Dr Rory Summerley (OE 2001-2008) is Course Director of Game Design and Development at London South Bank University. He is also a peer reviewer for Games and Culture journal and has written and lectured on a diverse range of games-related topics. Here, Rory answers our questions about the benefits and impact of gaming; the ongoing appeal of Fortnite; and setting boundaries around gaming, as well as offering advice to budding game designers.
Where did your passion for gaming come from?
When I was very young, I had a lot of friends and some older family members who liked playing games on Gameboy and PC and I got into it from watching them play or playing when I was over at their house.
Was there a specific game that you really enjoyed growing up?
Pokémon. Like many kids growing up in the ‘90s (and many more today), I was quite obsessed with the game. I liked the collectable aspect and the way the game encouraged you to think about what your favourite Pokémon were. I had a general interest in zoology that I think it catered to very well since many of the Pokémon are inspired by real animals.
If you had three pieces of advice for future game designers, what would they be?
1. Make your first 50 games as soon as possible. If you’re just starting out, you’re likely to get a lot of things wrong or make mistakes but getting these first games out of your system is the goal. By practicing game design you will get better as you reflect on what did or didn’t work.
2. Never go with your first idea. Always iterate on an idea and think about how it could be made distinct, or better before pursuing it further.
3. Have as many life experiences as possible. Travel, try new things, learn about everything. While it is also important to have an awareness of all the different kinds of games that exist, many designers are often inspired to make games that relate to experiences they’ve had in life, for example bug hunting as a young child, working as a border patrol officer, or investigating how the editorial strategy of a newspaper affects people’s perception of an issue.
What are the positive impacts of gaming for young people?
There are many positive impacts. Games provide an avenue for stress relief, they test abstract reasoning, puzzle-solving and lateral thinking skills as well as navigation using maps, waypoints and spatial awareness. Some multiplayer games offer opportunities for young people to develop team-working skills and spaces to hang out and interact with one another in novel ways.
Can you give any advice to parents who wish to set boundaries around gaming for their children?
If you don’t already, play some of the games that your child enjoys with them. You’ll get a better sense of the ebb and flow of the structure of the game and where you might naturally agree are stopping points, like between levels or after a number of matches, for instance. You’ll also understand what they value about the experience.
There are many screen time recommendations out there from various organisations that generally recommend that children before the age of 18 shouldn’t normally spend more than two hours a day with screen media (this includes computer and television use). Whatever limit you aim to impose, it should be a conversation with the child to understand why they might benefit from a range of varied activities that don’t involve a screen.
If you have multiple children, you should also consider thinking about what kinds of games they could play together or how they might share something like a games console. Setting boundaries shouldn’t feel like one child is being limited differently than the other and it’s worth understanding why they might want to engage with those media to help guide that discussion with them.
Games can play a really healthy role as a form of entertainment but public perception can sometimes be negative. How would you counter this?
People can sometimes have a negative impression of things they are less familiar with. This is somewhat related to the ‘third person effect’ where a person tends to assume that exposure to something will have negative effects on others – particularly if it is something they are unfamiliar with.
It’s worth remembering that games and play are an extremely broad realm of human activity and have been popular for millennia whether they exist in the form of folk games, competitive sports, board games, card games, video games, puzzles, and/or toys. Whilst they tend to be associated with children and childish pastimes, they are a hugely important part of culture and many world events are shaped around them, for example the Olympic Games, the FIFA World Cup, or the League of Legends World Championship. Like anything, games should not be immune to criticism but individual cases of controversies involving games should be assessed with a good understanding of their potential benefits and harms rather than tarring all games with the same brush.
Why do you believe games like Fortnite have been so successful?
The game rode an initial wave of popularity when it first launched since Battle Royale games had become very popular. I think it secured the top spot in the genre due to the fact that it was free to download and play, had a more inclusive age rating (12+) than its competition, and they did some smart cross-promotional events that continue to this day. The game sees crossovers with various intellectual property and innovates a lot in this space by holding things like virtual concerts or screenings in the game world. The game’s developers have also relentlessly released new content to keep players engaged and to have reasons to keep coming back.
Do you think streaming websites like Twitch have had a positive effect on the gaming community?
I would say streaming as a whole has generally had a positive impact. It has connected quite a lot of people together via the Internet who otherwise wouldn’t necessarily have ever communicated. Streaming has also become a very interesting form of entertainment which doesn’t only include people playing games but also chatting, sharing arts and crafts hobbies and so on.
Twitch is a popular website for streaming and is not without controversy. However, I think it has been an important part of the rise of live streaming which I think, overall, is a very exciting space in terms of where media is going.