I had an opportunity to sit down (virtually) with the folks behind the new game KRACKADES (Charades on crack) and get a few questions asked about this new game that does for charades/drawing/sculpting games, what Cards Against Humanity did for Apples to Apples - bust the game wide open into a much more risque, less uptight topical space. Here's what they had to say. Learn more at krackades.com.
1) How did the idea arise for "Krackades"?
We wanted to create a game for our generation that's all about unadulterated raunchy fun. It started nearly a year ago at a Christmas party after playing a round of Cranium. We really wished it had a little more edginess and over-the-top aura similar to Cards Against Humanity but without extremely sensitive non-politically correct subjects. So we decided to make our own game and play it with friends. It was an instant hit on a conceptual level and a bunch of people started chiming in asking us to include even more outrageous and raunchy cards to our current deck of act, sculpt, and draw. It started to grow from there and we threw in our unique twists to the game mechanic with Krack Attacks.
In fact, we actually got strong encouragement from one of our friends from undergrad and co-creator of CAH, Josh Dillon, to keep developing the game and pushing the envelope.
2) The theme of the game is a bit risque. How have people reacted to the game? What's it like playing it with strangers for the first time? Have you introduced it to your families?
We noticed an interesting pattern: people who are generally timid to join in the game on the first round sit on the side lines, then when they see how much fun everyone is having trying to guess something like "Dick in the Box" as someone frantically tries to sculpt it under 60 seconds, then they end up joining in too. Generally, ethanol speeds up this process.
Overall, we've received pretty positive reviews from people except for one time a girl playing the game literally started laughing and crying because she had to draw "Gerbil up the butt."
Our families know of the game. They have still yet to play it.
3) In "Krackades Mini" you have a proof of concept and can generate some buzz. How many copies did you make? What's the plan for the next version of Krackades? Are you going the Kickstarter route?
We sold out our original batch of Krackades Mini, roughly 100 copies, in about two months and this was with virtually close to zero publicity. We currently re-stocked it on Amazon in order to quench growing demand and generate greater awareness before launching another Kickstarter. Krackades Mini is simply a portable version of the game that people can put in their pocket and take to any party anywhere.
Our goal is to create a complete game with larger cards (featuring fan-favorite's from act, sculpt and draw cards that optimizes fun and difficulty level), more outrageous Krack Attacks -- all included with clay and a paper pad.
4) Your video on krackades.com is really impressive, the production values and visual graphics especially. What software did you use to create it? Did you hire a professional (or is one of you a professional)?
One of our friends is a motion graphics artist with insane skills. He used Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite to pull it all together. We paid him with pancakes and syrup at a local diner for brunch. We also gave him the inflatable blowup doll "Dolly" as a token of our appreciation, I'm sure she has her own channel now on Snapchat.
5) What do you do with your spare time? What other games do you guys enjoy?
We enjoy playing chess and sometimes playing 2048 or even Flappy Bird. In our spare time, we really enjoy game design and watching funny serials on Netflix, like Community or The Office.
6) Got any advice for the aspiring game creators out there?
Try to get Jimmy Kimmel or Ashton Kutcher to sponsor your product -- it's more likely to go viral that way. If that approach fails, hard work, creativity, and being smart can also pay dividends. Also, playtest relentlessly and don't be afraid to modify things based on input you get from early adopters.
7) What, to you, makes a game good / fun ?
I think a hallmark of a good game is one where you willingly put your own social capital on the line and introduce it to new acquaintances and friends because you believe it's something that's really fun and fresh. In terms of game mechanics, it's something that operates fluidly and is easy to understand while maintaing a certain competitive and/or challenging aspect to it.
I suppose you can also say a good game ought to be addictive too.
8) Is Krackades your first game you've put together? Do you expect to do more in future?
Krackades is the first game we put together. We have other ideas in the works but we want to see Krackades blossom into its true potential first.
9) What lessons have you learned in producing the game, that you'd pass on to other aspiring game creators?
It's a lot of hard work but also a lot of fun too when you share the experience with friends and strangers. Always have an open mind to incorporate feedback during play tests. Working out logistics and choosing the right producer for the game is also key for quality. Creating a game for the first time is a continual process of refinement. Also, it's not enough that you create a great game that's well playtested, conceptually sound, and fun -- you must find a way to spread it to the masses. Growing your base of followers is probably one of the most critical challenges to overcome and it requires an intrepid spirit to get people to not only love your idea but also actively play and share it with others as well.
