Interview: Bill Kunkel — The Game Doctor - Page 9

RF: And you have a great Tetris portion in your book.

BK: Thank you. It's not only a brilliant game, but it has one of the great back-stories of any game in history.

RF: Yes it is.

BK: I mean, people wound up dead!

RF: It's truly wild. I think there are pictures on rotten.com. Tetris is so non-violent.

BK: Yeah, but it was money, and there was a double-cross and when the Soviet government got involved it just became surreal. They really should make a film about its sale.

RF: Tetris for Gameboy is one of the best selling games of all time.

BK: Tetris MADE the Game Boy.

RF: For good reason. I know you've smoked a lot of weed, have you done it while playing games? Do anything else while you play? I tripped on mushrooms and played Sonic Adventure many years ago, the game looked like Toy Story! Do drugs help enhance playing games?

BK: I've never believed that smoking pot enhances movies, TV, videogames, comic books, or anything else. It just so happens to be my drug of choice. I don't drink and I don't smoke cigarettes, so it tends to be what I do when I'm relaxing. But when I'm really into a game, I don't stop for anything. Heroin, on the other hand, definitely makes games better. (Only kidding!)

RF: I barely smoke anymore, but I do enjoy a joint and some videogames every once in a while.

BK: I don't recommend it to anyone. It's my vice and I ask only that other people leave me and Bill Maher alone.

RF: So what are you up to these days besides writing great books?

BK: Well, I still get called in to consult and even to do seminars with development groups, but I sign so many NDAs regarding that stuff I don't think I can actually talk about it. You can read my stuff at the Go POSTAL site by visiting the Newsletter where I write as both "The Gimp" and under my old Game Doctor moniker. I got a LOT of interview requests coming off the book and I'm actually doing some research now on a couple of potential products. I also wrote my first novel recently (it's not sci-fi and its setting predates the arrival of Pong by a year) but I do that under another name because they're really a totally different thing and I wouldn't want to confuse people. Besides, pseudonyms have been berry, berry good to me. I'm also working with a local filmmaker on something that I believe will make a major splash on the festival scene. And other stuff, but that's enough, I think, for now.

Article Author: Rob Faraldi

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