Any old-school adventure gamer will be able to hum the opening bars of the Space Quest title theme. Just as recognizable is Space Quest's hero, Roger Wilco, one of gaming's legendary characters. Helping to breathe life into the series that spanned six installments was Mark Crowe, one of the main minds behind the series. After the Sierra meltdown and some time off, he landed at Pipeworks Software, the company responsible for Xbox's intro animation and the recent Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee (GC, XB). We ask Mark about his start in the industry, what happened at Sierra, how game development has changed in the last 20 years, his favorite Space Quest game and topics surrounding the series, his role on Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee, and life at Pipeworks Software. Thanks for your time, Mark!

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Mark Crowe, Pipeworks Software Q&A

Conducted by Omni

For those that don’t know, who are you, where’d you come from, how’d you break into the industry, how long have you been in the industry and are you proficient with chopsticks?

Well, I started working for Sierra Online back in ’82 as a graphic designer. Yeah, I’m as old as dirt. :) Sierra was publishing games for the Apple II. That was my introduction to personal computers. I was originally hired as a graphic artist for package and marketing artwork. After 2 years of that I became one of the computer graphic artists for the Kings Quest games.

Think way back to your first gaming industry job. What was the first day on the job like?

I remember my first day quite vividly. It was a very exciting time. I knew I was getting in on the bleeding edge of this new, hot industry - PC gaming.

How much did game designers earn way back then? Was money even an issue - did you do it more for the love of creating games?

It wasn’t as much an issue for me as it was for my wife <ha!>. It was the most money I had ever made at any of my previous jobs so I was happy. I was doing what I loved to do. When you're passionate about what you’re doing, it shows in the product. Financial reward is a byproduct (but a much welcomed one).

Was game creation easier when you first started in the industry?

I don’t think so. It seems like just as much effort went into making the early adventure games as the latest 3D stuff. There’s just as much story and character development, animation, world creation and programming in today’s games as there was back then. Another reason I think it was just as difficult was that you would have smaller dev teams working on projects as you do today. At least that was the case at Sierra.

How has the average production cycle changed in the last 20 years?

I can’t see that it has really changed that much. It has always followed the film industry model very closely: pre-production (script, character and set design), production (set construction, animation and programming - building the game) and postproduction (play balancing, testing, bug chasing). This, of course, is assuming you already have a game engine. Ask a programmer and he will have a completely different spin on it.

Roger Wilco, maybe the most famous character you helped create, must have been inspired by something or someone. How did Roger Wilco come into being?

I honestly don’t remember exactly how we (Scott Murphy and I) came up with Roger Wilco. We just wanted to have this reluctant space hero guy as the protagonist of a warped space adventure. To keep him humble, we made him a Janitor. There seemed to be no end to the janitorial-related gags we could introduce. That’s what made it fun for us- the irreverence of it. We felt like we were really getting away with something. The name “Roger Wilco” had a retro-sci-fi vibe that I dug because I always envisioned Roger as this bumbling, Buck Rogers-type character.

Which of the SpaceQuest games was your favorite? Why?

SQ4 - Hands down. Why? Lots of reasons: The whole Time traveling through your own game sequels and the Sequel Police concept was truly inspired. It was borne out of pure, 11^th hour desperation. I’ve always worked better under pressure. :) It was also Sierra’s first VGA title with painted/scanned backgrounds and video captured animation - a major breakthrough for adventure game graphics. Getting to work with TV legend Gary Owens (narrator) was the icing on the cake.

How many people or companies expressed displeasure at some of the characters in SpaceQuest? Any nasty letters, threats, or lawsuits?

There was only one as I recall that resulted in “cease and desist” order. That was Toys R Us. Seems they had a problem with us naming our driod shop “Droids are US”. So we changed it to Droids-B-Us. Oddly enough, Lucasfilm never raised a stink about the use of “Droids” or the many Star Wars-related puns in our games. But we had to become more careful about what we satired after that. Kinda took the fun out of it, really.

How much of Mark Crowe is in the Space Quest series? More specifically, if we only played the Space Quest games you worked on, how much do we know about you?

