Interview with Mira Dorthé from Other Tales Interactive, A MAZE Gender Diversity Award 2024 Winners for their work on Miniatures
WINGS was once again very proud to team up with the A MAZE playful media festival to present the third annual “Gender Diversity Award”.
The Gender Diversity Award shines a spotlight on exceptional games developed by women and other gender-marginalized creators. The winning game this year, selected out of 5 outstanding nominees, was Miniatures by Other Tales Interactive.
Miniatures draws players into a small, intimate world through simple tasks and chores. What starts as childlike play and wonder soon reveals darker, more complex secrets. The game’s hand-drawn art, carefully crafted audio, and the occasional sound of a child’s laughter create an immersive experience, leading players to care deeply for the characters. This game exemplifies how games can convey unique stories and emotions. It shows that we don’t need grand visuals or large screens to become deeply invested in a narrative.
We had the opportunity to ask Mira Dorthé, a Programmer, Writer, and Designer at Other Tales Interactive, a couple of questions about their game, her experience in the games industry, as well as to share some advice for new game developers.
How did you come to make games and work in the games industry; did you pursue other careers prior or in addition to game development?
Mira: Tanja and I (Mira) started our company Other Tales straight after finishing our Masters degree in Game Design, we both got some working experience in the game industry while studying but the majority of our time in the games industry is at Other Tales. Tanja worked in a small publishing house while studying and I worked in the hospitality industry for about eight years. Balázs studied animation with a focus on animated films, but then got really interested in making games. After graduating he was lucky enough to get an internship at a game studio and since then he’s worked on various projects as 2d artist or animator. Growing up Gian always drew and was interested in music/sfx. He studied games at university. But before getting properly into it he was mainly working in graphics, branding, and animation for a couple of years. When his friends graduated and were ready to start a company, they did that and then game development became the focus. Gian always thought he would end up working in a field that was digital, and visual. And as games are so interactive it felt very appealing to be able to work in small teams where he could fill more than one role.
Were there any childhood experiences, education programs or events that inspired you to make games in general?
Mira: I played games since I was very little, started with games like James Pond and Dino Wars but it wasn’t until I played Final Fantasy X that I got extremely excited by storytelling in games. I always wanted to become a writer, studied a Bachelor in Writing, and games held the perfect mix of writing and collaboration. Tanja was always interested in writing and storytelling and when she took an elective Game Design course at university she discovered that games was a really fun and engaging medium to tell stories in. She was especially inspired by games such as Kentucky Route Zero and Dear Esther. While Balázs had have been interested in games as a kid, he only got to try making one when he got into university. During his studies, he got into a game developer program in Copenhagen, called Eucroma. He got to work on a game and meet other people who were interested, something that was very impactful for him. When Gian was a kid he drew a lot of rts maps on the playground and swapped them back and forth with a friend. They used to battle each other on paper. They changed a lot of mechanics and created their own little designs based on classic rts games that that they liked. It gave him a little insight into game design, something he feels contributed in all this.
How would you describe your game, Miniatures?
Mira: Miniatures is a game anthology about children’s interpretations of an adult world. Everyday moments turning eerie or strange, the magical creeping in. It’s a short, beautiful, and odd game.
What inspired you to make this game?
Mira: The first idea was to make something different from Tick Tock: A Tale for Two (our first game), something smaller but with the same focus on atmosphere, experimental storytelling, and unique art. The game is inspired by children’s picture books and short animation movies.
What have been some of the greatest challenges in making this particular game, and how have you overcome them?
Mira: Keeping it small! Always the hardest challenge we think, and we quickly realized that making a game that consists of four games with different game mechanics and art styles will never truly be small. There have been several stories and prototypes that we’ve cut from the game and finding the right collection of stories has been difficult but we’re really happy with how they all tie together. How did we overcome that challenge? Hm, I’m not entirely sure but being several designers has helped tremendously I think, when Tanja, Gian, and Balázs agree on something that’s the direction the game takes and their drive, determination, and decision making has made the game what it is today.
What was your reaction to winning the Diversity Award at A MAZE, and did it impact you as a developer?
Mira: We were completely taken off guard, we didn’t think we’d win the award — the other games nominated were amazing! We were all standing in the audience and heard the laudation mention something about children and then no one heard the rest haha. We had to rewatch the stream and were so happy that the judges had seen all the nuances and strengths of Miniatures. So thank you for this award!
Do you feel the games industry is more receptive to women and gender diverse people now as compared to when you began in the industry?
Mira: I took a game design course in 2011 and then I was the only woman in my class. Fast forward to just 2014, when me and Tanja started our Games Master degree, it was more of a 30/70 split. That was very refreshing to see and felt very welcoming.
What are you working on now?
Mira: We are working on polishing Miniatures right now and have started porting the game to several platforms (announcing soon). We have also started localizing the game and are preparing for a release
What advice would you give a fellow game developer who aspires to be like you?
Mira: Oh, tough question. We were very fortunate in having parts of our first game funded by the Danish Film Institute. They funded the game for what it was and I think that’s why we stuck with the idea to the extent that we did, since it had in some way been pre-approved by someone. When pitching the game to publishers most of them were hesitant to work with a game that HAD to be played by two people, an understandable risk. Since it was the first game we did and we really wanted to make something experimental the risk wasn’t so big to us and we happened to create a game that fit a niche that many players were really interested in. And when we released Tick Tock: A Tale for Two there weren’t many two-player co-op games at all so the game had some room to stand out. I think we’ve kept that sense of confidence since then, that when we’re excited enough about something we go with it since that gives us joy. We also do a lot of playtesting because that’s the final indication that something is working, we keep working on our games until we are sure it’s an enjoyable experience (for our specific audience).
Finally, where can fans find more of your work?
Mira: Miniatures is the second game our studio has made. The first one is called Tick Tock: A Tale for Two and is a two-player co-op game where you solve puzzles across to devices. Tick Tock is available on Steam, Humble Store, Itch, Nintendo Switch, AppStore, and Google Play (and can be played cross-platform). You can read more about us and the studio on othertales.com.
