Origins: Gaute Godager

Age of Conan’s director talks about founding Funcom and learning from Anarchy Online.

If you had told Gaute Godager back in 1993 that the company he started as a lark with some friends would be still be going strong 15 years later—Funcom’s latest game, Age of Conan, is set to launch May 20—he probably wouldn’t have believed you. Godager recently shared with us how he got into the industry, the lessons he learned from Anarchy Online, and what he would change if he had it all to do over again.

I started playing games back in 1982, 1983. My brother and I bought a Commodore 64--it was very big in Europe. We played with it and then we wanted to start programming. Especially him--I just wanted to tell him what to program. So I guess that’s why I ended up as a director. [Laughs] Then I bought an Amiga back in the late ’80s when I was like 17, 18, and I started doing my first game there. I spent three years doing that.

Then I went to university. I’m a clinical psychologist actually. I started that study, but I had to wait because there was some screwup in the in the timing of the first exam. So while waiting, I started making computer games and founded Funcom with some other people. And that’s basically the story. I never actually worked as a psychologist, but I am licensed. I still have some patients every now and then just to keep up. It’s really cool because it’s such a completely different thing from doing games. When you train to be a clinical psychologist, especially in Europe and Norway, it’s like 50 percent theory. And that theoretical part is kind of like a master’s degree it’s all about social things, understanding social structures. So doing social games, it’s quite important.

I wouldn’t say that I thought I could make games for my job when I was growing up. I think that I always thought, like the typical arrogant attitude of kids, that if I just did it I would do it better than anyone else. But that just comes from not knowing how little you know; I quickly learned that things were a lot tougher. I especially remember thinking when I stated Funcom back in ’93, that there’s no way I would be here in 15 years--but look, here I am. So, that’s really a surprise.

I think when anyone wants to found something it’s more belief in yourself than wisdom. You don’t know how little you know—you just think you can do it. I was one of the more technical ones. We were five guys, and I’m the only one left. The others I guess didn’t have the stomach to handle one setback after the other for so many years. I was always the skeptical one, always the one saying, “Yeah, this is fun, it’s a trip, it’s never going to amount to anything.” I also have more resilience against disappointment I guess.

One of the other people starting the company used what he got from quitting the military and we rented a small apartment, and we threw out all the furniture. And then we had like friends sitting around, pretending to be working. And then when all the American developers and publishers came over, we were like, “Yeah, yeah, we know what we’re doing.” [Laughs]

Funcom's newest MMO, Age of Conan, is scheduled to launch on May 20.

The first game I worked on was a game called Daze Before Christmas on Sega Megadrive, which was a game for SunSoft back in 1993. I think we got paid $80,000, which was, even back then, dirt cheap. We built the company as being a developer for hire. So, with the money from the first game we bought computers and desks and got a little bit of salary.

We set up the company, and then with the money from the second game we made the first—so we were always one game behind. We had to constantly grow and get more games. We hit the wall back in 1997; that’s when like the first set of founders had to leave because they had promised too much to too many in the industry and had to say, “OK, we screwed up.”

The Longest Journey was our first self-published title. I think that was a necessity because there was a lot of talent there; we were basically fed up with being underfunded and not having enough creative freedom, which is understandable when you’ve done this for five years. Being a developer for hire is the most stupid thing you can do, in terms of game development, because you make absolutely no money. You survive one game to the next, and you’re basically the publisher’s bitches--at least we were back at that time. You just have to say, “Thank you, ma’am,” and move on.

So, we got a bunch of money and we made the Longest Journey, which was a good title. But then someone in management, and I can’t claim it was me, had a vision that online gaming was the future. Most of the people inside the company hated the idea, because with online gaming you had so many limitations back then. This was 1997; Ultima Online came out after we had just started on Anarchy Online.

Before Ultima Online, you had the inspiration to all these games, all the MUDDs. I was playing MUDDs before I started university, and I loved those titles completely, but just the thought of adding graphics to all that was a big thing. But then I guess it grew on us--and I can’t imagine doing anything but MMOs now. I really love the whole social thing. I love not just making the game, but actually running the game after we’ve made it. It’s like you’re like a politician and every day you’re up for election. Every day someone votes, “Do I like what you’re saying? Do I like what you’re doing?” Or, “Am I taking my business elsewhere? Am I taking my precious time elsewhere?”

So that’s what we all do it for. I mean, it’s not the money, but it’s a lack of time that people have in their lives. You have to make a game that is good enough for people to invest in. I like that communication, that social thing, working with the people, reading on the boards what they’re saying. And I think Funcom has done really well in doing that. Even with the most preposterous Anarchy Online launch back in 2001--it was a crash and burn deluxe. But we survived. And I think part of that was actually being really honest with the audience and with our customers and trying to do what was right for them, and talking to them. Our slogan would never be “You’re in our world.” We are in their world.

I think a big thing we learned from Anarchy Online was the scope of balance. Small things are very important, like the movement of players, how to make sure that their movement doesn’t take down the game. If they want to, they can all meet in one place, and bring your system to a grinding halt, and we have to sort of gently nudge them to flow through the game in the correct way.

But even more is the importance of talking to the players all the time. Which is, of course, always very difficult because what you say is seen as a contract. During development, I talk to people and I tell them about an addition to the game, what I want to do—but then if I see that addition is not fun, I have to cut it. But I’ve told people, so it’s sort of something I need to negotiate my way out of. And that type of situation is something you need to handle and prepare for, and try to avoid--but it’s unavoidable.

If I knew what I know now, I probably would have done something completely different. [Laughs] I would have built the company with more capital. I would have hired more experienced and more educated people. We founded the company with a bunch of hackers all from the demo scene. Some of these guys were super talented and skilled--like, Rainman disguised as a programmer. But they didn’t have the structure to cope with a big project, they didn’t have the knowledge. Plus they couldn’t work together well. You had to spend a lot of time grooming stars. [Laughs]

Funcom became listed two and a half years ago, and that gave us the capital that we never had before. The thing with me is that I’ve never really been interested in making a company. I’ve always been interested in making a game. And the company has always been like a tool to be able to do that to me. I’ve just seen Funcom grow around me and not participated in it. I feel ownership and pride, but I don’t like, walk down the hall and think “Look at my creation!” I’m there to do my job as a game developer and that’s what I love doing.

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