Movin' on Up: Interplay's Digital Mayhem

Digital Mayhem, a Division of Interplay, used to be a gaming company called Tantrum. It is therefore instrumental, by comparison if nothing else, to see how business gets done when trying to get a game to market using a large, established distribution network.

One of several Interplay "Development Teams", Digital Mayhem's name has been attached to big-name projects like Bioware's "MDK2" and the upcoming "Virtual Pool 3 with Jeanette Lee", as well as the highly-anticipated "Giants" from Planet Moon Studios. So what's it like working with the big boys? The movers and shakers in this world aren't just artists or coders -- they're producers.

Shawn Jacoby, Producer for "Giants", points out that, far from some guy compiling code in a dark room somewhere, his duties include finding outside contracts (which is he is then in charge of), building a sort of road map for the developers to put the game out on time, and generally being the "point man" for all other departments relating to that game. For instance "Giants" is due out for the PC in the 4th quarter of 2000, and Jacoby oversees is busy overseeing everything. "I'm the filter for all the departments. A game producer today is much more like a film or television producer. Of course, different companies have different kinds of layouts, but the producer position is much the same."

Giants is a startlingly console-esque take on PC games -- a massive fragment of shattered planet is hurtling through space, with an island occupied by a solitary giant, Kabuto. In the surrounding seas there are a band of survivors called the Sea Reapers, women who once ruled the island until they were forced to flee by their own creation: Kabuto. He had originally been created as a protector against alien threats. His solitude drove him to madness, and he turned on the Sea Reapers, decimating their numbers, and forcing the remainder back to their watery origins. Add to this mix the Meccs -- five cockney space aliens who have left their home planet for their annual "lads' holiday" and have to stop for repairs. There is a single-player storyline and multi-player setups as well.

Jacoby's excited commentary as he demonstrates the game reveals a passion for gaming, but he didn't just walk into his current position. "I started out as a game tester for Electronic Arts five or six years ago. I've found that the difficulty of getting into this industry depends on what position you are going for; for example, game testers can nearly always find a job, but if you come in from college with a film or programming degree, it's not always so simple to just start work as a producer or developer or what have you. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, just that it often doesn't. There's a lot of other skills involved. If one starts at the bottom, your skills will show as you work."

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