Some craziness helps
Rabbit Hole Studios in Charlottetown has won an award for its video game
“I had no idea what was ahead of me or what was going to happen or how things were going to fall into place. I was very outside of my element when I started the business, so I felt like that name really fit the experience I was going through.” Scott Humes, CEO of Rabbit Hole Studios
Scott Humes, CEO of Rabbit Hole Studios in Charlottetown, says to be a video game developer you need to be “a little bit crazy,” love what you do and accept customer feedback, even if you don’t always agree.
“You take quite a few knocks. Because when you’re putting your heart and sole into something, if someone doesn’t like it, you need to be able to accept that and not challenge it. And that’s easier said than done,” said Humes, also the company’s lead developer.
“I might do something in the game and someone says they don’t like it. My first reaction is always to explain to them why it’s like that. But, you can’t. They’re the player. They’re the consumer. If they don’t get it, it’s your mistake. You need to fix it. And, that’s just how it is.”
Humes and his team recently took a road trip to this year’s Gameacon Crystal Awards in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Oct. 28, and came back with the Fan Favourite award for the game The Lost Gardens.
For Humes, the award is validation for the company’s efforts since it was based on votes from people who attended the conference.
“Fan Favourite – those are your consumers,” he said.
A couple of days later on Oct. 31, the company officially launched the game on Steam, an online gaming distributor.
Humes moved to Charlottetown from Brampton, Ont., with his wife and started the company in 2014 through an internship with the IT Garage.
He got the idea to come to the Island while studying at RCC – Radio College of Canada – in Ontario. The school has since changed its name to the RCC Institute of Technology.
“That’s how I actually heard about the Island. One of my professors said if any of you are crazy enough to move to Prince Edward Island, there’s a bit of a budding industry there,” he said.
Humes named the company Rabbit Hole Studios to reflect the early days and experience of building the business. There were times when it felt like falling down a rabbit hole, he explained.
“I had no idea what was ahead of me or what was going to happen or how things were going to fall into place,” he said. “I was very outside of my element when I started the business, so I felt like that name really fit the experience I was going through.”
Even so, he found support on the Island and got in touch with the right people to start the business. As well, other indie gaming companies were supportive.
“They’re not going to come to you. But when you do reach out, they’ll help you as best as they can.”
Given the volume of games on the market, Humes says you have to start marketing your product early not be afraid to show off your work. Doing so will lead to more consumer feedback as the game evolves and a better product in the end.
The Lost Gardens is an action-adventure game where the player takes on the role of a robot (the Caretaker) that has been forgotten and lost in time, explains Humes. The character explores the landscape and is confronted with puzzles and choices to advance through the game. The game involves trying to rejuvenate a damaged world that has been consumed by an unknown entity known as Fear. Different levels are controlled by different types of fear that the character encounters, such as fear of the unknown or fear of heights.
Humes is in the process of polishing the game and implementing consumer feedback before building more levels.
He says there is nothing better than creating a world and a game with a team from scratch that people enjoy playing.
“I love it. I don’t think I can stop. It’s amazing to be able to conceive of anything you want and then be able to build it and then have someone enjoy it. It’s just not like anything else.”