Community
July 2012
Interview with Lead 2D Artist, Kris!
Thu, 2012-07-26 10:18 — HerInteractiveWe interviewed our Lead 2D Artist, Kris! She is one of our fantastic artists who has contributed immensely to the world of Nancy Drew!
Her Interactive: When you were in elementary school, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Kris: Most often, I dreamed of being a world-traveling National Geographic photographer. But if that didn’t work out, I would have settled for Astronaut or Professional Football Player!
Her Interactive: How long have you worked at Her Interactive?
Kris: I started work as a texture artist during production of the original Secrets Can Kill in 1998. So… 14 years!
Her Interactive: Name one or more viewable items/puzzles/environments from a game you have created.
Kris: The bento puzzle in Shadow at the Water’s Edge… The Conservatory and Great Hall in Curse of Blackmoor Manor… The horse and carousel textures in The Haunted Carousel…
Her Interactive: When you aren’t making awesome games, what do you do for fun? Any hobbies?
Kris: I love watching and playing soccer, building and fixing things, working in the garden, doing jigsaw puzzles, and riding my motorcycle.
Her Interactive: If you were the main character of a video game, who would you be and what is your story or mission?
Kris: I’d want to be like the character Jade in Beyond Good and Evil. She is a strong, self-reliant photo-journalist, who seeks to expose corporate corruption and to work for truth and justice. She also wears green lipstick. Enough said. :)
Her Interactive: What is your favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Either in real life or from the ice cream parlor in Alibi in Ashes?
Kris: Coconut with dark chocolate chunks
Her Interactive: If you could live in any environment from the games, where would you choose?
Kris: It’s a very tough decision… So I’ll narrow it down to two: Either the study in The Captive Curse or the lobby of the ryokan in Shadow at the Water’s Edge.
Her Interactive: What is your favorite color combination?
Kris: Olive Green + Steel Blue
If you had the opportunity to stay the night in any of the following places, which would you choose?
A) A castle
B) A haunted ryokan
C) An old movie theatre
D) A ranch
Kris: My immediate choice would be a ryokan, since I’ve always wanted to visit rural Japan; but given that it’s haunted… I’d have to choose a ranch, as it would seem to be the *least* likely place to be haunted.
Wait…
Her Interactive: Do you have any fun or funny stories you would like to share?
Kris: Just before production began on Treasure in the Royal Tower, we had a company retreat in which we stayed overnight in what was said to be a haunted castle in Port Townsend, WA. Although I can’t personally verify that the castle was indeed haunted, two Her Interactive employees reported ghost-like experiences – and one was so freaked out by whatever he saw/heard in his room that he checked out early and raced home in the middle of the night!
The trip also included a manic scavenger hunt throughout most every nook and cranny of the small, coastal town. Although the shop keepers nearly banished us all – forever – from the downtown area, it was a lot of fun!
Thank you Kris for all of the years of hard work and excellent contributions to the Nancy Drew games!
Interview with Admin Assistant, CJ!
Thu, 2012-07-12 10:02 — HerInteractiveWe interviewed our Administrative Assistant extraordinaire, CJ!
Her Interactive: What does an Administrative Assistant do?
CJ: Well, Administrative Assistant is my formal title, but my job encompasses many more responsibilities. Her Interactive is a small company, and sometimes it’s necessary to wear multiple hats. Besides executive staff and office support, I am also customer service, webmaster, marketing assistant and technical support assistant. When you call our “800” number, I am usually always the first point of contact. My job also includes having “all of the answers” for our fans (but don’t try to weasel insider info from me about upcoming games… you’ll just have to wait and find out like everyone else).
Her Interactive: What do you do for fun? Any hobbies?
CJ: One of my favorite fun activities is going to Starbucks almost every evening with my 20-yr-old daughter. Although we love Starbucks, it’s about so much more than having a cup of coffee. We both have very busy schedules with work and college, so this is unplugged face-time that we both cherish.
As for hobbies, I am an amateur photographer and love to take photos of landscapes and architecture. Bridges are probably my favorite subject to photograph.
Her Interactive: If you could have a super power or super skill, what would it be and why?
CJ: I think I’d like the ability to read minds; however, only when I choose to do so, not all of the time. It would be kind of scary and overwhelming to always know what everyone else is thinking.
Her Interactive: If you could vacation anywhere, where would you want to travel?
CJ: That’s an easy choice… I would want to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, and actually stay in the castle for about a month in the fall. (Of course, I know it wouldn’t be possible to stay in the castle, but I can dream, can’t I?) Castle Finster in The Captive Curse reminded me of this particular castle, and playing the game renewed my longing to visit a real castle.
Her Interactive: If confronted with one of the following options, which would you choose?
A) Expose and catch a criminal
B) Sleep in a haunted place
C) Hunt for treasure in a dangerous location
CJ: Although I would love a good adventure in a haunted place, or hunting for treasure, if given the choice, I would rather expose and catch a criminal. There is something very satisfying about helping to bring a criminal to justice.
Her Interactive: Which Nancy Drew game is your favorite?
CJ: My favorite game is definitely Danger on Deception Island (I paddled around in the kayak forever… just because it’s fun to paddle around). I think this game is close to my heart because my favorite getaways in Washington are Deception Pass and the San Juan Islands. I’ve never actually seen an orca whale on any of my trips, but I know they’re out there and it’s just a matter of time. I have seen a huge sea lion swimming in the waters at Deception Pass.
Her Interactive: What is your favorite movie?
CJ: Tough question… I guess if I had to pick just one it would be The Notebook. I’ve never been a fan of sentimental, old-fashioned movies, but this heartwarming story about true love and devotion touched my heart. Tissues were mandatory.
Her Interactive: If you could time travel, to what time would you visit?
CJ: I actually had to think about this question overnight. I love history and visiting the past would be neat in a way, but quite honestly I’d rather visit about 100 years into the future. I’d really like to see the technological advances in medicine, computers, cars, and architecture. I’d also like to know whether or not people have learned to peacefully coexist.
Her Interactive: If you could invent a gadget for Nancy, what would it be and what would it do?
CJ: I would invent a computerized magnifying glass with an interactive touch screen. When Nancy is examining a fingerprint, it will record and store an image of the print and be able to connect to an international database to compare the print to all known prints. Also, it would be able to analyze any object that she inspects and instantly inform her of its composition.
Her Interactive: What is your favorite food or treat?
CJ: Home-made chicken soup is my favorite go-to comfort food. I like it thick and creamy with egg noodles, and spiced-up with a ton of cayenne pepper. I would choose this any day over sweets or dessert.
Thanks CJ for all your hard work!
