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Game Designers Union: Brenda Brathwaite marries John Romero
Matrimonial news now, as development veterans John Romero and Brenda Brathwaite tied the knot this weekend. The Romeros, who between them can boast Doom, Wizardry, Quake, Commander Keen, Jagged Alliance, and Wolfenstein 3D on their résumés, co-founded social games studio Loot Drop in 2010. Yesterday, they founded a very different kind of union on, quite wonderfully, a steamboat in Disneyland. The couple were wed by John Romero's id Software co-founder Tom Hall.To top it all off, it's John Romero's birthday today. Not a bad way to celebrate it, we'd say.
Old-School RPG Kickstarter update details game's story
The "old-school RPG" Kickstarter by industry vets Brenda Brathwaite and Tom Hall took some lumps the other day for not revealing more about the game's story. Today the pair rectified the criticism on the project's Kickstarter page.Two games are planned if the project reaches a $1.9 million stretch goal, one designed by Brathwaite and the other by Hall; both will take place in the same universe. The first game is about James Connelly, an employee of Shaker, "a Bridge corporation between time and worlds." For a fee, the employees can become anyone. An incident occurs and Connelly is stuck in his form on a medieval era planet, with no way home.The second game, which only happens if the Kickstarter reaches the outer milestone, would follow Darien Cole, a rising star at Shaker who is affected by the same incident. The game's Kickstarter page gets into far more detail.With 30 days to go, the project has received $167,048 of a $1 million goal.
'Old-School RPG' Kickstarter created by industry vets Brathwaite, Hall
Industry veterans Brenda Brathwaite and Tom Hall want to make an "old-school RPG," and are seeking a million dollars on Kickstarter for that to happen. The pair, who run developer Loot Drop with another industry vet, John Romero, are on a quest to make an RPG in the classic style of the genre from decades past.With respect, the pair have been around the industry for quite a long time. Brathwaite worked on the Wizardry and Dungeons and Dragons series, while Hall was a founder of id Software and worked on Commander Keen, Anachronox, Doom, Wolfenstein and much more.The stretch goals on the project are also interesting. At $1.9 million, which Obsidian's Project Eternity reached in about ten days, Brathwaite and Hall will make "two full games." One will be designed by Brathwaite, the other by Hall.Those who pledge $15 to the project will receive digitally distributed copies of the games created. If you're looking to be a big spender, with a $10,000 pledge, you'll have Brathwaite, Hall and Romero show up at your door and deliver the game in a box on a red velvet pillow. The Kickstarter and its many tiers are live now.
Romero's Loot Drop launching 'Cloudforest Exploration' this summer on Facebook
It's not quite blasting demons on one of Mars' moons, but John Romero's next game does have a totally sweet name: Cloudforest Exploration. Romero's studio, Loot Drop, officially announced the project this morning -- the first of at least two social games to be released in partnership with publisher RockYou. Described simply as "an adventure and exploration Facebook game," Cloudforest is scheduled to be released on the service this summer. "Loot Drop is a natural fit with our design-driven studio culture and with our commitment to developing and publishing the best social games in the world," RockYou senior VP of games Jonathan Knight said in the announcement. The publisher will also collaborate with Loot Drop on a second social game. "[RockYou] support our creative freedom as we bring innovation to the story-driven adventure genre with Cloudforest Expedition," said Romero, who is joined by Brenda Brathwaite at Loot Drop. "Extending the relationship with a second game makes sense, and we're excited to reveal more details of our projects" -- just, not right now.
Social game devs rail against divisiveness, armchair designers, and s*** crayons
As a response to frequent use of social games as punching bags by the rest of the industry, a group of Facebook, mobile, and otherwise social game-identified creators took part in a series of short "rants" during GDC. During this event, a social game was happening in real time: coins were handed out, and attendees were encouraged to collect coins from each other, with the person who was able to get the most invited up for a mini-rant. The winner's rant turned out to be about the positive mental and developmental effects of games. Longtime game designer and Loot Drop founder Brenda Brathwaite opened with an impassioned refutation of the division of social gamers from other gamers. People told her she was "ruining games" back when she was working on Wizardry, for making an RPG that could be played alone, implying that this attitude was as harmful as the dismissal of social games now. "We stood together," she said, when games like Mortal Kombat came under attack from government and other groups, and when "hot coffee" came to be known not as a "steaming hot beverage but a steaming pile of shit". She urged that game fans stand together now "because we love games." A transcript of Brathwaite's rant has since been posted on her blog.
IGDA executive editor resigns after first year
International Game Developers Association head Joshua Caulfield has resigned from his position after approximately one year and three months on the job, reports the organization's blog. This follows the recent departure of chairperson Brenda Brathwaite, and just before another rumored loss from the board of directors. For its part, the IGDA has said it's "not falling apart, though it may appear to be." According to the IGDA spokesperson, the resignations are reflective of changes at the organization on the whole. "The 'old' IGDA served a smaller industry in a different time, and some of the 'old' things have to fall away for real change and growth." After leaving the organization, Caulfield will head up the executive editor position on an architectural board. He characterizes the split as mutual and amicable. "It's just time for the next step in my career. I think the IGDA is headed in a great direction, and I look forward to helping to make this a smooth transition." Caulfield's last day with the IGDA will be sometime in August, though the organization has already begun seeking a new leader.
