1. purple moon media: rockett’s camp adventures cd-rom game

In the early ’90’s most gaming titles were violent shooters for boys. During my years in Seattle at several game development studios, I specifically sought out companies who were building gaming worlds that were educational or environmental, or which fostered healthy choices and self esteem.

Purple Moon was a bold game publisher tapping into the growing market for girl-centric digital entertainment. I joined Santa Barbara’s brilliant game studio Addictive Media to develop an adventure game based on Purple Moon’s new character Rockett Movado.

2. the map as main navigation

The parchment map gives context to the storyline, as well as orientation and interactive navigation between the four main activities — a set of problem solving and skill games which are co-dependent and which each need to be completed to finish camp.

As each activity is completed, the black-and-white map fills in with color.

Still one of my personal favorite interface drawings. Who doesn’t love parchment maps?

3. the pda

As a game designer trying to conceive of novel ways to let users interact — and something unique for girls — I was especially proud of my epiphany to create the LunaMate PDA for Rockett (hey, remember, this was before cell phones could text or email, and a full decade before the first iPhone).

I designed and proposed a necklace pendant that Rockett would have with her at all times, giving  the girl gamers a bridge into Rockett’s digital world, and enhancing their sense that they really were Rockett. The GUI would be a persistent control floating in the corner over all gaming and narrative animation screens throughout the storyline. Users could expand the LunaMate at any time, revealing context-sensitive information about the current activity or social situation.

I took great pride in creating all the instructional tutorial content and a significant amount of narrative story writing which wasn’t in the original script or game design. Really fun.

4. dialog boxes

I created all the various dialog boxes throughout as well.

NOTE: the background illustrations and animations were not mine.

5. other interactive elements

I got to invent a palette of “personal items” such as books and posters with which players could personalize their packing list, fill their backpack, and decorate their bunk at camp. Check out the names of the authors on the book covers  : )

6. title animation

Animation wasn’t part of my job description on this project, but I love the medium and lent a hand when needed. My thumbnail animation of the opening title introduced the idea of a stars-and-moon pan down to a fire circle. My sketch set the aesthetic and mood for the game and was the basis for the final title animation (not mine).

7. sprite animations

I also contributed some final sprite animations like this fish jumping, which were coded to appear at random moments in the canoe race. Sprint animations come with very constrictive technical requirements, like only 8 colors and only a few frames.

NOTE: someone else designed that awful stopwatch sticking awkwardly out of my PDA in the lower right corner — ugh.

Summer camp provides a context for the half-dozen gaming environments, as well as an ongoing narrative thread about Rockett’s moral decisions as she interacts with other campers.

Will she help a girl being bullied, or seize an opportunity to join the popular girls? Will she keep an important secret or decide a dangerous situation supersedes her promise?

Along the way, Rockett has her PDA — a private digital journal, map, compass, instruction booklet for her activities, and a live internet connection to Purple Moon’s expanded gaming elements and group interactivity.

I designed and drew all the interface elements, from the navigational map to custom dialog boxes. I conceived of and proposed the PDA interface, and designed and created all final art for its content, including a bit-mapped font and line art. I created motion-graphics animations for the PDA open-and-close sequence, as well as interactivity with the buttons and tabs.

In the end, an outstanding example of the convergence of artistry, interactivity, storytelling, and a moral compass, Rockett’s Camp Adventure was an especially satisfying project.