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Dream it. Build it. Live it.
Sam Gaultney was enthralled with the tag line for the Doritos Unlock Xbox competition. The 24-year-old Bellevue man came up with the concept for a video game for the nationwide contest — and was recently named one of eight finalists.
Gaultney’s video game idea, “Arak Attack,” was selected from 1,500 pitches submitted earlier this year. But he needs your votes to win. People have until Dec. 31 to vote for their favorite video game online.
We spoke with Gaultney about the contest. Here’s what he had to say:
Q. Is this your first time designing a video game?
A. I fiddled around with a few ideas before. But this is the first time I ever thought about it.
Q. How’d you hear about the competition?
A. My wife, Jess, and I were planning to watch a movie.... The Doritos-Xbox ad came up on the screen encouraging people to submit video arcade game ideas. I really enjoy old-style, coin-operated games like Pac-Man and Galaga. So I decided to make my video game submission a really simple concept.
Q. Can you describe your “Arak Attack” game?
A. You’re a spider in a web. You have to defend your home. Bugs fly and jump into the web. If you leave them on your web for long, the strand could break. You have to eat the bugs to repair your life bar. Some dangerous bugs are poisonous and will try to eat you. Other things you have to watch out for are kids throwing rocks at your web or people spraying Raid on your web. There are 20 different modes on the game. So everyone from the casual gamer to the more hard-core players could play different levels.
Q. How long did it take you to develop the concept for the game?
A. We only had 24 hours. We found out about the contest late. We drew a few pictures of bugs and then pitched the idea on film. We presented it on a poster board. I spoke as my wife worked the camera.
Q. How do you think Arak Attack will do?
A. I feel it’s a solid game mechanic. I hope more people than not agree with me. I’d love to see (a full version) made.
Q. What kinds of games do you play?
A. I’m a big fan of the old classics, but I’m also a fan of “Fall Out 3” and “Mass Effect.”
Q. How often do you play?
A. All of the time. Of course, work doesn’t allow me to play as much as I’d like. Some days I can swing three or four hours of game play.
Q. Do you consider yourself to be a creative person?
A. I’m definitely a visual arts person. I would love to be a writer. I was really into comic books as a youngster.
Q. What do you get out of the Doritos Unlock Xbox contest?
A. I’ve always wanted to get into the video game industry. I went to college to become an engineer. I ended up in the Air Force working in communications. Video game design and programming has just been on the back burner.
Q. So what’s the ultimate prize you win in this contest?
A. To become a $50,000 gaming consultant for Doritos. It’s pretty much a job in the gaming industry. One of the contestants said, “Winning would validate my existence.” I totally agree with that. Video games are something you invest a lot of time in. Something you really enjoy.
Contact the writer:
444-1075, j.loza@owh.com
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