Following up on yesterday’s post about the Dujanah Kickstarter, here is a small interview with artist/musician/writer/developer Jack King-Spooner!
“I think of Dujanah as something like a successor to all my games, like, they are all part of the same work.”
Paul: Who is Dujanah? How did the idea of her come to you?
Jack: Dujanah is a strong-willed and eager lady who is out to find answers to worries she has, be they real or imagined. Largely she is an ear-piece for the various stories in the game, similar to the “Jack” character in Beeswing. The idea started as a follow up to Beeswing, another game about a rural community, this time however, framed by the idea that difficulties bring people together. The idea for her character was an amalgamation of a few things; an aspect of mirroring yet inverting the Beeswing player-character, a figure which would encourage a better understanding (personally and generally) of a group which is not often given a voice and (to a lesser extent) a striving for more diversity in games.
Paul: What’s the thought behind one of the game’s most iconic elements—the big mech? Are you a mech fan?
Jack: Ah, the robot! It was a combination of ideas that made me decide on a big, hulking robot. Firstly, the player needed a way to travel that was much faster than walking. I also wanted this important part of the game mechanics to add to the lore of the game and a car wouldn’t really do that and a tank has too many connotations, violence/ war, why would she even have a tank… Tank Girl. Furthermore, the modern/ futuristic image of the robot really jars with the more naturalistic world, as does the barracks and this is one of the themes I’m playing with. Of course, a big robot travelling companion is somewhat a symbol of empowerment and perhaps empowerment through machines is also referred to elsewhere in the world of Dujanah. I’m not much of a mech fan really, Power Rangers was fine back in the day.
Paul: Judging by your oeuvre, you subscribe to the theory of games as art. Dujanah is quite artsy in some respects, but may also be your most traditionally game-like work so far. Is this intentional?
Jack: Superficially it might seem to be my most game-like piece but I think it has a good amount of subversions that will surprise players; as with most of my game work, I like to play with expectations. Of course, there are passages in Dujanah that are echoing more normative video games. On top of that, I want Dujanah to be engaging in a way that perhaps some of my other works aren’t.
“I used to play in a klezmer trio…”
Paul: As usual, you’re making all of the music in the game yourself. Did you learn new modes or instruments to make the soundtrack?
Jack: Not particularly. The main scale that I’m using in the game is the harmonic minor scale that I’m very familiar with. I used to play in a klezmer trio and the harmonic minor is frequently used in Yiddish music. If the funding is successful I might try to brush up on my melodica skills but other than that the focus is on strong repeating themes and atmospheres.
Paul: And the beautiful, grimy, gorgeous art? All handmade? All clay?
Jack: All handmade, mostly clay but some watercolour paintings too and all cemented together with some digital effects.
Paul: What about the narrative? What inspired the story?
Jack: The overarching narrative is really inspired by Point Omega and Ratner’s Star by Don Delillo. I love in Ratner’s Star that there are so many great encounters with these odd but complete characters and it amounts to an overall feeling greater than the sum of its parts. Individual stories are again a mix of surreal fictions and real accounts.
“On one hand I think it will be a lot less controversial than people assume but on the other hand I do want to discuss some themes that some might find difficult.”
Paul: This may be your most topical game yet. It could also be your most controversial. Are you intentionally trying to be topical or courting controversy?
Jack: Yes and no. On one hand I think it will be a lot less controversial than people assume but on the other hand I do want to discuss some themes that some might find difficult. I think all my narrative games are topical to some extent but since commencing this piece, Islam has become quite a hot topic. My intention isn’t to make a critique or appraisal of the faith but I think attributing the influences to anything other than Islamic culture would be something of a falsehood.
Paul: An in-game arcade with 5 playable games is a big part of Dujanah. It’s an expansion of what you did in Will You Ever Return: In da Hood. What games are in this one?
Jack: Yes, well noticed! I think of Dujanah as something like a successor to all my games, like, they are all part of the same work. The games are:
The Caves of Al-Dajjal which is a metroid-like which ties into a hero-story branch.
Poopek Loves it All where you solve puzzles involving complimenting folk. Inspired by my friend’s bad tattoos.
Pie or…? a quiz game about a game show host.
A racing game provisionally called Ride Around X
And a final, as yet unnamed Sluggish Morss-like oddball, theoretical physics inspired game.
Paul: About the Kickstarter: Any lessons you learned from the last campaign (for Beeswing, which was successful) that you applied to this one?
Jack: I think the big one is that I waited until I was a bit further in development with Dujanah before going to Kickstarter. It cost me most of my evenings and weekends for a year but it meant I could show images and systems that are better representative of the proposed final work. I have also learnt to keep in fairly regular communication with backers, Beeswing ran a few months late and I stupidly hesitated to inform my backers. I really regret that. Another one is that crowdfunding is really the best and perhaps only way for little alternative games like mine to get funded. Arts funding, although fantastic, takes from the tax payer who perhaps doesn’t want their money spent on such things and publishers often mean compromising your craft.
Paul: Thanks, Jack! And speaking of funding, everyone should support Dujanah on Kickstarter!
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