This internal project was a casino-themed murder mystery game. While this game was created and tested on office employees, we planned to later developed it into a Halloween client giveaway.
Goal
It was important to the success of this project that we had a wide enough range of characters without becoming overwhelming, especially because each one needed detailed backstories and motives. We wanted players to quickly become emotionally invested in both the game play and the characters themselves.
Execution
As the copywriter on this project, I was in charge of crafting the game characters that would later inform the storytelling arc. My primary focus was to create rich, three-dimensional characters that players could easily connect with through a consistent tone of voice and strong, detailed personal stories.
Because this game was made for Halloween, I wanted to include easter eggs of pop culture refernce from other genres of horror media – such as Layla Creed (pictured below) whose name and backstory are direct references to Louis Creed, Stephen King’s famous Pet Semetary protagonist.
Results
While production of this game didn’t come to fruition due to a shift in budget, this project won a Silver ADDY in the Ad Industry Self-Promotion category at the American Advertisement Federation – Memphis awards in 2024.
Layla Creed
The daughter of a lumber yard supervisor and a kindergarten teacher, Layla Creed was raised with the notion that singing and dancing were not serious professions done by serious people. Still, she couldn’t shake the overwhelming need to be onstage. Cycling through genres like clothes, Layla had a hard time deciding where to focus her creative energy until one day in 1999 when she saw Tina Turner perform Proud Mary for the first time on a VH1 special. From that moment forward, she had one goal: perform Turner’s mega-hit for crowds across the world. Twenty-four years later, Layla is struggling to keep hold of her career. Recently booted from the weekend schedule at The Plaza, she has to find her way into the spotlight again before she’s forced to give up the neon of Vegas and return to the icy grip of Maine.
Art Director: Amy Lind
Creative Director: Derrick Alston
Morgan McKinney 