As a seasoned veteran in the gaming industry, reminiscing about the days when my parents didn’t quite grasp the appeal of video games, I find myself drawn to the passionate enthusiasm of young minds embracing Virtual Reality (VR). It’s a fascinating parallel to my own journey, where my parents couldn’t fathom why we spent hours playing pixels on screens. Now, it seems like the roles have reversed, with the younger generations diving headfirst into VR experiences while many of us are still figuring out how to adjust our glasses without removing them!
If you don’t have children, it might be unfamiliar to you, but if you do, then Gorilla Tag might be the only topic of conversation for a few years now. Created by Kerestell Smith, better known as Lemming online, Gorilla Tag is a groundbreaking game that has captivated this generation. Every day, it welcomes a million unique players, with up to three million monthly active users, and since its release in 2021, over 12 million people have played it. While some older gamers may have dismissed VR, those around the age of 7-14 have been drawn to this game that offers a straightforward gameplay experience but hides intricate design complexity within it.
As a writer in this field and a parent to a child who’s been exploring his room virtually as if he were a modern-day ape for several years, I was eager to chat with Smith and learn about the full origin story behind Gorilla Tag, understanding why and how it gained such popularity among his generation, and what implications it might have on the future of the platform.
Smith shared with me during our chat at PAX West in Seattle that he didn’t initially aim to create a game popular among children, but rather one he personally enjoys. He chuckled as he said this, and added, “I guess it says something about my taste for what I want to do in VR.” In simpler terms, he didn’t plan his game to appeal to kids, but ended up making something that seems to resonate with his preferences for virtual reality experiences.
For those unfamiliar, Gorilla Tag is a fittingly titled game that allows players to assume the role of gorillas in a multiplayer setting. Predictably, they engage in a game of tag. However, due to its open-ended environment reminiscent of a playground, players have expanded their activities to create custom games, spawn myths within the universe, and utilize it as an interactive social space where casual interactions and conversations take place. Interestingly, Smith shared with me that his team conducts meetings inside this digital realm.
Because of several factors–its novel gameplay intentions, its low-poly (and now heavily memed) art style, its immense popularity despite being trapped in a VR bubble–Gorilla Tag has fascinated me for years, so I asked Smith to give me the game’s origin story. What I didn’t expect was a nearly 40-minute answer that ate up most of our initially allotted interview time. But his lengthy answer was illuminating, and we were able to stick around long after the scheduled end point so I could get in another dozen or so questions I still wanted to ask.
Smith mentioned to me that Virtual Reality gaming was something he enjoyed casually, without any serious plans to become a game developer. He expressed his fascination with VR, playing various types of content. Then, Echo Arena was released, and he decided to give it a try due to its zero-gravity aspect. He described it as a sports-style game, which wasn’t really his preference, but after trying it out, he found himself captivated. Smith stated that at first, his opinion on VR was that “it’s the most exciting video game innovation in who-knows-how-long,” but then he realized there was something unique about Echo Arena, something beyond just a typical video game experience. He expressed that it was more than just a passing interest for him.
As Smith climbed to the summit of the Echo Arena’s competitive leaderboards, he found that the game’s zero-gravity movement closely resembled what he had envisioned real weightlessness to feel like. This discovery sparked a deep fascination within him for virtual environments that operate according to their own internal rules, maintaining this consistency to such an extent that they can transport you into an extraordinary, unique experience.
According to Smith, a deeply engaging experience with one’s environment occurs when there’s mutual interaction, where the world responds to your actions, and it follows logical rules that make sense to you. This immersive feeling arises from understanding the game’s dynamics, and populating it with other characters makes you feel like everyone is present in the same virtual space. The connection formed in such a way is almost as powerful as real-life relationships.
In my view, the fundamental strength of this medium lies in its ability to create a shared space with another person. Nothing else comes close to replicating that sense of togetherness, and it’s an aspect I emphasized when developing Gorilla Tag. I aimed to minimize distractions as much as possible and hone in on those essential elements. The question I asked myself was: ‘What do I want to create, what do I want to share, and how can I make it as streamlined as possible while ensuring the key components are not overlooked?’
