American McGee's Unchildlike Tales: The Thorny Path of the Creator of the Dark "Alice"

Contents:

• No American Dream
• "John Carmack is my savior"
• American McGee's Alice - "a fairy tale turned inside out"
• A Dark Streak
• The Dark Storyteller is at it again
• Madness Returns
• From the World to Crowdfunding
• The Alice: Asylum Era

American McGee is an outstanding game designer, known for the American McGee's Alice franchise. This game offers a unique interpretation of the dark and dangerous, yet enchanting Wonderland. Before creating this iconic project, McGee overcame many challenges, including depression and finding his own path. His experience with Electronic Arts was a crucial stepping stone to creative expression and the development of games that leave a deep impression on players. McGee played a key role in John Carmack's career, giving him the opportunity to develop his ideas in unique game worlds. In creating American McGee's Alice and Alice: Madness Returns, he drew inspiration from classic literature and dark aesthetics, striving to create an atmosphere distinct from traditional gaming projects. His universes are filled with dark plots and brutal imagery, reflecting the internal conflicts and psychological aspects of his characters. McGee utilizes elements of surrealism and gothic aesthetics to immerse players in complex emotional experiences. This approach helps create a memorable gaming experience that provokes reflection on serious themes hidden within a fantasy shell.

No American Dream

The future creator of unique gaming universes was born in 1972 in Dallas, Texas. The game designer's mother, according to him, was eccentric and creative, and also a hippie. These traits are reflected in the name American. It was inspired by his mother, who was impressed by the name of her college friend's daughter, America. She was so impressed by the name that she decided to name her son American.

My mother gave me this name, inspired by a woman she knew in college. The woman had a daughter named America, and it was this name that impressed my mother. She also mentioned that she considered naming me Obnard.

The boy only saw his father at the age of 13, on his birthday. Shortly after this meeting, the man disappeared from his son's life again, leaving no noticeable mark on his upbringing. As a result, little American was forced to watch his mother constantly change partners until she began dating a transgender woman. At this point, her search for a soulmate ended.

At the age of 11, the boy's uncle gave the boy a computer, which marked the beginning of his passion for programming. On this device, he began to learn Basic, one of the first programming languages. It was during this period that the future game designer developed an interest in game development, which later became the basis of his career in the video game industry.

In his interviews, American repeatedly emphasized that religious pressure from those around him had a significant influence on his worldview. These influences shaped his perception of reality and inspired him to create virtual worlds for games that are characterized by a dark and surreal atmosphere. As a result, his games become reflections of internal conflict and deep experiences, which makes them unique and memorable for players.

I draw inspiration from dark sources - sad music, scary movies, and dark fantasy. This probably stems from my upbringing. I was surrounded by various religions, but I did not find anything meaningful in them for myself. Over time, I began to analyze the principles they impose and, ultimately, began to resist them, choosing the "dark side". I am drawn to these themes because they reflect my unique aesthetic. Dark motifs and deep emotions allow me to create works that resonate with people seeking to understand the dark side of human nature.

At the age of 16, Americana experienced a serious shock. Returning home, he found his home empty. His mother, hiding this from her son, sold the house and used the proceeds to buy two plane tickets and pay for gender reassignment surgery for her partner, a transgender woman. As a result, she left young American alone, leaving him to cope on his own. The boy was left with only his wardrobe, many books, and a Commodore 64 computer given to him by his uncle.

"John Carmack is my savior"

The sixteen-year-old faced a harsh reality. McGee was forced to earn his own living and find a place to live. He eventually worked in various fields: as a salesman, a jewelry polisher in a jewelry store, a dishwasher, and a manager. In his free time, McGee actively studied programming, which became his passion and potential career.

After five years of finding his way through various jobs, McGee became a neighbor of John Carmack, who had already founded id Software and was working on the famous game Doom. Carmack quickly noticed McGee's tenacity and creativity, offering him a position in the studio's technical support. Thanks to his talent and hard work, McGee soon took positions as a game designer and music producer. He made significant contributions to the creation of levels for such iconic games as The Ultimate Doom, Doom II, Quake, and Quake II.

American worked at id Software until 1998 and credits John Carmack with "setting him on the right path." In interviews, he has repeatedly cited Carmack as his lifesaver, emphasizing the influence he had on his career and personal development.

The impact John Carmack had on my life cannot be overstated. If I hadn't met him, my destiny might have turned out completely differently. I sincerely believe that he not only influenced my path, but saved my life. That meeting changed everything and opened up new horizons I couldn't even imagine.

American McGee's Alice - "A Fairy Tale Turned Inside Out"

After leaving id Software, American McGee joined Rouge Entertainment, where he began working on American McGee's Alice. This project became a landmark in his career and drew attention to his unique style and original approach to the famous fairy tale Alice in Wonderland.

