In Recess April 2022
Behind the Horror
Arlington attorney Tristan C. Robinson puts on his producer and lawyer hat in new horror video game.
Interview by Eric Quitugua
Photos Courtesy of Tristan C. Robinson
ABOVE: In North Algus Elementary, the main character is a mother attempting to rescue her daughter from a burning school. But the plot takes a turn when there’s no fire at all and the mother finds herself reliving the trauma of her daughter dying long ago.
Paranormal trauma, ghosts, and shifting hellscapes are among the many
obstacles gamers navigate in the world created by Tristan C. Robinson.
With North Algus Elementary, Robinson, an entertainment lawyer and video
game developer, navigates the technical and legal logistics of creating
a horror game whose heart pumps tragedy, mourning, and empathy. The
Arlington-based attorney spoke to the Texas Bar Journal about
his new project, his love of video game developing, and going beyond the
jump scare.
WHERE DOES THE TITLE NORTH ALGUS ELEMENTARY COME
FROM?
Two things here. First, we were always aware we’d have a big, expansive,
Texas elementary school as the setting and that something about
referring to an unassuming location seemed to evoke the horror vibe when
spoken aloud (i.e., “elementary” in a game title just sounds a bit eerie
rather than cheerful). Second, the “Algus” part was a bit of an inside
ode to the favorite video game my co-founder and I played as children in
which a character happened to be named Algus. There was something
romantic about being game developers so many years down the road after
sharing a love of video games, so, it snuck its way in.
WHAT’S THE PLOT OF THE GAME? WHAT INSPIRED IT?
Oh wow, I get to try out my elevator pitch? Awesome! I know I’ll get in
trouble if I give away too much but let me give it a shot:
You play as a mother rushing into a burning school because your daughter is inside, but when you get in, you realize all is not as it seems. There’s no fire anywhere, and the space is shifting all around you. As you progress, you realize your daughter died a long time ago, and this is just the torment of her loss you’re reliving over and over. [Not a spoiler as this revelation happens fairly quickly and adds to some of the replayability].
It is loosely inspired by our first game that we released to the public at no charge on the PC, SOPHIE. In SOPHIE, we were limited to a single classroom, which made it appropriate to focus on a single character. Now we have the whole school to explore, and each of the main apparitions are inspired by various dark passages in history or general thematic trauma. We don’t just want to jump scare players—we want them to get acquainted with the particular ghost’s trauma to a level that they may even empathize with the particular ghost.
WHAT PLATFORM IS THE GAME MEANT FOR?
Games are always initially made on computers, be it Mac or PC—this means
that it is always easiest to just release for PC. However, with
North Algus Elementary, we have been ensuring that we are
optimized for subsequent ports to console gaming (e.g., Xbox,
PlayStation, etc.). From a technical standpoint, the process of porting
a game to a console is not all that difficult. Rather, I imagine what
stops most game developers is either cost (e.g., for PlayStation you
actually have to buy their development kit, a special version of the
console to test the port of the game on), or the bureaucracy of
navigating the backend expectations of Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo, and so
on. I guess in the latter regard, it is great our team has a lawyer on
hand.
WHEN DEVELOPING GAMES IN THE HORROR GENRE, WHAT SORTS OF
ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ARE AT PLAY?
Well, let’s face it: Even though a large population of gamers are adults
and adults are our target audience, children inevitably are going to get
their hands on something like this. We can only do so much to have it
properly assigned an ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) rating
to warn parents. So, we have to build into the end user license
agreement things like, “You affirm you’re old enough to play this
thing,” and we have outright disclaimers about loud noises, jump scares,
photosensitivity to flashing lights, etc.
ARE YOU USUALLY DRAWN TO HORROR GAMES?
You know, I don’t really know. For this project, we are heavily
inspired by a short game called P.T., which was
created/co-directed by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, and was
widely received as one of the most frightening video game experiences of
all time. I also enjoy Resident Evil and the Five Nights at Freddy’s
series. However, I can only take so much of the latter before I have to
give it a rest.
WHAT ARE SOME LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS? I NOTICED IN ONE OF THE
PHOTOS YOU SENT, A CHARACTER IS WEARING PATAGONIA. WHAT’S THE PROCESS OF
GETTING THAT INTO THE GAME?
Oh, there seem to be an unending list of legal considerations, not the
least of which are the protection of so many different kinds of assets
that go into making the game what it is—written story, written computer
code, sound bites, score, artwork, etc. A video game represents one of
the most robust pieces of intellectual property one can potentially deal
with. But there’s also the matter of contracting with team members,
dealing with the transactional expectations of the game engine you’re
developing in (for us, Unity), and any of the major consoles you plan to
port to. Privacy and data collection is its own other enormous
topic.
And, as far as Patagonia goes, let’s just say that was an old bit of art—the artist responsible had to be given a primer one evening on IP law. We are not affiliated with nor sponsored by Patagonia, and, insert other legal disclaimers here that let you know that the specific jacket doesn’t see the light of day because one of the team members is a paranoid entertainment lawyer.
WHAT’S YOUR ROLE IN DEVELOPING THE GAME?
I feel certain the producer and lawyer hats are obvious. What may be
less obvious is that I am also an artist and can 3D model, texture, rig,
code, and animate. So I am a bit of a generalist that fills in wherever
he can. I even made my wife a short video game as a means to propose to
her (she didn’t want to play until she realized what kind of ruse I was
actually up to).
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT WORKING ON IT OR ANY OTHER VIDEO GAME
YOU’VE WORKED ON?
First, I really love to learn new things. The process of making games
involves so many moving pieces, and there’s just too much to know it
“all”—in that way, it’s a lot like the practice of law. Second,
I think video games offer one of the most exciting means of storytelling
that we have—no other medium is as interactive and engaging when done
well.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MAKING VIDEO GAMES?
My co-founder of the business had been studying this medium for a
while and actually approached me with the idea. It sounded intriguing,
of course, as I had always loved games. Once I got hands-on with the
process, it was something quite magical and really sunk its claws in
deep. We can make worlds!, I thought, and have been striving to
hone that art ever since. It brings a sort of joy that is hard to
describe other than, “This is something truly special.”
HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT WITH YOUR LEGAL CAREER?
Oh, I don’t know that I do this very well at all. It very much feels
like burning the candle at both ends. Yet, there’s a sense of
responsibility to something bigger than myself, there’s a team of
artists, musicians, and programmers that rely on me to be there and put
in the hours. I suppose in many ways being a lawyer by day is analogous
to respecting that kind of responsibility—we owe a similar duty to our
clients.TBJ