These principles eventually shaped what he referred to as the Three Pillars of his studio, Alternative Axioms. Smith described this triad as a strong bond between the player and the game environment, creating a convincing virtual world with logical laws that players can grasp, and fostering interpersonal connections among gamers. He proposed that these principles would not only influence the development of their upcoming project, Orion Drift, but also enhance its multiplayer aspects by introducing larger interactive worlds modeled after Gorilla Tag’s social dynamics.
After immersing myself in numerous virtual reality (VR) adventures and trying out various activities, I found myself yearning for experiences that truly resonated with me. It seemed to me that the VR industry wasn’t progressing as swiftly as I had anticipated, but I noticed individual developers creating fascinating VR experiences. However, these experiences were not being compiled or focused on in a meaningful way. This led me to think, “If I believe I have valuable insights, simply posting complaints online isn’t enough. If I truly want to make a difference, I need to put my ideas into action and attempt to create something of my own.
Smith shared that his motivation for creating Gorilla Tag stemmed from his profound affection for virtual reality (VR) and the potential it holds. He hoped that by developing an engaging VR experience, he could attract other developers who, upon seeing its innovative ideas, might be inspired to further explore and develop within this medium.
The depth of Smith’s ideas about Gorilla Tag’s design was fascinating, considering how he carefully planned aspects such as the game’s movement system, avoiding immersion-breaking menus, his decision to make avatars legless, among other things. These meticulous plans might go unspoken by the game’s young players, who may not have the vocabulary to express them, but they intuitively sense it as they play, which is why the design resonates with them effectively.
Smith mentioned to me that Gorilla Tag, without a doubt, lacks avatar legs, which he attributed to his playtime with Raccoon Lagoon. In Raccoon Lagoon, since the game involved resource gathering, he explained, you would often find yourself in a situation where you’d chop down a tree and need to bend over to pick up the logs on the ground. This repetitive task was inconvenient, he said, so the developers of Gorilla Tag decided to keep the character at torso height. That way, when you chop a tree, you can simply reach out with your arm to gather the logs.
“And I played it, and I noticed it didn’t feel weird that I was at torso height on the ground, and the ground was right there. It felt totally fine. So it got me thinking about how we have these preconceived notions of [how] a VR game should map to your body, but because you don’t have your legs as a controller, removing that actually makes it easier to interact with that virtual world.” This led to Gorilla tag’s arm-based mechanic where you pull yourself through the world similar to how a real gorilla moves. For those who have never seen it, it’s kind of like walking on stilts, only the skill ceiling is incredibly high, which Smith discovered months after the initial concept was pieced together, at a time when he’d added a multiplayer component that wasn’t initially there.
Here’s one way I could rephrase the passage:
In Smith’s opinion, this suggests an underlying principle of internal consistency that, when applied, enables players to adjust swiftly. A virtual reality world doesn’t necessarily have to resemble real life or even look like it. Smith reminded us of the platform’s early focus on high-definition visuals, but recalled that for Gorilla Tag, he chose to work within the limitations of the original and less powerful Oculus Quest headset. Inspired by a YouTube channel called Alpha Beta Gamer, which showcases indie games with PS1-style graphics, Smith made this design choice.
Smith mentioned that he chose to create all the elements for his game himself, using a style that was easy for him to work with. He added that it’s simpler to immerse oneself in a world when it has a distinct visual style that doesn’t mimic reality. Instead of replicating real life, this alternative world looks and feels unique, yet still allows for personal investment because the brain doesn’t perceive it as too pixelated or unrealistic.
After catching his breath, it was evident that Smith strongly endorses Virtual Reality (VR). He doesn’t view it merely as a temporary trend or tool for his recent career shift, but as a robust platform with a solid foundation in place currently, which alleviates any concerns about its future potential.
