During GameCity Squared, we tracked down ex-Trent student, Dewi Tanner, who now lives and works in Japan as NanaOn-Sha’s director of development. Dewi gave us an insight into his arrival in Japan, some of the odd jobs he got up to while job hunting and shared some thoughts about his old university…
Was it your goal to be involved with the games industry from an early age?
Dewi Tanner: It was, kind of, yeah. My dad was quite a video game nerd and he used to bring back Spectrums and all [that] kind of stuff. So even when I was about four I was already playing video games. I was fascinated by the worlds they created, even though back then they were incredibly simplistic. Through the years I’ve waivered in various directions, but by the time I was about 18, I was pretty sure I wanted to be somewhere in the design sector.
So, I applied for various courses to go to university. I actually got offered a place at the game course at Abertay Dundee, which was one of the first game courses back then – this was ten years ago now. But it was just too technical for me. Back then game courses were very simplistic; it was either programming or graphics. I liked both of them, but didn’t want to specialise in either. There were no courses back then for people who wanted to do game design or game production.
So, I ended up coming to Nottingham Trent where I did a course called ‘design studies’, which just seemed to have a perfect balance. There was no games in it, but you could study whatever you wanted for you dissertation and your research project. You also got to try all these different areas of design, like product design, branding, fashion, even marketing and business studies was in it too. It was perfect for learning development skills.
What were your student years like at NTU?
DT: Ah… Probably about the same as yours, you know. Probably could have spent them better. When I say ‘better’, I mean more productively. But it’s all swings and roundabouts I think. The time you spend having a good time is also very important to your spirit as a human being. If you study too hard then you’re going to lack certain social skills. So, work hard, play hard. I spent a good few years [there and] I stayed for another year after I graduated, preparing to move to Japan. Obviously it’s got a special place in my heart.
So, you decided to move to Japan after your degree. That must have been a huge decision for you. Did you ever have second thoughts?
DT: I did for while, yeah. I went on the JET programme originally, which is the most famous scheme for going to Japan. But it’s a one year application process. So, just waiting and waiting and not knowing if I was going to get it or not… you know, I had my moments where I was like, “hmm, is this the right thing to do? Am I actually going to get it? Maybe the interview went crap.” I even applied for a couple of jobs. I applied for Games Workshop doing some kind of design there. Lucky didn’t get it, then got the JET job and moved to Japan. The master plan all went according to plan.
What did your family and friends think of you moving to Japan?
DT: I think they were kind of used to it. I was always the kind of guy who wanted to get out and do stuff. When I was in school, for my A Levels I did [a programme] called World Challenge. It was similar to a gap programme. For one month we went to Africa and did all kinds of challenging things. We spent a year fund raising for it and stuff like that. When I was [at] Trent I actually did one semester as an exchange student in Chicago as well. So, I’ve always been trying to get out there and experience new things and new places and different points of view. [My parents] weren’t too surprised to be honest. They’re very supportive of everything I’ve always done. Sometimes I come back and see them and often they come and see me. So, yeah, it’s worked out pretty well.
What was it like when you first arrived in Japan?
DT: It was pretty nuts. With JET, they fly you into Tokyo and you spend a few days in Shinjuku – busiest train station in the world, most skyscrapers, just utter chaos, neon lights constant, people drinking, partying going on. So, three days of that, and then a bus into the complete middle of nowhere. [They] dropped me off and I was just surrounded by these rice fields. They were like, “OK, we’re going to pick you up in 30 minutes to take you to your welcome party.” Suddenly you’re surrounded by these salary men in suits watching you trying to do ‘Paranoid Android’ in karaoke! It is just complete contrasting experiences day-by-day.
How did you end up at NanaOn-Sha then?
DT: Well, my master plan was I wanted to work in games, but I thought if I just graduated here and joined a British company then I wouldn’t have an angle. I think everyone needs an angle to really separate themselves [from the competition]. My angle was everyone respects Japan, and game creators in Japan. But my Japanese wasn’t good enough even though I studied [it] at Trent for a while. So, I moved into the middle of the country, surrounded myself in Japanese. [I thought] two years there [would be enough time to] bump up my skill levels, observe Japanese culture and understand why they make the games they do. That’s what I did and then I moved down to Tokyo and started applying for jobs from there.
Did things move quickly then or was it more gradual?
DT: It took a while. I was very patient. I moved to Tokyo [but] it took me about a year-and-a-half until I actually got the job. During that time I did all kinds of things. I did more English teaching at universities – I taught it to tax men. I did mystery shopping. I was doing acting on Japanese dramas for like nine months. All the time I was applying for jobs at game companies. But the mistake I [made] was that I was applying at all the big ones. They had very formal recruitment procedures and at the time I had no game experience – so, it was a big risk for them. Eventually, I just saw an advert on some job website, didn’t say who it was, just said “Bilingual production assistant – making kids games.” [I thought,] “I’ll give it a crack.” It turned [out to be] NanaOn-Sha. Had an interview and the next week I was working there.
What it is like working with Matsuura-san?
DT: Incredibly challenging. His standards are incredibly high. I’ve really gotten used to that now and I think everyone should try and be the same. It’s not enough to be happy making a game and that’s it. You should always be aiming to make a game which would appeal to anyone, anywhere in the world. To do that you really need to have an understanding of how people are different. So, I would really appeal to people who want to make games: don’t try and make the games that you want to make, try and make the games that everyone will enjoy, using the skills and knowledge that you have.
Let’s talk games now. What games have you worked on since being at NanaOn-Sha?
DT: The first project I worked on was Musika. I joined in March [2007], just two-and-a-half months later I was taking business trips to Texas, by myself, to track development. So, [I] was really in at the deep end. After that, I worked on Major Minor’s Majestic March, which we just finished. Apart from those, just lots of pre-production, prototyping, that kind of thing.
Looking back, do think you would have done anything differently in order to reach the career path you’re on today?
DT: That’s a good question, but I’m very que sara, sara. I really don’t regret any of the choices I’ve made. Perhaps the only regret I do have at his point is some of the modules, when I was doing my degree [at] Trent, I didn’t take as seriously as others. I was a 20-year-old guy with Che Guevara t-shirt on, not interested in fashion. So, the scores I got for that weren’t as great, and in the end I just missed out on the grade that I wanted. At this point in life it doesn’t make so much of a difference. But you realise that these things come back and bite you at certain points. So, yeah, I really wish that I was a bit more professional in that year in [university]. Especially when you’re working for a job, you can’t pick and choose which projects you’re going to try, but you have to give a hundred percent all the time. I think during university I probably should have done the same.
What are you personally hoping to accomplish at NanaOn-Sha in the future?
DT: On a personal perspective, I’m actually hoping to produce a game myself in the near future. Concentrate more on creative stuff rather than the nitty-gritty, day-by-day, ball-breaking work. So, I guess that’s my next goal.
See what Dewi is up to at NanaOn-Sha.
Aaron Lee
Tags: dewi tanner, gamecity, japan, nanaon-sha, ntu
