An Interview with Vairon | SCREAM SCENE
Today we are interviewing Juanjo Barceló, also known as Vairon and LVairon.
My main alias is Vairon (this alias comes from Lord Byron, a late 18th and early 19th century poet with… an interesting life).
Vairon has participated in two SCREAM ZONE game jams, creating Housebound for SCREAM JAM 2019 and 7 Days for SCREAM EMPIRE.
He is the founder of Luminy Studios and is currently working on DELUSION, a survival horror first-person experience that will “test your wits and survival skills as you discover the truth about your father.”
Hi! Thank you for agreeing to this interview! To start things off, could you please tell us a little about how you got into game development and design?
Hi and thanks to you for this interview, it’s really exciting!
Since I was very little I have been interested in art and computing; in fact my real job is as a web designer, but I wanted to go one step further and enter the world of game development. This is why I decided to create Luminy Studios several years ago (I think it was in 2008… really? OMG!) as a hobby: to learn along with other beginner game devs and grow as an indie developer. Now the studio has become more serious, although it’s still not my main job.
But I have always liked to experiment and do more daring things. That is why a few years ago I decided to create Blurred Games, mainly to participate in game jams (especially I’m addicted to horror game jams, you know) and do less serious and experimental things.
You have mentioned that English is not your first language. How has that affected your journey in game design and the ways in which you interact with the game development community?
I have to say that there is a great and wonderful Spanish-speaking community of game devs, and it grows more and more. But in my opinion it’s essential to know English because it’s the most fluid and widespread way that exists right now to communicate with the international video game development community and with the industry that surrounds it (publishers, for example).
I have game dev friends all over the world (France, Italy, Australia…), and I speak to all of them in English, although my English is not perfect, hahaha.
How did you find SCREAM ZONE game jams? What challenges have you encountered, and what has been your experience so far?
As I said before, I’m a fan of game jams and especially horror game jams, so it was not difficult to find the SCREAM ZONE game jams… I’m always looking for horror game jams to inspire me!
But I must also say that it’s very difficult to find well organized and durable horror game jams over time, that is why I like your events, a horror game jam every 3 months? It’s perfect for horror lovers like me!
What programs and software do you use? Do you prefer to experiment or stick with what works?
Many people ask me this question when I participate in game jams: how can you get such great results in such a short time?
Well, my main weapons are Unity, 3ds Max, Quixel products and Photoshop, among others (depending on the project). But it’s obvious that I also use assets that I have already bought for other projects, or reuse old models with modifications to speed up the creation process, but remember: it doesn’t matter what you use, it’s how you use it.
And of course, in game jams I always try to experiment and go a step further, forcing myself to see what I’m capable of… sometimes this ends badly, hahaha.
7 Days was a terrifying experience! What is your approach to writing a story? Do you take the optional theme of each game jam into account?
Hahaha, thanks for your kind words about 7 Days!
Of course the theme is very important in a game jam, I think it’s the basis of the challenge, creating something interesting with a theme that you have not chosen tests all of your creative capacity.
Personally I love to investigate and look for information about what I’m going to do. I look for inspiration in other games, Wikipedia, books, even music. Anything can inspire you.
And something I always do: I always start on paper, making sketches, brainstorming…
What is your relationship with horror? Who are your favourite horror media creators?
Ever since I saw the movie Alien (1979) as a kid my life has revolved around horror, hahaha, it’s totally true. I have always been attracted to the dark, the fears of the human being… the inexplicable, the unknown, the strange and unusual.
About my favourite horror creators… the list is very long, hahaha. From classics like Lovecraft, Poe, Guy de Maupassant… others like Stephen King, Carpenter, George A. Romero, James Wan… and I’ve always loved the art of H. R. Giger, but the list is much longer!
What influenced the design of Housebound? Did you base the house on any real location?
Housebound has Resident Evil 7 as its main influence; I think we can all see the similarities in the design of the house and the atmosphere. There are also some hidden Easter eggs…
Also, this project was special because I used the assets of Chilla’s Art (a studio that I love) which I bought a long time ago and that I loved. It was perfect for my game jam idea!
And although I took many references from real sites (haunted or abandoned houses), it’s not inspired by any real case or place.
Also I must say that the response of people to Housebound has been crazy. It’s my best known and downloaded project! I take this opportunity to thank all for their support.
What’s one hobby or talent you have (not related to game development) that people may not know about?
I love nature and I go hiking whenever I can. It also helps me get away from the computer and recharge my batteries.
And since I always like to help and learn from other artists (whatever their discipline) and exchange ideas and opinions, I’m a member of an online collective of artists from all over Europe (and from other parts of the world), where we talk about art in all its slopes (music, illustration, comics, films…) and we try to work as a Cultivator or Projects Incubator. It is The Icehouse Indie Artist Collective, and we have more info on our website: http://www.theicehouse.fr/
What’s next for you? Are there any tools, genres, or themes that you would like to experiment with?
Well the truth is that there are quite a few things I would like to experiment with / learn. For example, I would like to learn how to use Blender. I think it’s a tool that can compete with the greats in the industry.
And there is something that I have always wanted to do but that I couldn’t because of fear and lack of time: pixel art. Maybe this year I dare…
And why not… make game development my primary profession.
And of course, the classic SCREAM question… What’s your favourite scary movie?
Hahaha, a complicated question… I could say many but the only one (and the first one) that really marked me was Alien (1979).
You can find Vairon on Twitter, Facebook, Artstation, itch.io, and Game Jolt.
SCREAM SCENE is a series dedicated to interviewing members of the SCREAM ZONE Discord and team. If you have participated in multiple SCREAM ZONE game jams and would like to be interviewed by us, please contact us on Discord, Twitter, or via email.
This interview was conducted by Caveware Digital and includes questions from Josef Frank and naver. Thank you for reading!
