Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
There was a lot of speculation on what Masahiro Sakurai might do once he was finished with directing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. A massive undertaking, Sakurai really didn’t have to give much more of anything, but the Kirby creator and Smash director doesn’t seem content to simply rest. Sakurai is putting his extensive knowledge to use in a new YouTube series aimed at game design. Available now in English and Japanese, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games aims to “make games around the world a little more fun.”
Sakurai launched his new YouTube channel on the evening of August 23, 2022, adding three videos to the channel immediately, including an introductory video. In said video, Sakurai explained that he wanted to make a channel on game design that was accessible to everyone. He won’t be playing games or streaming on the channel so much as discussing design concepts, analyzing what design decisions make a game “fun,” and more interesting topics that he hopes will appeal to newcomers and experts alike.
Masahiro Sakurai admits early that certain factors of game design are very nebulous. He hopes to successful help would-be designers navigate these topics on their way through their own projects.
“‘Good’ game design and ‘fun’ in games are vague concepts, I know,” Sakurai explains. “Different people perceive them in different ways.”
So why a YouTube channel instead of classes or a conference? Sakurai addresses that each of these vehicles felt limited in a way that a YouTube channel did not.
“I’m often asked to give lectures at game development schools,” Sakurai continued. “And while I think it’s a great idea, such presentations can only reach so many people. I’ve also realized that developer conferences like GDC or CEDEC, while good for technical concepts, aren’t always the best forums for discussing game design theory. Still, I feel there’s plenty of game design knowledge worth sharing… Most importantly, those with no game development experience need a good starting point.”
With that, it seems all comers can learn a thing or two from the Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games channel if all goes as planned. If you saw Evening Reading on Tuesday, you may have seen that Sakurai is shutting down his daily Smash Bros. posts to focus on this new project. Not a bad trade in the end. Stay tuned for more on Sakurai’s new YouTube channel as it continues to grow.