Playing DJ
Skillz Gives Amateurs a Taste Of the Turntables

Following 2007’s popularity of video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Playpen Studios is set to release the latest in virtual music video games, Skillz, in late 2008. Skillz, the interactive DJing game, will differ from the other virtual music games by giving players a chance to scratch and mix their own beats instead of playing cover tracks. The turntable controller will feature a single-player or two-player mode and even an option to connect and play online. Skillz will give wannabe DJs a chance to try their hand at spinning a set without going for broke on equipment. Creative Director James Wong gave us the spin on the growingindependent video game development company behind Skillz.

NCB: Will Playpen Studios provide tracks with the video game, standard songs that players can use, or will they have to purchase music separately?
Wong: There will be an extensive selection of licensed tracks, covering several genres of dance music that are shipped with the game. In addition to this, we have plans to make additional music available via online download services. It is extremely important for us to avoid the inherent problems with focusing too heavily on just one just style of dance music.  

NCB: Will players be able to use their own CDs, or will music have to be in a digital format?
Wong: Players will be able to import their music into the game using almost any digital format. Everyone has their own tastes when it comes to DJing and music in general, and so this feature has always been an important design goal for us throughout the development of the game. 

NCB: What can you tell me about the company?
Wong: Playpen Studios is a fairly new company, and Skillz will be our first game release under the Playpen banner. The staff at Playpen have varied backgrounds in the field of creative media, ranging from games, toys, music and film. Having this kind of diversity creates a great working environment in which our multi-disciplined staff is able to approach projects in a fresh and unique way. Both myself and my design partner have been DJing for about 10 years and have had a lot of firsthand experience with many of the facets of the international DJing and club scene. 

NCB: Will Skillz be available on different game consoles?
Wong: Yes, Skillz will be a multi-platform release, although at this time exactly which platforms is not 100 percent confirmed, so I can’t go into detail there. 

NCB: Were professional DJs consulted?
Wong: Yes, we’ve discussed the project with several professional DJs. We have always been pleased by their response and have taken their feedback into consideration. 

NCB: Do you see this game having an influence on the DJ industry?
Wong: I think that our game will have a very positive influence on the DJ industry by boosting people’s interest in DJ culture. Skillz is intended to reach a wide audience and show people in fun and simple terms what DJing is all about. 

NCB: How have they responded to the game? Do they feel it will create a flood of amateurs into the market or will it actually help professional DJs?
Wong: Most DJs that we have talked to about the game have responded very positively, and are completely on the same page as us, which has obviously been very encouraging. The issue of whether or not the game will create a flood of amateurs into the market has never come up in our talks with other DJs. Personally, I feel that the market is already flooded with amateurs and that there is a wide range of what you might call ‘professional DJs.’ We often find that the DJs spinning at big fancy clubs are technically very weak. Very few club DJs incorporate turntablist elements into their sets, and many that I’ve seen aren’t even beat-matching when mixing. In cases of ‘professional DJs’ such as this, I think our game will be a great help. In any case, Skillz is not intended to be replacing existing hardware or software used by professionals. Skillz is a mass-market game that is designed to be fun for everyone regardless of their level of understanding in terms of DJing.