A secret that has lay dormant in the coding of Bullfrog’s classic 90’s title Dungeon Keeper has been discovered after 17 years of seclusion. The hidden, heartfelt message was slipped between the inner workings of the game, and remained unrealised – until now.
“I am writing this at 4AM on Keeper’s last day, I look around the office and all I see are the tired, pale faces of the Keeper team.“, the touching messages reads, written in all caps. “This project has destroyed the health and social lives of each member, so I hope you like the game. Amazingly, after sixteen hours a day, 7 days a week, for nearly 5 months, we still do. This game has been written with a passion I am proud to be part of … I do not just hope you like it, I also hope you are aware of the huge amount of work we have all done.”
Following this heartfelt message, the writer goes on to individually name and thank many of the staff involved in the Dungeon Keeper project. It’s difficult at times to think of those that work so hard behind the scenes of the games we love, and as the industry has grown out of its baby shoes into the multi-billion dollar industry we see today, we can often struggle to see past the conflict, controversy and cash-cowing to clearly grasp the raw passion developers put into these titles. The secret message could not illustrate this point more beautifully, as it’s author is non other than Jonty Barnes, current director of production at Bungie, and one of the biggest driving forces behind the production of Destiny.
Destiny has just entered its beta test phase, and as many of us are loving every second of gameplay, it serves us to remember that work is not over for those tirelessly modifying, altering and improving the game. Barnes’ short note installs in us a renewed sense of compassion, and a glimpse into the real cost of these titles – be they fondly remembered cult titles from the past, or the AAA powerhouses of today, with the strenuous hard work of their development teams, and the overall pride every member of staff feels for their work.
In light of this discovery, now is a great time to take a second to quietly thank the hands behind our favourite games, and savour the real work that has truly gone into pushing Destiny to be the product we see today!
