Interview with Mark Darin.
     The game designer/producer


You have been designing unusual video game or game parodies since 1986. Have you kept up with it over the years? If not, what got you back into designing games, and how long was the gap?

I designed video games pretty steadily up through 1998, that when my Amiga computer died. At the time I just couldn't find any decent software for game creation aside from starting from scratch and learning a full blown programming language like C++. Instead I put my creative energies into the band I was in at the time. After landing a job as a Multimedia specialist I began using Flash alot and started to see the potential the software had to create the kind of games that I wanted to make. It was only this year that I actually got back into producing games, that makes it a 6 year gap.

What is it about your favorite games that makes them special?

My favorite games have always been ones with a good story to tell and a cinematic presentation to tell it. Thats what I liked about the old Lucas Art adventure games. Aside from the Classic Monkey Island games, my favorites are Full Throttle and Grim Fandango!

Do you have, as i do, a love for mystery stories? What are your favorites (movies, novels, whatever)?

I suppose that I do. I guess it started with those Encyclopedia Brown books I used to read as a kid. From there I graduated to the "Alfred Hitchcock presents: The Three Investigators." Those guys could kick the Hardy Boys' asses. I watched alot of my favorite classics when writing this game; The Maltese Falcon, ChinaTown, The Man Who Knew Too Much, & the Big Sleep. On the more modern side, I am totally addicted to the various 'Law & Order' and 'CSI' television shows.

Who are your favorite fictional characters, and what about them do you like?

Im sure Im not thiking about this question hard enough, but the ones that instantly spring to mind are Peter Griffen of 'Family Guy' and of course, Homer Simpson. They are all sort of ignorant oafs that totally live in their own mind and despite the myriad of disasters they get themselves and others into, they come out not at all realizing the error of thier ways and everyone still loves them.

You have a remarkable skillset for game design. You have talent/experience with writing, art, music AND coding. Which of them interests you the most and why?

Individualy I couldn't say which intrests me the most. They are all just tools that aid in the realization of my real intrest. I love the concept that I can have an idea in my head and give it a life of its own. It's exceptionally nice to have a variety of different tools to choose from when doing so. It's even better when I can combine them all into a single project.

Imagining that you had a huge budget and a production team, tell me about the dream game you would like to create?

Ive had it in the back of my mind for a while now that I'd like to see a 3D, multiplayer, online remake of the Original Maniac Mansion. Instead of you controlling 3 charactes at once, there are several people running around the same mansion trying to complete the tasks specific to their character. You also have to befriend these people to solve puzzles that require teamwork. I think with modern day graphics and a little tentacle action thrown in to spice up the game, this could be a really nifty thing!

Video games of yesteryear often seem more fun, in general, than todays games. Is this simply nostalgia, or is something different now that makes them suck?

I have a theory on this. Things are always more fun when the experience is new. When we were playing video games almost everything that came out was exciting and original, something we had never tried before. But the years have passed for us now and we've reached a point where all games are derivitive of something else. The experience is not truly new therefore the game is percieved as less fun. I think games today are just as exciting as they ever were if not moreso. The younger generation who are seeing all of these new games with no basis of comparison find the experience just as fresh and fun as we first did. I was once able to sit and play River Raid for hours and love every minute, but upon trying to play it again recently, I found the game to be just really really boring.

Were there any surprises in creating this game?

I was suprised by how rapidly it grew! At first my intention was just to create a small game to get used to the game engie I wrote. I just wanted to work out the bugs in preparation of the adventure game AAlgar was writing. Before I knew it I was enlisting voice actors and animating cut scenes! I was also suprised by how many people wanted to dip their feet in creative waters and get involved. Also, I was very pleastly suprised at what a remarkably professional job everyone did in creating the voiceovers, they really make the game shine!

Creating this game must have taken hundreds of hours. Where do you get the strength to work so hard on something that you are not being paid for?

It's a labor of love I guess. The deeper into this thing I got, the more exciting it became. Plus, it's going to look good in my portfolio.

Who are your heroes of (a) video game design (b) artwork (c) writing and (d) music?

(a) Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer (Monkey island and Grim Fandango)
(b) Alex Ross
(c) Douglas Adams
(d) Jeremy Enigk


How did pauly shore become so successful?

Forget Pauley Shore, how the hell did that Dana Carvey movie "Master of Disguise" get green lit? Did you see that movie? Oh my God did it SUCK!!

And finally, if you had a dream job, that fulfilled all your various creative ambitions, what would the job description be?

Slacker.