But there’s a good chance you’ve never even heard of it.
“What’s really funny is that I didn’t set out to make a game that kids like.
For the uninitiated, Gorilla Tag is an aptly named game.
Smith even told me his team holds meetings inside the game.
“I was just super into VR.
I was playing all sorts of stuff.
“That kind of connection you might have is second only to what you might form in real life.
“And that, to me, [is] the key power of the medium.
It feels like you’re actually with somebody else.
And those were the things that I focused on in Gorilla Tag.
I tried to just cut out as much as I could and just focus on those things.
What are the things that can’t be left out?”
This led to the formation of what he calls the Three Axioms for his studio, Another Axiom.
I have to put my money where my mouth is and try and make something.'”
It felt totally fine.
“I had this idea for tag, and I just threw it in there.
Tag is something that all mammals play, and it felt it was the exact same feeling.
I have to move quickly to catch that person.
Like, all these different aspects just kind of came together.”
A VR world doesn’t have to be like real life.
It’s not just, ‘Let’s just keep trying new things and see what works.’
There’s enough of a body of work there that there’s really stuff to build on now.
“Video games are kind of hitting a renaissance right now, in some ways.
You’re seeing all these new ideas come out.
And we’re like, ‘You just don’t understand.’
It was kind of generational, right?
“And then, as we’ve gotten older, everybody in our generation plays video games, right?
Video games are for everybody.
It’s bigger than music, and movies, and TV, and all these things.
And I think it’s a similar thing with VR.
Anecdotally, I told Smith I agreed.
Kids in my son’s school play VR games much more often than people my age do.
Smith added that his confidence in VR is backed by two specific reasons.
“I really, truly believe in that social aspect,” he said.
“That ability to create communities and spaces that is becoming more and more difficult these days.
It’s harder for kids to just ride their bike to their friends' houses, right?
There are fewer spaces where it’s okay for teenagers to hang out together outside.
It’s the feeling of being in that world with other people.
A VR game, if done well, is not just an activity, Smith believes.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly?
