Puppeteer, one of the promising titles coming from Sony's Japan studio, owes some of its charm to a child. According to Japan Studio's Gavin Moore, the seed of the idea sprouted from playing games with his son--or more specifically, why his son got bored with the games they played together.

"I'm playing games with my son, I'm in my house in Tokyo, we're playing this two-player game - I'm not going to say what it was - and he just gets up and walks out," Moore told Eurogamer. "He just goes outside and plays with his friends. So he comes back in, and I asked what that was all about. And he said they're all the same. All the games we've been playing are all the same--you're doing the same things."

"So I asked what he wanted, and he said he wanted a game that changed every five to ten minutes. And I was like, yeah right, well I want an Aston Martin. But he said 'you make games for a living--surely you can do that?'"

And so the gauntlet had been thrown. Moore noticed the scenery changing in a traditional Japanese puppet show, and decided that was the perfect backdrop to provide the variety his son was asking for. He says he didn't pitch it as a game for his son, and instead made a concept video to show off the idea. Now after three years in development, he says his son is credited as a lead tester, and isn't so apt to walk away from the game anymore.

"It's funny," Moore smiles. "He thinks it's his game. The other day he asked if it's out yet--and then said 'where are my royalties?'"