'King Kong' game raises emotional stakes

Play the ape or the man
"King Kong's" approach comes courtesy of Poix's co-worker, game designer Michel Ancel, whose work on the critically acclaimed "Beyond Good and Evil" first caught Jackson's attention.

"Beyond Good and Evil," which debuted in 2003, follows a young "action reporter" trying to figure out who to trust on a planet under attack from aliens. It offered a good storyline, lush and fantastical settings and characters that even the most jaded game player could care about. Jackson enjoyed the game so much that he contacted its maker, Ubisoft, about doing the "King Kong" adaptation.

Starting in December 2003, Poix's team made regular trips to Weta Studio, Jackson’s New Zealand-based film-making complex, where they had access to the world and the multitudes of creatures Jackson's creative team had developed.

“There was this huge room covered with two-dimensional artwork of creatures and these massive jungle sets," recalled Poix.

Jackson had early ideas on how how he wanted the game to play, according to Poix. First, he insisted that the game not be a straightforward adaptation, but a companion piece. 

“He wanted the game to exist by itself,” Poix said, "like a brother or sister to the movie."

Jackson also told Poix that he wanted the player to experience the game from the perspective of two characters competing for the affection of Ann Darrow: Jack Driscoll, adventurer, and King Kong, giant ape.

That decision put pressure on the game development team, which essentially had to create two different games: one scaled to humans, the other to an eight-meter-high beast. But by giving players the chance to be the ape, the game makers hoped that players would get a better chance of understanding King Kong's motivations.

It's also an interesting twist on one of the complaints made by watchdog groups about first-person shooters: That players over-empathize with the character they are playing. Well, this time you can play the person — er, ape — being shot.

The game makers hope that playing from Kong's perspective will also help players understand better the ape's affection for damsel-in-distress Darrow. After protecting her from dinosaurs and natives and angry New Yorkers, "you get to know her and care," Poix said.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that Darrow is based on actress Naomi Watts.

Still, crying in a dark theater is one thing. But after playing a game? We'll see.

The game makes its North American debut on Nov. 22 with a suggested retail price of $49.99. It's rated "T" for Teen. The movie hits screens nearly a month later, on Dec. 12.

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