Massimo Guarini discusses the inspiration and process behind the game.
What sparked the idea for Last Day of June and how did it change over time?
Although Last Day of June was initially inspired by Steven Wilson’s “Drive Home” music video, directed by Jess Cope, there have been many other personal factors contributing to the origin of the game idea. My ancestral fear of death has played a huge role into how Carl and June react to loss. Death is something people tend to ignore completely, or instead think about in great depth. I fall into the second category, and every time I think about death I feel a comforting sense of melancholy. To me this is one of the most beautiful and poetic emotions we can experience as human beings. Along with Steven Wilson’s unique melodies, the feeling of melancholy has equally influenced the creation of the game that you are playing today. I live in a small town by the shores of Lake Varese, and it’s not unusual for me to spend time by the lake gazing at the wonderful sunsets. It’s something both relaxing and melancholic, as the sunset itself is the prelude to darkness. I took a picture of a particularly beautiful sunset by the pier one day, and without even knowing it, that vision started growing in me. I later realised that I had been instructing the art team to build the first visual prototype around that shot, which ultimately means around that particular, very personal emotion. That was where Carl and June belonged in my mind, and that was how everything started Carl and June found me, I didn't find them.
Who is the game targeted at?
I always like to say this game is targeted to human beings, not just core gamers. I don’t mean this cause offence to the notion of being a super passionate gamer, instead to my strong belief that games can connect with anyone. The problem is not what we have, in terms of games genres, but rather what we don’t yet have. I think game experiences are able to go beyond mere entertainment, and are going to dominate tomorrow’s market. As technological barriers are slowly but steadily coming down, we can see interactive entertainment becoming more accessible to a wider audience. Game experiences are able to bring to life human matters in a personal and original way. As a result, games will be more appealing to a wider audience, exactly as it happens with movies and television today.
Why did you feel this game was important to make?
Up until now, games have been primarily created by an incredibly homogenous demographic of people who draw on the same cultural references (mostly geek culture), who use the same game design theory that was developed mainly by white male gamers, for white male gamers. I realised that I was stuck, because that’s what happens when everyone is the same as each other. We need diversity, different point of views, teams taking creative risks, with enough courage to challenge traditional game design staples. We are increasingly seeing this happening with independent and even some AAA titles, and that’s an extremely good thing. I felt it was important for me to be part of this silent, yet important revolution.
What research or collaborations did you undertake to inform the game?
The collaboration between myself and Steven Wilson (ex Porcupine Tree founder & frontman) played a huge role in positioning the game as a sort of cross-media experience, where narration, interaction and music blend together seamlessly. I personally believe we should try and ditch the game industries private club mentality, and open our doors to artists and creators from other media without feeling threatened. We speak different languages, we’re not stealing from each other, but rather blending our works into something more beautiful, and ultimately more universal.
