A message of hope
Aussie gamer recognised alongside Keanu Reeves at big show
THERE are not many Aussies who can say they’ve shared a stage with Keanu Reeves, but 20-year-old games developer Anthony Tan can.
Mr Tan had his game Way To The Woods showcased during Microsoft’s E3 briefing recently, giving millions of people a glimpse at his work as part of the ID@Xbox program highlighting promising indie games.
“It’s still so surreal, just seeing Microsoft showing Halo, Gears of War, John Wick (Keanu Reeves), and my deer game,” he said.
“Seeing that up there in that montage of trailers for E3 was absolutely surreal. To see the stage, screens on the side, and what they did with the antlers and everything.
The game is about a deer and her fawn trying to find their way home to the woods in a world of the unknown.
“Along the way, you encounter a world that has taken on a life of its own in the absence of people; hunted by a pack of wolves, you must use your light to escape and find courage,” he said.
Mr Tan started working on the game when he was only 16; and since being picked up by Xbox an animator has come on board, with musicians Aivi and Surasshu (best known for animated show Steven Universe) providing the musical score.
Way To The Woods features a distinctive art style and, in stark contrast to a lot of games, is a positive, hopeful title, drawing inspiration from some of Mr Tan’s favourite media creators.
“I’ve always been inspired by creators such as Hayao Miyazaki, and Rebecca Sugar — they are people behind the Studio Ghibli movies, and shows like Steven Universe; shows which are a media that carries this positive spirit of optimism, and hope,” he said.
“There are sections of their (Ghibli’s) films that are dark and scary and quite unknown — Princess Mononoke, for example; it’s a dark setting with violence in it, but there’s this spirit throughout all of their media that’s just a message of hope, a message of rebuilding.
“I always get goosebumps and feel so happy watching them. I wanted to make something similar that would inspire similar bravery in people.
Royce Wilson attended E3 as a guest of Ubisoft.