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September 13, 2004 Vol. 75, no. 3F
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| GAME MASTERS:
Eric Johnston (left) met with Ben Duskin weekly for six months to
create Ben’s Game. A man of many talents beyond video game
making, Johnston has also worked as a NASA engineer, a stunt man,
and a flying trapeze instructor since he left Berkeley in 1992. |
LucasArts
engineer and EECS alum helps turn a sick boy’s wish into reality
Eric Johnston (B.S.’92
EECS), maker of video games since 1989, took on a unique project last
fall, one that kept him working nights and weekends for six months,
enlisting the help of his employer and colleagues and bringing to life
unheard-of monsters like Robarf.
The project, which made its debut in May, is “Ben’s Game,”
a video game envisioned by nine-year-old Ben Duskin of Greenbrae, who
believed his own experience with leukemia and two years of chemotherapy
could help other kids with cancer. Ben called on the Greater Bay Area
Make-A-Wish Foundation, which spread the word to gaming companies, looking
for someone to take on the project. Make-A-Wish representatives were
told it would require several years and several million dollars to accomplish.
But Johnston, senior software engineer and technical director at LucasArts,
stepped up to the challenge. He met every Tuesday night with Ben, whose
cancer is now in remission, to create the game according to his specifications.
LucasArts donated after-hours use of its recording studio and other
professional facilities.
Johnston’s colleague and former classmate Brad Post (B.A.’91
CS) got involved in the programming, and co-workers Chris Miles and
Ellen Meijers provided character art and sound.
“I thought Ben’s idea sounded like an amazing project, but
I had no idea how much fun it would really be,” Johnston says.
“Ben is smart, mature, and articulate, and he
Still involved in putting finishing touches on the game and doing media
and other events, Johnston says he feels like he acquired a new little
brother in Ben.
“I wasn’t ready for the project to end,” he says. “I
worked about eight to 20 hours a week on it and honestly can’t
think of a better use for six months of spare time.”
The object of Ben’s game: To search and destroy mutated cells and
collect shields that confer protection against nasty creatures representing
the common side effects of chemotherapy like vomiting (Robarf Monster),
hair loss (Qball Monster), and fever (Firemonster).
The weekend it was released for free download by Make-A-Wish (www.makewish.org/ben),
the Web site got more than 60,000 hits and 20,000 downloads, and the
story got worldwide media attention.
Also participating on the project as medical advisor was Seymour Zoger,
Ben’s physician at UCSF Children’s Hospital, who had counseled
Ben early in his treatment to visualize his body fighting the cancer.
The hospital will be the first medical facility to install the game
for use by its pediatric patients.
“The science for the game came largely from what Ben learned himself
in the course of treatment,” says Dr. Zoger.
An avid video gamer who played for distraction and solace during his
own illness, Ben thought his game would not only provide relief from
pain and stress, but also give patients like him a sense of fight in
their cancer recovery.
Written by Patti Meagher
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