The future is Devoke…
Welcome back to another Miketendo64 interview. With us recently getting the chance to talk to Devoke Studio’s Tyrone Anderson, we’ve been getting the chance to learn all about QuaQua, but there is more to Devoke Studio than just QuaQua.
In fact, we’ve actually spoken to Tyrone Anderson back in 2016, when he was developing a Link’s Awakening 64 mod and we couldn’t resist the chance to learn a little more about the mod and other things Devoke Studio has going on, so to avoid any confusion, we opted to separate these answers from the rest of our QuaQua interviews and that leads us to now, with us releasing the second part of an additional interview with Tyrone Anderson, where we discuss all things Devoke:
Mr. Anderson:
Miketendo64: Before we dive right into the probing questions, we always like to start things off nice and light. Therefore, would you be so kind as to introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
Tyrone Anderson: Hi there, I am Tyrone Anderson, a solo indie game developer and the creator of Devoke Studio. I have always wanted to be a games developer, and I guess I stopped at nothing to achieve this dream. That dream has kept me strong and motivated for a lot of years. Now here I am finally taking the first steps to making this dream a reality, releasing my first game QuaQua.
Miketendo64: And now to follow-up, what is your role at Devoke Studio?
Tyrone Anderson: Right now, I am Devoke Studio, I am a solo independent developer. I do everything but the music! That is by an incredible composer I am lucky to be working with, Kyle Misko.
All Things Devoke Studio:
Miketendo64: Devoke Studio isn’t solely about video game development. You also offer services in designing web sites and “games development courses on C programming, Retro Games Development, Maya, Texture art and more.” Very impressive stuff. What prompted you to undertake this direction and how are your day-to-day activities?
Tyrone Anderson: Much of the philosophy behind Devoke, is my desire to support others who may have been or be in the same situation I was only a few years ago. It’s not a nice position to find yourself wedged, with no prospect or way out.
I run a small free workshop for children wanting to get into game design in my hometown, not only to give them an interest that keeps them out of trouble but also to show them there are career opportunities in life we can make for ourselves.
Much of those free educational materials I make are to help do just that. You will notice in my videos, I use silly cartoon-like animations, I try to make all of this as entertaining and accessible as possible – materials I wish I had found when I first started.
The web and graphic design are skills and services I offer alongside my games development to fund myself as I carry on building this company brick by brick, and I have done well for myself in this regard. I think I offer a wide range of truly unique looking websites and designs.
Miketendo64: Can you tell us about the creation of the Rebel Gaming Academy you launched and some of the responses you’ve had to it from those who undertook the courses offered?
Tyrone Anderson: I am still uploading more courses and work to the Rebel Gaming Academy, but I wanted to offer resources to help people get started from the basics. Often in entry-level programming courses, people start with Python, but I wanted to create a course for blossoming young developers to be able to follow in my exact footsteps if they wanted to and to learn everything in the order I did and the way I did. C for me was a Rosetta stone. C to modern programming is what Latin is to the European language. Once you know C, you can easily translate those skills to all other programming languages. Not only that, but you can program for your N64, Gameboy or whatever you like. It is close to the wire and unbound.
There will be more to come, I want it to be a one-stop place for free education in games development, as education should be.
Miketendo64: Having visited the Devoke Studio website and reading the about section, it was fascinating to learn about your journey through life. Your hard-won self-taught knowledge and skills, your dedication and your love for computers. Having realised your dreams for yourself, if you could offer any encouragement to our readers, is there anything you’d like to say?
Tyrone Anderson: Sometimes in life, the moment when we have nothing is the moment we are most powerful, because if we have nothing at all, then we have nothing to lose. That is the place I was, and the well I drew my power from to push for all of this. It won’t come easy, it took me over five years of struggling to go from where I began to where I am now and it cannot be something you do when you feel like it.
It must be every day, it must become who you are and a part of your daily practice as much as eating and sleeping are. I never even questioned why I was doing this, just that I could take each day at a time.
Even if you only have your fist to break down that wall, better to break your hand and put it to good use if it means one day you may be free from your cell. Any moment you have to yourself, push towards your freedom and build your life for the things that truly matter most. Even if it is just the 30-minute bus ride to work each day, use that time and one day, perhaps like me, you will be chasing your dreams and they will run away with you too.
Miketendo64: Since QuaQua is by no means the only game Devoke Studio has in the pipeline, we would love to take this moment to hear about some of your other projects. What else do you currently have up your sleeve and in the works?
Tyrone Anderson: A Snoot’s Adventure is the big one in the works. It is set to be a truly original 3D platforming experience like no other, teaming classic 3D platformer collect-a-thon gameplay, skateboarding mechanics and even third-person shooting, offering the player opportunities to stack momentum and movement in a way never seen before in the world of gaming! It is shaping up to be something truly special.
Alongside this, Devoke Studio is in partnership with Detroit based studio Ahrdymond Games, working on a Pan-African inspired RPG title named Princess of Galaxia and there is always much, much more on the way, so stay tuned everyone!
If you would love to know more about QuaQua, Devoke Studio’s first game to see a release on Steam, on February 1, 2022, you can do so with our QuaQua series of mini-interviews,. If you wish to check out Part 1 of this interview, you can do so by clicking here.
About QuaQua:
Do you love puzzle games? Do you love ducks? Of course, you do! Then QuaQua (that’s Aqua with a Quack) is the addictive duck game for you.
The aim of the game is simple: run around as an adorable duck to grab the falling bubbles, then use the blocks and items to build terrain and stop as much water escaping from your island as possible!
Catch bombs that threaten to blow up your dams, race against ever-increasing rains to score as many points as possible and survive for as long as you can.
[Interview] Zelda Mods to Zelda Lives with Tyrone Anderson (#1)
