Hans Lo has been in the video game industry for nearly two decades. Currently a producer at Midway Games heading such projects as  Mortal Kombat vs.  DC Universe, Hans was kind enough to answer some questions as part of our Rasmussen College insiders interview series.

ILLUSION: What do you think are the most important elements in making a successful video game?

HL: While this may sound like a simple question, the answer can be quite complex and everybody has a different opinion on the matter.  In fact there have been books and even courses that go over this very topic.   So instead of a dissertation on the topic I’ll generalize my response.  Personally I think there are two types of success we’re talking here.  Successful in the terms of design and execution, and then there’s financial success.  While these two can go hand in hand, this may not always be the case.   But for the sake of argument let’s assume the two are the same.  It would be a huge oversimplification for me to state that one thing above all makes a successful game, such as graphics, cinematics, gameplay, or story.    Sometimes a game garners praise and accolades from the development community, and the media, and yet may not catch on with the general public.   Ultimately it’s a combination of these elements that helps make  a game successful.  For the MK games, it’s been about the characters, the mythology, the visual style, and the gameplay.   For example, you could have a game that has great play mechanics, but if there’s no story or objective that ties into these mechanics, then what’s the point of playing.  The same could be said about graphics.  You could have amazing graphics the take a player’s breath away, but if the game play is clunky, they’ll never want to pick back up the controller because controls are unintuitive and/or frustrating.  Ultimately, you need to bring all of these differing elements together and find the right balance to give the player an experience that’s fun and challenging that they want to keep playing, to want to get to the next level, to see what’s around the next corner, to see what will happen to the hero or heroine.

ILLUSION: With all of the tools currently available we’re seeing more and more people making their own small games. What advice would you give someone starting out who wants to eventually produce a major title? Where would they start?

HL: Starting on smaller games, with smaller teams is a great way to start out.  It gives you the ability get more involved in the processes of making a game.  As you start working on larger projects, it’s critical that you have solid team leads in place that you can trust to handle their respective discipline.  The reason is as teams gets larger, it becomes more difficult on person to manage every aspect, including personnel.  As a Producer you need to keep the greater vision of the project in mind and leave it to your leads and directors to do what they do best.  This doesn’t mean you just step back and say go. Instead you work through them to get what needs to be accomplished.  There will be times where you’ll need to “get your hands dirty”, but only do so if you feel that the situation warrants it.   Also, you need to be flexible.  Sometimes you need to make tough decisions about what stays in the game and what gets cut due to time and/or budget limitations.  Also, don’t be afraid to make personnel decisions.  There may be times where you’ll need to have to mediate personnel issues, which sometimes may include letting a person go.  Remember, you’re primary responsibility is the health of the team and the project.

ILLUSION: As a producer how do you keep your team energized throughout a project?

HL: Lots of caffeine and energy drinks.  Actually, I think I’m pretty lucky that I get to work with a really great team of people.  They really enjoy what they do and they like challenges.   Because of this, it doesn’t really take much from me to get these guys and gals going.  They’re dedicated professionals that will do what it takes to get a game done.  No task is deemed too small or demeaning.  It just something that needs to gone.  Many of the guys have been working with each other for several years so there’s a certain synergy that goes on here.  I know it sounds a bit cliché, but it’s like an extended family…though a bit dysfunctional at times.  But then again, what family isn’t. J

ILLUSION: Do you think that game play has to go hand in hand with graphics for a successful title?

HL: When Tetris first came on the scene, it was a game that really showed people how important gameplay is.  That game was easy to pick up and addictive to play.  At the same time, I don’t think anyone would have ever said that the graphics for that game were cutting edge.   Graphics, at least in terms of artistic style can definitely enhance the gaming experience, just as quality sound.  As the gaming community evolves, so did the presentation of the games.  With the newer consoles and graphic cards, as well as the tools that are now available, we are able to create much more visually polished games that we could only dream of a few years back.  I think the main thing that we, the makers of games,  need to keep in mind is not to get so caught up in the glitz of the art that we forget gameplay.  It’s all about finding the right balance.

ILLUSION: When a producer starts a title, what’s the first order of business?

HL: For me personally, it’s a bit different each time, as I’ve worked on other games prior to joining the Mortal Kombat team.  I guess the first order of business is just sitting down with the key people on the team.  In this case it’s Ed Boon, Lead Designers, Lead Engineers, Tech Director, Art Directors,  and such.  We will talk about scope of a game, what types of tools we have access to, and what type of tools we may need during the process of making the game.  Basically we need make a road map for the project.  I think this is especially important these days when you have teams of 40 or more people with budgets that go well into the millions of dollars.  If you don’t, you’ll end up spending too much time and money on things that may never be used in the game.

ILLUSION: How did you get started in the video game industry?

