BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:Still in the game

NEWPORT PENINSULA — In his youth, Newport Beach native Brian Fargo thought he could create better video games than the ones he was accustomed to playing.

Like many young men, playing video games was a passion of his, but rather than just flipping on a gaming system when he got home from school or work, Fargo parlayed it into a successful career.

In the early 1980s, the Corona del Mar High School graduate founded Interplay Entertainment, which he helped take public and ran till 2002. It was there he became a major force in the gaming industry.

“I guess I love it because I don’t have to grow up all the way,” Fargo said.

These days he runs InXile Entertainment from an office two blocks from the beach on the Newport Peninsula, and it’s there he’s continuing to affect the business.

After taking only 90 days off after he left Interplay, he started InXile in late 2002 so he could get back to the part of the job he loved.

“When I first got into this, it was to make the games I loved making. At Interplay … I felt like I was only dealing with investment banks and lawyers and hardly talking about games at all,” he said. “I wanted to start this so I could get back to my roots again, and now we have a great office two places from the beach with a bunch of great young guys and gals.”

The company develops software, and Fargo said making a videogame is much like making a film — from the creative process and story lines to the budgets.

Designer Sean Patton accepted a pay cut when he took a job with InXile, but he said it’s been worth it.

“I’m left- and right-brained, and video games are the perfect opportunity to use both sides…. It has a lot to do with the creative process,” he said. “I love creating things people will interact with in a new way.”

This year InXile is working on two main projects, with one secret smaller one in the pipeline.

Animators, designers and programmers are working on highly specialized aspects of a new game, including creating precise facial movements, character walks and other movements. Fargo said the game, called “Heist,” will be “Quentin Tarantino-ish.” It’s set to debut around Christmas this year. It will be available in PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC formats.

Fargo recently obtained the rights to a game created in Slovenia. Unlike “Heist,” the game will have a rating suitable for all ages, and it requires creativity and ingenuity from its users. “Linerider” has become a phenomenon on YouTube, with many advanced users creating lengthy courses for a simple-looking character on a sled. Some of the videos have garnered almost 3 million hits, while more than 20,000 people have created their own videos.

While keeping the creative side to it, InXile plans on engineering a game that can have some competitive aspects while making it a bit easier for younger players.

The work is highly detailed, but Fargo said that a little bit of knowledge in a lot of areas of the work can make someone become successful in the business.

And a love for video games helps too.

For more information, go to www.inxile-entertainment.com.