Interview: Anna Anthropy Talks Indie Game Goodness
Anna Anthropy (other aliases dessgeega and Auntie Pixelante) is the developer that gifted us punishing games such as Mighty Jill Off, When Pigs Fly, and Calamity Annie.
In this chat I asked her about current projects in development, the IGF, and also some random stuff that only three people in the world care about. Read on to find out what dirty secrets she kept locked away in the dark corners of her mind...
Hi Anna, what are you working on right now? Is your next project a Game Maker production or browser-based?
at the moment i'm working on a browser game, though it's unlikely to be the only thing to come from me in the near future. it's a game about a diver exploring the bottom of the ocean.
Any similarities to namako team's dive?
i love dive. and standard bits. it's a shame that the games press unanimously decided passage was the only game in that bunch worth talking about.
Can you tell us a bit about your recent presentations/showcases, and if they are available online to watch?
shootin' starcade appeared at the indie games arcade at eurogamer's convention. it's actually a collection of six smaller games i made beforehand which i wanted to introduce to a larger audience. it's free to download on my website, along with the other games i've designed for conventions.
i appeared on a panel in new york with cactus and messhof, courtesy nyu's game design program. there's an audio-only version of it online, which is a shame, because cactus and messhof did video introductions.
The Independent Games Festival
Rumours are abound that you've been invited to be an IGF judge this year. Is that true?
it's true, i am judging the igf this year.
And how did that came about?
i spent a lot of time yelling about last year's igf, which should indicate i want an igf that's not terrible.
Since you're an esteemed judge this year, any particular gifts you are expecting from the entrants?
they have already given me the greatest gifts they can: their blood, sweat and tears.
How many games have you played over the last couple of days, and did you find anything interesting among the entries?
too many. i was fortunate, though, to have vasily zotov's amazing SPACE SPY land in my lap. i'm utterly enamored with it and with the mad genius who birthed it.
What are your thoughts about IGF, has it improved, and are you excited about the entries submitted this year?
the finalist list will demonstrate whether or not things have changed. i'm excited about many of the entries - star guard, runman, space phallus - but i'm terrified they'll get overlooked in favor of unfinished commercial games.
Any games that are already available to play that you think should receive more attention? Something that everyone should play now? (other than Space Spy)
conveniently, the interesting games in the competition all happen to be free ones. few commercial games can afford to say anything. enviro-bear is amazing because of how much it manages to accomplish with such a small verb set: just clicking, dragging and releasing.
We've had a fez-wearing winner and a chest baring developer in recent times, what do you think will happen during the awards presentation next year?
if i have anything to say about it, there will be a man in a crown shitting his pants.
Indie Games
What have you been playing lately? Anything you'd like to plug?
jeff minter's new gridrunner game. it shares with space giraffe the goal of getting the player totally in tune with the game, but approaches that goal in a totally different direction from that game.
i played a bunch of crosstown with amon26. that's an xbox community game. i helped the author workshop it and i'm really pleased with what it's become.
Will we see a collaboration from you and Amon26 anytime soon? And what's the deal with this picture? (above)
amon26 took that picture, and i consider it a collaboration between us. i wanted to prove i could take pictures in nature so that the new york times might interview me about my thoughts on videogames.
Since you've been making games for more than five years now, do you have any plans for the future, and will we still be playing new games from you five years from now?
as long as my heart is beating in my chest.
Of all the games you've made so far, which one is your favorite?
you asked that question in the last interview, and my answer is still calamity annie.
Can you tell us about (well, promote really) Klik of the Month?
klik of the month is an exciting monthly exercize in getting off your ass and making a videogame. we maintain that anyone can make a game and that design shouldn't be the exclusive domain of trained professionals.
klik of the month is an excuse to not worry about quality or time or any of the things that hold most people back from making games. you have two hours and all your creation needs to be is finished.
better and better stuff is coming out of it. my favorites of this past weekend's are bushido edge, a brilliantly simple two-player game, and a game for cats, which was made by my slut.
What are your thoughts about the indie game development scene these days?
i've never been interested in scenes. i'm much more interested in games. and people will always be making games. the ones that don't come from scenes will be the interesting ones.
