Interviews

Interview with D. Ezra Sidran,
creator of the legendary original Jack the Ripper

By Alexander Tait

Before The Adventure Company released a retelling of the well-known Jack the Ripper story set in New York, a game was released in 1996 to critical acclaim that followed more closely the actual events of Whitechapel.

Jack the Ripper was the brainchild of Dr. (not yet “Dr.”; I expect to get my Ph.D. next year! - Ezra) D. Ezra Sidran. He has kindly taken some time out of his study to answer some questions about this unique and much sought after adventure game.

Ezra, thanks for taking the time for the interview.

1. You’ve had a look at the recent Jack the Ripper. What were your impressions?

I have to say that I’ve only seen some screen shots of The Adventure Company’s Jack the Ripper and, I must admit, I thought it looked an awful lot like “my” Jack the Ripper which was done about eight years ago. But, I don’t know anything about the gameplay for their product yet; so, I’m still reserving judgment.

2. Tell us about the story line for your Jack the Ripper.

Well, the story line for my Jack the Ripper is absolutely authentic. You are put in the position of a detective trying to solve the murders before the Ripper strikes again. All the clues, locations and people are 100% authentic.

3. Tell us about the process that you followed to create Jack the Ripper.

I did about three year’s research on the project, which included my flying over to London and visiting Whitechapel. I have an extensive library of books on the subject. My notes on the murders fill a couple of three-inch binders.

4. The sheer volume of information in this game is amazing. Is that what makes the game so special and so sought after?

Attention to historical detail was very important and, certainly, that makes the program unique. The method for solving the crime is also unique: the user has to create a chain of hypothetical syllogisms (this is like the logic games that Lewis Caroll invented).

5. Did any games inspire the development of your game?

No, I can honestly say, I don’t know of any other game, computer or ‘board’, that is even remotely similar.

6. Was this your first game? What others were you involved with making?

No, previously I had written UMS: The Universal Military Simulator, UMS II: Nations at War and Designasaurus. Jack the Ripper was by far the biggest project that I had undertaken. There were four programmers (Ed Isenberg, Andy Kanakares, Mike Pasch, and me) and a number of artists.

7. Jack the Ripper was published by GameTek. How did the publishing deal come about?

Being published by GameTek turned out to be a horrible mistake. At the time GameTek had another title under development (that I didn’t know about and they didn’t tell me about) called Ripper. GameTek was already publishing one of my war games, The War College, so Jack the Ripper kind of got thrown into the deal. In the end my Jack the Ripper was barely promoted or distributed. This was also about the time that GameTek was going downhill fast. In fact, I’ve never received a royalty statement from GameTek for either The War College or Jack the Ripper.

8. Was this your most popular title?

Far from it (of course, never having received a royalty statement, it will have to remain a mystery). However, my war games all sold over 100,000+ units each, which made them quite profitable for the publishers.

9. So, what are you doing these days?

I’ve gone back to college (The University of Iowa) where I am completing my Ph.D. in computer science. My area of research is artificial intelligence for computer games. I also teach undergraduate classes and have taught Computer Game Design at a private university. Upon completion of my Ph.D. I hope to teach at a university that offers a Computer Game Design degree.

10. Are you a gamer yourself?

Very much so. My only regret is that my studies take time away from playing games!

11. Any plans to release or make more games?

Well, my studies, consume every waking moment. Also, it is traditional for graduate students, like me, to teach undergraduate classes. I’m responsible for two undergraduate classes. However, I have plans for ‘porting’ some of my older games (including Jack the Ripper) to the console market. Unfortunately, this will have to wait until my graduation.

12. What do you say to those people who claim “adventure games are dead”?

RPGs (Role Playing Games) are selling quite well; especially online Massively Multiplayer games (by the way, I was commissioned by America On Line to do an on line multiplayer game that used my Jack engine. The project was finished but, unfortunately, AOL shut down their games division before it was ever released).

Good games will always sell. As my old friend, Dan Horn, once said, “Gameplay trumps everything,” and he was right. There is a dearth of good games (in all genres) these days. The problem stems from massive budgets and long development cycles. Publishers are afraid to take risks so the same old game ideas are constantly being recycled.

13. Could you ever see yourself remaking Jack the Ripper with full speech and bells and whistles?

Absolutely. I very much intend to do that very thing (and in full 3D, too) just as soon as I complete my Ph.D.

Is this the line to stand in to beg for a copy? Thanks a lot for taking time out from your research. I look forward to the Jack the Ripper update. So, when are you coming to Australia?

D. Ezra Sidran’s homepage contains a lot of information about Jack the Ripper and his other titles as well as links to his blues band and his work at the University of Iowa. Find him here: www.cs.uiowa.edu/~dsidran.