Tool of North America is pleased to announce the signing of acclaimed computer programmer and musician Jason Rohrer, an unsurpassed creative talent best known for his efforts to reinvent the video game as an artistic medium. His focus at Tool will be to apply his understanding of interactive storytelling to brand campaigns (i.e., beyond games).
His roster of emotionally impactful video games, which focus on genre-changing themes like consciousness, isolation, mania, conflict and compromise, include Primrose, Gravitation, Passage, Cultivation, Transcend, and the 2009 Innovation Award-winning Between. His monthly Game Design Sketchbook, commissioned by video-game website The Escapist, features titles such as Immortality, asking the player to choose between eternal life and mortality.
“I see video games not as addicting time-wasters, but instead as powerful tools for communication and expression through their unique channel, which is interactivity,” noted Rohrer. “Deep interactivity is missing from most digital brand campaigns, and I’m hoping to change that. Tool shares my vision, and I’m fortunate to be working with them.”

“Jason brings a totally unique skill set to Tool,” stated Tool Head of Digital Content Dustin Callif. “Not only does he have an array of talents, but he approaches his subjects in totally unique ways, video games being just one example. We welcome his innovative spirit to our roster of creative talent. We’re excited to be representing innovators from the video game industry to the advertising world.”

In addition to designing video games, Rohrer runs Arthouse games, an artgame journalism website featuring news, reviews and interviews. He has also created an extensive list of independent software research projects; is the author of several fiction and nonfiction works, including journal publications; coauthored a children’s book; and is an occasional public speaker, musician, and blogger. He was named to Esquire’s Best and Brightest 2008 list as one of many young