1. That I like humor and enjoy a good laugh.

2. I’m a fan boy of classic sci-fi.

3. I have this strange fascination with pork snouts.

This may be forbidden territory, but what really happened at Sierra when adventure games where thrown in the oil barrel, burned, and most of the staff sacked?

I really couldn’t tell you for certain because I wasn’t there. Well, I mean, I was working at the Dynamix division here in Eugene when things became dark and gloomy. I was sent packing a few days prior to Sierra: Oakhurst shutting down.

Greed killed adventure games at Sierra. They wanted to ship only *guaranteed* mega hit titles. And they wrongly thought the way you do that is to funnel tons of $$ into a single product. That money had to come from somewhere so they shut down development of what they considered to be lesser titles. This is just my biased, over-simplified perception of what happened.

When that round of firings took place, what happened to you?

I was let go along with several other producers at Dynamix. It was just the first wave of firings at Dynamix. Life was good so I took a year off to pursue other interests and think about what I really wanted to do next.

Was there any point that you could have kept or acquired the rights to Roger Wilco and the Space Quest franchise?

I actually inquired about that. I couldn’t afford it. I decided it would be cheaper and easier just to start over with a new wacky space adventure concept.

Al Lowe mentions on his website that there was a seemingly one-shot meeting with Sierra President, Mike Ryder, back in February 2002 regarding another Leisure Suit Larry game. Have you had any meetings like this regarding the resurrection of Roger Wilco? (Or have you just moved on, leaving Roger in the past where he’s remembered with fondness by fans?)

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I’ve heard the same rumors as you that Sierra contracted a dev house to do an SQ title but that it got canceled while in development. But I have not been involved. I’m always tinkering with ideas for a Roger Wilco console title. So, Who knows. It could happen.

How politicized is the gaming industry in terms of the developer/publisher relationship? (If you don’t want to be specific, just use “in generals.”)

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Not sure how to answer this. Boring question. :) As long as you have a publisher paying you to create product for them. You are subject to putting up with a fair amount of $#!%- er, input. Everyone wants their thumbprint on the thing so you either learn to roll with it or become “Difficult to work with."

You have to choose your battles. Total creative freedom is only available to the self-funded. I doubt this adequately answers your question. Sorry!

Still hang out with ex-Sierra employees? What happened to Scott Murphy and Josh Mandel?

I’m sad to say I’ve not kept in contact with Scott in the last few years. I need to drop him an email. The same goes for Josh.

Do you get many phone calls from Space Quest fans?

Never. I get an occasional email though. It’s always very gratifying to hear from people who grew-up playing our games and received so much enjoyment from them. You can never get tired of that.

How do you like working at Pipeworks?

It’s great!… just great! (generic response). It’s nice to work with a small group. There’s a free-flow exchange of ideas and everyone contributes.

How much were you involved with Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee? Did you write the dialogue for the alien invaders?

Well, as I said we’re a small group so we all have to where several hats. My responsibilities included lead designer/creative director and liaison with the publisher’s producer. I managed the audio production as well and, yes, I’m responsible for the cheesy Alien dialog.

Is the world actually controlled by an elite alien race - molding world events to suit their own nefarious agenda?

Umm, no, er, of course not. w-why do you ask? Here, have another, uh, diet beverage. There, that’s better, isn’t it?

Does your diet degenerate into pizza and black coffee during the development cycle?

Of course! It’s especially easy when there’s a pizza joint right across the street.

With the average age of gamers getting higher, is there a place for more nudity in videogames?

My kids keep begging me to buy them GTA. I won’t allow it. It’s too easy for kids to get access to adult material these days. Parents need to be aware of what they’re kids are playing.

Why don’t more PC and videogames attempt to explore more “heavy” topics like religion, morality, and politics instead of going for sex and violence to snag attention? Is it a matter of fun factor?

To quote a Creed song: “Sex Sells and the whole world is buying”! Simulated violence also plucks our primal instincts. It’s why coliseums were built - violent spectacle to sooth the masses. We’re a sick bunch.

Ever think about getting out of the game industry completely and trying something new? Run for Congress?

All the time. But when I really stop and think about it- what else could be this much fun? It’s a major buzz having thousands of people all over the world playing your game.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Making games. Fishing, and nagging my teenaged son to move out of the house.

(September 25, 2003)