The game is the first original project from Americana Studios, reimagining Lewis Carroll's classic "Alice in Wonderland" as a dark and grotesque fairy tale. The protagonist, Alice Liddell, who previously joyfully explored the bright and kind world of Wonderland, faces tragedy when a fire breaks out in her house, claiming the lives of her loved ones. As a result, Alice develops schizophrenia, and the fairytale world transforms into a nightmare filled with cruelty, fear, and pain. The inhabitants of Wonderland lose their sanity and turn into villains, and the surrounding locations change according to Alice's twisted consciousness. This reimagining of a classic story allows players to experience a familiar plot from a completely different perspective, immersing them in an atmosphere of psychological horror and internal struggle.

The once-innocent Wonderland has been transformed into the Torment Ward, a mental hospital, and the Mad Hatter's terrifying laboratory. In these sinister settings, horrific experiments take place, such as the dissection of Dormouse, a mouse, causing her to lose her limbs, which are replaced with mechanized prosthetics. These events give Wonderland a dark and disturbing tone, turning it into a place full of danger and madness.

American McGee's Alice, released on December 5, 2000, could have had a completely different look. In an interview with Gamasutra, American himself said that Rouge Entertainment initially had two versions of the game's concept. These alternative ideas would have significantly changed the perception and experience of users, introducing new elements to the familiar story.

The first American McGee's Alice game tells the story of Alice, who grew up in a poor and abusive family living in a trailer. At one dramatic moment, her stepfather was about to smash a bottle over her head, after which Wonderland would have appeared in Alice's mind. In this fantasy world, Alice could avoid responsibility for her real-life actions, leading to tragic consequences—she kills her stepfather in a state of unconsciousness.

This interpretation of the story posits that each death Alice commits in Wonderland reflects real events. The concept is that the heroine, having defeated the first villain, then regains consciousness and realizes that she killed her stepfather. This interpretation is indeed dark in nature, as McGee emphasizes.

The second version of the plot turned out to be more realistic. In it, Alice is portrayed as an active party girl and drug addict. During one of the parties, she decides to go to the restroom to use a powerful illegal substance. The main goal of the game is her return from a drug trip to reality.

She periodically returned to reality, regaining consciousness in a club, an ambulance, or a hospital. We developed many versions of how she ended up in Wonderland and the trials she had to endure there. In my opinion, the story we ultimately chose turned out to be the most logical and natural.

American McGee's Alice, developed using the Quake III Arena engine and featuring music by Chris Vrenna, received positive reviews and made the game designer famous among gamers. American McGee's Alice remained among the best-selling games in the US for a long time and still holds a high score of 85 on Metacritic. This project not only became a cultural phenomenon but also had a significant influence on the action-adventure genre, bringing a unique style and atmosphere to the gaming industry.

Electronic Arts, the publisher of American McGee's Alice, decided to include the game designer's name in the title of the project. After McGee expressed dissatisfaction with this, company representatives stopped inviting him to meetings dedicated to discussing the game's title. Electronic Arts believed that using the name Americana would emphasize the game's uniqueness and distinguish it from similar projects on the market.

Black Streak

After the colossal success of American McGee's Alice, serious difficulties arose. A film adaptation was planned, but the project faced production problems and a lack of attention from the creators. As a result, the film based on Alice was never realized.

Cooperation with Electronic Arts was not as successful as McGee had hoped. The publisher decided to fire the game designer's creative partners, and soon closed the Rogue Entertainment studio. As a result, McGee was forced to leave the company, while the intellectual property rights to the Alice game remained with Electronic Arts.

The game designer continued to face setbacks. His studio, Carbon6, founded after leaving Rogue Entertainment, soon closed. In 2002, he found work at MercurySteam, where he began developing his second project, American McGee Presents: Scrapland. Although the game's title bore his name, McGee himself repeatedly emphasized that his role was merely a "marketing tool," and that the primary credit for the final product goes to his colleague, game designer Enrique Alvarez. Scrapland's protagonist is a reporter named D-Tritus, who investigates a mysterious murder. The game takes place in a unique fantasy world on the robot planet Chimera, where corruption, debauchery, and crime reign. The government's main source of income is a database that allows residents to be reborn after death, but access to this process comes at a considerable cost. The government often stages staged mass murders to profit from those wishing to be resurrected.

However, the situation becomes more complicated when a copy of a certain Bishop's identity disappears from the database, making his resurrection impossible. It is this complex story that our hero must investigate. Plunging into a dark and brutal world saturated with black humor, he encounters numerous dangers and unexpected twists. Scrapland offers players a unique experience, combining detective and action elements in a captivating storyline.

