Scott Peterson
"I'm going to make a videogame." How many times have I thought that and haven't acted on it? Finally, in February 2009, I took a two month leave-of-absence from DreamWorks Animation, and dove into designing and implementing WhipCrack.
Alright, I've got my time off, now where do I start? The number of choices involved in starting a game nearly crippled me. I found it helpful to first decide what WhipCrack would not have in it, and then focus on just one or two elements. I focused my efforts on an appealing visual effects aesthetic complemented by simple, abstract game actors, and a unique game mechanic that gives players a new gaming experience.
WhipCrack combines elements of some of my favorite games, and lets players experience destroying enemies as a whip. I didn't want players to become some variant of Indiana Jones holding a whip, rather I wanted them to become the whip itself. One of the biggest challenges was to develop a game mechanic that didn't penalize you for bumping into enemies. What would Asteroids look like if the ship couldn't blow up?
I drew inspiration from two of my favorite videogames: 1998 Battlezone, and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. I also love the effects animation of Michel Gagne, and was particularly inspired by his animated short, A Prelude To Eden. The Art of Game Design, a book by Jesse Schell, illuminated game design from many perspectives, and helped me commit to decisions with more confidence.
Filmography
Scott has worked for PDI/DreamWorks for the past twelve years. His credits include Effects Supervisor for Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and various effects and lighting credits for Monsters Versus Aliens, Shrek the Third, Shrek II, Shrek, and Antz. He directed an award-winning animated short film Sprout.