With each new article in our “Developer Diaries,” we delve deeper into game development and uncover the ins and outs of processes hidden from players. We’ve already learned the studio founder’s journey , what the producer meticulously works on, and how the CTO’s work “holds the whole game together.” But what about the visuals?
There are two interviews remaining in our series, with perhaps the most important figures responsible for what the player will ultimately see: the art director and the game designer. Today, we’ll be discussing the latter profession with Ilya Ivanov, lead game designer on GRIMPS from WATT studio.
WATT – what kind of studio is it and what projects does it develop?
First, let’s recap, or, if you’re just getting started with our interviews, explain which game development studio we’re talking about. WATT is a Russian game development team currently actively developing two stylistically contrasting but equally captivating titles: “Tsarevna” and ” GRIMPS .”
“The Princess”
When people think of slashers, few imagine a fragile girl using balletic moves in battle as the main character. But in “Tsarevna,” you don’t even need to imagine that.
This is the world’s first ballet slasher film, developed using motion capture from a real Bolshoi Ballet dancer. The project aims to reimagine the action game genre by infusing it with cultural heritage and choreographic influences.
Gameplay trailer
The latest gameplay trailer shows off “Tsarevna” in action. The video showcases the game’s core combat mechanics: combos, dodges, magical abilities, and a motion-based system
GRIMPS
It’s hard to describe GRIMPS in the same terms as Tsarevna. Unlike Tsarevna, GRIMPS is a shooter, but with a rather bright and charming design, which is unusual for action-packed gameplay.
You have to protect the city from wild enemies, and a slightly cheeky pigeon partner will help you with this.
Ilya Ivanov: What it’s like to be a game designer and turn an idea into a real game
Game development is currently a fascinating and challenging field for many creative people. One of the most interesting professions is game designer. How would you explain your work to a newcomer?
“Oh, that’s a great question! It’s true that explaining it to an outsider can be difficult—there are too many terms and nuances at once. I usually resort to a simple analogy: a game designer is essentially an architect, only for games.”
Look: when building a house, the architect first thinks everything through carefully. It’s not just “this is where the living room will be,” but how people will navigate the house, where to place the stairs so it’s comfortable, how to connect all the rooms into a unified system and keep it all from falling apart. Then the builders and engineers come and bring this plan to life.
It’s the same in games. A game designer first creates a “plan” for the game world: they write down the rules, devise mechanics, and think through how the player will interact with it—what situations will arise, what choices will be made. Then the team gets involved: programmers write the code, artists draw, animators bring it to life, and voila, a game is born.
— Once the entire team has decided to create a new game, at what point do you become involved? How does a game designer begin working on a new project?
In reality, a game designer rarely joins a project until later; they’re usually involved from the very beginning. At this stage, key team members develop a general direction: what the game will be about, what experience it should provide the player, and how it will differentiate itself from other competing projects.
A game designer’s work begins with identifying the core of the gameplay—the action that the player will repeat dozens or hundreds of times. Once it becomes clear what the player is doing in the game and why it should be engaging, mechanics, systems, and the game’s structure gradually begin to build around this.
— What comes first: the idea for mechanics or the general concept of the game?
There’s no clear sequence here. Different studios work differently. A game might start with one interesting mechanic, or it might start with a vision of the world or story. But at some point, they inevitably meet: the concept answers the question “what is the game about,” and the mechanics answer the question “what does the player do in it?” When these two layers converge, a cohesive gaming experience emerges.
— Do you have to abandon ideas that seemed promising? What’s often the reason?
— Yes, we have to abandon ideas regularly. There are usually two reasons for this. The first is when a mechanic doesn’t enhance the core gameplay, and after testing it becomes clear it doesn’t improve the game.
The second reason is related to development priorities. Every team has deadlines and limited resources, so sometimes even interesting solutions have to be abandoned if their implementation takes too much time. In such situations, the game designer’s job is to help the team focus on the elements that form the core of the game.
— What aspects of working with artists are particularly challenging, and what aspects, on the contrary, do you find easy to communicate with?
“I usually find it easy to connect with artists. I used to do a lot of 3D graphics and drawing myself, so I understand their workflow and can speak the same language. This really helps when discussing ideas and finding solutions.”
The most challenging moments arise when visual beauty and gameplay objectives collide. An artist can create a very stylish concept that looks great on its own. But in a game, it’s not just how beautiful an object is that matters, but how legible it is for the player and how it supports the mechanics.
Sometimes, even the most powerful artwork starts to clash with the overall visual language or interfere with the readability of the player’s actions. Then, it becomes necessary to explain that in-game design must function as part of a system. And sometimes this means simplifying the form, even if the individual element itself is truly remarkable.
— Are there ever conflicts between “I want it to work” and “how can it be implemented?” How do you usually resolve them?
“Oh, yes, that happens all the time. Game designers often have a vision of how mechanics should work ideally. But as soon as implementation begins, real limitations emerge: technology, performance, development timelines.”
At such moments, a lot of conversations within the team begin. We discuss solutions with the programmers, look for simpler options, and sometimes even change the mechanics themselves. Producers help maintain focus on priorities and deadlines, and marketing sometimes reminds us which features are especially important for the project.
At some point, you realize that game development is essentially a constant process of finding reasonable compromises. The main thing is not to lose the feeling of the game that inspired the idea in the first place.
— In your experience, what most often surprises people when they learn how gameplay is created?
— It turns out that not everyone fully understands what gameplay is and how it’s formed. It’s often perceived simply as a set of actions in a game that make you feel like, “Wow, that’s cool, that’s gameplay!” but in reality, it’s more complex. To put it simply, gameplay is born at the intersection of interaction and narrative—what the player does and the context or meaning in which those actions occur.
What often surprises people is how many iterations [of iterative improvement based on testing] any mechanic goes through before it works as intended. From the outside, it might seem like someone just came up with an idea and it immediately appeared in the game. In practice, things are quite different: we prototype a lot, test, rework, and sometimes completely abandon solutions and start over.
The second thing that surprises many is how much gameplay depends on small details. Sometimes, changing just a few parameters, animation timing, or character movement speed can completely change the feel of the game.
And thirdly, and most importantly, gameplay is almost never created by a single person. It’s always a collaborative effort between designers, programmers, artists, animators, narrative designers, and producers, with every element impacting the final experience.
— What brings you the most joy in your work as a game designer? And what sometimes really drives you crazy?
“The most rewarding thing is when, after a lot of tweaking, the game finally starts working the way you intended. When someone starts playing and doesn’t want to give up the controller—that’s when you realize why it all went into it.”
But the less romantic part of the job is balance. A lot of game design actually lives in spreadsheets: parameters, formulas, progression curves. These numbers shape the feel of the game, but they can sometimes consume a huge amount of time and require a rather meticulous approach to calculations.
— What advice would you give to those who want to create games?
” My main advice is to love games, play them, study and analyze materials from industry professionals. And at the same time, be sure to try making your own projects, at least small prototypes. It’s through practice that you begin to understand how a game is formed.”
I’d also like to say that it’s worth taking a realistic look at the industry if you want to work for hire rather than make an indie. The market is currently quite competitive: there are more specialists than potential projects for employment. Russian game development is currently undergoing a period of profound transformation, and no one knows where this will lead us.
That’s why this field is often filled with people who truly love games and want to make them, even for below-market pay. Money is certainly important, but it’s usually not their only motivation. In a sense, game development today relies on the talent of individuals who are simply passionate about creating games.
