During July’s BitSummit game expo in Kyoto, game director Swery told IGN about his intention to become a Buddhist priest . And now he has actually done it.

Swery in prayer.

“ I have always felt the desire to make games with a ‘human’ quality to them. In order to move the player, it is essential to have human drama; and if the player cannot empathise with the characters in a game, they will not be moved.

Loading

Swery is best known for his PS3/Xbox 360/PC cult hit Deadly Premonition , a strange but brilliant work that split audiences upon its original release in 2010. This Kafkaesque survival horror game could be lonely, oppressive and alienating, but its balance of human drama with surreal humor made it endlessly endearing.Swery was raised in a temple by his parents, who were also priests, and he has often cited this as a factor behind his determinedly humanist games. During a hiatus from game development as he recovers from reactive hypoglycemia (and writes a mystery novel starring a cat ), Swery says he felt the desire to return to his spiritual roots.Since Swery intends to eventually return to making games, rather than full-time priesthood, we asked him to share his spiritual journey with IGN, and the effect he believes it will have on his games.When I was young, it simply felt like a very large and old-fashioned house. But looking back on it now, I remember devotional exercises that were carried out at set times, talking with family, the various types of books and records in the house – so many ways in which my childhood was closely linked with Buddhism. As a child I went through a rebellious stage, because I felt embarrassed to be different from the other kids, but with hindsight I think it was a good thing.I have always felt the desire to make games with a ‘human’ quality to them. In order to move the player, it is essential to have human drama; and if the player cannot empathise with the characters in a game, they will not be moved. Growing up in a temple meant that I encountered a lot of different people from a young age. These were not always happy people; much of the time they were angry, or sad, or suffering in some way. I think this gave me a natural interest in humanity, and it also taught me that the spirit can be fraught. So perhaps my work portrays a sense of things that are beyond human comprehension as a result.I actually became a qualified priest while I was a high-school student. Some 25 years later, I had forgotten this part of my identity – that I was also a monk. But last year I became seriously ill and had to take a prolonged period off work. During that time I had more opportunity to talk with family and friends, to listen to music, venture off to faraway towns, acquaint myself with nature, stroke animals, smell the smells, read books and even write one, and I had a lot of time to reconsider things. For some reason, while doing all of this I became naturally magnetised to the world of Buddhism.I spent time living communally in a temple in Kyoto. Every day began at 5:30am and ended at 11pm, with a strict daily routine. History, doctrine, devotional exercises, sermons, etiquette, morality, music, law; we followed a regime of when to rest and when to study. It goes without saying that devotional exercises were not missed on a single day. We sat in the seiza position (kneeling with your back straight and your feet tucked beneath your bottom) for maybe 10 hours a day.My parents and relatives. All my relatives live together in a temple as monks.I am qualified as a ‘kyoushi’ (which translates literally as “teacher" but is used to describe a Buddhist priest).First I became a standard-level monk while I was at high school, a qualification called ‘tokudo-shuurai’. Later, while working, I took a three-year correspondence course with a Buddhist university, and eventually became qualified to study for the ‘kyoushi-kyoushuu’ ceritifcation. By the way, taking a correspondence course took much longer than simply studying a special training course at a university, which is what most people do.Finally, the actual ‘kyoushi-kyoushuu’ qualification can be obtained in as little as 10 days. For me those 10 days felt like a long time and a short time all at once.With this qualification I could take a distinguished position such as chief priest. I could inherit such a position as well. With this comes a heavy responsibility, and I must do my best to avoid acts that disparage the dignity and grace of a monk. That goes without saying, obviously.I have always created works with the belief that the world of entertainment and the spiritual world are connected. Both are intended to appeal to human beings on an internal level; they are concepts not of physical value, but which lead to the satisfaction of the heart. For example, we could survive without books, but books will never disappear from the world. The same goes for art, music, film, TV, manga, games and so on. These are all the first things to go when money is scarce and we need to tighten our belt. But they never disappear, because after our fundamental life-support systems, these are essentials that satisfy the heart and bring value to our lives. I wouldn’t want to make an exaggerated statement like ‘Games are just the same as faith!’, but I do believe that they are something greater than simply a means of generating money, or pieces of mere entertainment to be consumed. I strive to make games that can be considered even a little bit as art or something eternal.As far as I am concerned I was mixing those things already! In future I will try to express ‘hope’ and ‘wisdom’ in a way that is easier to understand.No, I have never considered that. My only concern until now has been how to balance the two. And going forward, how can I balance them while making good work. And how to use religious practice in a way that can serve society. Those are the things I plan to concern myself with from now on.This has been rather a strange interview, hasn’t it? Interest in faith varies from person to person, along with religion and the occult, and horror as well. Faith is different from self-centered prayer, too. It’s a somewhat difficult theme. But the very fact that it is a difficult theme to comprehend makes it one that is worth spending time to consider, I think. I hope that everyone will see for themselves how these influences will manifest in my future work. I want to thank everyone for their support, and I ask that you stay with me until I am able to return to making games. I Love You All!!

Daniel Robson is Chief Editor of IGN Japan and Esra Krabbe is a writer, video guy and presenter at IGN Japan.