Calling Cthulhu: Making a Game from a Much Loved Meme – 2nd November 10am #explay

Sadly the scheduled speaker at ExPlay on tomorrow morning 10am till 10.30am is unable to make it (hope things are ok!), so I’ve offered to step in and give a talk about game design and marketing from the example of Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land:

Red Wasp Design launched ‘Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land‘ on iOS, Android and PC this year and got coverage for this from a huge range of media outlets from Wired.com to io9.  The game itself is based on the cult horror RPG, Call of Cthulhu, which is itself based on the writings of cult horror writer H.P.Lovecraft.  Both the RPG and the works of Lovecraft are much loved and have become a powerful meme.  From South Park to cuddly toys, from horror fiction to fan-made films; the Cthulhu-meme has becomes all powerful.  While its a bonus to be making a game based on such as well known idea, it also makes it a huge challenge.  Existing fans have their own expectations and yet the mobile phone has its own limitations on memory.  This talk sees Red Wasp Design talk about the challenges and opportunities of adapting a paper-based game into a digital space whilst trying to keep fans happy and spreading the word about what they had created!