Wadjet Eye – Dave Gilbert

Dave Gilbert is a self-proclaimed short, bespectacled, frizzy-haired New Yorker who gets through life by his wits and a variety of confused expressions. He is also the founder of Wadjet Eye games, whose first release, The Shivah, has received critical acclaim. According to Gilbert, he has been interested in adventure games ever since 1986, when his mother made the mistake of buying him a copy of Wishbringer. Fifteen years later, he took his first dip into game creation when he discovered the Reality-on-the-Norm amateur project and wrote his first short game. Since then, he has authored over six successful freeware games, including 2004’s popular Two of a Kind, and Gilbert has become renowned in the Underground community. We recently caught up to Gilbert for a chat about going commercial, the success of The Shivah, and his upcoming games.

Repossessor (Reality-on-the-Norm)	Bestowers of Eternity	Two of a Kind

 

So, Dave, you’ve given up the day job and are trying to make a living as an independent adventure game designer.

I have? Crap. Yes. Yes I have.

My first question is: ARE YOU NUTS?

YES! Well, not entirely. I worked as an English as a Second Language teacher in Asia for a time, and saved up a lot of money while I was over there. When I came back, it seemed like a good opportunity to try doing this. I knew I wouldn’t have an opportunity like this again. I mean, an opportunity to live off my savings and concentrate on making games.

The Shivah has had loads of press since its release. What has been most exciting for you?

The most exciting part has been going to game industry events here in New York City and having people know my name. Well, not my name, but they know who I am. I get, “Hey, you’re the rabbi game guy!” a lot. It is weird having people recognize me.

What is your aim during your period of self-supported full-time game design? Is it to get noticed enough to get a job offer, or to be able to support yourself indefinitely if possible? Or something else?

Honestly, I really want to see how far I can take this. I love making these games, but I know how difficult it is to make a living doing it. That’s why I’m concentrating on shorter games. If I can get enough profit from one to last me a couple of months until I release the next game, then I’ll be happy. I’m not interested in being rich (although I wouldn’t sneeze at it!), but I really just want to make a living doing this. I really do love it.

I can understand that. What kind of hours are you putting in?

It varies. I typically try to put in 7 hours a day, whether it’s actively working on the game or chatting with the team members about stuff or just trying to generate publicity. There are no set hours like a 9-5 job, so it can get very surreal at times. Like I won’t get started until noon, but I’ll still work till 7-8 at night.

Are you your own toughest boss?

You bet. Sometimes I dock my own wages. Then I threaten to quit. That’ll show me!

Have you met any adventure game indies? Like Britney Brimhall or Cindy Pondillo?

Not in person, no. I’ve contacted many people online to get their advice, though. Like Amanda Fae (of Aveyond fame) and David Rodriguez (who helped market Morning’s Wrath). They’ve all been very helpful and more than willing to answer all my stupid questions. I’d love to meet more adventure game sellers in real life.

Maybe you can have an “Underground Sell-outs” conference!

Is that what I’m doing? I know you’re joking, but you’re actually not the first one to accuse me of that. I have gotten some hate-letters. Especially over Shivah. I made the Deluxe version as a way of seeing if I could manage the whole deadline/selling/marketing thing, and I soon realized that the only way I could see if it would honestly work is if I removed the freeware version from my website.

There was the expected outcry. People still wanted the game for free, and were disappointed that I was charging for games now. It was a difficult decision to make, but after a lot of soul-searching and a lot of talking with other indie developers here in New York, it seemed like the best course of action. So I removed the freeware version and dealt with the consequences. Fortunately, it seems to be a vocal minority that was upset. As for the whole commercial endeavour as a whole, people have been overwhelmingly supportive, which was a surprise. And very much appreciated.

The Shivah

 

Do you think many people are distributing the free version? Or that piracy will be a big issue for you?

I’m sure they are distributing the freeware version. The freeware version exists, and while I know that’s the main reason why the Shivah sales weren’t so good, it’s water under the bridge. It wasn’t a “mistake” per se, since I didn’t plan on making the game commercial when I started on the game, but it goes without saying that Blackwell won’t be freeware!

As for piracy, yes, I’m worried about it. People joke with me about pirating the game and I’m like… “are they serious?” I don’t like those kinds of jokes. But piracy can’t be helped. There are ways to deter it, but nobody can stop it completely. I can only hope that people realize that by pirating the game you are taking money right from my pockets and discouraging me in the process. If I saw my games being pirated, I’m not sure how I’d react.

I am looking into various protection methods, but nothing established quite yet. I’d like to think I’m too small a fish for pirates to go after.

So, enough of the sad stuff. Tell us about your new game, The Blackwell Legacy.

Right! Let’s stop talking about all the doom and gloom. Let’s talk about a game about dead people!

The Blackwell Legacy is the first case or episode in a series of games that stars a medium called Rosangela Blackwell and her spirit guide Joey Mallone. Their mission, it seems, is to investigate supernatural phenomena and assist tormented spirits.