Person you would most like to collaborate with, and why?
jeff minter, so i could visit his farm and meet all his sheep.
Games you are most eagerly anticipating for right now, and developers who you have big expectations for?
i'm glad jesse venbrux is making games again. for a while i thought he had quit just to spite me for saying he was one of the most important designers.
For all the stalkers out there, where can we hear the latest news about your game development projects?
i've been known to post pictures of works-in-progress on twitter from time to time.
Anything you'd like to say to fans of your games?
stop being fans and start being creators. come to klik of the month, get your hands dirty. "gamers" don't need to just be consumers. create.
Comments
i enjoy your games so much, thanks for all your work! :D
Posted by: thank you | November 28, 2009 10:58 AM
I think it's weird she got to be a judge for the IGF just because she threw a tantrum when Calamity Annie didn't get nominated for anything last year...
Posted by: Anonymous | November 28, 2009 11:03 AM
Being judgemental of the IGF does not equal: "threw a tantrum when Calamity Annie didn't get nominated". Some people have a little more depth to the things they do.
This was a cool interview. Short answers, to the point, not wishy-washy at all. I like that Anna stands up for the underdog, I pretty much agree with her hopes of this year's IGF myself. I'm looking forward to the results.
Posted by: ChevyRay | November 28, 2009 1:33 PM
Blueberry Garden, Machinarium, Between, to name a few; last year's IGF was far from terrible. Calamity Annie's a shame compared to those three.
Her choices are composed of games looking like the ones she's making. Shame that IGF chose her to be a judge, so much for objectivity in this year's IGF. Might as well let Anonymous trolls declare who is the winner, you'll pretty much end up with the same result.
You just lost a fan here because of your biased cockiness Anthropy, stop being jealous with Rohrer, he's clearly better than you. You're making Jon Blow look like the freakin' Dalai Lama.
Posted by: xeno | November 28, 2009 1:43 PM
Loved dive for its simplicity and nostalgic atmosphere, so i'm curious what she will come up with.
Posted by: Lyx | November 28, 2009 4:12 PM
xeno - the IGF has over 160 judges this year, and we want to be inclusive of as many different styles and opinions as possible. Makes sense, right?
Simon@IGF.
Posted by: simonc | November 28, 2009 5:07 PM
it's great that she's been really promoting klik of the month lately, since klik of the month is the greatest thing in the world.
you guys should all be doing it.
Posted by: strong | November 28, 2009 5:39 PM
she/he
goddamn what is it. im so confused.
Don't Shit your Pants was funny but this idiot acts as if it even deserves to be a finalist or more, which it doesn't. The same type of prick who would vote for "You have to burn the rope"
Posted by: allen | November 28, 2009 9:03 PM
DSYP definitely deserves to be a finalist.
Posted by: RobF | November 28, 2009 11:20 PM
Uh, could someone please explain why a guy is using a female name, and why everyone is referring to him as a "she"? It's just, you know, like the elephant in the living room that no one seems to mention. Is it some kind of desperate transgender thing or something? It's been going on forever, and it's getting pretty creepy/confusing.
Posted by: This is anon | November 29, 2009 10:21 AM
It's only confusing to people who care much about gender.
Posted by: Lyx | November 29, 2009 1:12 PM
Lyx, that's a bizarre comment. Are you saying you wouldn't find it confusing if somebody who is clearly a man presented himself to you in person as a woman? I don't think it was relevant to bring up at all, but you're not being narrow-minded for being confused by it. Take it easy on the PC...
Posted by: Anonymous | November 29, 2009 3:18 PM
Yeah, I mean, it's not specifically about gender. It's just that he's presenting himself as something that he doesn't appear to be. It would be just as bewildering if he claimed that he was black, or that he was an octopus, and no one reacted. And I think you'd be pretty confused as well if that happened.
Or am I missing something? I don't mean to offend anyone, but the whole situation seems pretty bizarre to me.
Posted by: This is anon | November 29, 2009 4:06 PM
Anna Anthropy is a MTF transgender woman. Satisfied?
