Making a Hit Video Game: A Journey of Innovation and Perseverance
In the 1980s, the video game industry was still in its infancy, with programmers forced to teach themselves through trial and error, using techniques passed down from magazines or swapping tips with fellow developers. For Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince of Persia, this environment fueled his creative fire.
Mechner's inspiration for the game came from a mix of sources, including the 1984 film The Castles of Dr Creep, which featured puzzles and switches that opened doors and closed traps. He also drew parallels with Karateka, another side-scrolling beat-'em-up he had created earlier. However, it was the iconic opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark that truly captured his imagination – a sense of excitement and danger that made him want to create a game where players could die at any moment.
With the help of his brother David, Mechner began creating the character animations using a laborious process involving photographing still frames from a videotape, developing the images, and retouching them in black and white. It was this painstaking process that led to the creation of the game's fluid, rotoscoped animation – a technique that would become synonymous with Prince of Persia.
After years of working on the game, Mechner finally completed it, but not without some last-minute tweaks. The addition of combat mechanics, courtesy of his girlfriend Tomi Pierce, was a crucial element in freeing up memory to accommodate the sword-fighting animations and extra guards. This innovative solution allowed the game to succeed on platforms that were beginning to fall out of favor.
The release of Prince of Persia in 1989 marked a turning point for the industry, with its unique blend of puzzle-solving, platforming, and animation influencing countless games that followed – including Tomb Raider and Uncharted. The game's success was not limited to Europe and Japan; it also found an audience on PC in the US, where sales picked up after initial reviews praised its innovative gameplay.
Mechner's journey with Prince of Persia was not without challenges. He had spent years working on the game, and its eventual release provided a much-needed rescue from financial woes that had plagued him earlier. The success of Prince of Persia went on to inspire his own 3D follow-up, as well as an adaptation into a 2010 movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
The story of Prince of Persia is one of perseverance and innovation – a testament to the power of creative vision in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges.
In the 1980s, the video game industry was still in its infancy, with programmers forced to teach themselves through trial and error, using techniques passed down from magazines or swapping tips with fellow developers. For Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince of Persia, this environment fueled his creative fire.
Mechner's inspiration for the game came from a mix of sources, including the 1984 film The Castles of Dr Creep, which featured puzzles and switches that opened doors and closed traps. He also drew parallels with Karateka, another side-scrolling beat-'em-up he had created earlier. However, it was the iconic opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark that truly captured his imagination – a sense of excitement and danger that made him want to create a game where players could die at any moment.
With the help of his brother David, Mechner began creating the character animations using a laborious process involving photographing still frames from a videotape, developing the images, and retouching them in black and white. It was this painstaking process that led to the creation of the game's fluid, rotoscoped animation – a technique that would become synonymous with Prince of Persia.
After years of working on the game, Mechner finally completed it, but not without some last-minute tweaks. The addition of combat mechanics, courtesy of his girlfriend Tomi Pierce, was a crucial element in freeing up memory to accommodate the sword-fighting animations and extra guards. This innovative solution allowed the game to succeed on platforms that were beginning to fall out of favor.
The release of Prince of Persia in 1989 marked a turning point for the industry, with its unique blend of puzzle-solving, platforming, and animation influencing countless games that followed – including Tomb Raider and Uncharted. The game's success was not limited to Europe and Japan; it also found an audience on PC in the US, where sales picked up after initial reviews praised its innovative gameplay.
Mechner's journey with Prince of Persia was not without challenges. He had spent years working on the game, and its eventual release provided a much-needed rescue from financial woes that had plagued him earlier. The success of Prince of Persia went on to inspire his own 3D follow-up, as well as an adaptation into a 2010 movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
The story of Prince of Persia is one of perseverance and innovation – a testament to the power of creative vision in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Interesting how Jordan Mechner poured his heart and soul into creating Prince of Persia, it's like he was driven by a fire that couldn't be put out 
. The way he experimented with different techniques to get the animation just right is insane 
. I mean, taking still frames from a videotape and retouching them in black and white? That's some next-level dedication 
.
its like, who else was messing around with rotoscoped animation back in the day? 
and mechner's story is so inspiring, especially when you think about how much work went into creating that iconic opening scene from raiders of the lost ark. the guy basically photocopied his own face into the game lol 
anyway, it's amazing to see how prince of persia influenced so many other games and even led to a successful movie adaptation 
... I mean, it was pretty cool and all, but some of those old-school animators were already experimenting with similar techniques before him, like Hayao Miyazaki and his Studio Ghibli crew 
. He didn't have all the fancy tools we have today, but he still managed to create something so iconic and influential 
.
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plus the animation technique he used was insane - rotoscoped animation is still one of my fave things in gaming today 
. The whole process, from photographing still frames to developing the images, was super laborious... like, what if he had just given up after all those years of work? 
. But hey, innovation is all about taking risks and trying new things, right? It's cool that the game's success helped Mechner pay off his debts and go on to create more awesome stuff 
.
. Prince of Persia might have been a hit back in the day, but its influence can still be felt today – and that's something to be really proud of 
. what's next, a documentary on how 8-bit graphics worked? 
. The game's influence on the industry is still felt today, and it's crazy to think about how it all started from a dude's passion project in the 80s 
. It was a true game-changer.
IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT WITH DETERMINATION AND INNOVATIVE THINKING, YOU CAN TURN YOUR PASSION INTO A HIT GAME. I MEAN, JORDAN MECHNER COULD'VE GIVEN UP WHEN THINGS GOT TOUGH, BUT HE JUST KEPT PUSHING FORWARD AND TRIED NEW THINGS. AND THAT'S WHAT MADE PRINCE OF PERSIA SO SPECIAL - IT WASN'T JUST A GAME, IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE.