What is it like to develop video games in Mexico? Blas Castañeda, a Mexican developer, managed to impress Microsoft to finance his project The end is nahual: if I may say so. Musician, programmer and artist, in Blas' game there is a deeply Mexican and Latin experience. The idea of seeking security, of the world knowing your work, your talent, of getting up every day knowing that your dreams are impossible and still going out into the world to show that nothing can crush your spirit of moving forward, of showing the gods that they are wrong and taking your destiny into your own hands.
Nobody is going to come to save us
Blas David Castañeda Martínez, 32, is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, and studied video game development engineering and music, without finishing either. He humorously tells us that his sisters tell him that he "lowers the average education level of the block." Being a man of action and not contemplation, he created the company called Third World Productions and embarked on a project that would take him around 10 years to complete and that would result in the game The End is Nahual.
In an interview with P360, he said that while it is true that artists and developers succeed abroad, it is also important to create opportunities on your own. "The solution to many Mexican problems is in Mexico," he said, while acknowledging that there is a need for more coordination between the Mexican government and video game developers in this country.
Mexico is a country full of talented and hard-working people, our culture is unmatched. Our joy and tenacity in facing adversity and coming out victorious is a gift to the world, it is something worth sharing. Blas urges us not to wait for anthropologists to come and take our picture, we should not wait for American movies and series to film in Mexico and present it with the famous yellow filter, because as the programmer from Guadalajara recognizes, in movies and series we are almost never portrayed in a positive light. We Mexicans have many things to say and what better way to do it than from our mouths and from our land. "It is not just that your country makes money, we cannot create our identity if all the culture we consume is from abroad." And Blas reminds us that the value of our culture is something that cannot be measured in dollars.
Developing video games in the third world
Video games are huge projects that nowadays consume millions of dollars in resources, and need the hands of many people and the talent of different professions to be made. Blas tells us that the idea of starting to make video games came to him after watching a documentary called Indie Game. While making a video game the size of Grand Theft Auto is impossible, a small, independent game was certainly within his reach. Most of the games produced in Mexico are like that, small but eager to show the world what they are capable of.
Fortunately, Blas' project managed to impress Microsoft representatives to provide him with financing and the opportunity to sell his game in the Microsoft Store.
The problem of money is something that always torments developers in our country, the process of creating video games is very long and finding financing in the course of finishing your product can be the difference between leaving the industry or seeing your video game finished. And this is also shared by developers who have organized themselves in the MEXICAN ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM, an event on the Steam digital store organized by Blas Castañeda. This event features Mexican developers offering discounts on their games, as well as serving as a celebration of Mexican culture and developers.
As Blas himself says, "as individuals we beg, as a group we negotiate" and the fact that they have managed to organize themselves to have a space on Steam is no small thing. Steam is the largest digital distribution platform in the world and the fact that Mexican developers have conquered a little piece of it is something worth celebrating.
But how is the end is nahual game?
It's essentially a puzzle game and graphic novel with a tangled story. It's not a conventional game and I think that's the first thing you should take into account, it's also important to mention that it has an M rating, recommended for ages 17 and up. Blas also tells us that the game is for anyone who wants to play it, but it's clear that despite the art style and characters that might seem aimed at a younger audience at first glance, the themes and dialogue are aimed at a more mature audience. It's also a story that constantly breaks the fourth wall to refer directly to the player, the mechanics and the medium itself, it is in that sense a modernist work to the core.
Despite some cryptic puzzles and a very long tutorial, I had a lot of fun playing it, enjoyed some simply wonderful music, and got excited trying to get into the mind of the creator through his work.
The bad moments are boring, but the good moments are incredible and take you by the hand to a surreal world in an alternative Mexican history, with its own historical events, gods and characters.
If you are even remotely interested in learning about the game, I recommend you look for it on Steam, or you can use this link. Its normal price is $10, but if you find it on sale it can cost you half that.
What's next for Third World Productions?
Starting a new video game, of course, you can already add it to your wishlist in Steam their new project, Archaic Memories. This new title will be a platform game in which you explore planets on a surreal journey full of references to Mexican culture and the humor that characterizes the people of Guadalajara. And here you can see a trailer.
