GAMETIME: Sask. woman produces video game featured on online showcase

SASKATOON -

A video game being produced by a Saskatchewan woman appeared as part of the online Wholesome Direct Indie Gaming Showcase last weekend.

“They contacted me a few months prior, and they asked if I wanted to be on, and I of course said yes because I really like their showcases and I love all the games they show, and yeah I will be honored,” said Samantha Ramsay, the founder of CheekyNauts, a company she started last year.

The game is called Moonshell Island, and is described as an colorful exploration sim style game similar to old Legend of Zelda games. It’s set on an island where players must interact with the community, find sustainable ways to live, become resourceful and fight off monsters.

Ramsay says the concept of the game came from her upbringing on Denman Island in British Columbia.

“That’s where I grew up, and it always sort of was my dream place to return to. And I wanted to at least get there in my mind with a game.

“I’m kind of hoping to show a way of living that is a bit more connected with nature and more mindful of making use of things around you, not being so wasteful.”

Ramsay, who lives in Regina, has teamed up with a friend from Germany to help produce the game. Ramsey deals mostly with the artistic concepts, while her German friend, who she met on Twitter, mostly helps with the programming and coding.

“I found it was too hard to do everything all at once so I decided to cut the programming from my life and let someone else do it.”

Ramsay says being on Wholesome Direct is a great opportunity. The online indie gaming showcase, which profiles several different games, already has more than 70,000 views in just three days.

“Our characters also got to be on the t-shirts that they sold for charity so, that was really cool.”

Ramsay says the game is still early in development, but she hopes to have a public demo available either later this year or early next year.

Right now the game is available to wishlist on Steam.

MADDEN 22 CLUE

It’s become a tradition in the gaming industry for the last decade - speculating who will be on the cover of the annual EA Madden football game.

The discussions heated up Wednesday after EA Sports tweeted a trailer possibly teasing who might be on the cover.

The trailer shows the doors of a barn, rattling violently, then swinging open before two goats casually walk out.

It then shows Peyton Hillis talking on a cell phone, uttering the line “they did it again.”

Many have dubbed Tom Brady the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in the NFL. But with a second goat appearing in the trailer, there is speculation two athletes may be featured.

The tweet says fans will officially find out who will grace cover of Madden on Thursday.