Welcome to 8-bit queries
8-bit quesies is series of interviews with the Playfi Studios team, community and friends. We will feature prominent people throughout our community and industry on the first Friday of each month. There will only be 8 questions in each interview as a nod to the 8-bit games of the past that inspired so many of us to enjoy and work within this industry.
Today we speak to ‘Cube’, also known as David Finlay, founder and lead game developer of Playfi Studios.
David is a 3D Generalist with 8 years of experience in the AAA Game Industry making digital assets for highly optimized, open world games and 13+ years in the field of Architecture, making visualizations and immersive products for billion dollar companies and infrastructure projects throughout the United States.
Hey Cube thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. I think the world of DeFi and especially our community at Playfi need to understand who you are and what your plans are.
1. Who is Cube: Can we start with a brief explanation of your history in gaming. Where have you worked and how did you get into the industry?
Can we also learn a little about you personally. Family? Country of residence? Favourite game to play?
A: Hey there! Let’s start from the beginning. I graduated from Full Sail University in Orlando, FL with a degree in Computer Animation when I was 19. At 20, I was hired at Rockstar Games San Diego, where I started as a vehicle artist.
My first game I worked on was Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition for Xbox and PS2. After that, I worked on DLC for MC3, Midnight Club 4: Los Angeles (and DLC) & Red Dead Redemption as a terrain artist. I also have had the good fortune to create assets for Forza III, Blur Racing and others. Along with games, I worked on chip tech demos, designing unique assets for large corporations, like Qualcomm.
After that, I began to gain interest in Architectural Visualization and ended up getting a corporate job at a billion-dollar Architecture firm, working on large US-based infrastructure projects. There, I create animations and experiences using Unreal Engine 5 daily. Now Im taking all of this knowledge and applying it to Web3 gaming and all that it encompasses.
Now Im taking all of this knowledge and applying it to Web3 gaming and all that it encompasses.
2. Web2: What has been your proudest achievement in your education and work so far and also your biggest lesson throughout Web2 and Web3?
A: I’d say being the first in my family to go to college is a proud moment for me. It helps drive me to improve and keep learning. Another proud moment would be working on 3 different games that became “Greatest Hits” and some can still be purchased at the store, over a decade later.
Biggest lesson would be to focus on the gameplay and user experience 100%. The crypto aspect needs to feel “hidden” during gameplay, keeping players immersed. Losing a gamer is very easy and it only takes one little thing to turn them off. Keeping the experience smooth as butter helps keep their attention.
Biggest lesson would be to focus on the gameplay and user experience 100%.
3. Transitioning from Web2 to Web3: With your extensive experience in Web2 game design, what inspired you to venture into the Web3 space, and how do you think your background gives you an edge over potential competitors?
A: Seeing games that were currently in the crypto space and how they could be improved is what caught my interest. While at Rockstar, I saw and absorbed the ins and outs of how to fully optimize a game, from all aspects, especially when creating 3D assets for expansive, open worlds. This allows us to create higher detail games with a much higher visual fidelity, all running at the same framerates.
While at Rockstar, I saw and absorbed the ins and outs of how to fully optimize a game
4. Design Philosophy Evolution: How has your design philosophy evolved as you’ve moved from creating games in a Web2 environment to designing in the decentralized, token-driven world of Web3?
A: It has only changed in regard to team size and our ability to be nimble and efficient with our time, allowing us to make complex games in a fraction of the time.
allowing us to make complex games in a fraction of the time.
5. Challenges and Solutions: What are the most significant challenges you’ve faced while adapting your game design skills to Web3, and how have you overcome them? Any particular tools or platforms that have been game-changers for you?
A: The time to develop a game is usually rather long. I’d say one of our main challenges is keeping our loyal community engaged while we develop. Crypto moves very quickly. Gaming historically moves slowly. So there is a fine balance that must occur to keep everyone happy as well as not sacrifice your end products.
Crypto moves very quickly. Gaming historically moves slowly.
6. Player Engagement and Economy: Web3 games often feature unique economic models, such as play-to-earn/play-and-earn. How do you approach designing game economies and player engagement differently in Web3 compared to traditional gaming?
A: We have a Win-to-Earn model, where ALL games are skill-based. No games are chance-based or related to gambling. This ensures global compliance as well as removes the ability for bots or farms to take advantage of our games.
We have a Win-to-Earn model
7. Future Predictions: Based on your journey and insights, where do you see the future of game design heading in the context of Web3 technologies? Are there any key trends or technologies to keep watch on? Could GameFi drive blockchain and crypto mainstream, and what’s needed to make it happen?
A: I see short, casual web3 games being streamed (once everyone has internet fast enough) to all devices, as well as massive PC experiences that are very social-centric.
massive PC experiences that are very social-centric.
8. Future of Playfi: What is your ultimate vision for Playfi?
A: To continue building quality games for people that give them a chance to change their lives, based on their skills. Our open world, Oahu Nights.com , is where gamers will go to hang out with friends in VR, joy ride cars all over the island, choose from a plethora of games that live inside the island, all of which we have created using Unreal Engine. Our fully sustainable model gives users the freedom to find a game they are good at and maximize their earning potential with the skills they were born with.
To continue building quality games for people that give them a chance to change their lives
To find out more about Playfi Studios and/or our lead game developer David Finlay please follow the links below…
X — https://x.com/playfistudios
Website — https://playfi.studio/
Gitbook — https://whitepaper.playfi.studio/introduction/our-mission
Telegram official main — https://t.me/PlayFiStudio
Telegram official announcements — https://t.me/PlayFiAnnouncements
