NPR’s Juana Summers talks with recreation designer Abubakar Salim in regards to the lengthy journey of making a recreation to course of the grief of shedding his father to most cancers.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Artistic director Abubakar Salim has all the time beloved video video games. That love was handed all the way down to him by his father.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ABUBAKAR SALIM: It began with my dad, proper? He received me into them. He understood, you understand, that video games are an artwork type. You already know, it is an excellent area to take pleasure in an escape from the fact of the world.
SUMMERS: However over 10 years in the past, his dad died after a battle with most cancers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SALIM: And I will inform you what, I am nonetheless figuring it out. However 4 years in the past, I made a decision that I wanted to try to course of my grief in a method that felt true to me and him. So I took the most important danger of my life and threw the whole lot that I had in making a recreation, a chunk of artwork that honored him, an ode to the folks we have now beloved and misplaced.
SUMMERS: That recreation, years within the making, is out now. It is known as Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME, “TALES OF KENZERA: ZAU” )
SALIM: (As Zau) My baba, my father, your story was snatched away too quickly. My title is Zau, shaman of Kenzera. Right here, I search my father, Shutan (ph).
SUMMERS: Abubakar Salim is right here to inform us extra in regards to the lengthy journey to bringing this new recreation to life. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
SALIM: (Laughter) Thanks for having me. It is – I am sorry. It is – I simply I received to say it’s totally surreal listening to that again at present (laughter) ‘trigger I am very conscious of how private it’s and sharing it to folks. So it is – listening to it again is like, oh, man. You already know, it simply hits on one other degree. It is simply so private.
SUMMERS: Nicely, let’s begin there. I imply, this recreation is so private to you. Listening to you on the Recreation Awards speaking about your relationship together with your dad and the way a lot he meant to you and the way a lot this recreation means to you – inform us a little bit of the story of how working by way of your individual grief with the lack of your father led you to this recreation that we’re now in a position to play.
SALIM: Completely. It is a humorous one – proper? – ‘trigger I am an actor by commerce. So, you understand, I’ve executed, you understand, “Raised By Wolves,” “Black Mirror,” you understand, I am now in “Home Of The Dragon.” Like, I’ve executed – that is actually usually my area. It was after I was in South Africa – I used to be filming “Raised By Wolves” on the time – and I used to be enjoying a recreation on my Nintendo Swap. And there was a bit in Ori and the Blind Forest – it is this waterfall part. It is this chase sequence, and it is extremely troublesome to do. However I used to be in a position to accomplish it.
And the sensation that got here by way of, this sense of, like, form of, you understand, simply happiness of truly getting by way of this factor, it form of took me again to a sense I keep in mind when enjoying Sonic for the primary time on the Mega Drive and my father watching me play Sonic and that feeling of truly finishing this degree that we simply stored dying on. And it simply dawned on me there that I needed to make a recreation. Consider I had no thought what it meant to make a recreation or how you can do it.
SUMMERS: Proper.
SALIM: However I used to be simply so pushed by this concept that the way in which to precise my emotions, the way in which to precise this grief is thru a online game.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME, “TALES OF KENZERA: ZAU” )
SALIM: (As Zau) The shaman’s path is one in every of therapeutic, one in every of guiding. But, how does a shaman carry out his duties when he’s the one in want of therapeutic, of guiding.
SUMMERS: Let’s speak a bit, if we will, in regards to the story of the sport. Simply briefly, should you can, inform us in regards to the premise of it.
SALIM: So Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is a few younger shaman known as Zau, who makes a cope with the God of loss of life, Kalunga, that in alternate for 3 nice spirits, he’ll deliver the spirit of his father again to life.
(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO GAME, “TALES OF KENZERA: ZAU” )
TRISTAN D LALLA: (As Kalunga) And inform me, (non-English language spoken), what wealth is it that you just search?
SALIM: (As Zau) My Baba. A illness plagued him. You’ve got taken his soul, and I’m right here to reclaim it again.
You already know, it is impressed by Bantu mythology and legends, lots of the tales that my father would inform me as a child. However really, it is actually impressed by the journey of grief that I had skilled having misplaced my father. You already know, lots of the time at any time when I’ve seen grief depicted in an leisure medium, it is all the time been fairly unhappy and fairly down and morose, and it has been rather a lot, proper? Whereas, my expertise was very colourful in a method. It was vivid. It was virtually like these – the rose-tinted glasses had been ripped from my face, and I am seeing the world anew.
One of many largest form of shocks for me was that the world continued to spin. And as foolish because it sounds, it was simply such a shock. On the identical time, I used to be additionally coping with this concept of, OK, now, you understand, my father has handed away, I’ve received to be the person of the household or the – you understand, I’ve received to be the one who has – you understand, who’s in charge of the whole lot. That’s the place this recreation is form of – the place it comes from. The kernel of this recreation, it comes from my expertise and my journey of grief.
SUMMERS: And I am unable to speak to you about this recreation with out speaking to you in regards to the recreation’s soundtrack, which feels actually completely different to me.
SALIM: (Laughter) Yeah.
SUMMERS: What makes you chuckle about that query?
SALIM: No, ‘trigger the soundtrack is so good, proper (laughter)?
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SALIM: You already know, the factor – once more, that is the great thing about working with somebody who’s so sensible and simply so gifted as Nainita.
SUMMERS: So that you’re speaking about Nainita Desai there. She’s the composer for the sport, proper?
SALIM: Sure. Yeah. And what a composer she is. So, I introduced Nainita on very, very early. Once more, this was in the course of the time that I – you understand, there was no EA concerned. There was none of that. It was simply me, this concept and a crew of – you understand, a crew of individuals. And Nainita simply received it. You already know, she understood what I used to be making an attempt to say.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
SALIM: It was very a lot this mentality of, like, you understand, I would like – it is my father, who was introduced up in Kenya, and form of him speaking with me, who was introduced up in England, and having this sort of conflict that is sensible, but in addition there’s this sense of, like, it vibes, however then it would not, however then it vibes, after which it would not. And for Nainita to seize one thing like that and never solely seize the essence of it, but in addition seize that journey of grief, I chuckle as a result of it is so lovely. So yeah.
SUMMERS: You already know, I’ve to say, after we began our dialog, we began out by speaking about how the roots of this recreation are within the grief that you just had after shedding your father. And but, as I’ve had this dialog with you, I hear your laughter. It feels like you’ve got a smile in your face the complete time that you just’re speaking about this recreation. How do you steadiness the 2?
SALIM: I feel as a result of grief is not all the time unhappy. And it is a kind of ones the place so long as you settle for the truth that the grief is not going to go away – you simply should, you understand, virtually settle for that it’s there. You get snug with it, and you possibly can discover virtually, like, the form of – the reduction in it in addition to the anger, in addition to the happiness, and use that as a gas supply to maintain pushing you ahead. There is a magnificence on this thought of an finish, that the life that you just dwell or that you just form of work as much as or that you’ve is – there’s a lot magnificence there. And grief actually really is a celebration of life. That is what grief is. It is the celebration of life, and I actually do imagine that. And I feel, like, this recreation is that.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing in non-English language).
SUMMERS: We now have been speaking with artistic director Abubakar Salim. Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is out now. Thanks a lot.
SALIM: Thanks.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: (Singing in non-English language).
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