My co-host, Tom Towers, recently interviewed Tim Keenan, the director of Duskers, an amazingly original and compelling game from Misfits Attic that is now available on Steam Early Access. I told Tom that we'd need an interesting teaser article for the interview, an interview which goes deeper than any developer interview I have heard before (even when Tim Keenan visited us in Episode 48 to discuss his prior game, A Virus Named Tom, and his innovative development strategy in which fans voted for the game Misfits Attic would develop next). Tom, after stamping out his cigar, told me to write it myself.
So naturally, considering Tim Keenan is such a cool guy, I thought of writing a teaser that depicted him as Fonzie from Happy Days (coolest guy ever after Magnum P.I.) and Tom Towers as Mr. Howard (the living embodiment of Droopy Dog).
Happy Days Theme "Sunday, Funday, Happy Days..."
*Applause*
Mr Howard (Tom Towers) is sitting at his computer desk in the front room, reading the Wikipedia entry on Harlon Ellison.
[Door opens suddenly, Tim Keenan Appears, dressed as the Fonz]
*Wild Applause*
Keenan: Heyyyyyyy (Keenan raises both thumbs in salute to the audience)
Towers: Hey WHAT?! Fon-zie, I'm try-ing to do some research here.
Keenan: F'whut? Your antip-O-deanne Pawdcast? [pause] Is Joanie around?
You don't really need to know where that lead, but needless to say it quickly devolved into Happy Days fanfic, and did not touch on Tim Keenan's very real insight into being a truly independent game developer, his ideas about game design and the value of fan feedback during development.
Tim's candid insights, coloured by his days at Disney, Rainbow Studios and his prior indie development, are a rare glimpse into the pain and passion involved in releasing a game that aims to be a commercial and critical success without compromise or dilution.
Please enjoy listening to a rare look into game development in Episode 71 of the Game Under Podcast, Australia's premier gaming show.