John Scott Interview

Lead Programmer for Jurassic Park Arcade (2015)

15th September 2016

Joshua Malone provides an interview with the Lead Programmer on Raw Thrills’ arcade game, Jurassic Park which was released in 2015.

We want to thank John for speaking with Josh and allowing us to publish the interview.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the game itself, check out the trailer below:

What was/were your role(s) on the Jurassic Park Arcade Game?
I was the lead programmer on Jurassic Park.

What inspiration did you take from the films? The books? Previous games, especially past arcade games?
We did in fact get an old cabinet from the original movie. It was silly and had old graphics but it gave players a really fun trip through the park. We really wanted to include that sense of fast moving action!

What new ideas did you try to incorporate into the game that people haven’t seen in previous Jurassic titles? (be it games, books, or the films)
The movies mostly focus on the chaos of dinosaurs getting out. But someone had to get them back to safety! That’s the adventure we wanted to present to players. Something that still shows the incredible danger of these dinosaurs but where they could still feel the accomplishment of bringing them back under control.

How were the main three dinosaurs (trike, spino, rex) chosen?
We had said from the beginning that the dinosaurs are the stars of the show. We wanted to make sure that we picked the biggest, baddest and most recognizable ones. Our original plan called for nine main dinosaurs, but we decided to focus on these three since they worked out the best.

Was there a reason RAW Thrills wanted this game to take place on Nublar (the first JP island) and not Sorna (Site B?)
We felt the locations from the original movie were so iconic. We wanted to take players to places they would remember like the Visitor Center, the entrance gate and of course to battle raptors in the kitchen!

There were lots of new animals, creatures, and locations that have never been seen before and others that were expanded on. Were there any new animals and locations that were supposed to be in the game, that didn’t end up making it?
We really wanted to have an aquatic dinosaur. We were really excited to see they brought one in to Jurassic World!

Were there any problems during development?
A lot of our game is about fending off dinosaurs before they get to you. The problem is that dinosaurs are really big and fast!!! A lot of our levels had to have players driving in the back of jeep so that you would stand a chance escaping a pack of raptors or a charging T-Rex.

Was RAW Thrills influenced at all by Jurassic World, which would have been in production (I assume) around the time the game was being made?
We had actually started working on it before the movie was announced and we didn’t have many details about the movie once it was. We were really excited when we got to see the movie and find out what incredible action they packed in.

The Jurassic Park Arcade Game has received a lot of praise since it’s release, as it should. What has been your reaction?
We were really happy with our game before it came out, but we are even more delighted that so many people are enjoying it! My favorite moment was watching a small kid scream in excitement as he held off a T-Rex from eating him and his sister. They really get in it!!

If given the opportunity would you ever want to do another Jurassic game?
Sure! There plenty more dinosaurs that would be really fun to

Thanks again to both John Scott and Joshua Malone for the interview! Be sure to check out Raw Thrills’ official website for more information on the game!