Casual game design 'can get sloppy' says author James Patterson

Patterson has been working with I-play on the WMC titles for some time - the first is already out and the second is currently in development.

I-play's Jane Jensen, famed for her work on the Gabriel Knight games, designs the titles, in collaboration with Patterson, one of the best-selling contemporary crime authors.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Patterson detailed the collaboration, and explained how he and Jensen are trying to merge his storytelling smarts with her design skills.

"I talked to Jane Jensen, primarily about the story - in fact, we're doing the same thing now because they're starting work on the second game," he said. "What I try to put into everything I do is to have something that's driving the story forward - and to see that the individual chapters are self-sustaining and are as powerful as we can make them. I wanted the story to have some dramatic power, something to hold you. [I wanted] the little side missions - which are a staple of casual games - to be a little more organic. In some casual games they can get a little sloppy. At least in WMC the little things - such as the parts where you have to mix the chemicals in the lab - have some relevance to the main story."

For the second game, Patterson said he wants to reward players better throughout the game.

"One of the things we're talking about is building in rewards for people who are particularly good and who don't have to use the in-game hints. I’d like to have someplace where people can post their scores or play against other people. We're still working on making the mysteries even more involving," he commented.

And even thought the Women's Murder Club TV series was cancelled, Patterson still thinks the game will sell: "They were really always two separate things. I mean, look: The TV exposure will help everything. It'll help sell the books, it'll help the game."

Ultimatley, he claimed that his foray into games has been a move to cater to a female audience: "What I liked in particular about the videogame world is that it attracts a very lucrative niche audience that's also primarily male. And yet women — who look at computer screens all day — don't generally use it for games. They don't consider themselves to be gamers. So I found the notion of opening this world to women to be very interesting. And that's really why I did this deal: because I love the idea of giving a lot of people who don't normally play games something new. And in the case of casual games, [this game] is a notch up from [what they're used to]."