Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure- Marc Ecko
Added 04/06/2006 by coolp
It's no secret that the gaming industry is one rife with controversy, a controversy that goes back to the days of Doom and has been increasing ever since. Well, it seems the latest political lightning-rod has turned out to be none other than a grafitti game. Read on as we chat with Marc Ecko about the development process of Getting Up and his thoughts on the future of the gaming industry.
1) When you heard about the Getting Up project, what was your first impression of it? Were you worried that a game about graffiti could wind up being too gimmicky?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: I have been heavily involved in the entire development project since originally conceiving the idea for “Getting Up” over seven years ago. I was the one naively trying to get meetings with publishers in the middle of E3, bargaining my way into their headquarters, and eventually solidifying deals with Atari and the Collective to make it happen. Over the last 3 years, I’ve played the role of writer, executive producer and also creative director.
I was never worried about the graffiti aspect of the game being cheesy or gimmicky, and to be honest I had to fight several times during the development process to make sure that didn’t happen, especially in the early stages when the character renders were much more cartoon-like and the action featured Trane, the lead character, flipping through the air with flames shooting out of his feet.
It was always our intent to make sure we stayed true to the nuances of graf culture, going as far as to bring in numerous well-known graf writers as consultants, while balancing that realism with fun and progressive gameplay mechanics. Obviously I am not a programmer so it was crucial that the crew at The Collective could craft what I envisioned for the game. I am obsessed with games and was dying to make the kind of game I wanted to play.
1) When you heard about the Getting Up project, what was your first impression of it? Were you worried that a game about graffiti could wind up being too gimmicky?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: I have been heavily involved in the entire development project since originally conceiving the idea for “Getting Up” over seven years ago. I was the one naively trying to get meetings with publishers in the middle of E3, bargaining my way into their headquarters, and eventually solidifying deals with Atari and the Collective to make it happen. Over the last 3 years, I’ve played the role of writer, executive producer and also creative director.
I was never worried about the graffiti aspect of the game being cheesy or gimmicky, and to be honest I had to fight several times during the development process to make sure that didn’t happen, especially in the early stages when the character renders were much more cartoon-like and the action featured Trane, the lead character, flipping through the air with flames shooting out of his feet.
It was always our intent to make sure we stayed true to the nuances of graf culture, going as far as to bring in numerous well-known graf writers as consultants, while balancing that realism with fun and progressive gameplay mechanics. Obviously I am not a programmer so it was crucial that the crew at The Collective could craft what I envisioned for the game. I am obsessed with games and was dying to make the kind of game I wanted to play.
2) How do you prevent a game about a topic like graffiti from being gimmicky?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: Hopefully I addressed that above. This is the extreme full-contact sport of graffiti, not a simulator. And now that we’ve planted our flag in the ground, I’m excited to see where we can take it with the next gen consoles.
3) Looking at a physical art medium such as graffiti, how does one translate that into a game from a design perspective?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: Our goal was to make a cool third person adventure game that incorporated graffiti in a respectable way. Because of that, graf played an integral role in how the game was created, from environment design to character physics. For example, you need to tag a specific spot, how do avoid the security forces and climb up the building to hit it? “Getting Up” explores all of that while teaching the risks and rewards involved in meeting your objectives.
In other games you don't have to "think" like a graf artist. Navigating the underground. Scaling the face of buildings. Evading enemies and stealthing. To me...that's all graf. This game and its narrative were designed to bring those various pillars of gameplay together so that it’s not just about the paint on the wall.
4) Lately there has been a whirlwind of controversy around games in general, and yourself in particular with the release of Getting Up. As an individual taking the full brunt of that controversy, how do you feel The Collective and the game industry at large can better deal with that controversy?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: It’s really getting old, isn’t it? It just amazes me that there are politicians out there who simply don’t understand that this is, at its core, entertainment, and that there can be games for adults. It’s troubling that some people believe that if someone plays a “Mature” rated game, they are then going to go out tag a building or go postal. People play games to do things that can’t do in real life – not to train themselves to be a mercenary…It’s just silly.