He stated, “A great deal of effort has gone into understanding the worth of this medium, and now we have a clear route to proceed, which is not merely experimenting with fresh ideas but rather expanding upon what has already been created. There’s a solid foundation of work available that we can now build upon.
It feels like video game creativity is experiencing a remarkable resurgence at the moment. Innovative concepts are popping up everywhere, and it’s truly amazing to witness how indie developers, armed with powerful tools, are crafting games that unexpectedly become massive successes. Games like Vampire Survivors and Palworld are prime examples of this trend. I’m thrilled because, in the realm of Virtual Reality (VR), we no longer need to imagine the future. We can observe the industry’s progression, see what it’s building towards, and recognize what resonates with people.
At about the same time as Gorilla Tag’s debut, Smith made the movement engine he created available for free use by others. His aim was that these developers would build upon the fundamental principles of this locomotion system and create innovative games with their own unique twists. However, what followed was a surge of games that closely resembled the original, many of which are still found on the Quest store today. Initially, Smith felt disheartened as he believed his efforts to support fellow developers through sharing his work were exploited by those seeking financial gain from his creations.
Initially, I believed those were other game developers creating Gorilla Tag clones. However, upon further reflection, I realized it was actually children at work. You see, many artists often start by imitating established works like tracing Goku. They may not be producing groundbreaking original content yet, but their passion for what they’re replicating drives them to create more. It’s heartening to see kids taking such a keen interest in our project and even copying it directly. I think this is wonderful because these are the kids who will grow up to become game developers. In time, after gaining experience, understanding, and knowledge, they’ll aspire to create their own unique content. In fact, these are the individuals who, in ten years, could be shaping the VR industry as game developers and producing innovative games.
Smith, with a history of triumph and their upcoming game on the horizon, expresses a belief in the eventual bursting of the VR bubble. He likens this situation to when parents couldn’t understand our fascination with video games when we were young. It was more about it not being part of their generation’s mindset, rather than them being incapable of enjoying such pastimes.
In essence, as we’ve matured, it appears that video games have become a universal pastime among our generation, transcending music, films, and television. Our parents may not have fully grasped its appeal, but it wasn’t about age-related limitations; rather, it was about familiarity and openness to new experiences. I suspect the same can be said for Virtual Reality (VR). The children who are currently immersed in VR games are likely to continue doing so throughout their lives. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that kids in my son’s school engage with VR games much more frequently than adults of my generation do. Most individuals I interact with in the gaming media industry seldom delve into VR games, yet it seems younger generations exhibit a greater enthusiasm towards this technology. As VR headsets become sleeker, more powerful, and accessible to these young users once they have disposable income, it appears that there remains potential for this technology that many had previously dismissed.
Smith noted that his belief in Virtual Reality (VR) is supported by two key factors. Firstly, he referenced the solid base he believes VR now enjoys; it has established a strong foundation, which, according to him, can only lead to further enhancement. Secondly, and more emphatically than any other point during our 70-minute conversation, Smith emphasized VR’s distinct social interactions.
He expressed his strong conviction in the importance of social aspects, particularly the capacity to establish communities and safe spaces. He noted that this endeavor appears increasingly challenging in today’s world. Raising children, he suggested, is especially demanding now compared to past times. For instance, children no longer have the freedom to casually cycle over to their friends’ homes as they used to. There seem to be fewer areas where teenagers can gather outside and socialize freely.
VR enables individuals to establish social environments where they can simply coexist and relax together. What I aspire for our games to evoke is not merely ‘Gorilla Tag is enjoyable.’ Instead, it’s the sensation of being immersed within that world alongside others. It mirrors the experience of envisioning a casual gathering with friends, or spending time at their residence, or even lounging on the beach and savoring the sea.
According to Smith, a high-quality Virtual Reality game isn’t merely an activity; instead, it has the unique ability to foster a sense of “community”. He emphasized that this aspect is incredibly potent, so powerful that he doubts VR could ever falter in achieving this.
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2024-09-12 02:09