 A-18 Competition and Abundance
22:36 A-19 Say It, and It Might Come True
25:20 A-20 Echo Chambers
[Playlist A: Work Ethic]
• [A: Work Ethic]
L: Marketing 1 (Category Compilation) #01～#07
In Category L: Marketing, I discuss strategies for getting the word out about your game. No matter how good your game is, it may as well not exist if people don’t know about it.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:12 L-1Marketing is Multiplicative
3:36 L-2 Paint an Accurate Picture of Your Game
6:54 L-3 Game Demos
10:34 L-4 Official Websites
15:25 L-5 Fighter Reveal Videos
22:02 L-6 Show the Actual Game!
24:30 L-7 Playing Games in Front of Other People
[Playlist L: Marketing]
• [L: Marketing]
N: Game Concepts 1 (Category Compilation) #01～#05
In Category N: Game Concepts, I look back at how I came up with the ideas for each of the games I worked on, in release order. Rather than sharing anecdotes from development, I’ve chosen to focus on the inspirations and thought processes behind their creation.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 N-1 Kirby’s Dream Land
5:27 N-2 Kirby’s Adventure
11:20 N-3 Kirby Super Star
18:56 N-4 Super Smash Bros.
27:25 N-5 Super Smash Bros. Melee
[Playlist N: Game Concepts]
• [N: Game Concepts]
K: Programming & Tech 1 (Category Compilation) #01～#05
In Category K: Programming & Tech, I cover topics involving game programming and data. I’ve done my best to keep things simple for general audiences.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:12 K-1 Name Files Logically
5:01 K-2 Making Your Game Easy to Tune
8:58 K-3 Put Parameters in Brackets
13:59 K-4 Using Tickets to Manage Tasks
17:14 K-5 Family BASIC
[Playlist K: Programming & Tech]
• [K: Programming & Tech]
J: UI 1 (Category Compilation) #01～#08
In Category J: User Interface (“UI” for short), I explain the menus, information, and other displays shown on-screen during a game.
[Index]
0:00 Opening
0:11 J-1Clarity vs. Style
3:30 J-2 Text Size
6:27 J-3 Modern Quality of Life Features
17:45 J-4 Loading Screens
20:09 J-5 Emphasizing Text
22:45 J-6 Menus Define Your World
24:44 J-7 Color-Coding Your Game
27:07 J-8 Make Important Elements Bigger
[Playlist J: UI]
• [J: UI]
Up is Down, and Down is Up [Work Ethic]
This final video belongs to the Work Ethic category, in which I’ve shared my thoughts on how you can best approach your professional life.
And with that…this channel’s planned content is now complete!
I hope you’ll join me in the near future for the special finale episode. Thank you all so much for watching!
A Director’s Job is to Trim [Team Management]
In my many years working as a game director, I’ve learned that making compromises and resolving problems are even more important aspects of the job than creation.
By the way, this is the final video in the Team Management category! We’re now at three episodes to go, including this one.
No Masterpiece Has Bad Audio [Audio]
I believe very strongly in the title of this video. As such, I’d say it’s absolutely worth making your game’s sound a top priority.
By the way, this is the final video in the Audio category!
Give Yourself a Handicap When Balancing Your Game [Game Essence]
Game developers are intimately familiar with the games they’re working on, so it can be easy to lose sight of ways in which first-time players might struggle. Try to make sure this doesn’t happen to you!
By the way, this is the final video in the Game Essence category!
What Happens When You Shift the Center of Gravity? [Design Specifics]
Let’s say you want an object to fly from left to right across the screen. That’s easy to implement, but that’s exactly why it’s important to think of ways to change things up a little!
By the way, this is the final video in the Design Specifics category!
About This Channel
Join me as I kick off my new channel, “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games,” with an overview of the kinds of things I’ll be talking about.
Why am I making a channel, exactly?
You’ll find out in this video.
Source: Masahiro Sakurai
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