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Team iKnow talks culture clash
Key insights
6 takeaways- 01The development of the mobile puzzle platformer 'The Unknown' serves as a case study in cross-cultural collaboration between students from the Communication University of Beijing and a Scottish ambassador.
- 02The project demonstrates that while international partnerships require high investments in interpersonal management, the resulting diversity in design philosophy can produce more globally appealing products.
- 03Initial development faced significant setbacks, including a forced abandonment of the original game engine during the first week due to language barriers and coordination failures.
- 04The team overcame early technical and communication hurdles by prioritizing patience and establishing clearer, more structured communication channels.
- 05The project successfully synthesized Chinese aesthetic sensibilities with Western design perspectives to create a physics-based gravity-manipulation game targeting the casual mobile market.
- 06The current build of the game features 12 playable levels optimized for both Android and iOS, with a planned expansion to add 12 additional levels.
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Transcript
H my name is Neil I'm representing team we're one of the competitors in competitors in digital this year I'm the Scottish Ambassador on the team H the team are from Beijing and China and our games physics puzzle platformer in which we R take the to solve puzzles okay okay so uh talk to me about the game uh you rotate the you rotate the world s puzzle so what kind of a game is it platformer like a it's a it's a puzzle platform um you take the phone to change gravity and then the objects within the scene um are affected by that gravity so it can create new paths for you or create um new ways for you to to Sol the level there's different objects get introduced like boxes and switches uh and Swinging platforms that you have to kind of control to collect three stars and then ex okay so you're going for the um so the three stars obviously I'm thinking Cut the Rope Angry Bird that's right is
that the kind of Market you're going for like a casual or yeah yeah we kind of looked at those kind of games and based the whole level structure around that and so we've got 12 levels at phot play and then we've got plans for a second world with the additional 12 levels so I think moving forward that's how we build up on the game so the team's built up of yourself and um some Asian students as well that's right um how did that relationship come about um so I every year and get a certain amount of international teams in the competition and so the Chinese entry are from uh Communications University in Beijing and um they compete against other students in the school to win a prize here and then they contact um one of the well no then Scottish people appli to try and be Scottish Ambassador for the team Okay Okay cool so um how's it been working with how's it been working with with
um a team that's made up of uh people that aren't necessarily like I'm assuming that they're pretty good English speakers two two of them have decent English Okay so so what's that what's that working relationship like and and what have you in addition what have you learned in terms of games design uh that they were particularly interested in that you kind of haven't seen before um well the first week and we had a certain plan for which engine we're going to use and that all went T up pretty much we had to scrap that and we changed it after the first week the first week was quite frustrating as well in terms of things getting Lost in Translation sure but um once once we had a little bit of patience and just kind of worked through everything the weeks after that were a lot easier H we started talking to each other a lot more and the new engine helped us I think okay um I think the main thing I'd say to anyone who was going to be a Scottish Ambassador in the future is just have patience because the language thing can can be can be an issue I'm not going to
lie of course yeah but if you work at it and take your time then you can over so does something interesting emanate out of that relationship oh definitely there there's like a culture clash in a good way kind of feed off each other I think um the art style and the quirkiness of the game um is kind of something that lends itself to to the games they're used to playing in China that maybe don't make it over to the Western Market right and then I've got other ques that I can introduce to them as well to try and maybe even even out the bance of east and west maybe absolutely right a nice little uh Midway Point that's right okay um so it the uh I played the game on an Android device uh you're looking to hit IOS as well hopefully yep we made it using Unity so we can export to iOS Android got plans for both of those platforms okay fantastic brilliant stuff um and found a question for you um how
you finding the festival H well it's just started but I'm very relieved cuz the last8 weeks have been pretty intense uh so is it a relief it's a relief Sunday will be a relief uh regardless of the outcome because I could just go home and sleep for a few days I think um but it's a relief now because the game's finished there's not really much more we can do apart from showing it
Summary
The development of the mobile puzzle platformer The Unknown serves as a case study in cross-cultural collaboration within the independent game industry. The project, which features a team of students from the Communication University of Beijing paired with a Scottish ambassador, highlights the operational challenges and creative benefits of international partnerships. By utilizing the Unity engine, the team successfully developed a physics-based game that allows players to manipulate gravity to solve puzzles, targeting the casual mobile market with a structure inspired by successful titles like Cut the Rope and Angry Birds.
The development process faced significant initial hurdles, particularly regarding communication barriers and technical setbacks. During the first week, the team was forced to abandon their original engine choice due to coordination difficulties and language-related misunderstandings. However, by prioritizing patience and establishing clearer communication channels, the team successfully navigated these obstacles. This experience underscores the necessity of adaptability and persistence when managing diverse, multi-national development teams.
Beyond the logistical challenges, the collaboration fostered a unique creative synthesis. The project benefited from a productive culture clash, where the distinct aesthetic sensibilities and design quirks common in the Chinese gaming market were balanced with Western design perspectives. This synergy resulted in a product that aims to bridge regional market preferences. Currently featuring 12 playable levels with plans for an additional 12-level expansion, the game is optimized for both Android and iOS platforms. The project demonstrates that while international collaboration requires significant investment in interpersonal communication, the resulting diversity in design philosophy can lead to a more nuanced and globally appealing final product.
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