American McGee Presents: Scrapland failed to achieve the success of its predecessor. The story, set in a robot world, received mixed reviews from critics, but was rated higher than McGee's subsequent project, the satirical action game Bad Day L.A., which the developer himself admitted was a failure. Scrapland stands out for its unique gameplay and original style, which makes it interesting for fans of unusual adventures in video games. Despite mixed reviews, the game still finds its audience and generates interest among fans of American McGee's work.

Bad Day L.A. is a unique story about the end of the world, imbued with humor and absurd situations. The protagonist is an eccentric homeless man who once worked for the FBI. During the game's events, he lives in Los Angeles, which has found itself in the midst of numerous disasters: from a chemical attack and a flood to a zombie apocalypse and a meteor shower. The game combines elements of adventure and comedy, allowing players to experience extraordinary events and encounter unusual characters in a chaotic world. Bad Day L.A. stands out from other games for its original approach to the apocalypse and its ability to make you laugh even in the most hopeless situations.

The inspiration for my game came largely from a Department of Homeland Security billboard located on Sunset Boulevard. It read: "Biochemical Attack! Are you ready?" At that moment, sitting in my car, I realized that I was completely unprepared for such an event. This thought inspired me to create a game that sought to exploit the absurdity of this message. The central idea was that fear itself is our greatest enemy. I also drew inspiration from South Park, but the primary focus was on how to overcome and cope with fear.

To avoid censorship and prevent the game from turning into a bloody mess, McGee enlisted the creative duo Kozyndan as lead artists. Their unique art style gave the game a comedic edge, softening the darker elements of the story. However, when Bad Day L.A. was released in 2006, it received generally negative reviews. Players criticized the terrible optimization, low-quality graphics, and vulgar jokes. The project's failure forced McGee to temporarily distance himself from the gaming industry, but he soon returned to his roots, refocusing on creating dark tales.

The Dark Storyteller At Work Again

Electronic Arts soon offered McGee a job in Japan, and he was ready to accept. However, fear of the unknown and the upcoming move held him back. Ultimately, he stayed in the United States, a decision he later regretted. McGee was attracted to Asian culture, and when the opportunity to move to Shanghai arose, he instantly bought a plane ticket. He was inspired by the huge potential for game development in China for game studios. This move was an important step in his career and opened new horizons in the world of video games.

In 2007, after moving to a new country, McGee founded the Spicy Horse studio. Initially, the team consisted of a small number of employees and dealt exclusively with outsourcing. However, thanks to McGee's efforts, the studio quickly grew and became one of the largest indie teams in China. The first game released by Spicy Horse was American McGee's Grimm, a dark reimagining of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. It's important to note that this game was not only worked on by McGee, but also by screenwriter R.J. Berg, who returned to the team after being fired from Electronic Arts immediately after the creation of the first version of "Alice."

The main character of the game American McGee's Grimm is a dwarf named Grimm. His main task is to distort and vulgarize classic children's stories. Although McGee himself claims that fairy tales contain noble ideas, they always have dark aspects that are often hushed up. The game American McGee's Grimm is exactly about this: the player will transform the bright and kind worlds of children's books into dark and sinister nightmares. This is a unique approach to well-known fairy tales, allowing us to look at them from a new angle and explore their hidden dark sides.

The game did not achieve the same level of popularity among players as Alice once did, but still received positive reviews. The average critic score was 6 out of 10. Despite this, the new game was met with interest, and many users noted its merits.

Madness Returns

The Spicy Horse team significantly expanded its artistic staff during the development of Grimm. The studio also turned its attention to another famous fairy tale, The Wizard of Oz, and began work on the project American McGee's Oz. However, this project was cancelled, and only concept art remains as its legacy.

American returned to his most successful project, Alice. This time, the game designer decided to create a sequel to the cult game, which promises to expand the universe and deepen the plot. This new adventure will allow players to once again immerse themselves in a unique world filled with mysteries and captivating quests.

"I was in the right place at the right time and decided to create a sequel. For ten years, I traveled, worked on other games, and moved to Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. After all that, I founded a studio capable of realizing this project," McGee said in an interview.

In 2008, Electronic Arts approached the game designer with a proposal to create a sequel to a game based on a dark interpretation of Wonderland. The circumstances turned out to be favorable: McGee's passion for the project combined with the publisher's initiative, and the developer gained significant experience in game creation. This collaboration was a significant step in the development of both McGee himself and the entire gaming industry, opening up new horizons for creativity and innovation. "I gained a unique experience in Shanghai that extends beyond game development. I had to learn the language and culture, build my own business, and deepen my understanding of game creation. This experience was a significant step forward for me, which I would compare to a trip to the moon," McGee shared with GamejunkieNZ.

