Crafting dreams pixel by pixel
As young as four, Harith Liew vividly recalls the moment he first gripped a game controller, embarking on a journey into a realm beyond his imagination.
Interestingly, the first game etched in his memory was Puzzle Bobble, internationally recognised as Bust-A-Move, a 1994 tile-matching puzzle arcade game.
“After that, I basically just picked up whatever games we had lying around the house,” shared the now 24-year-old Bruneian, reflecting on the origins of his passion for games.
During those years, he would stealthily venture into the living room to indulge in games like Kingdom Hearts 2 or find solace under a blanket on school nights, fully immersed in the virtual worlds of Monster Hunter or Pokémon.
Games have been an integral part of his life since those early years. Some might argue that it was then fate guiding him to the other side of the world, where he became a game developer, heading his own game development studio in the United States (US).
Harith is one of five founders of Mergician Productions, based in New York City, and for the past five months, the independent studio has been on a mission to launch their debut game Stellarune.
Harith spent the first 11 years of his life in the Sultanate before embarking on a new chapter in Singapore with his family.
He called Singapore home until the age of 19, after which he ventured to the US to pursue his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at New York University (NYU).
STARTED AS A DREAM
Despite harbouring a deep love for video games, Harith’s journey into game development didn’t begin right away. His academic background in art and theatre persisted throughout his schooling in Singapore, even extending to higher-level Theatre during the International Baccalaureate (IB).
“The experiences evolved into an art portfolio that initially led me into the production design programme (in NYU). Subsequently, that portfolio opened the door to the game design program,” he continued.
According to the emerging game developer the programme explored a diverse range of game types, including video games, tabletop games, and board games – delving into anything considered a game in pop culture.
“As we progress through the programme and complete the foundational requirements, covering areas like learning game engines, UI design, game art, and project management,” he explained.
The culmination of the programme is the capstone experience during their final year, where the students are given unrestricted creative freedom to make or develop anything they desire.
This marked the inception of their debut game and quite likely the true initiation of his journey as a game developer. He alongside, his fellow founders proceeded to hit the ground running.
NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE
“We initially began prototyping the game in January of this year, but it was more of an experimental phase – still in the early stages of development, without a clear direction.
“It was more about having fun rather than serious development, unlike the focused approach we have now.”
The prototype literally started with a piece of paper on the ground, as Harith and his business partners attempted to conceptualise the game-defining its essence, narrative, and visual aesthetics. The transition to digital form began in earnest around February or March.
“We graduated in May, and after that, decided to continue working on the project. Since then, we’ve been working on it part-time. Our team consists mostly of recent graduates still searching for jobs.”
Currently in its alpha build, the game features blend of rogue-like and deck-building elements with a narrative centred on the protagonist, Stella, and the core game mechanics of casting spells, or in the game’s case, runes.
“The term ‘rogue-like’ implies a progression system involving repetition and advancement through deaths, and while that holds true for our game, the core mechanic revolves around tile-based movement and spellcasting using dice.
“Our central mechanic is largely in place, so the next step involves programming our game loop, essentially defining the overarching progression from start to end,” he said.
Harith recently made a pitstop at Gamescom Asia 2023, a popular gaming event in Singapore. It was one of many gaming gatherings he participated in over the past year, each with the hope of sparking interest in their debut game and maybe, with a bit of luck, secure some much-needed support.
Prior to this, Harith attended several other gaming events including the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, California, and the Unreleased Games Arcade event in Harlem, New York, both in the US.
“One of the reasons we were in Singapore was to explore potential investors and determine if we could transition to working on the game full-time. Our goal is to release the game in Q3 of next year.”
BEING A BRUNEIAN GAME DEV
The gaming industry, despite being a multibillion-dollar powerhouse globally, still carries some stigma, particularly concerning its legitimacy as a career path.
Harith is too familiar with this sentiment, reflecting on the discouragement he faced from his own family members regarding the pursuit of a career in gaming.
“It’s kind of tough because many Bruneian families might not see game development as something worthwhile,” he said, noting how traditional Bruneian parents tend to favour the idea of investing in traditional courses and careers.
So asking parents to pay for a game development course, may be a hard sell, especially when the future career path is harder to predict. “It’s high risk, high reward; you can end up putting a game on Steam and it might make zero dollars. That’s very possible, in fact, it’s more likely to happen,” he said.
In light of this, Harith stressed the importance of Stellarune excelling and being the best version it can be, seeing it as a crucial factor in cultivating more belief in the gaming industry and fostering a stronger conviction that pursuing a career in this field is a viable option, especially among Bruneians.
“There are super talented people in Brunei, probably more talented than I am, but whether or not they are afforded those opportunities is a different story.
“The ability to break out of their shell makes all the difference; and being able to facilitate that is also important to me.” – Wardi Wasil
