This September, we had the opportunity to talk with Per Stenbeck, Game & Level Designer from Stockholm and currently Design Lead at Hazelight Studios. Per has been part of the creative force behind co-op experiences like A Way Out and It Takes Two, and most recently as Lead Designer on Split Fiction. In our conversation, he kindly answered our questions about game design, collaboration, and advice for aspiring developers.
First of all, thank you for accepting our request for an interview. For those of us who want to achieve success in the game industry in the future, it’s very important to learn about the paths taken by role models like you and to understand your way of thinking. Here are the questions we have prepared:
How did you first enter the game industry? What got you started in game design?
Well, I used to be a sound designer. And then I started looking for jobs in fields other than music. Sound design for games came up as an option since I’ve always been a gamer and thought that it would be fun to work on games. Plus, I had just moved to Stockholm, which is a well known city for games. So I managed to arrange a meeting with a sound designer at Starbreeze in Stockholm (because I knew someone who worked there) and he told me that they would not take on a sound designer without experience in Unreal Engine. I had no clue what Unreal Engine was at the time (other than having played Unreal Tournament back in the day, awesome game by the way). Unreal Engine had just become free to use back then, which was great, cause I didn’t have much money 😀 So I downloaded it and started following tutorials by Zak Parrish to learn the basics, and BOOM, I was hooked. I quickly forgot about sound design because I fell completely in love with blueprints and making levels in Unreal Engine 4.
A few months later I had made my first little side scroller game and had signed up for a preparatory course at FutureGames. The course made it possible for me to get some assistance from the students at FutureGames as mentors but I also got some time to get to know the teachers and staff. So I got accepted and started studying at FutureGames in 2016. That first year, I spent practicing my skills in the engine. When it was time to look for an internship at a studio, I talked to people that were in the year above me that I had gotten to know during the preparatory course and my first year as a student and they recommended me for a position at Hazelight. They were looking for one designer and I got to do a work test to show my technical skills and design skills. At the time, I didn’t actually know what they were up to (since they were working on A Way Out which was not public yet) but I did know that Josef Fares (Hazelight founder) had done a game called “Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons” previously, and I really loved playing that game (I cried, a lot). So I was asked to come for an interview. To my surprise, it was the full design team that met me and started asking questions. But the team made a great impression on me and I really enjoyed the conversation we had. Then, after about 30 minutes or so, Josef came in and said hello and we talked for a bit. He then turned to the designers and said something like “Well, he seems like a good guy, so let’s have him for an internship, right guys?”. So I got accepted on the spot and started my internship just a month or two later.
When designing a level, what do you prioritize the most?
Oh, that’s a tricky question. Depends so much on the scenario, the mechanics and where you came from previously in the game and if there is anything specific in the narrative that needs to be conveyed. So yeah, I guess the answer would be that it depends on all of the above. Or, a simple answer could be “I prioritize whatever the game needs for that specific level”.
What elements do you pay attention to in order to make levels fun (especially in a co-op game)?
Well, there are lots of factors of course. One thing is to balance the fun between players. Keeping them equally engaged and making them feel like they both make valuable decisions. So yea, there’s that. Then, you know, creating scenarios where you set the stage for them to either mess with each other for some fun banter, or setting up the scene so that they will help each other through tricky situations and feel like a team.
How did you collaborate with teammates from different disciplines?
Hazelight is all about collaboration. We all sit together in one big room. We tried, at one point, to split up a bit, but we ended up wanting to sit together again, it’s just so much more efficient (and fun). So yea, gameplay programmers help me out with mechanics and specific tools and actors for the gameplay I’m making. Animators make the characters and enemies come to life. Artists make it all look pretty and cool. Audio makes it sound good. Etc, etc. There are many departments that contribute to the final product. As a designer at Hazelight, we are responsible for reaching out to all these departments to make sure that our level becomes as good as it possibly can.
Did the feedback you received during playtesting have a big impact on your level designs? What do you think about the importance of playtests?
Not as big as one might think. We have a pretty good sense of what will work and what won’t. And our game director Josef has a really good eye for that also. But of course, play tests help me confirm suspicions like that, and sometimes tell me completely brand new information that I had no clue about and have to tweak to get it right.
What is the most important piece of advice you would give to young people who want to become game designers?
I think this question is very, very tricky. Especially considering the tough times in the games industry right now. From reading on LinkedIn I get a sense that it’s really hard to find a job within games right now. So, yeah, to be honest, I have no idea. If I were to start now, I would probably focus on making my own little indie games with a few friends. Having a REALLY small scope and just releasing as many games as possible depending on how much time and money I had to do so.
What should someone pay attention to when preparing a portfolio for game design?
Preferably, when I go to a portfolio page, I want to see a video the first thing I see, where you present yourself and then your work. With a webcam and all 🙂 But that’s just me, I’m sure that people who are in charge of recruiting in other studios have their own preferences of what a good portfolio looks like.
At the very beginning of your career, are there things you wish you had done that would have helped you more?
No, not really. Can’t think of anything. I’m happy with how it all turned out.
At what point did you call yourself a level designer?
I think when I started studying at FutureGames 😀
What advice would you give to someone new to the industry?
If you are a game design student, be nice to your classmates because they are the ones that will be in the industry and can recommend you for jobs if you don’t find an internship initially. So yeah, be friendly, helpful and work hard to become the best. Don’t rely on teachers. Rely on yourself and youtube tutorials, etc. I would recommend using the time in school to learn as much as possible. So whatever spare time you have apart from the school tasks, use that time to become better.
What is the biggest difference between designing mechanics for co-op and single-player games?
It’s a completely different thing in my opinion. I touched on this in a previous question but having to ensure that both players are engaged and feel valuable is a big thing to take into consideration. Also, you can’t cheat by teleporting enemies behind the players back and stuff like that, everything can be seen by the other player since there are two cameras (we make split screen games). So, that’s a big difference too.
We sincerely thank Per Stenbeck for sharing his time and insights with us. It was a great pleasure to conduct this interview, and we hope our readers find it equally inspiring.
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