Carmine "The Game Fanatic" Fantarella co-founded Games of Edan, an independent game studio in Adelaide, South Australia. He’s currently working on Zygote, a first-person action/adventure game. It’s alpha release is scheduled for 2014. He, and his wife Gillian, are also raising a 2 year old son, Edan, and project managing the build on their new home.
Me: Tell us about your gaming habits growing up. What did you really get into?
Carmine: I've always loved playing and making games, both computer and board games. I spent my early childhood playing board-games like Monopoly and Game of Life with my cousins; or computer-games like Impossible Mission and Spy Hunter on my Commodore 64. I'd visit the local corner-store to play coin-op games like Space Invaders, Asteroids and 1942. And I also loved my electronic handheld "Game & Watch" Nintendo games like Donkey Kong, Manhole and Octopus.
I've always entertained myself with game-making, whether it be board-games or computer games. I remember first experimenting with the BASIC programming language to create text-based adventures on the C64. I found programming especially fascinating. Simply put, I enjoy the freedom of creating worlds, developing stories and playing games. Games combine many artistic and technical disciplines under a common goal, each of which I enjoy in their own right. So for me, games are a natural fit.
Nowadays, my parental responsibilities and game Dev aspirations leave me little time to dedicate to marathon gaming sessions. So I tend to watch Streamers or Let's Players if I have a free moment. I'll occasionally mix it up by playing either of my two favorite genres; single-player FPS or Racer Sim.
Me: What has been the driving force that brought you here?
Carmine: My parents and close family members. All excellent role-models. My grandparents and parents took a huge risk about 50 years ago when they migrated from Italy to Australia; pursuing a better future for their families. They directly altered their lineage of stereotypical land-farming peasants and their irrevocable commitment has consequently offered me untold opportunities.
My wife followed a similar life-changing experience migrating from England 15 years ago. We married a few years later and recently had our first child. We're now relishing our new roles as parents. Her unwavering support and friendship has given me the strength and courage to follow our shared aspirations. I am continually inspired by their resilience, love and support for which I'm forever grateful.
Me: Zygote. What is it, and where can I find one?
Carmine: Zygote is a First Person Adventure where the player discovers an
emerging war and must support the Kinship resistance against the advancing Patogens. By exploring the world and it’s characters, the player discovers the rationale for their existence to ultimately answer the question “Why am I here?”. Zygote’s design is influenced by the FPS/RPG/Sci-Fi genres and Surrealism movement. It's combination of hand-designed and procedural levels create a unique player experience.
Me: Tell us about your gaming habits growing up. What did you really get into?
Carmine: I've always loved playing and making games, both computer and board games. I spent my early childhood playing board-games like Monopoly and Game of Life with my cousins; or computer-games like Impossible Mission and Spy Hunter on my Commodore 64. I'd visit the local corner-store to play coin-op games like Space Invaders, Asteroids and 1942. And I also loved my electronic handheld "Game & Watch" Nintendo games like Donkey Kong, Manhole and Octopus.
I've always entertained myself with game-making, whether it be board-games or computer games. I remember first experimenting with the BASIC programming language to create text-based adventures on the C64. I found programming especially fascinating. Simply put, I enjoy the freedom of creating worlds, developing stories and playing games. Games combine many artistic and technical disciplines under a common goal, each of which I enjoy in their own right. So for me, games are a natural fit.
Nowadays, my parental responsibilities and game Dev aspirations leave me little time to dedicate to marathon gaming sessions. So I tend to watch Streamers or Let's Players if I have a free moment. I'll occasionally mix it up by playing either of my two favorite genres; single-player FPS or Racer Sim.
Me: What has been the driving force that brought you here?
Carmine: My parents and close family members. All excellent role-models. My grandparents and parents took a huge risk about 50 years ago when they migrated from Italy to Australia; pursuing a better future for their families. They directly altered their lineage of stereotypical land-farming peasants and their irrevocable commitment has consequently offered me untold opportunities.
My wife followed a similar life-changing experience migrating from England 15 years ago. We married a few years later and recently had our first child. We're now relishing our new roles as parents. Her unwavering support and friendship has given me the strength and courage to follow our shared aspirations. I am continually inspired by their resilience, love and support for which I'm forever grateful.
Me: Zygote. What is it, and where can I find one?
Carmine: Zygote is a First Person Adventure where the player discovers an
emerging war and must support the Kinship resistance against the advancing Patogens. By exploring the world and it’s characters, the player discovers the rationale for their existence to ultimately answer the question “Why am I here?”. Zygote’s design is influenced by the FPS/RPG/Sci-Fi genres and Surrealism movement. It's combination of hand-designed and procedural levels create a unique player experience.
Me: This game looks to be amazing. I love Zygote’s Electronic Surveillance System. Do you have any other big game Ideas your picking up on?
Carmine: No, not really. Ideas come and go. I'll write some down. Others I'll forget. I'd like to stick with the FPS/racing genres, probably due to my nostalgic affection for games like Wolfenstein, Doom & GP2.
Me: Zygote has been hitting really good numbers on IndieDB.com. Do you feel confident that you're getting yourself, as well as your project, "out there" in an ideal manner?
Carmine: For Indies, gaining exposure in today's digital marketplaces takes work. There's always hurdles to overcome, and these hurdles change with time. But in my opinion, building a community that generates steady, organic growth is the cornerstone to any "overnight success". Many Indies may fall into obscurity, but for those with a great product, that market themselves and have a little luck, I think they'll do alright.
Me: Finally, Carmine, how do you feel about the Competition that goes on inside the Indie Scene?
Carmine: Competition occurs naturally between co-existing beings sharing the same environment. Humans compete for shared resources, and in business this can be a good thing. It encourages higher levels of service and better products for consumers.
That's not to say I advocate being an inconsiderate prick to others, least of all your competitors.
Cooperation, to me, feels more like a integral part of the human condition; something to be cherished. By sharing resources to achieve common goals, the overall experience is especially powerful. Most of my treasured memories have been shared with someone else, whether it's climbing Annapurna in Nepal, renovating a house, or designing a software system.
Me: Thank you for your insight, sir. I look forward to speaking with you about Game Development and maybe even Market Statistics.
Me: Finally, Carmine, how do you feel about the Competition that goes on inside the Indie Scene?
Carmine: Competition occurs naturally between co-existing beings sharing the same environment. Humans compete for shared resources, and in business this can be a good thing. It encourages higher levels of service and better products for consumers.
That's not to say I advocate being an inconsiderate prick to others, least of all your competitors.
Cooperation, to me, feels more like a integral part of the human condition; something to be cherished. By sharing resources to achieve common goals, the overall experience is especially powerful. Most of my treasured memories have been shared with someone else, whether it's climbing Annapurna in Nepal, renovating a house, or designing a software system.
Me: Thank you for your insight, sir. I look forward to speaking with you about Game Development and maybe even Market Statistics.