Description
Zoom In Online's Todd Howard sat down with Jay Laird, CEO and lead game designer of Metaversal Studios at Flashforward 2007. Metaversal Studios is a game design company specializing in educational and socially responsible games with a heavy dose of humor. Laird's clients include Fidelity Investments, MTV's Shockwave.com, MIT, DJ Spooky, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the New England Aquarium. Current projects include "Geckoman," a Mario-platform styled introduction to nanotechnology being developed with Northeastern University and Boston's Museum of Science, "Clique Online," a multi-player online social game for tweenage girls, and "Shortfall", a National Science Foundation funded game that makes environmentally benign engineering and supply chain management fun for everyone!
Jay and Todd discuss the state of Flash game development, tips for designers wishing to become designer-developers, some of the challenges in navigating the relationship between designers and developers on the same team, and some of his early inspiration in the field of gaming.
Credits:
Host/Editor: Todd Howard
Coordinating Producer: Mike Raffensperger
Special Thanks: Laura Des Enfants