Posted by: madamluna | November 29, 2009 5:24 PM
This is anon, Dessgeega is openly transgender. "A woman born in a man's body" is a crude but effective way to explain what being male-to-female transgender (MTF) means. Recently Dess has been more publicly open about this, hence the photos in the article. I'd ask anyone who has a negative reaction towards this new information to withhold from using it as an excuse to be a dick.
Posted by: Yet another anonymous person | November 29, 2009 6:14 PM
I wasn't trying to be a dick. I'm sorry if I came off as one. I actually thought Dess was a woman (physically, genetically) until just now. I guess I was just surprised. Well, whatever. Carry on with whatever you were discussing before I interrupted.
Posted by: This is anon | November 29, 2009 6:46 PM
That's understandable. I wasn't aware of it myself until about a few weeks ago, during the Games Design Advance podcast. But hey, the more you know.
Posted by: madamluna | November 29, 2009 7:14 PM
@anon: What i meant is that when it comes to videogames and discussions about those, i just dont care. When she's talking about games, innovation, nostalgia, scenes and stuff, it matters about as much to me as her favorite food. And on top of that: Even if her sexuality were relevant, because it influences her game, you couldn't catagorize her into "manly" or "girly".... may i remind you about her sexual orientation? :) "It" doesn't fit into conventional categories anyways, so whats the news here? Just put her in the drawer with the label "weird incomprehensible alien" and continue discussing her thoughts and games - because, with a bit of luck, those may be comprehensible :)
Posted by: Lyx | November 29, 2009 9:08 PM
Still a dude to me.
Posted by: Allen | November 29, 2009 9:22 PM
@Lyx
If gender doesn't matter, why does he want to be a female so badly?
Posted by: totomoerch | November 30, 2009 1:35 AM
i'm guessing lyx meant that gender doesn't matter in terms of one's public life, in how we should treat people professionally. of course it matters on the personal level.
anyway, haowan mentioned this about her like last year on the tigforums, so i've known for some time. doesn't matter to me, some of the best game designers are transgender (remember the person who made M.U.L.E.?).
anyway, great interview tim. you should do more of these! always enjoy them
Posted by: paul eres | November 30, 2009 3:52 AM
This was a great interview. Anna is one of my favourite games designers and indie celebrities in general.
All of you who are privilegeed enough to be cisgendered don't have any excuse to be 'confused' about anna's status in this wonderful age of the internet - go and educate yourselves. (Gender is in many ways a social construct, which is why pink was a 'manly' colour up until just after the turn of the 20th century).
KOTMK is something I have been getting into as a 'consumer' and hopefully will soon take part in as a creator too. Regardless, it (and Glorious Trainwrecks as a whole) is just an awesome institution and gaming is better for it.
Posted by: Malefact | November 30, 2009 7:55 AM
It doesn't matter how you, personally, want to define gender. "Anna" is genetically male. His partner is a woman. In the United States, that is viewed culturally and legally as a heterosexual couple. The two could marry in any state. Two homosexual women could not.
Every article I have ever read about this person maintains the premise that he is a lesbian. The lesbian identity is constantly reinforced through the themes in his games and in his own responses during interviews. The press is understandably eager to speak to voices in game design who exist outside what is perceived to be a heterosexual, male norm. Anna, as a transgendered male, exists outside that norm, but to call him a lesbian is extremely disingenuous. I'd like to give him the benefit of doubt and imagine that he isn't pushing his fabricated identity for the sake of spectacle and self-promotion, but I think he's too smart not to know what he's doing.
Posted by: A. Gray | November 30, 2009 9:18 AM
I played Starcade at the EG expo and found it to be very good indeed. Perhaps more fun than playing it was watching people not get it.
Posted by: Alex May | November 30, 2009 10:22 AM
Wait, wait... How is she a MTF transgender when she looks like a man in every way and even dresses like a man too. There is not even a single clue that would tell me "oh, that guy would rather have me call him 'she' instead of 'he'."
Posted by: Anonymous | December 1, 2009 7:16 AM
should be called Male to Deformed Human "thing"
he probably had his nads removed and is on hormone therapy. Or not. He admitted he was a woman identified transgender, unclear or not if he actually had work done.
Who knows. No matter how hard he tries he'll never mysteriously drop the Y chromosome and become a female.
Posted by: Anonymous | December 1, 2009 7:25 AM