It's all too easy to give up and get depressed if your crowdsourcing campaign fails initially. If you really believe in your idea don't give up or at least consider modifying your approach. Altogether, it's an exciting process and we can't wait to share it with the masses.
Cheers,
Krackades Team (Cyrus)
1) How did the idea arise for "Krackades"?
We wanted to create a game for our generation that's all about unadulterated raunchy fun. It started nearly a year ago at a Christmas party after playing a round of Cranium. We really wished it had a little more edginess and over-the-top aura similar to Cards Against Humanity but without extremely sensitive non-politically correct subjects. So we decided to make our own game and play it with friends. It was an instant hit on a conceptual level and a bunch of people started chiming in asking us to include even more outrageous and raunchy cards to our current deck of act, sculpt, and draw. It started to grow from there and we threw in our unique twists to the game mechanic with Krack Attacks.
In fact, we actually got strong encouragement from one of our friends from undergrad and co-creator of CAH, Josh Dillon, to keep developing the game and pushing the envelope.
2) The theme of the game is a bit risque. How have people reacted to the game? What's it like playing it with strangers for the first time? Have you introduced it to your families?
We noticed an interesting pattern: people who are generally timid to join in the game on the first round sit on the side lines, then when they see how much fun everyone is having trying to guess something like "Dick in the Box" as someone frantically tries to sculpt it under 60 seconds, then they end up joining in too. Generally, ethanol speeds up this process.
Overall, we've received pretty positive reviews from people except for one time a girl playing the game literally started laughing and crying because she had to draw "Gerbil up the butt."
Our families know of the game. They have still yet to play it.
3) In "Krackades Mini" you have a proof of concept and can generate some buzz. How many copies did you make? What's the plan for the next version of Krackades? Are you going the Kickstarter route?
We sold out our original batch of Krackades Mini, roughly 100 copies, in about two months and this was with virtually close to zero publicity. We currently re-stocked it on Amazon in order to quench growing demand and generate greater awareness before launching another Kickstarter. Krackades Mini is simply a portable version of the game that people can put in their pocket and take to any party anywhere.
Our goal is to create a complete game with larger cards (featuring fan-favorite's from act, sculpt and draw cards that optimizes fun and difficulty level), more outrageous Krack Attacks -- all included with clay and a paper pad.
4) Your video on krackades.com is really impressive, the production values and visual graphics especially. What software did you use to create it? Did you hire a professional (or is one of you a professional)?
One of our friends is a motion graphics artist with insane skills. He used Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite to pull it all together. We paid him with pancakes and syrup at a local diner for brunch. We also gave him the inflatable blowup doll "Dolly" as a token of our appreciation, I'm sure she has her own channel now on Snapchat.
5) What do you do with your spare time? What other games do you guys enjoy?
We enjoy playing chess and sometimes playing 2048 or even Flappy Bird. In our spare time, we really enjoy game design and watching funny serials on Netflix, like Community or The Office.
6) Got any advice for the aspiring game creators out there?
Try to get Jimmy Kimmel or Ashton Kutcher to sponsor your product -- it's more likely to go viral that way. If that approach fails, hard work, creativity, and being smart can also pay dividends. Also, playtest relentlessly and don't be afraid to modify things based on input you get from early adopters.
7) What, to you, makes a game good / fun ?
I think a hallmark of a good game is one where you willingly put your own social capital on the line and introduce it to new acquaintances and friends because you believe it's something that's really fun and fresh. In terms of game mechanics, it's something that operates fluidly and is easy to understand while maintaing a certain competitive and/or challenging aspect to it.
I suppose you can also say a good game ought to be addictive too.
8) Is Krackades your first game you've put together? Do you expect to do more in future?
Krackades is the first game we put together. We have other ideas in the works but we want to see Krackades blossom into its true potential first.
9) What lessons have you learned in producing the game, that you'd pass on to other aspiring game creators?
It's a lot of hard work but also a lot of fun too when you share the experience with friends and strangers. Always have an open mind to incorporate feedback during play tests. Working out logistics and choosing the right producer for the game is also key for quality. Creating a game for the first time is a continual process of refinement. Also, it's not enough that you create a great game that's well playtested, conceptually sound, and fun -- you must find a way to spread it to the masses. Growing your base of followers is probably one of the most critical challenges to overcome and it requires an intrepid spirit to get people to not only love your idea but also actively play and share it with others as well.
It's all too easy to give up and get depressed if your crowdsourcing campaign fails initially. If you really believe in your idea don't give up or at least consider modifying your approach. Altogether, it's an exciting process and we can't wait to share it with the masses.
Cheers,
Krackades Team (Cyrus)
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