Anguish, pain, and game creation

"It's a very creative act to remove things. In some ways, adding things can be the easy option. Everybody likes new ideas. But figuring out which to remove -- I think you talk to anyone that makes games, and this is the common basis of anguish and pain."

- David Smith, lead designer on Media Molecule's upcoming PS Vita title Tearaway, discusses how the studio went about deciding what to add (and remove) from the title. The company's creative director Mark Healey noted that he likes to refer to this process as "focusing," with Smith adding that it's all about making sure that you know the exact game you're looking to create. The game's tech director Alex Evans notes in addition to this, "There were a couple of features that I loved, and birthed, and felt passionate about, that were subtracted. There's a moment where you have to go through a kind of ego giving up release." The full feature delves into the development of Tearaway with four of its lead designers and directors, and can be found on Gamasutra.