Chris Mandra (DMA ’96, Composition, MM ’92, Composition and Computer Music) conceived, storyboarded, and wrote all the dialogue for a critically acclaimed and award-winning video game. Direct Drive released in 2023 as an on-device catalog “launch title” for the tiny handheld gaming console called “playdate”. Direct Drive is a silent movie musical game set in the 1927 music industry in New York City. The game has been named “one of the best games of 2023” and “the pick of the catalog” both by Edge magazine and won the tencent/Games Without Borders “2023 Gameplay Innovation Award”. The soundtrack (which Mandra wrote, performed, recorded, mixed and produced), consisting of 12, one and a half minute long songs and instrumentals also won the “Best Soundtrack of 2023” from the Playdate Community Awards. Eurogamer wrote an article about Mandra creation of Direct Drive, and the inspiration people can take away from trying new things at any age.
