Meet The Big Game Hunters

May 11 2008

Three Experts On Trail Of Next Virtual Entertainment Hit

PR CONSULTANT

BRIAN BAGLOW

BRIAN worked on the first two versions of Grand Theft Auto and reckons reaction to the series borders on hysteria.

Brian, 38, of Kinross, says the game is so popular, A-list stars such as Kanye West and Ricky Gervais queued up to get on board.

The job: I run Indoctrimat PR for the Scottish games industry and I'm screenings director for the Edinburgh International Games Festival.

How I did it: I joined DMA Designs in 1995 shortly before development on GTA started. Working on the first games was an amazing experience but a huge challenge.

It was originally called Race N Chase but Matchbox had a car game by the same name. It chopped and changed right up until it was released. It was a very Scottish game with references to Dundee throughout. We did not have the budget so we used local bands who did the music for two bob.

We knew we had made an excellent game but we had no idea it was going to be so huge.

It was four years in the making but is still one of the best games in the world 10 years later thanks to the Rockstar team.

A lot of the controversy surrounding the game is down to ignorance. It is intended for adults and doesn't take itself too seriously.

I have two teenage kids and I wouldn't let them play it. I play it and I have never had the urge to shoot someone in the head or beat someone up with a baseball bat.

If you act like a psycho in the game then there are consequences of your actions.

Perks: GTA is Scotland's biggest entertainment export. The nearest to it is the Bay City Rollers who sold 350million records. I am proud I was part of it.

Five-year plan: I have started doing game design and lecturing at Napier University while trying to find the best games for the games festival.

Tips: There are now 30 different games firms in Scotland and there are lots of opportunities. You don't have to be technically minded but it helps if you love games.

WRITER

GORDON RENNIE

GORDON made his name writing for comic book characters such as Judge Dredd but switched to games because he thinks they have a brighter future.

The 42-year-old, of Edinburgh, was once sued by Elvis's estate for writing a comic featuring a murderous lookalike.

The job: I create content for games like Killzone and Rogue Trooper.

How I did it: I got my big break writing Sherlock Holmes stories for Blast! magazine in 1991.

In 1993, I started writing for 2000AD. The creator was Scottish as were many of the writers so it had a really dark humour.

I wrote a comic called The King which was about an Elvis lookalike on a murderous rampage. We got permission from his estate to use the lyrics to Devil In Disguise. Later they threatened to sue us but nothing came of it.

In 2002 I was asked to work on the script for Killzone which became a big game on Playstation. I was nominated for a BAFTA for the script on Rogue Trooper. I got fed up with comics and quit last month to concentrate on games.

Perks: Travel - I have been working on a game called Splatterhouse in San Diego.

Five-year plan: Doing game versions of Alien v Predator and Highlander and working on a horror novel about Romans in Scotland.

Tips: Games are more fun, pay better and have a brighter future.

STUDIO BOSS

COLIN ANDERSON

BAFTA-WINNING Colin grew up playing primitive games on his Atari console but is now a world leader in interactive gaming.

The 35-year-old audio expert from Dundee, briefly stole his boss's Mercedes to record gear crunching noises for the original Grand Theft Auto game.

The job: I am managing director of Denki Games. We make games for digital TV and games consoles such as the Nintendo Wii.

How I did it: One of my flatmates had worked on the original Micro Machines and he opened my eyes to the potential of the games industry. I landed my dream job in DMA's audio department in 1993.

We spent days at scrapyards banging bits of metal together to get the sounds of cars crashing and I even stole the boss's car and spun it round the car park to get an authentic gear-crunching sound.

Denki started from my house in Tayport in 2000 because I got bored making games that took four years to complete.

Perks: It is a wonderful feeling when your game is distributed to a wide audience.

Five-year plan: We turned over £1million last year and the profits have been ploughed into making games for the console market.

Tips: Being able to come up with new game ideas is your ticket.