After a few interviews in 2003 at a couple of places, I was lucky enough to get in with this steadily-getting-established computer games publisher for, at the time, the somewhat fledgling Apple Mac market.

Thanks to my experience with seemingly ‘knocking out’ visuals, certainly for music records, the hour test at the end of the interview seemed to present my ability, skill and confidence to them that I think sealed the deal of this, my next employment.

Level one

With that initial work completed at interview stage, it wasn’t long after starting proper that I was finessing that product’s cover details and then confidently setting up different language versions (packaging and manuals) for its printing production and ultimate release in various markets.

Another package of games, this time not aimed at family gamers, but more the gamers’ gamer, was then out of the starting blocks a few months later and then about a year or so on, both of them were getting their sequels put together and released.

That spirit of production was a theme throughout the business and its well-intentioned and well-managed efforts and endeavours.

Publishing is always a bit of a bet, but with acumen and skill, which Feral Interactive had across its small but effective and talented team, led to steady and stable releases that helped grow its status and the further establishment of the brand among Mac gamers.

It was good to be a cog in a different setup and a little closer to seeing what it took for product, and their many parts, to happen.

Level two

With a little bit of a blank canvas given me when successfully licensed games were then being ported by the company that knew programming and code and took the load of making them work on the Mac platform, my job on a particular title began.

A few times, a game’s packaging was still under particular expectations, even across platforms, but every now and then a little difference was pursued by us to test the waters, was often appreciated by the original creators, then brought to life and finished by me and some examples of those efforts are shown below.

If you’re adapting someone else’s creative work for an alternative market and internally encouraged where relevant to flexing and pushing its parts appropriately and suitably to create something that will help it stand out, it can be conducive to good outcomes. That approach seemed natural to me and always lead to a smooth and constructive flow of production for a game’s printed elements.

It was the technical side of the digital parts that showed me more potential and opportunity for broadening my own digital skills and ambitions and working alongside those with pretty good knowledge and experience of that part planted a seed.

Macworld

In 2005 I joined the team for its presence at the annual ’global’ gathering, Macworld, in San Francisco at the Moscone Center [sic].

It was pretty much obligatory for Mac software organisations to be present and mingling and selling their wares with an apt audience and it proved an interesting insight and view of a different market and different place.

Under instruction, for the company’s 2005 presence at Macworld, I had produced a few stand-specific bits and bobs and was attending it that time as well. It all seemed to come together pretty well for and over the days the company was there.

The experience of travelling to the west coast of north America and getting almost a week, mostly to work but to also try and see and experience some of it and its surrounding areas was a great experience of which a culinary one is mentioned below but, briefly, a galactic one was amazing: seeing a clear and glorious night-sky – full of stars and uninterrupted by clouds and artificial light – seen from a reasonably high point (mostly looking toward the Pacific) slightly of the beaten track I had driven from as we were getting back to the city – yes, at a few different times, day and night, I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and it was rather cool – t’up north, from the town we’d been at down south!

Even with what we predominately see of it being ‘old news’ as it were, space is humbling and profound in the views it does offer and the honesty they provide.

A particularly good food experience for me was popping the other side of the Moscone Center for lunch, finding a decent looking food franchise on the outer edge of what I think was a big mall and thoroughly enjoying the, never-before-had-by-me-but-I-will-try-it, Singapore Noodles and assorted edibles with them – delicious and a great way to experience a part of the city.

For a breakfast, you couldn't beat the rather good cooked one I had in a classic diner in the city, just up a few streets from our hotel, that also took the comedy gold for me being sort of told with a polite smile, ‘Gee, thanks’, in response to me leaving payment on the table as plates were cleared.

’Uh, yes,’ I said, or mumbled, as they departed, ‘I would like some change from the only dollar bill I have – a hundred dollar one – as I really need notes from it, please.’

They did read its amount and pop back with a sorry and the change I needed!

Level three

To complement the actual games and their physical entities like marketing materials and packaging, a part of my remit was also to help, and guide somewhat, digital intent of marketing and selling a game online, particularly through the company’s website.

A game, certainly a new one, would get it’s own section and, given the time, a Flash-driven mini-site that got across its features.

One release – a combination of titles created because of Mac market potential, company decisions and licensing choices – earned a bit more effort to its mini-site, given it had already earned a bit more effort by me to its packaging.

Commandos Battle Pack was a combination effort from us to sell (and successfully it did I think, certainly considering the Mac market at the time) the WWII-strategy games Commandos 2 and Commandos III.

It was a fun, graphic design challenge to take the many pre-existing assets and create a bespoke cover for the pack and elegantly follow the look-and-feel appropriately through the rest of its items.

From that I then did the same for its online part, even stretching to a fun, if at the time a slightly awkward and slightly over-ambitious attempt that at least did get done, to help and encourage appreciation for the game and its intricacies by creating, I think, two clickable, step-through Flash movies including screenshots and helpful tips that allowed users to (sort of!) experience a level of the games to get a flavour that may have helped sell a few copies of the product!

Level four

Meanwhile, the bubbling along of sharing views, perspectives, opinions and opportunities among me and a talented developer was quietly continuing and eventually turned into an ambition to go our own way.

As with most ambitions it may have been a little too ambitious considering we didn’t directly know all the ins and outs of what it would take to run a business that aimed to combine our skills – design and development – and dare to push some perceived expectations in what could and can be delivered to stand out from the crowd (a little).

Achievements in this role included...

• Learning more digital skills and approaches to delivering useful content online.
• From an initial continuation of QuarkXPress usage, shifted confidently to Adobe’s new (at the time) InDesign, an equivalent tool for graphic design, layout and pre-production.
• Creating bespoke product covers for the Mac versions of popular PC games, as well as sets unique to the Mac platform, that helped grow company stature.
• Helping the company at its stand at Macworld in San Francisco, 2005.
• Making cups of tea for myself, mostly, as others tended to prefer other types of hot beverages.