Tracking Sounds Alone: Talking With Sound Shapes Creators Jonathan Mak and Shaw-Han Liem

Behind the scenes of Queasy Games’ innovative Vita music-platformer.

By: Anthony John Agnello
January 25, 2012

Queasy Games used to be a solo act. Jonathan Mak’s operation was put on the map by Everyday Shooter, a moving work that blended minimalist graphics with basic shooting and evocative guitar rock in an “album of games.” Now with musician Shaw-Han Liem (also known as I Am Robot and Proud) and Capybara Games on board, Queasy is a full-on band. Their first title is Sound Shapes for the Playstation Vita; Shapes is a game, sure, but it’s also an instrument for making music in its own right. In this interview, Jon and Shaw-Han discuss the delicate art of collaboration, the difficulty of making games about music, and man-feelings.

1UP: Music games are different beasts now than they were fifteen years ago. What used to be considered a music game were things like Parappa the Rapper and Rez: rhythmic challenges that let you interact with songs in strange ways. Now most music games are just venues for listening to songs you’re already familiar with while doing something physical, like Guitar Hero and Just Dance. Why aren’t there more games about creating music or even just interacting with and changing music?