Yakir Israel: The Israeli Game Developer Who Pays Homage to British Nostalgia

Yakir Israel has loved both computer games and British fantasy films since he was a child. Special favorites were games such as Simon the Sorcerer and Discworld, which opened a new world for him, seasoned with British humor and magic. Those early games sparked a desire in him to create something similar once he grew up.

In the 30 years since, he has completed a degree in computers engineering and worked as a developer and manager in gaming startups, but his dream of developing his own game never went away. It was always there, waiting for the right moment.

That moment came in 2015, when Yakir decided to invest everything he had in setting up Adventure4Life Studios LLC — an independent game development studio that develops a new generation of adventure games. For the next several years, he has been working on a game called Plot of the Druid, which is much more than just another typical computer game.

“My primary goal was to take the era of quests, genre which I grew up on, dust it off and bring it into the contemporary world, with the nostalgic graphics and interface, but with high-quality that matches our days,” he says.

The result is Plot of the Druid, a fantasy game set place in an imaginary world created by Yakir. The main character is an apprentice druid, a powerful magician who rebels against the academy where he is learning, and decides to complete his studies in his own way. “He’s a kind of anti-hero within a light and humorous plot,” explains Yakir. “The first thing he does is cheat in the academy's exam. Later, he gets into more trouble as he attempts to restore balance to the world that he himself disturbed.”

Between fantasy and life skills

With hindsight, Yakir realizes that the computer games he played as a child helped him learn English, think creatively, develop analytical skills and learn how to solve complex problems. This belief is also reflected in his professional teaching at universities, junior highs and high schools, where he uses games to develop cognitive ability in his students. Beyond development, Yakir took on many roles and also served as a director, producer, screenwriter and designer. Today, aged 37, he makes a point of allowing his three children to play computer games, firmly believing in their value for children everywhere.

“I believe that a large part of the reason I became an engineer was the games I grew up playing,” he says. “Instead of squandering time on violent shooting and war games, what I played gave me added value. Puzzles and challenging games teach people how to think differently, how to behave in social situations and how to deal with complex challenges, using the resources at hand. The game I’ve developed has puzzles, which challenging, entertaining and fun. For a game to hold its players and be effective, you need a perfect balance between challenge and enjoyment.”

In Plot of the Druid, the main character can shape-shift into different animals, use different magic spells and control the forces of nature, all of which requires players to solve puzzles creatively and unconventionally.

“In the game, if I’m unable to reach a certain height in human form, for example, I can become a raccoon and climb, jump and see in the dark. Afterward, I have to figure out when to change back to human, in order to cast spells or to collect objects. The character can also talk to trees, make plants grow faster and even trigger an earthquake to resolve conflicts.”

Inside and outside Israel

The first episode of Plot of the Druid was released in 2020, fully dubbed and translated into seven languages, including Hebrew. It is a free one-hour episode suitable for computers, but will later be adapted for mobile devices and consoles, as well. In 2022, two new episodes were released and the studio is currently working on a further three. The additional episodes were enabled by crowdfunding, which raised over $30,000.

From the release of its first episode, Plot of the Druid acquired a worldwide following, especially in the United States and Germany. The AdventureGamers.com website lists it among the great adventure games of 2022 and it was nominated in the Aggie Awards for the Best Graphic Design title.

With this global success, Yakir dreams of expanding his studio in Israel, and collaborating with investors and local distribution companies. “Most of our work is currently done with professionals abroad,” he says. “I very much hope that, in the near future, I can start working with people here, who’ll connect with the product and the goals ahead."

Looking to the future, Yakir is not satisfied with just creating more episodes for his flagship game, but aims to produce many more games around the narrative of fantasy and adventure. “I want to produce games with engaging characters and unique worlds involved in plots with value and meaning.” he concluded.

He has also mentored teachers at the Education Ministry’s Innovation Authority and been a partner in the development of noncommercial games and immersive VR experiences for the medicine and security industries.

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