An interview with the creator of the bizarre Seinfeld level in Dreams

Dreams released on PS4 last month and people have been using their imagination to create some incredible stuff. There have been realistic depictions of food, sculptures of characters, and even a surrealist horror level based on 90s sitcom Seinfeld. The level sees you playing as Jerry Seinfeld’s nephew, Donathan, searching for the stand-up comedian in an unsettling depiction of the show’s iconic universe.

Meet 29-year-old Austin Stock, he created the bizarre level in Dreams known as “Sinfeld Chronicles” (a reference to the show’s original title). He’s a director, editor, and animator with IMDb credits on films like Netflix’s Hush and even a Tim and Eric Christmas special. Stock has taken to Dreams to create and we chatted with him about the game, how he got the idea for the strange game which has found fame on the internet, and more.

The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

The big question is: How many drugs were you on when you made this and how did you come up with something this abstract for a game? Why Seinfeld mixed with P.T.?

I don’t believe in drugs anymore, this game was powered by whiskey and iced matcha tea lattes. It was also something I’ve been wanting to make since I was 13 years old but never could. Before it would have taken forever doing this type of game, but because of the coronavirus I was able to get this knocked out in two weeks and don’t see myself stopping. They announced they are [considering] monetizing the games so I’m very excited to see where that goes into the next generation.

You’re clearly a big fan of the show with all kinds of very specific references and deep cuts littered throughout the level. At the same time, there’s also stuff that you have seemingly created for yourself (like the bird that you have to get to follow you, Jerry’s nephew, etc). Where did those ideas come from?

Honestly, this was just a little demo I wanted to put out for players to mess around with and help test out some things and it completely blew up in a matter of hours. I posted it and went bowling with some friends and it completely went nuts.

Did you create any kind of script or outline for the game?

Nope, I pretty much had a general idea of what I wanted to do in my mind and as I played the game saw opportunities arise. I can’t wait to show people what I have in store for them because it’s a pretty fun storyline. Our workflow right now is that I work really hard on boring mechanics then have friends come over and we goof around in front of the microphone and come up with ridiculous scenarios. The fact that we can do this fast enough for it to be fun for my friends is insane.

Where did the idea of turning Jerry into a giant walking monster come from?

I love Godzilla. He’s the James Bond of Kaiju’s, in that half his films are terrible but the character is so iconic he shines through it all. Anyways look how cute Baby Godzilla is:

Do you have any game development background?

I have a long history as a passionate video game player, but work with graphics in Cinema 4D and have played with Unreal Engine. I was surprised at how similar Dreams was to Cinema 4D though, I was throwing lights up and setting the scene in minutes. If Dreams ever finds a way to lets us scale the levels up to include more detail or more objects, I think we could honestly have a solution for people wanting to learn logic or game design. It’s basically Unreal Engine 4 for kids but doesn’t lack any of the depth.

The ease of use allowed me to prototype a game I’ve had in my head for years and do it in between pitching TV shows and editing, and it’s been a good getaway to stretch my legs creatively.

How has Dreams as a tool helped you make your vision come to life?

Being able to grab premade assets made by other players speeds things up a lot, but a huge shout out to Mr_Ishbuu who built the original apartment which I used as the foundation. My contributions involve decorations, replacing the walls, floors, add a bathroom, bedroom, Kramer’s apartment, hallway, elevator, diner, and all the animations gameplay, and dialogue sequences. I just added a scene where you have to perform standup in front of an audience that breaks through the fourth wall. I’m working on fleshing it out more though! Stay tuned!

You can play the level in Dreams now by searching Sinfeld Chronicles (not a typo). You can also support Austin on Patreon and follow him on Twitter!