Where do KingsIsle Employees Get Their Inspiration?
We often feature highly creative people here on the KingsIsle Blog, and often get asked “where do you get your inspiration?” To get to the bottom of this open question, we asked some creative KingsIsle employees where they personally found inspiration for their projects at work. Here’s what they had to say!
I am pretty active in sports and living adventurously in the world. Ever since I was a kid playing baseball, I would see physics in motion in visual ways. The arc a baseball would travel, etc. That grew as I got older to snowboarding, wakeboarding, motorcross and many others. The way you fall when one crashes, dirt, water, fire and ice/snow. I suppose I have a thing for elements and the way it moves. The majority of my inspirations also come from helping the helpless. I know that sounds far off from a cinematics and FX artist, but my passion for other peoples stories and lives and helping give back to communities actually inspires me back. Well…that and old Disney films.
Russell Hughes – Principal Artist Cinematics/FX
As the lead writer on Wizard101, I get my inspiration from anywhere and everywhere I can. My foundation is based on all the books (fiction, history, mythology & folktales), comics, movies, cartoons, TV shows, music, and games (tabletop and video) I consumed as a kid, teenager, and college student. I’m also inspired by my two young children (ages 5 and 2) as I play with them and try to tell them stories. I will do specific research for whatever project I’m focused on (African myths for Zafaria; Aztec & Mayan legends and dinosaur stories for Azteca; etc.), but there are a few touchstones that I seem to regularly return to: the television series Babylon5 by J. Michael Straczynski; the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny; Dune by Frank Herbert; The Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin; Sandman by Neil Gaiman; three Star Wars movies; two Aliens movies; and one Matrix movie.
Jesse Scoble (King Artorius) – Wizard101 Creative Design Lead
I was raised on cartoons: mostly 90’s nickelodeon shows such as Ren and Stimpy and Rocko’s Modern Life. “Golden Age” animators such as Bob Clampett and Tex Avery. Game developers with offbeat senses of humor such as Doug Tennapel and Tim Schafer help inspire me.
Robert Lovelett – Lead Artist and Animator on Pirate101 Puppet Shows
The easy answer is that I draw creative inspiration from all kinds of sources, the same as most everyone else. But that’s not really the whole picture. The best thing an influence can do is point me towards other sources of inspiration. When I encounter something that provokes my interest, I seek more about it, and even look at related subjects. This way, I am continually encountering the new and the unexpected, things I never expected to learn about. For example, while reading a magazine article about the spread of curry throughout the world, I found myself trying to learn more about history, geography, culture, and agriculture of the places mentioned. I even looked up articles about key people, and the restaurants, as well as some of the recipes mentioned. Together, all of those subjects help flesh out my understanding of our own world, which ultimately is the best source of inspiration there is.
Jason Durall – Creative Design Lead
KingsIsle Blog 
I LOVE this game. Its my life 🙂
mine to
same here
I love wizard101 I think it is an amazing game that inspires young kids to move freely and feel good about themselves. So I want to thank kingsisle for making this wonderful game and having employees that are willing to share what makes them inspired to the world.
i think this is a great thing.
ok
inspires me and i thought it was from the players 😀
Congratulations to Jason and Jesse and the whole team at Wizard101 (and Pirates101). I play obsessively. It’s that good. -Carol
My question is for the creators of Khrysalis: What artists did you draw inspiration from, and specifically, were you inspired by Maxfield Parrish? I’m reminded of his work when I look at the sky in Khrysalis, and by the colors, too.
Thank you for the interesting, intricate worlds you’ve created.
ok seriously can you put the thunderous kirin for one crown I want it badly!!!!!!!!!1
Not only are the plots great, but the worlds themselves are beautiful. Especially when I earn my way into a new world, I just like to look around at the buildings, plants, etc. Then when I start to play I feel that I am actually ‘in’ that world because I have absorbed its’ ‘ambience’.
Sounds great!
Any chance all that creativity will come out with the 2nd half on Wizards soon. Your wizards are getting restless.
many things inspire many people by ways in life and i think their inspiration got them to make this game and rlly what im trying to say is that this game inspired me to go on the virtual worlds online and make other people have a inspiration KINGSISLE YOU HAVE DONE GREAT IN CHILDRENS LIVES.
I like hearing about the inspiration for these games. Honestly, I sometimes whisper to myself about how unbelievably creative the KingsIsle team is, and this blog tells me how they got their creativity. I’m just a kid, but I also am dragging inspiration from all over the place, including Wizard101 and Pirate101, for a game I plan to make in the future.
Well all I have to say is you guys are doing a beautiful job as far as a family based game goes my grandchildren really enjoy it as I do keep up the good work.
Wow
I still want to know who comes up with the humor! the quest names and dialog is so funny, although my kids don’t always get it, it affords the opportunity to talk about music, old tv shows, movies, etc. I would love to be a fly on the wall at your brainstorming sessions! LOL!
Every time I see fire I think of fire wizards
Every time I see snow I think of ice wizards
Every time I see plants I think of life wizards
Every time I see something dead I think of death wizards
Every time I see a thunder storm I think of storm wizards
Every time I see something equal I think of balance wizards
Every time I play fiction games I think of myth wizards
That’s how much I love this game
i agree! that is what i think of too!
do you think you could add a zombie ninja companion i think it would be cool so like caption avery and he sends you to a world?
do you think you could add a new dungeon world so they could get a lot of loot and i love wizard 101
i love your games they have loads of great creations i really love wizard 101 i like all the stuff you put in it
dudes you rock! this game is epic! btw this is fearless robert spencer:)
love the game i just wish i could visit the place where it all happens 😀 love all you guys this is darby angle glade
oh my goodness! wizard101 is awesome, i’m kind of not playing pirate101 that much because my pirate cant do her quests, they are all in the same place, but, wizard is the best and it always will be, and u guys should come up with a princess or fairy101 XD lol!
princess or fairy’s? I have tons and tons of ideas swarming around in my head
I know right!xD
I shall bet my life, soul, and all of my possessions that Pirate 101 was inspired by Treasure Planet. Can someone please confirm this accusation and put my mind to ease?
not to be mean but wizard101 is so much better then pirate101
go pirate101! my pirates name is terri I went from rank:noob now =’s rank:lots better!!! lolz 😀 it be great me harties if ye want to friend me look for a girl named terri cyaw in the game!
peace happy piratin and good hunt-in! 😀
pirate 101 is not cool but 10000x cool,
but it mite need lower crown shop things and I only have 7 crowns!
its to bad I only get 1 hour on the computer.
KingsIsle you have some of the most creative workers on your team! (Can’t wait for more Wizard101 to come out!)