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Pinoy studio joins GameFounders game accelerator program


A Filipino game development studio is one of the nine teams that have been accepted into GameFounders Spring 2017, an international program that will focus on cultivating talent by providing financial support, mentorship, and a host of other benefits.

Philippine-based Moocho Brain Interactive Designs joined the GameFounders Spring 2017 program on January 9. By month’s end, the studio had signed the incorporation papers – allowing GameFounders to invest PHP 1.2 million for 9% equity of the studio.

GameFounders is a global game accelerator that helps studios enhance their game development and business skills. Each program lasts three months, and offers selected teams access to resources and networks, guidance from industry experts, playtesting sessions, pitch practices, and even trips around the world to gaming events and successful game studios. For example, GameFounders Spring 2017 will fly the teams to San Francisco mid-February for this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC), and to Beijing in March for the Global Mobile Game Conference (GMGC).

The teams are also provided a workspace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

 



Chance of a lifetime

Moocho Brain Interactive Designs has been an active member of the local game development industry for the past ten years. Its current core members include Khail Campos Santia (CEO and co-founder), Bari Silvestre (CTO), Eru Petrasanta (Chief Animator), Juhai Daksla (Chief Artist), and Jay Jaboneta (Chief Evangelist). Also part of the group are Algernon van Peel (Composer), Xteve Abanto (Background Artist), and Ramon del Prado (Motion Artist).

In his write up for Gamesauce, Santia shared his experience with the application process.

“Over the Holidays, I faced a series of interviews,” Santia stated. “The first was with Christina Begerska, GameFounders Program Manager… Next was Reinaldo Normand, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor and author. And finally, Kadri Ugand herself, Co-Founder and CEO of GameFounders.

“I was sleepwalking throughout the long wait for The Decision. Then I was told, matter-of-factly, that we were in. It took a lot of staring into space before it finally sunk in – our studio, Moocho Brain Interactive, would be in GameFounders Spring 2017!”

GameFounders screens thousands of applicants from around the world. But to qualify for a spot in one of their programs, your studio has to impress.

“It boils down to (GameFounders’) evaluation of the studio’s portfolio and the mettle of its members,” Santia pointed out. “The evaluation is done by a team of industry experts and experienced investors.”

He added: “Maybe GameFounders saw potential in our dual strategy.”


The gamification of education

Elaborating on “dual strategy,” Santia first explained that Moocho Brain’s core desire is to “transform education through applied game design.”

In the early 2000s, Santia and his colleagues realized “that the reason why many educational games do not work is the absence of solid game design.” Thus, they spent “the intervening years studying and developing traditional video games, to gain that grasp of game design in order to crack the massive problem of boredom, of disengagement in schools.”

Then, after learning that one of the primary causes of country's massive school dropout problem is the lack of interest in education, everything clicked for Santia:

“Isn’t (being a) game designer precisely about creating interest and sustaining it?”

Moocho Brain has worked on a number of projects aimed at tackling this issue. Its first major victory was winning the Benilde Prize for Design Excellence for their “Bamboard Game Project.”

The Bamboard Game Project is a “multi-modal, multiplayer mathematical board game made out of Bamboo,” Santia explained. “That project tries to address not only the lack-of-interest problem in education but also poverty by providing jobs in the countryside in the form of bamboo farming and crafting.”

Santina continued: “In the medium term, Moocho Brain aims to develop a platform for game-based education... But more than that, we are driven to rebuild the educational system on a new foundation, and that is the joy of learning.”





The second part of Moocho Brain’s twofold strategy is to develop traditional video games for the PC and mobile to keep the studio’s “game design skills sharp and to shore up funds for its main mission.” Which is why Santia and company have been working on “Paper Worlds,” a game they exhibited at last year’s Tokyo Game Show.

Santia describes “Paper Worlds” as a “puzzle platformer that synthesizes platforming and origami.” The game stars a female protagonist who manipulates a beautifully surreal paper realm by folding its pages.

 



World-class talent

In the GameFounders Spring 2017 program, Moocho Brain joins teams from Asia, Europe, and South America. They are:

AmmoboxStudios is from Malaysia. Headed by Jeremy Choo, the studio is using the Unreal engine to build “Eximus,” a first-person shooter/real-time strategy hybrid. The game allows players to alternate between fighting enemies up close and personal as a ground trooper, and taking command of an entire military force as a general. “Eximus” has already been Greenlit on Steam.

Weyrdworks from Malaysia is led by Shawn Beck and JT Yean, who have been creating games for various platforms for the past half-decade. The studio has garnered several honors, such as a spot in the App Store’s Best of 2016. Its RPG/tower defense hybrid, “Warpods,” has you confronting hostile absurdities from space.

Kaigan Games from Malaysia is composed of Jeremy Ooi, Shahrizar Roslan, Thean Eu, and Shahazmi Roslan. Its game “Sara is Missing” won Best Upcoming Game and Jury’s Honorable Mention at the International Mobile Gaming Awards Southeast Asia. In it, players must examine Sara’s mobile phone to unravel the mystery of her disappearance. Through this experience, the studio hopes to open people’s eyes to the dangers of mobile technology.





Monkey’s Fingers is an Italian studio comprised of Alessandro Martire and Carmine Gissi. Its goal is to push the limits of mobile devices by creating mobile titles boasting next-gen graphics. Its first game, “Last Lie,” combines the stealth and third-person shooter genres. It is already available on Google Play, where it has been downloaded 200,000 times.

Far Mills is a nine-year-old company consisting of Ukrainians Alex Gnomov, Alex Siebov, and Viktor Zaharchenko. Its specialty is family games, especially those of the interactive story variety. Presently, it is developing a 2D point-and-click title dubbed “The Last Touch.” It tells the story of Anna, a magical girl who must explore fantastical worlds in her search for her missing cat.





Wulf Games is a Colombian team made up of Juan David Varon, Luis Estrada Florez, and Daniel Jojoa Burgos. Its survival game, “Whispers, No Time To Pray,” puts you in the shoes of a mercenary tasked with rescuing a team of archaeologists from a jungle teeming with creatures ripped straight out of Latin American mythology.

Skullfish Studios is a Brazilian team helmed by Rafael Ferrari and Gabriela Thobias. Its expertise is virtual reality technology. Its current project is a VR dungeon crawler called “Lila’s Tale,” in which the player guides a young girl through a series of puzzles. Unlike most VR experiences, “Lila’s Tale” employs a third-person perspective, which minimizes motion sickness.

Umbu Games is a Brazilian group headed by João Victor and Fabricio Pietsch. It is working on a puzzle game called “Death’s Life,” in which you assume the role of Death’s apprentice. It tasks you with terminating mortal lives by using chain reactions – and ensuring each death looks nothing more than an unfortunate accident.





A modern Sculpture Garden

GameFounders was founded in 2012. Headquartered in Estonia, it has already invested in over 60 studios across two dozen countries. In 2015, the accelerator extended its reach with the establishment of GameFounders Asia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Santia views GameFounders as the present-day equivalent of Lorenzo De’ Medici’s Sculpture Garden.

“Sculpture not involving marble, chisel and hammer, but interactivity, pixels and code,” he clarified. “GameFounders calls digital talent from all over the world to come to Kuala Lumpur to build the future.”

He added: “We will carve the David, the Moses, the Pietà of this Age. We will build thriving companies to execute our visions, companies that take care of our people, create shareholder value and make the world a better place one game at a time.”

For more information about GameFounders, visit its official website or Facebook page. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: videogaming