why ‘anomalist games’?

March 11 2015

I got on a tangent recently regarding my motivations behind all the visual decisions I made and plan on making under this name, so I thought I would share them here. The tangent began when explaining my business card design:

In typical me-fashion, I could probably host a lecture about why everything in these cards are the way they are. The dimensions are clean even numbers that make maximum paper usage without deviating from standard business card sizes ( I hate it when cards stick out of wallets and crease ). I setup the file so that only a single sided file was needed to print duplex, which seemed to boggle the minds of the people at the fedex office. I fit 20 per single letter size, and did the trimming myself, so I was able to get a total of 60 printed for $1.42.

The visuals choices of the logo and and name are more involved. It all has to do with how I approach ( game ) design. The idea of not being afraid to rethink things that we take for granted. In this case, breaking down letterforms into the most basic form I could come up with without losing their meaning. Most people would see no purpose in doing this. Why reinvent the wheel? I could have easily grabbed any random typeface and typed the name out, but I found it important in my message to make the viewer do a double take, to rethink how words can be represented. I use this same approach to game design…question things game designers take for granted. Does there need to be a winner? Do you need points to feel successful? Do the controls need to be explained to you? Does your identity matter?

I chose ‘Anomalist Games’ because I see myself as one who actively works hard to deviate from what’s expected, oftentimes in ways that people see no value in. “Why spend so much time finding a new way of doing something that nobody ( appears to ) have a problem with?”. It’s a quality of my personality that I’ve had since forever, and I enjoy video games, so why not see if the two can work together?

I also plan on designing games that have a realistic technological edge to them, representing tech that exists today, and showing an idealized world that makes maximum usage of it. The word ‘anomaly’ is one often used in science, and I like the sound of it. Capital ‘a’s appeal to me, as a structurally strong form, and one that leads the rest. The capital A also echoes the triangles that make up 3D graphics. I love and plan on making use of low polygon techniques in modeling. Two triangles make a square, and a square is not only strong, but defines a grid that abstractly refers to technology and engineering. Things crafted and planned with precision and forethought.