Does Literature Belong In Video Games?

Just because he's a game writer and designer, don't think Hal Barwood is some pimply adolescent computer genius too young to legally buy a beer. He's actually a Hollywood screenwriting veteran - as well as a computer genius - who is now applying his writing talents in a much different venue. In fact, other successful writers of Barwood's generation are also now creating games, and enjoying creative fulfilment they've missed working in Hollywood.

Barwood and his writing/directing partner Matthew Robbins were part of the "USC mafia," a group of film students who attended the college at the beginning of the '70's and went on to take over Hollywood. George Lucas was the most successful member of this fabled film mob, which also included Apocalypse Now screenwriter John Milius and Halloween director John Carpenter, just to name a few.

Yet for whatever reason, the mainstream success their peers enjoyed alluded Matt and Hal. Together, they wrote Steven Spielberg's under-rated classic The Sugarland Express, and did a major, unaccredited re-write on Close Encounters (Spielberg gave them each a point in the film.) As a writing/directing team, they made several smarter-than-average popcorn films, including the fun teen comedy Corvette Summer, and the big budget fantasy Dragonslayer.

When Matt and Hal were shooting Dragonslayer in England, they were hoping it would be a blockbuster that would finally catapult them into the big time; however, the film was ultimately a flop, though it enjoys a cult following today. Late one night, they were setting up a scene where the dragon - which would later be inserted into the film with computers - would swoop down on a medieval village and torch it with its fiery breath. It was a huge set that took hours to light with big towers, and hundreds of extras.

As Dragonslayer's producer, Barwood had to handle such duties as making sure all the extras were costumed correctly and weren't wearing digital watches and track shoes. Once Barwood's duties as a producer were finished, Robbins was free to direct the movie, and Hal was free to goof around. He was spending a lot of downtime in his trailer with a little HP41C calculator, and using its primitive programming language, creating and building his own game.