Alice: Madness Returns is a natural continuation of the previous game. In this new part, Alice shows some progress, but continues to suffer from deep depression and guilt. The heroine is placed in the Houndsditch orphanage for mentally damaged orphans, where she regularly communicates with her attending physician, Angus Bumby. The main goal of therapy is to restore memories and find out the cause of the fire in her house, which players could see in the first part. This game not only deepens the psychological component, but also develops the plot, leaving players with many questions and mysteries that require solution.

McGee pays special attention to the image of the main character. Alice is not a sexualized character; She's an ordinary girl with her own internal conflicts. However, her wit and charisma make her unforgettable. American noted in an interview that Alice is a multifaceted and realistic character who evokes empathy and interest in viewers. "She's a person just like you. The tragic story of this character appeals to many people. From the very beginning, we conceived her as a strong female figure with a high level of intelligence, which she actively applies in stressful situations and when overcoming obstacles. She's not sexualized, which makes her closer to real life. Alice attracts players not only with her appearance, but also with her self-sufficiency, which makes her a unique and memorable character."

A gripping plot, varied levels, and high-quality graphics make the game attractive to players. The second part of the project was received positively, as evidenced by a high rating of 8.4 on Metacritic, and critics gave it a 75. Engaging gameplay and well-thought-out mechanics provide players with an engaging experience and a desire to return again and again.

From the World to Crowdfunding

Alice: Madness Returns was developed exclusively by Spicy Horse, but the rights to the franchise still belonged to Electronic Arts. When Tina McGee approached the publisher with a proposal to create a third Alice game, the company's representatives refused to support the project and allocate funds for its development.

Spicy Horse began developing a dark take on the classic Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale called Akaneiro: Demon Hunters. In this game, the main character is transformed from an innocent girl bringing pies to her grandmother into an experienced demon hunter. To finance the project, in 2012, the game's creator, Joel McGee, launched a Kickstarter campaign, which quickly reached its goal. The game was released in 2013 but failed to gain significant popularity. On the Metacritic platform, the project received an average score of 53 points, indicating mixed reviews from critics.

In 2013, McGee delighted fans of the Alice series by confirming that a third installment, titled Alice: Otherlands, would still be released. However, Electronic Arts again refused to fund the project, and the game designer again decided to turn to Kickstarter to raise funds for the game's development.

In Otherlands, Alice travels through people's minds, helping them cope with psychological problems. The developers planned to add characters such as Mark Twain, Jules Verne, and Jack the Ripper to the project. Initially, the game was developing successfully, but after the introduction of multiplayer, fan interest sharply declined. As a result, the project lost financial support and was closed. The Spicy Horse team was unable to return the funds already raised, so they decided to create short cartoons named after the canceled third part of the game to appease their Kickstarter investors.

Thinking about a new project and researching various fairy tale plots, McGee again chose The Wizard of Oz as inspiration for his game. A crowdfunding campaign for OZombie has launched on Kickstarter. In this game, the familiar Scarecrow, transformed into a zombie, wreaks havoc in the magical land of Oz. The protagonist, Dorothy's great-granddaughter, is tasked with restoring order to this magical world. OZombie offers a unique take on familiar characters and plots, blending horror elements with a classic story, making it appealing to fans of both the original and the zombie genre.

After failing to raise the funds necessary to continue development on OZombie, McGee put the project on hold. He assured fans that he would do everything possible to convince Electronic Arts to allow him to release a full-fledged third part of the Alice game.

The Alice: Asylum Era

Electronic Arts once again refused to fund a continuation of the series, forcing McGee to turn to crowdfunding on Patreon. He is currently developing the third part of the Alice game, called Alice: Asylum. This game will be a prequel that will reveal how Alice dealt with the tragic loss of her family and how the once bright and joyful Wonderland turned into a dark place.

American McGee actively engages with his fans on the Patreon platform, soliciting their opinions and feedback. In August 2021, he presented the script, encouraging fans to evaluate it and offer constructive comments on the storyline and dialogue. The document, published in the public domain, contains 151 pages. Graphic designer Alex Crowley co-wrote the script, which adds additional value to the project and emphasizes the team approach to content creation.

Today, Alice: Asylum is still in the development stage, and game designer McGee continues his efforts to attract the interest of Electronic Arts to the project. In late July 2021, following the announcement of EA's Dead Space remake, McGee posted a message on Twitter expressing his willingness to return to the franchise in collaboration with the publisher.

The third installment of "Alice" is in pre-production and is gradually taking shape thanks to the support of users on Patreon. While Electronic Arts hasn't yet commented on the situation, American McGee is eager to develop a plan to present to the publisher. The goal is to secure approval and funding to complete the project.

It's difficult to determine whether the renowned game designer will be able to convince a major publisher. However, it's safe to say he has no intention of abandoning his projects. McGee demonstrates a genuine passion for his franchises, as his statements confirm. We have collected the most interesting of them in a separate material.