Exclusive Interview: Jack King-Spooner Talks Dujanah

WGTC: Dujanah also blends fantasy elements into its real-world setting. This can be a hard balance when trying to tell a serious story, but when done correctly, you can get something wonderful like Pan’s Labyrinth. How challenging has it been incorporating these elements into the narrative?

JKS: I think it comes quite naturally to me. For me the main challenge isn’t to simply make extended visual metaphors, but to make something a few steps removed from that, fantasy elements that fall naturally into the narrative without being overladen with import.

WGTC: You successfully crowdfunded your last game Beeswing. Have there been any surprises this time around? Do you have any advice to other developers that are thinking about using Kickstarter?

JKS: Not many surprises to be honest. A nice surprise was to find that I have the support of some of my heroes and coolest devs around. In terms of advice I have a few thoughts. I think it is important to have the core of the game working and some gameplay footage that is somewhat representative of the final product, both for you (the developer) to have confidence in what you are trying to do and for the audience to take you seriously.

Also, be careful when budgeting. I found that with Beeswing about 14% of the final amount raised disappeared to Kickstarter and failed pledges. Be wary of physical rewards, I found them a real challenge with Beeswing and so opted for more meaningful digital rewards with Dujanah. Most importantly, keep in contact with your audience, let them know how things are going and work your socks off to deliver on time.

WGTC: I really love hearing about how developers got started. What inspired you to design games? What’s your ultimate goal?

JKS: I got into games through my practice as a contemporary artist. A lot of my peers were looking at things such as interactive theatre and sound walks whereas I was really into site-specific performance art. My main interest, though, as an artist was finding the best medium to express certain ideas and I realized that a video game might perhaps be the perfect way to tell the fractured narrative of an autobiography. Games also are a nice amalgamation of my three key interests as an artist – music, visual art and storytelling – and so they became perfect little homes for the different aspects of my practice.

My ultimate goal is the same as what it was when I was a young teenager, to encourage creativity whatever shape it takes. I guess my dream as a kid was to make a creativity academy where it wasn’t the outcome that was important but the process. I still have that dream every now and then.

WGTC: You’ve released several jam games and freeware titles in the past. What games would you recommend people check out to get a taste for your style?

JKS: I think Blues for Mittavinda is quite successful for a jam game. The Sluggish Morss games are also pretty fun, I always laugh when replaying them. I’m not sure if any of them are really truly representative of my style, though, because I do quite like to try and subvert expectations.

WGTC: Give us your best pitch on why gamers should back Dujanah on Kickstarter!

JKS: I can quite safely say that Dujanah will be entirely unlike anything you have ever played. My design ethos is to make something that, although dealing with difficult themes, is engaging and entertaining. There are a few reasons why someone should back the project, predominantly that it won’t get made otherwise and that it shows support for more diverse narratives in games. Another reason is to be privy to aspects of the game and making process that are otherwise unavailable, the unique KickStarter version of the game for example or the greatly extended soundtrack. Or perhaps you simply want your name in the credits to show solidarity with such projects or want the game significantly before it is available elsewhere.

That concludes our interview, but we’d like to give a big thank you to Jack King-Spooner for taking the time to speak with us. Jack can be found on Twitter at @king_spooner, and you can back Dujanah on Kickstarter if you’re interested.