Recently, gamers all over the world were treated to Final Fantasy XV, the latest feature in the critically acclaimed, long-standing Japanese role-playing franchise. Life also recently published a review of the game, praising it for its wonderfully realised world and characters, both of which were so enjoyable that they overshadowed several of what we felt were the game's glaring flaws.
Prasert Prasertvithyakarn. Photo courtesy of Prasert Prasertvithyakarn
As it turns out, the companion characters we loved so much were actually developed by a Thai person, Prasert Prasertvithyakarn, who is currently working as the lead designer for the game's companion system at Square Enix, the legendary Japanese developer and publisher, who has brought us such classics as Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest and -- of course -- the Final Fantasy games.
As many Final Fantasy fans -- or just general gamers, for that matter -- will agree, Final Fantasy VII (released in 1997 for the first PlayStation console) is considered to be one of the most beloved entries in the entire franchise, being the first to offer such things as story cut-scenes and 3D graphics. The game's popularity has led to many spin-offs and even a CG-animated film, as well as a modern reboot, currently under production and believed to be released in an episodic format, beginning some time this year.
"Before Final Fantasy VII, I've always viewed video games as very much just about pushing buttons to win," said Prasert.
"But FF7 was the first game that got me engrossed with its story, its world, its adventure. The first game to bring me to tears with its storytelling. It was the game that made me realise that video games could be something so much more than what we know it to be."
After graduating with a degree in Computer Engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Prasert pursued a Japanese government-issued grant in order to pursue his masters and doctorate degrees, before returning to teach in Thailand. During his time in Japan, Prasert came to realise his passion for music, and instead reapplied for a bachelor's degree in jazz vocals to become a musician in Japan.
"I only later realised that in order to stay in Japan, I needed a working visa, which were only issued to those with a stable income," he recalled. Remembering his childhood passion for games development, Prasert instead sought out game designer positions in various high-profile companies. Prasert's first job as a games designer would come in 2009, from an acquaintance of his in Japan who happened to own a video game development company of his own.
"Just a couple weeks into the job, some unfortunate, unforeseen circumstances caused my boss to leave the company," recalled Prasert.
"Work had to grind to a halt as no one was there to fill his spot, so I kind of nominated myself as the new leader and started doing his work. Through either good or bad luck, I became the lead designer of fairly high-budget video game within my first year there."
The game Prasert worked on was published by Japanese company Bandai Namco Games (renamed as Bandai Namco Entertainment in 2014) in 2010. After the company's closure soon after, Prasert finally began work at the company of his childhood dreams in 2011, working on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game that would later be rebooted into Final Fantasy XV.
"It was a dream come true. I was madly in love with Final Fantasy VII, and to be able to work on the latest iteration of the game I most loved is probably the highest honour I will ever receive in my life."
For Final Fantasy XV, Prasert's capacity as lead designer meant he was responsible for the behaviour of the players' companion characters, which Life lauded in our review as one of the strongest features of the game. Relying on random as well as environment and event-based conversations between these characters, the game manages to emotionally connect the players with their companions, while simultaneously telling an organic story of friendship in a way that only video games can do.
"For this game, I wanted to convey the friendship between the main, player-controlled character and his companions through all the gameplay systems, so that by the time the credits rolled, the player can feel that bittersweet feeling of parting with their friends.
"Characters actually greet each other in the morning, or even tease each other in battle. They take photos of your adventures together and cook for each other. These are all experiences that I've actually had with friends on real-life road trips," said Prasert, explaining the importance of real-life inspirations and experience for a game developer, especially when trying to elicit a truly relatable emotion from their players.
"One of the most important pieces of advice I can give to any aspiring games developer is to also have passions and interests in things outside of games. While it's important to stay current and understand modern games, it's also important to have a wide array of experiences and knowledge, as these can go a long way in crafting something that is extraordinary yet relatable, and you never know what can end up becoming useful."
Prasert stressed that, at its core, game design is very much about designing an experience, with games acting as the medium to convey it.
"Games designers aren't actually responsible for designing 'games', but individual experiences that come together to make up the game," said the designer.
"As such, you need to have real experiences yourself, otherwise it's impossible for you to design one for other people."
In addition, Prasert also stressed the importance of language and culture, both of which can open the door to many more opportunities overseas, as games development positions in Thailand are still relatively few and far between.
"You have to be able to speak the language well enough to be able to persuade people to see your point of view, as you will be doing often in games development," he said.
"The unfortunate truth about game developing in Thailand is that there are still relatively few opportunities for you, which is probably the largest problem, even more so than the issue of relevant qualifications or skills. No one can force opportunities. As such, what's really important is to continuously develop one's skills, so that when opportunities do arise, you can make the most out of them."
