Ben's Game
Photo courtesy Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation ®
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At age five, Ben Duskin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He spent more than three years battling the disease and receiving treatment before going into remission. Treatment is both painful and stressful. To help deal with the pain and stress, Ben played video games. It helped a lot. So much so, that when the Make-A-Wish Foundation® approached Ben about granting his wish, Ben was still thinking about video games.
"My parents and I talked about my Make-A-Wish and they really felt I should wish for something that was "life affirming" or a celebration of how far I had come in my treatments. So we talked about trips or taking my friends to basketball games. I really enjoy video games and thought of making one," Ben told us. "After talking about it some more, the video game idea developed into making a video to help other kids with cancer. My mom used to tell me to imagine the medicine in my body to be like Pac-man racing through my veins, eating all the bad cancer cells. The idea finally got a chance when Eric [Johnston of LucasArts] volunteered to help make my wish come true."
"Ben's Game" was launched on the Make-A-Wish Web site in May 2004. As of January, 2006, this free game has been downloaded an amazing 181,920 times. In recognition of their hard work, Ben and Eric each were named an "Unsung Hero of Compassion." The Dalai Lama presented their awards during a ceremony in November, 2005. Ben is the youngest recipient of this honor.
Image courtesy Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation ®
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Recently, Ben and Eric took time to answer some of our questions -- here's what they had to say:
Express: Do you still play "Ben's Game"? If so, how much time do you spend playing it?
Ben Duskin: I still play Ben's game to keep my skills sharp! My favorite part is the "half-pipe" the characters can do. I still remember making the voice-over sounds with my friend Christina and I laugh every time I hear our voices.
Express: Have you played any of the other games Eric has designed? If so, what are your favorites?
Ben: Eric's games are very challenging. My Dad and I play "Battlefront" and "Bounty Hunter" and even bring them to the hospital with us when I am admitted. I also play Eric's "RTX Redrock" game.
Express: What was it like working with Eric?
Ben: Eric is very nice and so easy to work with. He really listened to my ideas even though I was only nine years old. I went to his office every Tuesday after 5pm. We worked on the illustrations … and did voice-overs. Different people would stop by and tell me that they had played the game or donated their time for production. It was really neat.
"I can't believe my game is in so many countries and that adults like it as well. I am very touched by everyone's battle with cancer and am so glad they have my game to cheer them up."
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Express: What is the best feedback you've received from people who have played your game?
Ben: Many people have responded to the game on the Make-A-Wish Web site and they all enjoy the game. I can't believe my game is in so many countries and that adults like it as well. I am very touched by everyone's battle with cancer and am so glad they have my game to cheer them up.
Express: You've said your favorite subjects in school are reading and math -- what types of books do you like to read? What is your favorite book?
Ben: I enjoy reading adventure books such as "Treasure Island," my all-time favorite. Also, I enjoy basketball books such as "Basketball (Or Something Like It)," "Travel Team" and "Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery."
Express: We hear you like to play basketball -- what position do you play?
Ben: I try to play forward and my specialty is the three-point shot.
Express: You've said you'd like to be an NBA player someday. Besides that, what else would you consider doing?
Ben: I would consider being an anthropologist and studying dinosaurs or mummies. I saw a special on the Discovery channel called the "Bog People" and was very intrigued.
"Here's a kid who's been through some very rough experiences, and knows better than any adult what will help. If he wants to help other kids deal with chemotherapy, I'd be honored to help."
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Express: What drew you to the project?
Eric Johnston: The original message describing Ben's wish. He'd been through cancer treatment, and his one wish was to give something to the kids who were still there, to give them a way to fight. I was so impressed with his ability to be positive and constructive that I called Make-A-Wish right away and said, "Let's start building." Here's a kid who's been through some very rough experiences, and knows better than any adult what will help. If he wants to help other kids deal with chemotherapy, I'd be honored to help.
Express: Is charitable work like this a normal part of LucasArts business?
Eric: This project was an exceptional one for any game company. From the very beginning, Ben's enthusiasm touched all involved. LucasArts gave us permission to use my office during off-hours, and also the recording studio. Friends at work were very enthusiastic about helping as well. Ellen Meijers ran the sound studio for us, and Chris Miles drew the character that became the icon for the game. Another friend, Brad Post, pulled an all-night programming shift with me to make sure that the Mac and PC versions were ready on the same day. This project was very unusual, and very special.
Photo courtesy Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation ®
Ben and Eric at work on "Ben's Game"
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Express: Describe what a typical day was like working on this project.
Eric: Every Tuesday at 5 p.m., Ben and his mom or dad would arrive at my office. I'd show him part of the company he hadn't seen (art, testing, legal, shipping... it's all fun), and then we'd get down to business. He showed me sketches and ideas he had drawn during the week, and I'd show him what I'd added to the game. Then the two of us would work at the computer together, making changes and adding new components. After that, I'd stand back and watch him play for a while, taking note of anything else that needed changing. After a couple of hours, we'd put the game onto his USB storage key so he could play it at home.
Express: How was the process different from your usual process for creating a game?
Eric: It was more similar to the way we made games years ago, with a very small team, and new ideas leaping into the game every week. It's not a process that works well for making large games, but it was perfect for this.
" Ben is a strong, creative, dedicated guy...Spending six months working with Ben is enough to teach anyone a great deal about life."
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Express: Did it take more or less time than normal?
Eric: The two of us finished this project (with a lot of help from friends) in six months. Commercial video games today can take between 12 and 30 months to develop, with teams ranging from 10 to more than 80 people. One great thing about this project was that we got to decide when to call it "done."
Express: What was it like working with Ben?
Eric: Ben is a strong, creative, dedicated guy. Every week, he'd surprise me with his ability to take things he wanted to convey to kids and make them take shape in the game.
Express: Did you learn anything during this experience?
Eric: Spending six months working with Ben is enough to teach anyone a great deal about life. The way he talks about cancer with his parents, even laughing about it sometimes, it's clear that they've always been a team from the beginning. I thought one of the hardest parts of making the game would be answering questions like "What happens when the character's health is all gone?" But Ben's answer was always the same, "You keep fighting."
Express: Your biographical sketch on the Make-A-Wish Web site says you've also been a stuntman and a trapeze artist. Have those helped in your game design?
Eric: Certainly. Acrobatics is a great way to shed the "normal" limitations of the world. That's what video games are all about, including "Ben's Game." By forgetting about what's supposed to be possible, we can ask, "If there were no limits to technology, how would you fight cancer?" With a skateboard.
Express: What's it like to fly on a trapeze?
Eric: Imagine you can ignore gravity, launch through the air, do a triple somersault, touch the 30-foot ceiling, and fall all the way back down without getting hurt. That's flying trapeze. I've been doing it for 11 years, and being upside-down and airborne is still the best part of my week. Besides, that's where I met my wife, Sue.
Express: What's it like being a stuntman?
Eric: My most recent stunt job was a very silly one, and a lot of fun. I was the stunt double for a hotel maid, chasing a fly around while flipping and tumbling. I spent the whole day doing stunts in a dress, nylons and a wig. And Sue married me anyway. Brave woman.
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