Guys, it’s always lovely to chat. To kick us off, how did you come to collaborate on a game?
April Mitchell: We met on Linkedin. I was seeing all the amazing things Carine was doing, like the hit Boo Boo JJ doll. She won the Play Creators Award and was nominated for the TAGIEs… I was like ‘Who is this woman? I have to meet her!’ We connected online around the same time my Clueless game was coming out with Wilder, and then actually got to meet in person at People of Play in 2022. We really hit it off.
Carine Rosalia: As you know, April is a rockstar on Linkedin. I was a big fan before we met, and then we saw each other at People of Play. And Billy, you had told me something back at the Play Creators Festival in London. I was there as a solo inventor and you said: “Be open to collaborations, that’s where the fun is!” And what do you know, you were right!
That’s a relief!
Carine: Ha! Well, April and I have similar and complementary backgrounds. She has had success in homewares and that’s where I started. Then I got interested in the play industry with a focus on toys. I wanted to do more games, and April had done lots in games and wanted to do more in toys. We kind of finish each other’s sentences… I wanted to try and find an idea that would allow me to work with April. That was the end goal for me. We got very lucky: our first game got licensed at the Mojo Pitch in 2023.
Amazing! Let’s talk about that game – Am I a Dirtbag? How would you pitch it?
Carine: It’s a party game where you can change people’s minds about something someone did. We saw the trend for people sharing their personal stories and trying to get validation online. The common thread was they all had a ‘Did I do the right thing?’ tone. In our game, you take a card and it might say ‘Am I a dirtbag for not giving up my seat on the bus to an old lady?’
April: Players must then vote ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. But then, players can add in Comment cards that try to persuade people to change their mind.
Carine: These cards add details that change the context slightly. So one might say: ‘I’m coming back from the hospital having broken my leg.’ Suddenly, there’s more nuance!
April: So you might have answered ‘Yes’ initially, but your answer can change through the game as people add those comment cards to the story. At the end of the round, you have to vote again and you want to mirror what you believe the majority of players will do. So you’re trying to work out if the other players will be changing their vote as the story develops.