Savannah giving one year of free work space to qualified developers
The Creative Coast Alliance and Savannah Economic Development Authority announced today that they will give up to one year of free rent to game developers in the Game Development and Digital Media Center, currently under construction on the first floor of a new office building along the Savannah River. The year of free space, when combined with the potential of 30 percent off in Georgia taxes, could equal significant savings for start-ups.We contacted Savannah-based game designer and industry advocate Brenda Brathwaite, who apparently spearheaded this program, which is being dubbed "the offer." She told us, "Having seen one company close after another, I know there are a lot of amazingly talented developers out there who would like to continue developing games. These are my friends in many cases, and I started to think of possible things that I could do to help."She continued, "I got the idea to approach the Savannah Economic Development Authority about this concept of free space for game developers. They're pretty progressive, but at the same time, I knew I was asking for a lot. When they not only agreed but were incredibly enthusiastic about it, I was honestly thrilled. After months of layoffs, it felt like a bit of sun on the proverbial horizon."
Interspecies gaming hits GDC
Sure, playing games against other people is fun, but three developers at this year's Game Developer's Conference were challenged to create games for humans and other species to play -- and the results were just as wild as you'd expect. Alexey Pajitnov, the inventor of Tetris, unveiled a concept called Dolphin Ride that features paintball-armed dolphins racing (and attacking) each other to hit as many targets as possible, while Wizardry developer Brenda Brathwaite showed off an actual game called OneHundredDogs.com, due to launch on February 29th. The social-network-based game pits 50 dogs and their owners against each other in various challenges to become the "alpha dog" of their communities -- who will then lead the quest to find 50 hidden virtual dogs by way of other challenges and dog-based activities. The winner, however, was Steve Meretzky, developer of Zoo Tycoon, whose concept game Bac Attack pits players armed with light and radiation against a bacterial colony in a petri dish -- when the player is inevitably overwhelmed by the bacteria, Steve suggests calling the government to arrange a sale. Cheery -- but we'll stick to the heavily-armed dolphins, thanks.
Gallery exhibit looks to teach parents about video games
Brenda Brathwaite is a vocal advocate within the industry known for frank discussions on sex, censorship and ESRB issues. Recently she was awarded the 2007 Presidential Fellowship at the SavannahCollege of Art and Design to create a lecture and gallery exhibit titled, "What You Don't Know About Video Games..." The installation is aimed at parents and others unfamiliar with video games and the industry. The lecture is designed to cover all kinds of topics like ratings, game content, career options and the good video games are doing in all kinds of fields.The portion that Brathwaite is most excited about is the exhibit. It'll be in an actual gallery space and will give parents a hands-on guided tour of video games at every rating level from E to AO. The latter, of course, will not be readily viewable, and not at all viewable by those under 18. Brathwaite says, "For me, the motivation comes from both being a parent, a game designer and an acquaintance of many parents who know little about our industry, or believe that video games 'are just for kids,' or some great violence-filled, blood-soaked evil ... Hopefully, they'll come away more knowledgeable about our industry, excited about the games we make and better able to make informed choices at retail."For those who have seen Brathwaite speak, she knows how to keep an audience's attention. She explains large concepts in a clear and entertaining manner. If there is anyone we think can explain the industry to parents evenly by showing the good and the bad -- it's Brathwaite. We'll learn more about exhibit details and look forward to some preview photos as the opening draws near. What we're really hoping for is a good internet video of the lecture and exhibit for those who can't get to Savannah but want to see it -- or show it to someone who should.
Joystiq interviews Brenda Brathwaite about sex and games
One could say Brenda Brathwaite wrote the book on sex in games -- and they'd be right. She is the author of Sex in Video Games, lead designer on Playboy: The Mansion, founder and chair of IGDA's Sex Special Interest Group and professor of game design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Brathwaite spoke with Joystiq about next week's Game Developer's Conference, how to keep sexual content under control and the story of the year that really got her blood pressure elevated.At the Game Developers Conference this year you'll be talking about the business end of designing erotic games. What does that mean?We're doing two roundtables this year at the request of previous attendees: designing erotic games and, second, the business end of erotic games. This will give attendees a chance to really get into each issue deeply. When it comes to designing erotic games, I expect we will probably cover such things as appealing to a diverse sexual audience, incorporating fetish play, MMO design, and pitching games to existing adult stars and publishing powerhouses. There's also interest from many people in solving that M-rated issue: how can we maturely incorporate mature themes into the narrative of the play – the same stuff you'd see in an R-rated movie – without being locked out of retail? Games have certainly done it, and as our ability to tell stories in games increases, figuring out how to do it well is becoming more an more an issue. The average gamer is a guy in his 30's, you know. Shows from Lost to Grey's Anatomy feature mature storylines that we, in games, feel at risk to take.
Textbook bares all on sex in games
Brenda Brathwaite knows good game sex. The founder and chair of the International Game Developers Association Sex Special Interest Group and lead designer on Playboy: The Mansion organized the Sex in Video Games Conference this summer and schooled GameHead's Geoff Keighly on some classic sexually themed games. Now, Brathwaite has unleashed a 300-page text book on the subject, titled, appropriately enough, Sex in Video Games.This book is long, thick and certainly knows what it's doing. From the history of sex, positive inclusion and censorship, to emergent sex and sex across cultures, it's a comprehensive reference of some of the more social aspects of our tech-heavy industry.Certainly one of the most interesting chapters in the book is the 20-page chronology and analysis of the Hot Coffee incident. The book covers everything from the initial discovery to the modest investigation and finally the full-blown media circus with interviews with the original hot coffee modder Patrick Wildenborg and MIT Prof. Henry Jenkins.It is great to see an academic textbook showing it all off regarding this taboo subject. After all, as Brathwaite says, "games are not just for kids."
