The Fancy Pants Adventures 3

Here’s our trailer for The Fancy Pants Adventures 3:

The following is an interview we did with Brad Borne, the creator of The Fancy Pants Adventures 3.

Indie Game Project: When did you start designing video games and when did you realize this would be a serious career option?

Brad Borne: My first offer to put a logo in a game was for 75 bucks. That's basically nothing, but the only thing going through my head at the moment was 'I can make money off of this??'

IGP: Did you create any other games before Fancy Pants Adventures?

Borne: A few. I've done some freelance work for a few sites; those are the only ones I can finish up in any reasonable amount of time. Before Fancy Pants, I made SnowBlitz and a little arena shooter called Stande, both with Mark Flieg Jr., who's an awesome artist. I have a few other ideas floating around, but I have a feeling I'll be best known for FPA for the foreseeable future, heh.

IGP: What were the challenges that you faced as a game developer?

Borne: When working on the console game, it was a challenge for me to actually be working with a team. I'm used to working on my own time, or adding and polishing whatever and however I feel. When working on a 'real' game, much more effort is needed to change things or get new things into the engine, takes a lot more planning and prioritization. When I'm working just by myself, though, I never know when to wrap things up and just finish the game!

IGP: What's your opinion on the importance of indie games?

Borne: They're the future, I'd say. If you want to play yet another 'brown shooter,' as I like to call them, play the latest Triple-A title. It's probably polished, it might even be incredibly good, but it won't be innovative. If you want to see what tomorrow's video game trend will be, you have to search it out online.

IGP: Do you believe that there is less of a struggle to get a game released nowadays, if there is a struggle at all? If so, why?

Borne: There's definitely still a struggle. Well, it depends on how you want to release your game. Publishers still rule the retail space, and they're very adverse to risk taking. In the digital space, things are a bit easier, but it still takes time and manpower to create something worth charging for. Online, though, anyone can release anything, and the best float to the top. Now if only we could find a payment system that suits these types of games, to get some money into the pockets of the indies...

IGP: Are you planning any games for the future?

Borne: Of course! I had to put Fraser's Ride on hold, which I was making with artist TommyLM, who has contributed to the FPA series. As long as I have ideas, I'll be making games!

IGP: Any words for people who are thinking of designing a game?

Borne: Go for it! Creating is incredibly rewarding, and being able to create something that people can play and interact with is even more so. Creativity is king online, so if you think your ideas and creations can stand out from the crowd, you should have no trouble being noticed. And for people who are smarter than me and can get into mobile phone or digital download space, there's a lot of money to be made there.

Special thanks to Brad Borne for his time.