Jake Rodkin is an American
video game designer
Video game design is the process of designing the content and rules of video games in the pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline and characters in the production stage. Some common video game design subdiscipline ...
, writer,
graphic designer, and
podcaster
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing. ...
. He was the co-project leader of ''
Tales of Monkey Island
''Tales of Monkey Island'' is a 2009 graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games under license from LucasArts. It is the fifth game in the ''Monkey Island'' series, released nearly a decade after the previous installment, '' Escape ...
'' and the co-project leader and co-writer of ''
The Walking Dead'', ''
Poker Night at the Inventory'', and ''
Puzzle Agent 2''. He was also the director of the fifth episode of ''
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse'', and designer and writer of ''
Firewatch
''Firewatch'' is an adventure game developed by Campo Santo (company), Campo Santo and published by the developer in partnership with Panic Inc., Panic. The game was released in February 2016 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, OS X, Linux, and Play ...
''.
Rodkin co-founded the video game developer
Campo Santo with
Sean Vanaman
Sean Vanaman (born June 16, 1984) is an IrishAmerican video game designer, writer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader and lead writer of '' The Walking Dead'', and '' Puzzle Agent 2''. He also wrote the third episode of ''Tales of Monke ...
, Nels Anderson and
Olly Moss
Oliver Jonathan Moss (born 24 January 1987) is an English graphic artist, best known for his reimagining of movie posters. His work has been released by Mondo and is regularly featured in ''Empire'' magazine.
Background and early life
Moss gr ...
, and joined
Valve
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
when Campo Santo was acquired by the company in 2018. Outside the video game industry, Rodkin also co-founded the
Idle Thumbs podcast network and its flagship podcast, which he co-hosted alongside
Chris Remo
Chris Remo is an American video game designer, composer, writer, podcaster, and former journalist.
As a journalist, he cofounded the original Idle Thumbs website as well as its flagship podcast, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Shacknews and ...
, Nick Breckon and Sean Vanaman.
Career
Jake Rodkin began his career writing for the gaming websites
The International House of Mojo
The International House of Mojo (often called ''Mixnmojo'') is a website focused on LucasArts video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device su ...
and
Adventure Gamers
''Adventure Gamers'' is a computer game website created by Marek Bronstring in March 1998 dedicated to the genre of adventure games. It publishes reviews and previews of adventure games, as well as opinion articles and interviews with game desi ...
, and co-founded
Idle Thumbs. He joined
Telltale Games
Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following ...
as a graphic designer. He eventually became a game designer, director, writer, and project leader at Telltale. In September 2013, he and
Sean Vanaman
Sean Vanaman (born June 16, 1984) is an IrishAmerican video game designer, writer, and podcaster. He was the co-project leader and lead writer of '' The Walking Dead'', and '' Puzzle Agent 2''. He also wrote the third episode of ''Tales of Monke ...
left Telltale and joined with
Olly Moss
Oliver Jonathan Moss (born 24 January 1987) is an English graphic artist, best known for his reimagining of movie posters. His work has been released by Mondo and is regularly featured in ''Empire'' magazine.
Background and early life
Moss gr ...
and
Mark of the Ninja lead designer Nels Anderson to found their own studio,
Campo Santo. In April 2018, Rodkin joined
Valve
A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
when the company acquired Campo Santo. Rodkin is also part of Skunkape Games, a studio currently developing remasters of Telltale's ''
Sam & Max
''Sam & Max'' is an American media franchise about Sam and Max, a pair of anthropomorphic vigilante private investigators. The characters, who occupy a universe that parodies American popular culture, were created by Steve Purcell in his yout ...
'' games.
Recognition
The re-issue of the comic collection ''
Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway'', which Jake Rodkin co-designed with franchise creator
Steve Purcell, was nominated for the
Eisner Award for "Best Graphic Album-Reprint" in 2009.
''Tales of Monkey Island'', for which Jake Rodkin was the season co-director, was nominated for "best artistic design" and won for the award for "biggest surprise" at
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Best of E3 2009 Awards. After release, it won the
PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
2009 adventure game of the year, was nominated for the
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
best adventure game of the year for PC and Wii, won the
Adventure Gamers
''Adventure Gamers'' is a computer game website created by Marek Bronstring in March 1998 dedicated to the genre of adventure games. It publishes reviews and previews of adventure games, as well as opinion articles and interviews with game desi ...
Best Adventure of 2009, and was named the "Best Series Revival" by
OC Weekly.
''Puzzle Agent 2'', which was co-written by Jake Rodkin, was nominated for IGN's Best of E3 2011 Awards for "Best iPhone/iPad Game".
The 2012 episodic game series ''The Walking Dead'', in which Jake Rodkin was the season co-designer, won over 80 game of the year awards.
Rodkin won ''Writing in a Drama'' at the 2017 National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards for his work on ''Firewatch''.
Credited works
Bibliography
*2009 ''
Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway'' (reprint), graphic design (Telltale Games)
Video games
*
2006 ''
CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder'', graphic design (Telltale Games)
*
2006 ''
Bone: The Great Cow Race'', graphic design (Telltale Games)
*
2007 ''
Sam & Max Save the World'', graphic design (Telltale Games)
*
2007 ''
CSI: Hard Evidence'', graphic design (Telltale Games)
*
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
''
Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space'', graphic design (Telltale Games)
*
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
''
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
''Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People'' is an episodic graphic adventure developed by Telltale Games and based on the ''Homestar Runner'' web cartoon, with Strong Bad as the lead character. A total of five episodes were released for ...
'', graphic design (Telltale Games)
*
2009 ''
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures'', graphic design (Telltale Games)
*
2009 ''
Tales of Monkey Island
''Tales of Monkey Island'' is a 2009 graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games under license from LucasArts. It is the fifth game in the ''Monkey Island'' series, released nearly a decade after the previous installment, '' Escape ...
'', co-project leader (Telltale Games)
*
2010 ''
Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent'', writer (Telltale Games)
*
2010 ''
Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse'', graphic design, director of ''The City that Dares Not Sleep'' (Telltale Games)
*
2011 ''
Hector: Badge of Carnage'', additional art (Telltale Games)
*
2011 ''
Jurassic Park: The Game'', artist (user interface) (Telltale Games)
*
2011 ''
Puzzle Agent 2'', co-writer, co-project leader (Telltale Games)
*
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
''
The Walking Dead'', co-project leader (Telltale Games)
*
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...
''
Firewatch
''Firewatch'' is an adventure game developed by Campo Santo (company), Campo Santo and published by the developer in partnership with Panic Inc., Panic. The game was released in February 2016 for Microsoft Windows, macOS, OS X, Linux, and Play ...
'', director (Campo Santo)
*
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
''
Half-Life: Alyx'', unspecified role (Valve)
*
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
''
Sam & Max Save the World Remastered'', interface design (Skunkape Games)
References
External links
*
Telltale Games website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodkin, Jake
American video game designers
Living people
Valve Corporation people
Video game directors
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Petaluma, California