Long-running British comedy panel TV game shows aren’t something we usually cover here. Sports Informer (a magazine and website dedicated to educating readers about video games), but TaskmasterThe long-running British comedy panel TV game show is getting a video game adaptation. The Taskmasters themselves, Greg Davis and Alex Horne, will be represented in the game, and Horne, who created the show’s concept and is technically its sole writer (see below) was available to talk about it. We learned about the upcoming VR game (releasing June 13 on Quest), why the American Comedy Central version of the show isn’t working, whether or not it’s time to give an American version another shot, And what is it like to meet him? Without further ado, find yourself in VR… it’s little Alex Horne!
Game Informer: Do you play video games? Are you a fan at all?
Alex Horne: No not really. I used to have an Amiga when I was growing up in the 80s. I have a quest and I played it a bit during the lockdown. I played it a bit. I found it useful. But I have three boys, three kids who are 11, 13 and 14, so my job is to tell them to stop playing computer games and go outside. But they play a lot. They play a lot of roblox and minecraft and fortnite. But I’m not a gamer, so it’s been quite an education for me.
But you’ve played Taskmaster VR, right?
I have. I have taken a demo. I have dipped my toe in it. It’s too weird, though, for me to play. In this to fulfill yourself and become a competitor. It reminded me of the first time I put on a VR headset, or even put it on my mom. It blows your mind the first time. It was like, once again, going around Taskmaster The house, in particular, was very scary. It’s very much like life. Not lifelike, because it’s obviously cartoony, but it’s very well drawn and faithfully recreated.
gave Taskmaster Home and you can walk around? This is correct?
This is very true. Unnecessarily accurate. The house itself is disappointingly small in real life. This is a bungalow. There is only one destination. There are only five rooms. So, we can do anything with the house. But instead, we’ve faithfully recreated the Taskmaster House. [laughs]. But it’s amazing. You can open every closet, and you’ll see things on show. There are so many Easter eggs, the things hidden around them are irrelevant. And all the rooms are pretty much the right size, we had to inflate the corridor in the kitchen a bit, because they are tight in real life. it’s awesome. And also, a lot of potential. In a real house in the real world, there’s a door that opens and nothing but a green screen behind it, which gives us the ability to… we’ve never used it. But similarly in a VR home, you can open a door and go to another location.
Is the stage even in the game?
Yes. You end up in the studio. And it’s like a TV studio. So if you look around, you’ll see the cameras, and where the audience is sitting, and you’ll see Greg. [Davies] The team at Throne has gone to the house a lot and they’ve taken measurements and they’ve taken pictures, you know, like an estate agent would. And they have gone to see the live show. They’ve tried to make it, so if you’re a fan of the show, it’s going to be really interesting to get into the world. And hopefully, if you’re not a fan of the show, this one… VR games are pretty weird. For the ones I know, it feels like either Star Wars, which is great, or a job where you’re doing really mediocre work, and hopefully it’s somewhere in between. So they’re pretty practical, simple tasks, but you’re in a wonderful world.
I imagine this would be hard for you to answer: did they correct your height in VR? Will you tower over me if I play games?
I don’t know how high I am now. I have lost all sense of it. You know, if you Google Hollywood actor and try to figure out Johnny Depp’s height, you’ll never get the right answer. And I think it’s the same with me. I am not getting the right answer. So, I guess I’m short on VR. I must be short in VR. This is the correct height of Taskmaster for me.
Did you come up with a work specifically for the game? Did you give ideas to the team?
It was a collaborative process. And, to be honest, the team – Scallywag Arcade – came up with things and they put them to me quite nervously and I might have tinkered with them, but they know computer games. I know Taskmaster the game. And we met in the middle. So, they come from them and I absolutely give them the seal of approval.
There’s a little thing in me that… tasks are very valuable to me, without sounding too serious, just a certain number. I’m worried I’ll run out one day. There are some things I’ve come up with that are great because for me it’s not all about work. It’s about the little layers. For example, your time starts when you have done something. You said a certain word or whatever. And they have come up with some great ideas. For example, you don’t run out of time until you put the object in the box. I’m not sure if I’m being too obvious, but they totally get it. Taskmaster Language and ideas. So yes, I’ve contributed, but I can’t take responsibility for all the games.
One of my favorite things about the show – and I don’t know how you guys feel about it to be honest. It’s hard to tell as a viewer – but I love it when contestants bend the rules to achieve a task.
Are there opportunities to do this? Because sometimes video games have to be hard to work. Does Taskmaster VR have room for this?
This is one of the real challenges. We definitely want it. Well, what you can’t necessarily do is nitpick the language too much. But there are certainly multiple ways around. [a task]. So, to me the whole point of a good job is to have three or four ways of doing it. And then there are one or two ways we haven’t thought of that are on the way to cheating, but aren’t. It’s just a smart solution. And yes, we hope it makes it into the game.
On the brink of cheating. That’s a great way to put it.
I’m really hoping that we see people do things that we didn’t expect, or that we find out that people have done things in a completely different way than we expected.
Are there any major works from the show? Like really popular works that were supposed to be in the game?
No, it’s the opposite. One thing we pride ourselves on at the show is that we never repeat any work. So, when you open the envelope, you have no idea what it’s going to be.
Here’s the thing. When we did Taskmaster US They were the ones we did in England. And it felt like we were treading water a little bit and it wasn’t exciting. We should have taken a lot of risks and done completely new things. And that’s what we decided to do with it. We don’t want players to go, “Oh, I know what to do with this. I’ve seen five people do it. So, it’s all brand new. There are elements of the work that we love from the show.” , but nothing has been taken directly from the show.
I’ll admit, I was hoping… One thing I loved was when you blindfolded all the contestants and they rode a moped around a parking lot.
Yes, through the Railway Museum.
Is there such a thing in a VR game? I like the idea of ​​being blindfolded in VR and doing something.
Well, this is an ongoing project, I don’t think there is a blindfold, but I might be told otherwise by the devs. I don’t know how that would work. This is a great idea. Do you mind if we steal your idea that you stole from us?
please. Everything is a circle, right?
I mean, you can blindfold yourself. You can do whatever you want. But um, yeah. This is a good idea. Thanks
What does the writing room look like? Taskmaster? How it works?
I’m afraid you’re looking at the writing room.
only you?
It is, yes. It’s pretty silly because most comedy shows require a writing room. But from the beginning it was just me. And actually, most of the team that makes the show, it’s still the same people – the producer and the director and some of the crew. So, people chip in with ideas, but that’s just like me and I’m a little precious about it and a little bit of a control freak, I guess. Because I think it’s pretty delicate to get the right balance of being interesting, but not crazy and kooky. So, yes, very much.
They have got a team in New Zealand. Sometimes I’ll look at it and think, “Oh, yeah, we should get a team.” But I don’t want to let him go. We get a lot of job suggestions from the public, but very, very rarely, do they come up with a job that is actually good.
I imagine it’s more complicated than you think.
it is. And also, we’ve thought about most things now, because we’ve done 18 series. That’s a lot of work, you know, it’s 600, or whatever. So, most of the time people will suggest something and we’ll say, “We tried that. It didn’t work.” Or, “We actually did it.” So the writing room is just me and my dog.
Do you think it’s time to give an American reboot another shot?
I think. We learned a lot from him. I think what we should have done is bring in Greg, we should have new stuff, and we should have made it the same length as the UK show. We agreed with everything Comedy Central said, because we thought they knew best. And I’m sure they know better in many ways. But I think if we did it again, we’d stick to our guns a little more.
Taskmaster VR releases on June 13 on Meta Quest.