HL: It all started after my Junior year at Washington State University in 1988, and I was home for the summer break.  I was home for the summer and my mom says “You need to go get a job. If you think you’re going to just lay about the house the whole summer you have another thing coming.”  Ok, maybe those weren’t her exact words, but I think you have the idea.  So I opened the local paper and I come across this small ad that literally said “Play video games for a living.”  It had some temp agency listed and a number.  So out of curiosity, I called.  I talked to the person on the other end, telling them how I’ve played games since I was kid starting on the old Atari 2600, and still played games in arcades and the student union building.  The lady on the other end, then gave me an address and told me to show up the next day for an in person interview.  So when I show up, the first thing I see is this two story white building with the name Nintendo written on it.  It turns out the job was for Game Play Counselors, the guys you would call if you got stuck in an NES game.  So to make a long story short, I got a summer job being a Game Play Counselor, and then came back after my Senior year for a permanent job thinking this would be cool until I figured out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  Next thing I know, 20 years later I’m still in “the biz.”

ILLUSION: When did you realize you wanted video games to be a career and not a job?

HL: What are you talking about? This is just temporary until I figure out what I want to do in life.

I’m kidding of course, I pretty much figured it out after about 2 years working at Nintendo.  It was about the same time when I applied for a position as a Tester in Nintendo’s R&D department.  When I saw the stuff they were working on, it was then I thought this is pretty cool, and I could make a career out of it.

ILLUSION: Having been in the industry for as long as you have, is it still as exciting as when you were first starting out? Is it more exciting?

HL: It’s definitely exciting.  This industry is constantly changing and evolving.  When I first started, development teams were small, like 4 or 5 guys, 10 guys was considered a huge team back then.  A big budget title cost several thousands of dollars to make.  Now we have teams of 40 or more people.   We’ve heard stories of some games that have teams that are over 200.  Games now cost millions to make.  Production values have gone way up.  Technology is always changing and improving, which is reflected in the games.  Also because of this job, I’ve gotten to travel not just around the United States and Canada, but to Japan, Europe, and just recently to Russia.  I’ve gotten to meet celebrities and athletes like, Michael Jackson, Shaquille O’Neil, Ken Griffey Jr., and Alex Rodriguez, just to name a few. But at the same time, I can’t say it’s all glam and glitter, there are the long nights and working through weekends and holidays as the projects start to wrap up.  When most people are taking off for the summer, we’re usually just hitting our busy season.  There’s extended periods where you don’t get to see friends and family.  There have been times when I’ve lived at the office.  Trust me when I say, no one ever looks good after pulling 72 hours with only a handful of hours of intermittent sleep.  I’ve been lucky that I have friends and family around me that are supportive as well as patient.  But even all things taken into consideration, I can’t even imagine myself doing anything else but working in this industry.

ILLUSION: One of your most recent titles from Midway is Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. What is it like working on a title with such iconic / beloved characters?

HL: It’s actually a huge honor to be on this team.  Little did I realize back in the early 90’s when I was playing Mortal Kombat in the arcades that I would ever be working on this franchise with one of its co-creators, Ed Boon.  When Ed asked me if I wanted to be part of the team I was beyond flattered and a bit speechless.  This franchise has such a great history and to be able to contribute to it is a great honor.  The team is filled with some of the most talented people I’ve worked with in this industry.  Sure, work can be a little stressful at times, but for the most part it’s been great.  At the same time it’s a bit intimidating.  Because MK been around for a long time and has such a huge fan base, there’s a certain level of expectation for each and every MK game that comes out.  I definitely don’t want to disappoint Ed, the team, and the fans.  The last thing I want to be remembered for is that guy that destroyed the franchise.  But considering how great the game is looking right now, I don’t think I have much to worry about.

ILLUSION: You actually brought in two DC Comics writers for this project. What was it like having their perspective?

HL: Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are great.  They bring authenticity to the DC side of the game.  They would tell us stuff like “Oh no, Superman would never say something like that, he would do this first and then say something like…”  They literally could get into the heads of the DC characters and know how they would react to a situation.  I don’t think our story would have come out as great as it did without their participation.   They’re also great guys to hang out with and shoot the breeze, especially Jimmy.  That guy alone is a character.

ILLUSION: What are some of your favorite elements of MK vs DC?

HL: That’s a tough one.  There’s a lot of aspects I like about Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe.  I like the characters and how they’re portrayed.  I like the look and sound of the game.  The story.  But ultimately I have to say it’s the gameplay.  After all, this is a fighting game.  I’ll tell you why I like it.  Things like Freefall Kombat, and Klose Kombat are great, but it’s the main fighting I really like.  It reminds me of the old MK2 days, which I’m a huge fan of.  Also I like the fact that it’s really easy to pick up and play.  You don’t have to be a master of fighting games to have fun playing MK vs DCU.  Anyone, and I mean anyone, could pick up a control and have fun pulling off combos and special moves.  But at the same time there’s another level to the game that caters to the more advanced players where you can pull off some really amazing special moves and linked combos.  I guess a good way of putting this is it’s easy to learn, but tough to master.

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