\u201cDo what you love, and the money will come\u201d: it\u2019s a positive affirmation for creative people everywhere, and Shaw-han Liem is proof that it\u2019s true. Of course, in his case it didn\u2019t hurt that the result of his work was a cool new product to bring to a billion-dollar market.<\/p>\n
Liem and his business partner, Jonathan Mak, are the core creative team behind Sound Shapes<\/em>, a video game developed for the Sony PlayStation and Sony Vita gaming platforms. It\u2019s unique in its musical focus: the object is to clear levels and \u201cworlds\u201d like a traditional game, but every move triggers changes to a constantly evolving rhythmic soundtrack. Players can even design their own levels and share them online. It\u2019s hard to describe\u2014the game trailer at soundshapesgame.com helps.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were basically working nights and weekends, trying ideas and putting together prototypes,\u201d Liem says. \u201cWe applied for a production grant from the Ontario Media Development Corporation and got it, which allowed me to quit my job and for us to work together full-time. At this point, Sound Shapes<\/em> didn\u2019t exist yet\u2014the idea would happen a year later.\u201d<\/p>\n This bare-bones arrangement\u2014Liem says the grant covered only basic living expenses, and that \u201ca lot of KFC and Chinese food was eaten\u201d\u2014highlights the difference between independent (\u201cindie\u201d) game developers and the mainstream industry, where franchises like Call of Duty<\/em> and Madden NFL<\/em> employ thousands and outearn the biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Indie developers generally work alone or in small teams to pursue their vision, and then make deals with larger companies to help get their games into wide release.<\/p>\n Once Liem and Mak successfully pitched Sound Shapes<\/em> to Sony at the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, the project moved from the drawing board to development\u2014and the pair were suddenly in business. \u201cTechnically I was the first employee of Queasy Games [Mak\u2019s existing company] for this project,\u201d says Liem. \u201cHowever, Jon and I did all the hiring together, and manage the studio together.\u201d Adding more staff was crucial as Sound Shapes<\/em> gathered steam. \u201cDuring the last year or so, we started ramping up. We had five people on the team going into E3 2011. After that, the response was so great that we went into overdrive adding new content and features. At the high point there were 15 people working on the project,\u201d says Liem.<\/p>\n Sony\u2019s support aside, Liem and Queasy rely on the tight-knit Toronto indie gaming community for both technical assistance and encouragement. \u201cWe\u2019re a small business that works within a community of like-minded companies… Capy Games is the same office building as us, and are good friends.\u201d<\/p>\n With Capy\u2019s Sword and Sworcery<\/em>, another musically minded title, being released to acclaim in 2012, Liem admits to some friendly competition. \u201cIn another industry, it may be normal to hope all your competitors fail, but in the indie game scene, in Toronto at least, it\u2019s exactly the opposite,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re all friends and hang out outside of work with the other studios we know, and share expertise and advice.\u201d<\/p>\n For now, Liem and Queasy are working to support Sound Shapes<\/em> while considering their next move: \u201cWe\u2019re doing things like fixing problems that come up and working on new content that people will be able to download and play in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would say the best advice is something that seems obvious: make games,\u201d says Liem to those interested in getting into the gaming industry. \u201cSpend all your time making games, learning everything you can, and following all your crazy ideas. It will make you more attractive to potential employers if you want to join a company, or get you closer to making something truly innovative and great, if you want to go into business for yourself. And either way, you\u2019ll have a lot of fun in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n By Simon Osborne<\/p>\n Simon Osborne is the manager editor of Career Options<\/em>.<\/p>\n For more information, please visit: soundshapesgame.com<\/a>, theesa.ca<\/a>, careeroptionsmagazine.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cDo what you love, and the money will come\u201d: it\u2019s a positive affirmation for creative people everywhere, and Shaw-han Liem is proof that it\u2019s true. 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\nSound Shapes<\/em> has won rave reviews at high-profile gamer events such as E3, an annual global trade show in Los Angeles, and from critics since its release in summer 2012. But the real satisfaction, Liem says, has been seeing an audience build up around the game. \u201cWithin the first month of launch, our users had created over 10,000 unique levels and songs, sharing them through our online community. To us, that\u2019s a huge success!\u201d
\nBut this payoff was a long way off when Liem, an electronic musician with several albums as I Am Robot and Proud, and Mak, a game developer who had previously partnered with Sony for his first title, Everyday Shooter<\/em>, first began working together in Toronto in 2007.<\/p>\n
\nSecuring the deal meant new responsibilities. \u201cI came onto the project because of my musical background,\u201d says Liem. \u201cBut over the years Jon and I have also had to learn the ropes of running a game studio, so in that capacity I also handle things like scheduling, project management, meetings with publishers, managing artists and programmers.\u201d<\/p>\n