Indie Dev Interview with Lauri Paakinaho

Indie games have a special place in my heart. I started my gaming journey on the Game Boy Colour and cheap titles on my laptop at the time. Being an indie developer is no easy task, most struggle to make a profit and releases can be very hit and miss. Yet if you take the time to turn away from the eye candy of the triple A titles the games industry has to offer, you can be entertained by countless little gems. 

Today we have an interview with Lauri Paakinaho, the one man army that is Woblyware. Due to my love of Devious Dungeon I felt the need to interview him on his experiences and inspirations. 

Many in the VP community seek to work their way into some avenue of the games industry so I hope this interview is as helpful and inspiring as I found it.  


Q: Having created a range of indie titles what would you say has beenyour favourite project that you have worked on so far and why?
A: I'd have to say Omega Strike is my personal favorite. It's the
biggest game I ever made and put the most effort into. To me it feels
like the most complete game I've made.

Omega Strike

Q: I loved the character and level design across all of your games. Whatinspires you to create such vibrantly cute worlds?
A: It's just a style I like a lot. From all the inspiration I've took
from other artist, this kind of style always looked great in my opinion
and eventually my own art style developed in the same direction.

Q: In your time as both a gamer and a creator is there any other Indietitles that have inspired you?
A: Yes, several games have inspired me along the way such as Spelunky,
Mercenary Kings and many many smaller games like old flash games.

Spelunky by Derek Yu

Mercenary Kings by Tribute Games

Q: What were the biggest obstacles you faced being an indie developer and how did you overcome them?
A: I work mostly alone, so the biggest problem is making games that are
good enough to stand among all the other games that are coming out. It's
really hard to make a living as an indie dev and you never know if your
project will be profitable. But somehow after 10 years I'm still doing
this for a living so maybe I'm just extra lucky hehe.

Q: Do you have any advice for budding games designers out there?

A: Start small and try to finish projects. It's fairly easy to get your
game released on the App Store or Steam these days and even though the
game may not make much money, it will look good on your resume if you're
looking for a job in the games industry.

Q: And finally do we have a new game on the horizon to look forward to?

A: I've been working on a game called Royal Frontier which is a turn
based roguelite. It should be coming out later this year or maybe next
year.

The Last of Us: Gamevnom

The Last of Us by Gamevnom

Despite being a relatively new account on Instagram, Gamevnom aka Sebastian pulls no punches. His shots are vivid, bright and full of impact. Even in a dark and sinister game like The Last of Us, he injects with life and colour, capturing the vibrancy of the game and yet retaining the gritty drama.

The Last of Us by Gamevnom

I recommend Sebastian's work for anyone who is into decent and diverse virtual photography. Having only started his account in May he is one to watch as I am sure we have plenty more beauty to come. Click here to see more on his account.

The Last of Us by Gamevnom

Ghost Runner: Threshold Kid

"In the ashes of a broken and chaotic world, life is cheap and death is always around the corner. It’s here, in this bleak and miserable existence, that a cyber-warrior must struggle to avoid a bloody end and navigate through the remains of a once-great civilization. A massive tower houses the survivors of the apocalypse and it’s up to you to reveal the mystery…" - From the games Steam description

Despite being a blogger, I am not too up with new releases. My domain is the virtual photography community. The Threshold Kid came to me a long time ago with his excitement of Ghost Runner. Not only did he follow its updates and the demo's release but also took a huge amount of shots from it. 

Aimar's greatest skill in his virtual photography is his tenacity to persist despite the hurdles in his path. Ghost Runner like so many other games Aimar shoots from, has no photo mode. Yet this did not stop him persisting. 

It is this rich persistence that has led to these beautiful gritty, dystopian shots. They showcase the game wonderfully and just from a glance, you get a feel for the environment and world the protagonist inhabits. 

While his work is always vibrant, expressive and colourful this handful of shots really showcases his editing and brings both light and dark into a perfect homogeneity. 

For more of Threshold Kid's work check out his Instagram here.

Days Gone Week: Alexiou90

Over at The Broken Road it is Days Gone Week. Here on VP Vibrancy I am hosting a showcase of virtual photographers Days Gone work.

In this showcase we have the shots of Alexiou90. His virtual photography often focuses on dynamic movement and action throughout a variety of photo mode games. In between these can be seen some shots of emotive portraiture, for more of his work check out his Instagram page here.