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Games for Health 2014 includes keynote by Papo & Yo dev
Vander Caballero, the creative director at Papo & Yo developer Minority Media, will be giving a keynote speech at this year's Games For Health conference. Caballero's speech will focus on his work creating Papo & Yo - which was based largely on Caballero's experiences growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father - as well as Minority's upcoming game about bullying (and terrifying crow people), Silent Enemy. This year is the 10th for the annual Games for Health conference, which aims to "foster awareness of, education about, and development of games that make a positive impact on the health of communities and health care," according to the official site. Games for Health will run June 18 - 20 at the Back Bay Events Center in Boston. Registration is now open for those hoping to attend. [Image: Minority Media]
Silent Enemy teaser designs some bullies
The next project from Papo & Yo developer Minority, Silent Enemy, tackles another sensitive topic: bullying. Many of the developers were bullied and that history affected the design and development of SIlent Enemy.
Exclusive launches are sometimes necessary, Papo & Yo creator says
Papo & Yo cost developer Minority Media $1.5 million to make, and its exclusive release on PS3 in 2012 earned back some of that cost. It came to Steam last week, and during GDC creator Vander Caballero told us the PC launch should "cover the whole cost of the game." If it weren't for Sony and that exclusive PS3 launch, however, Papo & Yo may have never seen the light of day."If you are an independent you have zero marketing money," Caballero told Kotaku. "You have nothing. Then you need someone to support your project. So, if someone asks you for exclusivity and it's going to help you to bring out your product into the market, I think that can be good. Sometime, I think it's the only way to get something out."Caballero's next game with Minority is Silent Enemy, an exploration and puzzle game set in a harsh, mystical Canadian tundra, but with a message about bullying. Minority doesn't have any platforms locked down for Silent Enemy just yet, but Caballero is considering PS4, PC, tablets and Ouya.
Papo and Yo devs confront more monsters in next game, Silent Enemy
Minority attempted to make its next game a departure from the emotional, draining experience of its first project, Papo & Yo, by crafting a hunting-survival, documentary-style game set in the harsh tundra of Northern Quebec. Somewhere along the development process, that turned into a game about bullying.Silent Enemy still takes place in the frozen wasteland of Northern Canada, but its message, mechanics and impact have shifted dramatically. Papo & Yo creator Vander Caballero and Minority Design Director Ruben Farrus are collaborating to weave a subtle story about the hopelessness, weakness and determination that victims of bullying regularly face. That message, however, is covered in piles of snow and steeped in legend.It's an exploration and puzzle game in mind for PC, tablets, Ouya, PS4 and possibly other platforms by the end of the year, but with no concrete plans so far. The prototype uses an Ouya controller, since its touch pad makes sense for the gameplay, but that doesn't guarantee it will launch on Ouya, Caballero said.Silent Enemy takes place in a world of permanent winter, where springtime is a legend, the bedtime story grandma tells the children to help them fall asleep. Once, animals and humans flourished in the spring, but one species hated such a fruitful time: the crows. They chased springtime away, leaving behind only glowing gold fragments of the season, now hidden throughout the landscape. Players find these orbs and trail them around, using a mix of magic and logic to navigate the whitewashed world.Yes, it's still a game about bullying.%Gallery-184378%
