Clint Hocking doesn't just make good games; he's got a lot of great theories and insights into game design. I've seen him speak before, at press events and at the Montreal Game Summit; and I have to say he was in fine form last night. Not only was he putting forth some challenging new ideas as he addressed the crowd, he was breezily trading friendly jibes with Ubisoft Human Resources master Frederick Brassard.

Ubisoft Montreal Creative Director Clint Hocking

Contrary to what you might expect from the name, Hocking's "Last 3D Revolution" has little to do with graphics. Instead, it represents his theory that games can be placed on axes (as in plural of "axis"). He says that there is a Technological axis, and a Representational axis.

"Every game in history" could be placed somewhere on a graph that contained the two axes, according to Hocking. Taking a closer look at the Representational axis, Hocking says that on one end of the spectrum, you have games that offer Simulational Representation, and on the other, Abstract Representation. For example, Pong is so simple in its presentation that it could be said that the game actually represents an argument between two people. The "ball" would be words bouncing between two speakers, Hocking explained. In fact, apparently someone has made a version of Pong that directly represents this very thing.

Meanwhile, Rockstar's Table Tennis, while it's a conceptually similar game about hitting a ball back and forth, could not be interpreted as two people having an argument, because its representation is much more simulational. Things get more complex when you consider that many games have both Representational and Simulational aspects.

That's pretty deep, but now Hocking adds his third dimension. Some might be tempted to call it the "Fun" axis, but Hocking doesn't like that word. He said that "fun" was a concept that was too generic and vague, going so far as to call the term "useless."

Perhaps it would be easier to understand what he was getting at by examining the spectrum covered by Hocking's proposed "Meaning axis," as he described it. On one end, there are games that are Distracting: lighter, glossier games. On the other, we have games that are Engaging, which require more thought from the player and provoke more complex emotional interaction.

What, me worry?

Hocking said that he was not calling for all games to be Engaging; he believed there was still a need for games that are Distracting. However, he did mention a number of challenges facing game developers that wish to add that third dimension of Meaning. In particular, he said we are still designing for a very specific audience. And we all know exactly who that audience is, and what it wants.

"We like tits and guns and dwarves with magic axes," he said succinctly, eliciting a huge laugh from the crowd. Funny though it was, the implications are serious. Since we have focused so closely on this audience, Hocking even speculated it might be too late to reach some of the other potential audiences.

The example he gave was of a 50 plus woman trying to learn about her father's experiences in WWII. Hocking mused that she would read books, watch documentaries and movies, but would she pick up the latest Call of Duty? Probably not.

One of Hocking's proposed solutions was to come up with better stories, which he admitted was an old theory that's heard a lot. However, he says Ubisoft is trying to do something about it by creating "Narrative Designers." These are people who engineer the stories in games. They're not writers, but designers of a narrative. Hocking said that a narrative in a game should be designed just like any other system, but nobody is approaching the issue this way. In fact, Hocking said that they had to create this position and cultivate such designers, because there are none out there.

In the end, Hocking said that developers who want to add the Meaning axis to their games should start looking at the huge untapped market that likes something more than tits and guns and dwarves with magic axes. They should also get a better understanding of narrative design, and simulate what is engaging. His discussion touched on many more topics and ideas, so if you want to see his entire PowerPoint presentation to get a sense, you can download it. Look for "FPLAY 2006 The Last 3d Revolution" under "Design Material" at his blog, www.clicknothing.typepad.com.

Hocking ended the night by holding an impromptu quiz, giving out some t-shirts and Xbox 360 games to members of the audience who remembered key points of his talk. It was a very enlightening night, and some people even received swag.

IGDA Toronto would like to thank Ubisoft Montreal's Clint Hocking and Frederick Brassard for taking the time to visit and speak with us. We would also like to extend thanks to the International Academy of Design & Technology for providing the space, and the many students of its Video Game Design & Development program for assisting with set-up and teardown.

See you next time!

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