Andreas Wangler is part of the studio Might and Delight and nominated with the Tiny Multiplayer Online Game Book of Travels for the A MAZE. Awards 2020. Enjoy his interview.

A MAZE.: How would you describe yourself?
Andreas Wangler: To start with I'd just like to say that I'm just one out of about 20 people working on Book of Travels and I've not been part of the game from the beginning. I worked on the first Shelter game, left the company for a while and returned to the company last year. This, I guess, describes me pretty well. I guess I can be considered a wild heart in that sense, always curious, looking for interesting challenges in life, trying to keep a spark everywhere I go. Life has changed along the way, being a dad of two nowadays, priorities change a bit. Might & Delight helps keep that spark alive, it's a wonderful place.

A MAZE.: Are you a wild heart? If yes, what makes you think you’re a wild heart?
Andreas Wangler: To me a wild heart is someone that tries to look at everything life brings with open eyes. Everything can be fuel to keep on going if you want it to. That fuel keeps creativity going. And in that sense yes, I guess I am.

A MAZE.: Why did you start making games or playful media works?
Andreas Wangler: Games, in any form have always been a part of my daily life so it came naturally to me. Though it took me a while to realize that I actually could and wanted to work with games. I had my first job as a designer when I was 27.

A MAZE.: Who (or what) is your biggest inspiration? Think beyond games too - musicians, writers, filmmakers, artists, scientists, …
Andreas Wangler: As mentioned in earlier answers I look to things that capture an energy... a strong sense of curiosity for the big or small questions in life, and a sincerity. That's something I look to in any media. And it's what fuels my everyday - reading, watching a film, listening or dancing to music and so on. When I meet games students I often say don't start out going to a game design school. Live life a bit first. That's where you find the real inspiration.

A MAZE.: Where can we find this in your work?
Andreas Wangler: I think Might & Delight's games show exactly this, in every way they're games that are curious about what the game media can bring to people.

A MAZE.: What message(s) are you sending out with your works?
Andreas Wangler: That games as a media is only at the start of a fantastic development - and that games can bring people together and create true emotions.

A MAZE.: Is there a repeating pattern in all of your works the players may experience?
Andreas Wangler: I think the most common pattern is our urge to bring out positivity and gentleness in players.

A MAZE.: What influences your work more: Past (history), present (contemporary) or future (scifi) and what are your sources?
Andreas Wangler: Many things, when it comes to the art direction Jakob often looks to capture traditional art in our games and in Book of Travels the influences are well known painters from the early 20th century. The game design of Book of Travels is influenced by the giants of the RPG's while trying to blend it with something of our own.

A MAZE.: What does responsibility towards your players mean to you as an artist?
Andreas Wangler: The responsibility lies in our promise to make games that create a positive and inclusive atmosphere.

A MAZE.: What impact is the current pandemic having on you and your work?
Andreas Wangler: Nearly all of us work from home. In Sweden kids still go to school and childcare so that part does not have a huge impact. Game developers are lucky compared to others at the moment. But I miss our office and the social interaction of our team.

A MAZE.: If there's something wrong in the field of games / playful media, what would you fix first?
Andreas Wangler: I don't like to see anything as being wrong really, everything is a constant process and evolution of the medium. Most of the time it's not the game's fault when something goes wrong but rather the negative attitudes amongst players playing it. It's due to the interaction and the competitiveness I guess. That is stuff we've tried to think of with our game. But I must admit that I stay away from the part of the mobile games industry where monetization is the only driving part. That I disdain.

A MAZE.: What are the three games someone who never played a game before should play? Why those?
Andreas Wangler: Shelter, GTA and Alien: Isolation. Those three bring a bit from every corner of the medium.

A MAZE.: How do you relax and find balance?
Andreas Wangler: Playing games, reading and travelling.

A MAZE.: What are the main challenges for artists in your country to sustain themselves?
Andreas Wangler: Sweden, right now, is a good place to be in if you're a game developer. That's my short answer.

A MAZE.: How do you see interactive arts in 10 years from now? In 2030! Tell us your vision.
Andreas Wangler: I'd like games to be at a place by then where people later in 2130 would look back at our time and think of it as a special time. Where people experimented and lay the foundation for something amazing that we today can't even begin to grasp.

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Andreas Wangler