Dev Box Interview: Little Guy Games’ CEO Tom Frencel

It usually takes a small army to create the video games that we play, and, most of the time, all of the focus gets put on the game itself, and not on the people that came together to make it. Our Dev Box interview series takes a look at some of the unsung heroes (developers, producers, artists, etc) that have committed their lives to entertaining all of us. In this week’s Dev Box we are letting Little Guy Games’ CEO Tom Frencel, who recently worked on “Battle Blasters,” provide us some insight into who he is as a gamer, and how he ended up working in the game’s industry.

Company: Little Guy Games
Name: Tom Frencel
Job Description: CEO
First title worked on: “Cars” for Disney/Pixar on J2ME and BREW mobile devices
Most recent title worked on: Battle Blasters (iPhone)

What game has most influenced you, and why?
There are three games series that most influenced my life. I can’t distinguish which one had the largest influence on me, but collectively the three have contributed to years of great entertainment.

They are the “Street Fighter” series, “Civilization” series, and “Warcraft” series. I love all three – not just because of the aforementioned impact that they had on my life, but also because they define the genres of a fighting game, TBS, and RTS respectively.

What are you playing right now?
Right now I am playing “Orbital” on the iPhone, “Critter Crunch” PSN, and “Street Fighter IV” on PS3.

What was your first break in the games industry?
My first break in the games industry involved starting a game development studio called Capybara Games together with some awesome folks from Toronto. We all met through a local Toronto chapter of the IGDA. It was a blast and Capy has since went on to become a successful and highly regarded indie games developer.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
I can’t remember the exact quote or who said it to me, but it was along the lines of “Don’t give up”. This statement can be applied to any aspect of one’s life.

Where do you look for inspiration?
I look for inspiration in other games I play, art, movies, books, things I pass by on the street while walking to work:)

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about game development?
I’ve learned a couple of things. They may seem obvious to a lot of people, but here they are anyway. Things always take longer than anticipated is the first golden rule I have learned and one that I often forget. And the second important thing that I learned that I also sometimes forget is that one should always maintain a positive and optimistic state of mind during the “discovery of fun” phase of the game’s development. Because things will fall into place and they will work out. It may take a couple of iterations, or it may take a couple dozen, but it’s important not to give up, maintain focus, and stay positive!

Who do you think will come out on top this console generation?
Is this a trick question? I think the answer is all but fully confirmed – Nintendo. My current gaming platforms include the iPhone, PS3, and NDS.

What do you think is the biggest problem current games suffer from?
I don’t think current “games” suffer from anything. Like in all forms of entertainment, there will always be good games and bad ones. I think that we are in the middle of a gaming renaissance. We have more games, more gaming platforms, more genres, more design and visual innovation, more technology to leverage, more social interactions in games, than ever before. I think there are more amazing games out there than anyone will ever have time to play. I mean honestly, how many hours a week can an average working person dedicate towards playing games vs. how many great games are out there? There are amazing indie games on PSN, XBLA, Wiiware, and iPhone. There are amazing blockbuster titles in retail, like “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.” If that’s not enough, there are also some cool Facebook games to entertain you while you are at work.

What is the most important thing that has happened to gaming in the last 10 years?
I think that would have to be the proliferation of connected gameplay and the emergence of new gaming platforms and business models (i.e. iPhone, Facebook, etc.) Connected gameplay existed on the PC much before it ever made its way onto console, but with the current generation of consoles, it became the staple of modern console gaming. The emergence of new gaming platforms (i.e. iPhone and Facebook) has had a huge impact on the gaming industry and will have an even bigger impact in the future. The emergence of new business models such as DLC, subscriptions, etc. has had a tremendous impact on the way many companies look at their products’ monetization strategies and business models.

Where do you see gaming in 5 years?
On the technology front, I think we will experience in gaming what we are experiencing in the movies – a huge paradigm shift towards much bigger immersion with the advent of 3D. I think next generation consoles will offer 3D gaming capabilities and the immersion will increase exponentially, only to be eventually surpassed by Start Trek Holodeck type gaming experiences, but that won’t come for another 10 years:)

If you’d like to check out “Battle Blasters” for yourself, you can download it from the iTunes store.

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• January 27, 2010 -- Dev Box Interview: Press Start Studio’s Philippe Rapin
• October 7, 2009 -- Dev Box Interview: ANIMA Entertainment’s Tobias Weber
• July 1, 2009 -- Dev Box Interview: The Jackie Button’s Creator Jackie “The Joke Man” Marling
• June 24, 2009 -- Dev Box Interview: Bolt Creative’s Founder Dave Castelnuovo
• March 3, 2010 -- Dev Box Interview: Zoë Mode’s Producer Brynley J. Gibson