Videogames have been inspired by books, movies, television shows and celebrities. I-play has released a new game based upon the true-life romance of game designer Cara Ely’s grandparents, Bill and Helen.  The seventh installment in the wildly successful Dream Day series is now available for PC download.  From the war in the Pacific to Paris in the 1950’s, players will follow the journey of Ely’s grandparents as they plan the ultimate 70th anniversary party.

To throw the perfect party, players will immerse themselves in Bill and Helen’s amazing true love story. The couple met while Bill was on military leave in San Francisco and was engaged less than two weeks later. Though the courtship was brief, their love survived two years apart during WWII and they have been inseparable ever since! Using a vintage scrapbook to learn the couple’s heartwarming history and help plan the party, their love story is brought to life by incorporating actual photographs, letters and other mementos spanning over 70 years. 
 
“I don’t think I can fully express how special this project is to me,” said Ely. “My grandparents are such wonderful people, and I’ve always thought their love story was amazing. I’m so thrilled to be able to share their story with fans of the Dream Day games, and hope it inspires them a little bit as well.” 
 
“The Dream Day franchise has always featured fictional couples and characters from the mind of Cara Ely,” said Tony Leamer, VP of Marketing at I-play.  “Understanding Bill and Helen’s story and the impact it has had on Cara gives great and very personal insight into how she has approached the entire series. Cara and the team have   created an incredible game experience around this wonderful story, beautifully representing both the Dream Day franchise as well as her grandparents’ amazing legacy.” 
 
The Dream Day True Love franchise has generated more than 60 million downloads since 2007. The first three games followed fictional couple Jenny and Robert as they got married, went on a honeymoon and moved into their first home together. The second three-game set followed couples through gorgeous destination weddings in Manhattan, Las Vegas and Italy, True Love embarks on an brand-new theme following real-life love stories that will appeal to both existing and new fans alike.   

About the Author

John Gaudiosi

Editor-in-Chief

John Gaudiosi has been covering videogames for the past 20 years for outlets like The Washington Post, CNET, Wired Magazine and CBS.com. He has focused on the convergence of entertainment and videogames for outlets like Video Business, Home Media Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Gamerlive.TV and is also a freelance game columnist for Reuters and writes for outlets like Forbes.com, NVISION, Official PlayStation Magazine, EGM Now, Geek Monthly, PrimaGames.com, and Yahoo! Games. John also serves as the video game expert for NBC in Washington D.C. and has produced videogame documentaries for The History Channel and Starz Entertainment. John was named one of the Top 50 Game Journalists in the world by Next-Gen.biz in 2007. He is the co-author of Scholastic Books' How to Get into Videogames, Prima Publishing's Madden: Twenty Years of Videogame Football and Electronic Arts: The Official History.