AudioGame.it introducing Stefano Enea Cabra, the new associate producer for the audio game of the Inquisitor! Including the interview!
"Magister" Enea decided to support the production of the international version of two audio games of the Inquisitor - Ch. 2, "THE VILLAGE", and ch. 3, "SISTERS IN THE DREAM".
Let's welcome him, for more audio games to come, in Italy and abroad!
And now, the interview - Will soon be available on the Facebook fan page for a new audio game we want to develop, under the name of "Audio Rally Racing", here: https://www.facebook.com/audiorallyracing. Visit, and if you like it, "Like it"!
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QUESTION 1: Good morning, Magister Enea. First of all, introduce yourself. Tell us about you!
My name is Stefano Enea Cabra, I was born in Bergamo, Northern Italy, then moved to Stezzano, still relatively close to Bergamo, in 1979. I have two sisters, my father is a plumber and my mother is a housewife. I love music, in particular singer-songwriters, my favorite is Fabrizio de Andrè. I also like dubbing, to make impressions, to tell jokes, theatre. I like the epic-fantasy genre, the adventures in general and the Medieval history. And, of course, women!
QUESTION 2: Are there video games that can be played also by unsighted people? What about your experience?
Certainly, there are some, but apparently, the best market for audio games seems to be the US. Less in the other countries and that applies also to Italy. Not many audio games around here, but the good old text-driven adventure games are still quite popular.
Well, I really hope that TiconBlu will be able to start a new trend, here in Italy and all around the world!
QUESTION 3: How did you learn about the Inquisitor?
Thanks to an unsighted friend of mine, Alberto Toti, who told me about this new audio game. Obviously, I rushed to buy it with complete confidence, without even looking at it!
QUESTION 4: You are now associate producer for the international version of two audio games, Inquisitor 2, “THE VILLAGE”, and Inquisitor 3, “SISTERS IN THE DREAM”. How did you reach that decision?
The main reason is connected to something I’ve just said: I want to promote a company that finally is taking the stand to bring a huge innovation, to make real video games accessible also to the unsighted people! Nothing pitiful, just to please “these poor people”, I am talking about fully featured video games! Well, associate producer? I wasn’t expecting it!
QUESTION 5: To be an associate producer, what does it mean?
It means that I am financially supporting the project, getting a share of it and of its revenue. Not only this project means something to me, but it is also a conscious investment.
QUESTION 6: What are the main costs involved in a video game like the Inquisitor?
Specifically referring to Eymerich, an adventure game, I’d say the main cost – about one third of the total budget – is dubbing, especially when you need to have native English-speaking actors. In our case, we have 5 actors for the Inquisitor. In addition to that, software development is also a large part of the budget.
QUESTION 7: Do you think it is a good idea for video game developers to work on audio games?
A good idea? It’s a great one! It means both the producer and the developer have already realized that no one has to be excluded, not even from the video game world! Audio game world, I should say. You prove to be knowledgeable and smart only when you consider the existence of unsighted people, and then you try to adapt video games to their needs. This is how to mean business! Every developer should consider it seriously, because you don’t have to be ashamed if you are unsighted, on the contrary! Quoting William of Baskerville, from “The Name of the Rose”: when you lose one sense, the others compensate. I believe our Inquisitor Eymerich would agree too!
I want to add that unsighted users are just like the others; they are mostly computer savvy and buy what they find interesting. Since there are very few “true” accessible video games, you can say you don’t have much competition if you produce audio games. Furthermore, this customer segment is very active and loyal.
QUESTION 8: In your opinion, can audio games be developed by unsighted people, creative or technical?
Sure, assuming these unsighted people are willing to get off their butt, and finally understand that unsighted does not mean handicapped!
All jokes aside, yes, unsighted people can work at the development of audio games.
QUESTION 9: How do you produce an audio game? Which parts unsighted developers can manage?
Considering an adventure game like the Inquisitor, the plot comes first; you can start from a novel or a short story. Then you create the story line with all the characters and locations, in the form of a technical script. After that, you can start developing the various elements that will compose the game – from sound FX, to music, to the dialogs dubbed by professional actors. All these elements are then assembled using an “engine”, which is a computer program specifically developed for that type of game. The engine has to work under the different platforms, from PCs to iPhones. After that, you do a lot of testing, this is very important.
To cut the long story short, this is very much like shooting a movie! I think creative unsighted people can take care of anything in an audio game… except for the graphics!
There is also another aspect you can take care of, like in my case, being associate producer, to become an entrepreneur and contribute with creating the business. There are many different kinds of audio games, starting from different ideas, with different elements and budget. An adventure game like the Inquisitor is one of the most complex ones if you look at the size of its elements, especially dubbing and in general the duration of the game.
QUESTION 10: Any plans for the future?
You can plan as much as you want, but then you need to focus on what you can actually achieve! I’d like to work on an adventure game based on a short story I wrote, or a pirate adventure like the ones from Lucas. We’ll see! For the time being, FULL SPEED AHEAD, and support AUDIO GAME production as much as you can!