One of our big #DICEAwards winners this year was from ustwo’s mobile game, Monument Valley, which took home the award for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction. We had a chance to speak with ustwo’s Ken Wong, Lead Designer/Artist on the game and past #DICE2014 Europe speaker, about his work on the game and answering some of your fan questions. Take a look: 

Congrats on the win! How does it feel to be a #DICEAwards winner?

It's awesome! All the games nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction are incredibly beautiful; it's a privilege just to be listed alongside them. The variety of art styles amongst the nominees says a lot about how game aesthetics is maturing. 

What is your favorite memory of developing the game?  

The morning after the game's release, we had Tweetdeck up on the projector in the cafe area of the studio. We drank champagne as we watched people tweeting their thoughts. That was really satisfying, just knowing that people were playing the thing that we'd put all this hard work into.

Is there anyone you like to note in terms of being your inspiration or motivation as you develop games? 

I wouldn't single any one person out...I find that inspiration and motivation needs to come from a wide variety of people and things. 

What’s next for you and your team?  

Some of the team are working on Land's End, our side project for GearVR. Others are hard at work prototyping new ideas.

What are you most looking forward to in 2015? 

We're really looking forward to getting to work on a new game! 

Fan Questions:

Sha-Lene Peng (Facebook): Are you aware of how your game is used for ASMR purposes and what are your thoughts about how your game can be enjoyed in so many ways?

[Note: Autonomous sensory meridian response (a neologism for a perceptual phenomenon characterized as a distinct, pleasurable tingling sensation in the head, scalp, back, or peripheral regions of the body in response to visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or cognitive stimuli.)]

Yes, we're aware! We didn't anticipate that this would happen...we just tried to make the art, music, sounds and other aspects as well integrated as possible.  

Travis Gurlik (Google+): Where did you get the inspiration for a game based around optical illusions and perspective?

I simply wanted to make a game where architecture played a central role. Optical illusions play a part in Monument Valley, but they don't form the core of the experience. Many people don't realise how few perspective illusions there really are in the game. 

Thomas Williams (Google+): What was it like to have your game featured in House of Cards​? 

It's wonderful to get a little nod from pop culture, and the portrayal of Monument Valley and video games in general was especially progressive. At the same time, we're wary of some people using a pop culture reference as a measurement of success. Monument Valley was popular and critically acclaimed long before President Underwood discovered it.

@tobydownton (Twitter) When's the next one coming out? & @TammySchoch (Twitter) Will more editions be released?

While we appreciate that there's a lot of desire for more Monument Valley, we don't feel like we could do a sequel or expansion right now that would meet our standards for quality and innovation. Instead, we're working on some brand new games that we hope will be just as interesting and compelling! 

@antennariagames (Twitter) Are the mechanics the core of a videogame? Or you think that every aspect is equally important? 

No, mechanics are not the core of a video game. Mechanics alone don't explain why Final Fantasy, Grim Fandango and The Last of Us are such compelling experiences. I present what I believe is a much better framework for games in my GDC Europe talk from last year. 

@Eklavya_FCB (Twitter) Why did you decide to reveal the sales and costs figures? How feasible is it to be an indie developer without a starting capital in a world where it's not particularly hard to pirate apps for free. Is it worth it? 

We thought the data might be helpful for other developers. Seeing the figures for The Room and Superbrothers: Sword & Sorcery helped inform our decision to make Monument Valley a premium game. You should evaluate being an indie developer a bit like being a musician. You should be doing it primarily because you absolutely love it; otherwise you won't be happy. That's what makes it worth it. Ironically, a substantial portion of people who make a living out of creative arts do so because they put their art first, before money.  As a commercial venture, there are many options outside of games that have better job security and offer better salary. 

Ramon Morbioli de Souza (Facebook): What have you absorbed from your time with the game as a whole (development, playing through to the end by yourself, watching people reactions, getting awards). What stayed with you after all was said and done?

What I learnt from the whole Monument Valley experience was that my teammates were the single most important thing to me. I've never been on a team where we so readily put politics and ego aside to focus on innovating and raising the quality bar and relentlessly pursuing excellence. Working alongside these guys on something we were all so passionate about was an absolute joy, and something that will stay with me forever. The most important thing for any game studio should be the happiness of the team, and in this regard Monument Valley was a massive success even before it was released.