GamePro's All Played Out

Played Out Director: "Underlying theme came from a breakup"

Sesame Street meets video game news in GamePro.com's Played Out, a quirky new comedy that is--as far as we can tell--the first gaming-oriented sitcom ever. In this original show, Dan and Brian play roommates in a house where the different console systems vie for their affection in order to avoid being tossed when the next-gen Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii are released.

The bi-monthly series will air exclusively on GamePro.com and Games.net every other Wednesday. *Check out the first episode now!*

Yesterday, GamePro.com caught up with Daniel J. Loht and Brian Stone. Living in Los Angeles, the two best friends are the creators and stars of Played Out.

How did you guys meet?:

Loht: We met on a sheep farm. Just kidding--I think we met at church, actually. We grew up in the same church. We became friends in Middle School; in 7th grade we found we both had an interest in making videos. Our first project ever was entitled The Oregon Trail. It was for the PA History Day competition.

How did you guys get hooked up with the show's Exec. Producer, Wendy Chan?

Loht: We met Wendy (aka wen-D) one summer while taking a cinematography class at NYU--that's where she studied film full-time. We stayed on the same floor in the dorm and took to spending our weekends drinking lots of Captain Morgan's rum and roaming the city making short films. We've stayed in touch all these years, and she asked us to help put together a new show for GamePro.com.

What equipment did you guys use to produce Played Out?

Loht: We used a Sony Digital8 camcorder that is ohhh....about 6 years old. Old school. Yeah, we want to stress the fact that ANY kind of video can look good if you light the set properly. I like to think our image is rather sharp for being an older format and camera and that is thanks to our lighting schematics

Where did you get the inspiration for Played Out?

Stone: Though I didn't realize it until I watched the whole thing cut together, I'm pretty sure the underlying theme came out of a breakup with a girl I had a few years ago. Much like the Playstation 2 or the Xbox, I was traded in for new model.

We imagined what would happen if the current generation consoles had an opportunity to fight back before they are cast into retirement. We thought it would be funny if they talked back to us and made fun of us like any group of friends/roommates might. Personifying the game systems as living things with feelings and personality quirks will also give us the opportunity to satirize the game industry a little while we deliver a little information.

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