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DESERT PATROL Darrell Rodriguez is bringing Hollywood vision to Vegas slots. ing these eye-popping, pop-culture-themed machines. But the transformation from passive entertainment to gaming station doesn't come easy. "Translating a brand from one medium to another is extremely difficult," he says. "Staying true to the look and feel—or the depth of character and story, or the original creator's vision—can be a really difficult task. When you're working with something that has the expectation of great success, it can be daunting." Best advice I ever got: "Put Then again, this seventh-generation your people first Californian seems to crave a challenge. and success will And coming to IGT meant leaving San follow." Francisco and switching industries all at Mantra: From once. "I was born and raised in the Bay W.H. Murray: Area," Rodriguez says, "but I really iden"The moment tify with the community here in Nevada one definitely commits oneself, more than I ever did in California. The then all opportunity and the ability to make a difprovidence ference and the openness here excite me." moves, too." As for his transition to Vegas-style gaming, Rodriguez seems to have barely blinked. "This is entertainment," he says. "The foundation of gaming is similar to the entertainment industry. The jump from video games was easy. A lot of the tools, the discipline, the workflows are very similar." Since assuming his post in 2010, Rodriguez hasn't missed a beat: Two new games based on James Cameron's Avatar—Video Slots and Treasure of Pandora—were named best slot product at the 2014 Gaming & Technology Awards. Both allow players to customize their experience by choosing characters and music, and both are remarkably immersive, but Treasure of Pandora (debuting in the spring) is a real leap forward: a progressive slot machine with a 42-inch screen, 3-D touchscreen visuals, and surround sound. DARRELL RODRIGUEZ IS THE CREATIVE MIND BEHIND THE "Unlike any other in the industry, it can capture the cinematic grandeur itself," says Rodriguez proudly. NEWEST MACHINES ON THE STRIP—BUT THESE AREN'T YOUR He's quick to credit IGT's designers and his collaboraFATHER'S SLOTS. BY DAVID LANDSEL tors at Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Consumer Products, who made the game much better, he says. Collaborating is kind of Rodriguez's thing. Since moving to Nevada, he hould you make it onto a casino's slot floor this winter, you may notice a resemblance between the new machines and your Netflix queue. has worked with several local charities and serves on the board of trustees Family Guy, The Hangover, Avatar—all strong Hollywood brands, and all of the Nevada Museum of Art. "Growing and making the community that now making their Strip debuts. Not at the multiplex, but in video slot format. I live in that much better," he says, "being involved with charity organizaThe man behind the fun is Darrell Rodriguez, chief creative officer for tions, making the community better so it's a more enjoyable place for our International Game Technology, with offices in Reno and Las Vegas. A employees to work—it makes life more balanced. People are more open to veteran of the video game industry, most recently as president of LucasArts, change here. Maybe it's because of the size, maybe people are just more Rodriguez now oversees the collaborative process that's essential to creat- open, but I feel vested here." V INSIGHT S PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRYAN HAINER The Guy Behind the Games 64 VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 064_V_SP_DP_DarrellR_Dec13.indd 64 11/19/13 9:40 AM