Games of Experience
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Louis Castle, known as the co-founder of Westwood Studios to gamers from the ’80s and early ’90s, was gracious enough to briefly reminisce about his time in the games industry. He discusses the creation of Westwood, the state of the games industry then and now, and mentions what it was that inspired them to develop Red Alert.
GOE: What was your first job in de games industry?
I worked on graphics for a children’s video game called Funbunch if memory serves.
GOE: What is your current job?
I’m the CEO of InstantAction, and IAC company.
GOE: What does that job entail?
I have full profit and loss responsibility for all business units and products.
GOE: Looking back, what does it feel like to have had quite a big impact on games and the games industry?
I don’t really see it that way but it is very cool to have people know who you are at a games show. There are hundreds of people who have had great impact to our business but I guess I’m a little more vocal than most.
GOE: What was your favourite game to work on?
The most recent one, Instant Jam of course! Actually, to be honest I would have to say it was Blade Runner. There was a lot of work but we really could feel we had something special and it is my favourite film.
GOE: Could you briefly describe how Westwood Studios was created and what the state of the games industry was back then?
Westwood came about mostly because Brett W. Sperry and myself wanted a great place to make games and there were not many games companies in Las Vegas. It was almost an accident in that Brett wanted to get a print out so I told him to come on over and we started chatting. Otherwise it may never have happened. Many companies at that time saw games as a way to have young enthusiasts work for very little money and get a big pay day. This was especially true in Las Vegas so we simply had to build our own.
GOE: Do the concerns you had back then about the games industry still exist now?
I was less concerned about the industry as I was about the local companies and opportunities. I’ve been around for many years and I have to say that I’m still concerned about how companies treat the staff. I’m always shocked to find out that people are not treated graciously. It is even more disappointing if it is on my own team or at my company but that can happen if everyone is not clear on what your values are.
GOE: Where would you like to see the games industry going? What kind of games will be created; are there any aspects of video games that you would like to see in the future?
I think the games industry is going into a digital world where content will be found where consumers that have those interests get information and entertainment. I suspect games will start to be categorized by the content and the emotional experience more than the play pattern; horror, action, drama, comedy rather than first person shooter or real time strategy for example. I would really like to see more games that bring suspense, drama and comedy to the interactive experience. We have plenty of action.
GOE: What was the inspiration for Red Alert? Where did the idea come from for that game?
Red Alert was inspired by the research into fringe technologies for military purposes throughout the last century. It’s amazing when you look at what Tessla, Nazi Germany and even the US thought might be viable military technologies. The idea to make these feel like a 50’s science fiction story come to life was originally just an expansion pack but the creativity and fun of the fiction soon lead to a full fledge product.
GOE: What are you currently doing at GarageGames and InstantAction?
I’m the CEO. I try to contribute as much as possible to the game direction but mostly I drive strategy and business development.
GOE: You talked about reinventing yourself during last year’s GDC Europe. What is something profoundly YOU that hasn’t changed at all during all your years of working on video games?
My enthusiasm for the games industry and the amazing and talented people who come together to build these fantastic experiences is the one thing that has never changed.
GOE: Why does the games industry particularly make such a great industry to work in?
The games industry lets everyone be himself or herself and if you find the right company you can truly explore all aspects of your personality and skill set. There are very few industries that are so dynamic.
Founder of Game Thingie (gamethingie.com), she currently works as a game journalist to learn about the industry and get into game development after attaining her MscBA.