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e27 learns the process of developing a casual game, and what role a mirror plays in it

Situated in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Central Jakarta, Touchten office emanates  an  aura of fun when e27 walks in.

Visitors have to take off their shoes before they walk into the carpeted room, which is arranged in an open office plan for the startups’ more than 30 employees inside.

The main decorations in the office are different kinds of toys, which the employees bring to the office themselves. There is even a hoverboard that Art Director Nilwafa Praduta later uses to move around the office.

The office is also surrounded by blackboards with drawings that emphasise the company’s core values – fun, creative, collaborative, nurturing and humble.

“Maintaining a company culture is essential in building a company’s identity, especially when the company is in the process of developing,” says Rokimas Soeharyo, COO of Touchten.

“This is a gift from our investor TMS Entertainment in Tokyo,” Praduta explains, pointing at a gigantic Anpan Man doll in the company’s recreation room, which is filled with comic books and board games, and has a vinyl player.

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How a game comes to be

There are five key roles in Touchten’s creative team: Art, Design, Programming, Sound and Quality Assurance.

“Our workflow begins with the founders setting up their vision, the targets they aim to achieve this year … How many casual games, how many mid-core games,” explains Soeharyo.

“We then begin to brainstorm and develop ideas, with the Art Director coming up with the visuals, and the Design Director coming up with game mechanics,” Praduta continues.

“Then, we pitch the ideas to our artists and programmers, to make sure that everyone is okay with it,” he adds.

After the prototype is created, the game will be tested by the Quality Assurance team. The prototype comes in a very basic form, mostly consisting only of moving boxes, with details being added later once the idea is fully validated by the team.

The main requirement for a game to pass the test is that it should be fun.

“If it’s not, then we’ll go back to the drawing board again, trying to come out with a fun idea,” Praduta says.

In the middle of the room, there is a pillar that is fully covered with mirrors.

“Our animators use it to draw characters,” Praduta explains. “They would stand there and strike poses for reference. It’s very fun seeing them making poses.”

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On Fridays, we have seminars

Touchten provides free lunches for all its employees. As we are about to leave the office, a courier walks in with lunchboxes for everyone.

On Fridays, the company holds an internal seminar called Friday Game Showcase, where they share the hottest trends in gaming or analyses of their previous works.

They also go on a company retreats or go to karaoke or the movies every Friday.

“We never limit our employees’ right to fun, as long as it remains responsible. Working in the creative industry, fun [activities are] our source of inspiration,” Praduta says.

We bet they are all geared up to see Star Wars this weekend, no?

“Yes, definitely,” Praduta answers with a laugh.

“Enjoy 2-for-1 tickets to Echelon Indonesia 2016 now. Do not miss out on Indonesia’s biggest international tech conference!”

The post In photos: All fun and games at Touchten headquarters appeared first on e27.

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