There is no art without its creator. Here’s our spotlight on Matt Marshall, the solo developer behind the dark cozy city-building sandbox Dystopika.
●
What inspirations did you have behind the game? Can be other games, music, art, anything at all.
“Blade Runner” is obviously a huge visual inspiration behind Dystopika, but it really comes from a love of Sim City 3000 and that feeling of being lost in a vast city. The sublime power of the forest.
“Anime Architecture: Imagined Worlds and Endless Megacities” was one of my favourite art books at home, and it also greatly informed the choices and the overall vibe.
What do you hope players will get out of your game?
Dystopika is designed to be a short, relaxing experience. I hope players find a calming sense of creativity and exploration within their cities with no pressure to balance budgets or keep citizens happy. I wanted it to be simple, yet vast.
What made you want to be a game developer? How did it all come about?
I grew up with video games. I think our house was the first on the block to have ISDN internet and I was big into Quake. I also remember getting SimTower for Christmas and playing that for months. I started making (terrible) Quake maps and building Quake clan websites so a future in games felt inevitable, even if it took a while to get there.
I spent a year wandering theatre, film VFX, interactive art, UX design, and VR but eventually found my way back to indie games after I effectively burned down my whole life. I sold all my stuff, gave up my apartment, and set off to Asia with a backpack and a 14” laptop. I ended up quitting my job and put together a plan to make an indie game as quickly as possible and that became Dystopika.
So it took a while and a few false starts but I finally made my way to indie games like my 12 year old self probably would have wanted.
What is your one piece of advice for aspiring game developers reading your words?
Go outside and touch the grass. Too many games rehash genres, mechanics, and sum up to little more than fleeting nostalgia. The video game audience can be an echo chamber. Get to know film, theatre, and music. Travel. That’s where the inspiration is.
-
Matt Marshall
AKA Voids Within
Developer of Dystopika