Behind SEXDICK: A Groundbreaking Game Making a Comeback
Developer Paul Bossums takes us behind the scenes at developing the most impressive game for the Dango video game console.
A few weeks ago a YouTube account by the name of “Jada Pada” uploaded one of the songs from the video game The Fantastic Adventures of SEXDICK. To many, it was a mystery, but to others, it was a nostalgic welcome.
SEXDICK was a 3D platformer video game released on the Dango; a short lived video game system during the 1990s. The Dango was one of the most technically-impressive systems of its time, appearing at Winter Consumer Electronics Show of 1994 but with a booth so small that hardly anyone paid attention to it. Upon release, the Dango was ill-recieved. High costs lead to high prices, and high performance lead to consoles so hot that some reported burns. Quickly, the Dango was forgotten, only to become a curiosity among avid game historians.
Along with the Dango, SEXDICK also fell into obscurity. While a copy has yet to surface to the public eye, promotional images, footage, and music have slowly been getting uncovered. Leading many past players and modern fans to ask: Where is SEXDICK, and where did it come from?
To help answer these questions, I spoke with SEXDICK developer Paul Bossums over email. Paul wasn’t easy to find, only discovering him in an old issue of Vid-Bytes from 1992 that had touched on the Dango’s development as well as Pbork’s early development on SEXDICK. After finding an archive of his AngelFire page, I was able to finally get in touch with him and ask questions that many had been dying to ask.
ZC: How did you come to Pbork?
PB: Well, I was in-between jobs back in the early-90's and Pbork was this brand new developer that was offering decent pay. And when I say "new", I mean they haven't had any retail releases under their belt. I got signed on as a contractor working on some of the art and sound effects, but that was about it.
ZC: What was your inspiration for SEXDICK?
PB: We were actually asked to make the game by the people at Dango. They wanted a good competitor to Crash, Sonic, Mario as a way to sell their console. I'm not sure what inspired the look of Sexdick, but I believe the mohawk came from this gas station clerk we saw near the studio.
ZC: What was the story like?
PB: The story takes place in the year 2469, aliens take over the planet, they kidnap your boyfriend, and you have to stop them. Nobody really talks about this, Sexdick was one of the first gay video game characters.
ZC: Did you have any problems during development?
PB: Not really on my end of the job, but I know the programmers had a tough time with the Dango hardware. It apparently wasn't very user friendly at all.
ZC: SEXDICK has had a recent revival, what are your thoughts on that?
PB: Questionable, but otherwise incredible. I'm very surprised to see this game resurface, I haven't thought about that game in years. It's not my finest work, but it's a nice piece of history, I suppose.
ZC: Were there any limitations with the hardware of the Dango?
PB: There were one-of-a-kind shaders and textures that just weren't possible on other hardware. However, optimizing them to run at a steady frame rate was very difficult. We had to do a lot of compressing and things like that to get it to run.
ZC: The soundtrack has had a cult following, what was the direction like for SEXDICK's music?
PB: Frankly, we had kind of weak direction outside of some concept art and suggestions from the higher-ups. The composer for the game, good friend of mine, he asked the people at Dango what they wanted and they just said "sexdick".
ZC: What was it like when the game released?
PB: I think I left right before anything came of Sexdick. I believe it got released in some territories, but I'm not sure. I remember there were a lot of points in the development were we just got radio silence from Dango Soft, so there's that.
ZC: Where can we find SEXDICK now?
PB: As far as finding a copy of the game, I'm not sure but give it time. People are still finding out about it.
ZC: Are there any plans for a sequel?
PB: I hope not.
ZC: Is there anything else you'd like to add about your time at Pbork?
PB: There were also several times when Pbork didn't have running water, so we'd have to go to other establishments to use the bathroom, wash our hands, etc. It was terrible.
Today, online-investigators are still searching high and low for a copy of SEXDICK. Even Bossums, who does not have a copy for himself, expressed interest in one being found. After Pbork’s liquidation in 1997, it’s become a great mystery in where the assets went after the company was sold piecemeal. Many of the developers have no online presence or have since passed on.
Many people online are still asking, where did their DICK go?
Why didn't you asked him about the unnecessary rape scene in chapter 5?
I’m gonna cum