Why do I want to do Game Design?

I honestly cannot think of a reason that I wouldn't want to do game design, as vague an initial answer as that might be.

I've wanted to do something creative for a long time. Since I was a child, I have been thinking up worlds, scenarios and characters in my head, albeit without an appropriate context to actually put those ideas into, that is. I was introduced to the Mega Drive some time in 1996, and the PS1 (Or PSX, whichever) in 1998, and I found these to be a creative sink of a sort.

I had read a lot of books when I was a child because of school, and it was apparent that I was ahead of my peers in terms of literacy development, reading titles such as The Dark is Rising at around six years of age. Whilst I can only vaguely remember the title and nothing of the book itself, I'm sure it was reading it and along with watching films such as Star Wars and Toy Story, and animé like Akira, Mobile Suit Gundam and Pokémon at this age that helped shape my creative side.

Up until realising that not all games were one-offs and instead were sometimes in series, I had thought that games were made in a completely different fashion; devoid of story, nearly none based in an imaginative world. That was until I came across wipEout. To a child who had no understanding of the story behind Streets of Rage, Golden Axe and Sonic to name a few, a racing series like this was a breath of fresh air. The music, the design and the gameplay are all those that still stick in my mind to this day.

Most won't see what is so special about this game, but to me, this was or rather,  is my childhood.

However, back then, I still didn't know what a good story could be, but that changed when my dad brought home Metal Gear Solid.

Suffice it to say, this game showed me narrative like none before it. The plot wasn't something a four year-old could truly understand, but what I could understand astounded me. Kojima had effectively broke the creative shell that had kept me from really thinking about the why, as well as what and who. 

Gray Fox. As a child who had never seen anything like this, it was like seeing a picture of another planet for the first time.

Because of that game, I wanted to work in this industry completely, my eagerness building after every anticipated release. Not much has changed since then, but I also have a more 'political' reason to get involved as well.

I don't like the direction the industry is heading in. Giants like EA are giving it a bad name, short-changing customers and running what made it great into the ground. The situation isn't going to improve, either, especially now that bigger companies from outside this medium, who have no idea what games are and how to make a good one, are starting to get involved.

In this respect, I think independent developers are the better half of the industry. Naturally, there are a lot of good AAA titles and developers, but with more publishers like EA and Activision roaming the market, it'll quickly become apparent that they are not responsible enough to be classed as the driving force behind the industry. Those two companies don't have much to lose if one person doesn't like their product, and since people are inclined to buy what they like, even if it's not up to any standard, it won't stop soon, either. 

Independent developers can hardly afford to eat most of the time. Because of this, they recognise the needs and wants of every customer that buys their product. They wouldn't withold on-disc content to sell again later, or punish those who don't play online and can't afford the usual ~£40 asking price for a new title. Nor would they shut down valuable and prestigious studios and terminate nearly everyone working there without due process. As sensationalist as it may seem, the customers have to show those two companies how to do things right.

The average customer can make a change by not paying for these products, but not conducting piracy either. Independent developers should get more attention than they do already, and as nobody wants the industry to fall down completely, more people should help the independent developers, and maybe become them themselves.

In essence: if I want something done right, I should do it myself!