I’m not sure what the best way is for the game industry to handle the seemingly never ending controversy in the mainstream press…I personally don’t believe in standing idle while a bunch of talking heads take potshots. My frankness and willingness to address controversy head-on may not be the way it has traditionally been done, but I would argue that those who stay quiet are fooling themselves if they thing the issue will simply go away. If the media or some politician wants to demonize games, I think at the very least there should be a dialogue.
5) In what ways do you hope to see the graphical horsepower of next-generation consoles harnessed? What kind of improvements in gameplay do you hope to see?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: I’ll be honest, I’m more concern with the addictiveness of a game than the graphics. I have been paying more DS games than Xbox 360 ones lately, because they are simply impossible to put down. But that said, I’ll drool over graphics as much as the next guy, like Call of Duty 2 on Xbox 360…that game is insanely entertaining and the gameplay is fantastic. I hope with the technological improvements of the new consoles that we see not only amazing visuals, but new ways to play. I’m genuinely intrigued by what the Revolution is trying to do with the new controller. I have also been paying a lot of attention to the games popping up on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade. I love just seeing new ideas, even if on a small scale. And of course, when it comes to the horsepower and tech of the new systems, I am obsessed with the evolution of MMO games! It’s something me and my gaming division are watching very closely.
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Thanks Marc!
MARC ECKO REPLIES: Hopefully I addressed that above. This is the extreme full-contact sport of graffiti, not a simulator. And now that we’ve planted our flag in the ground, I’m excited to see where we can take it with the next gen consoles.
3) Looking at a physical art medium such as graffiti, how does one translate that into a game from a design perspective?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: Our goal was to make a cool third person adventure game that incorporated graffiti in a respectable way. Because of that, graf played an integral role in how the game was created, from environment design to character physics. For example, you need to tag a specific spot, how do avoid the security forces and climb up the building to hit it? “Getting Up” explores all of that while teaching the risks and rewards involved in meeting your objectives.
In other games you don't have to "think" like a graf artist. Navigating the underground. Scaling the face of buildings. Evading enemies and stealthing. To me...that's all graf. This game and its narrative were designed to bring those various pillars of gameplay together so that it’s not just about the paint on the wall.
4) Lately there has been a whirlwind of controversy around games in general, and yourself in particular with the release of Getting Up. As an individual taking the full brunt of that controversy, how do you feel The Collective and the game industry at large can better deal with that controversy?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: It’s really getting old, isn’t it? It just amazes me that there are politicians out there who simply don’t understand that this is, at its core, entertainment, and that there can be games for adults. It’s troubling that some people believe that if someone plays a “Mature” rated game, they are then going to go out tag a building or go postal. People play games to do things that can’t do in real life – not to train themselves to be a mercenary…It’s just silly.
I’m not sure what the best way is for the game industry to handle the seemingly never ending controversy in the mainstream press…I personally don’t believe in standing idle while a bunch of talking heads take potshots. My frankness and willingness to address controversy head-on may not be the way it has traditionally been done, but I would argue that those who stay quiet are fooling themselves if they thing the issue will simply go away. If the media or some politician wants to demonize games, I think at the very least there should be a dialogue.
5) In what ways do you hope to see the graphical horsepower of next-generation consoles harnessed? What kind of improvements in gameplay do you hope to see?
MARC ECKO REPLIES: I’ll be honest, I’m more concern with the addictiveness of a game than the graphics. I have been paying more DS games than Xbox 360 ones lately, because they are simply impossible to put down. But that said, I’ll drool over graphics as much as the next guy, like Call of Duty 2 on Xbox 360…that game is insanely entertaining and the gameplay is fantastic. I hope with the technological improvements of the new consoles that we see not only amazing visuals, but new ways to play. I’m genuinely intrigued by what the Revolution is trying to do with the new controller. I have also been paying a lot of attention to the games popping up on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade. I love just seeing new ideas, even if on a small scale. And of course, when it comes to the horsepower and tech of the new systems, I am obsessed with the evolution of MMO games! It’s something me and my gaming division are watching very closely.
--
Thanks Marc!
