Excuses, excuses
If wishes were horses, we would all be riding. I wish I had more time to do the things I want to do, like updating my blog. But I'm over it now, and I'm back in action.
Games are funny elusive creatures. I've been on the warpath looking for money for games for so long now that I'm actually getting to the point where I don't absolutely suck at it. It's been a bit like growing up, where you get knocked down and punched in the face more than a few times.
What you end up learning is those scratches and scars are part of the dance, and if you don't have them people can tell you've never done the dance before, and so they don't want to dance with you.
Those who survive long enough without quitting and going back to their day job (or just going back to their day job and not quitting) end up finding out that the only way to do it is to play a sort of solitaire waltz, where you find every way to make your dream take you to where you want to be WITHOUT anyone's help except for the few who believe in the people and put in what they can.
We got punched in the gut, but we're still standing. In fact we're growing, both as people and as a company, which is an incredible feeling.
Last night I watched the South Park Guitar Queer-O episode and almost laughed my head off when the guy started playing the guitar controller sans game and music. The idea of using an unplugged controller as a musical instrument was just way too much. After I finished I stopped to think about how these games are so incredibly addictive because they make you feel like you are actually playing the song. I think that's a level of immersion that is really missing from games. I mean let's face it, you don't really feel like you could leap from a tall building after playing Superman.
Meanwhile my evenings are being spent chasing a dragon of my own with these VC types. They're a funny bunch themselves: You have to speak in words that say "Risk Mitigation", which is kinda a very select subset of the English language with some new words like "comparables" (pronounced COMP-ah-ra-Bulls, not COM-pair-a-bulls) and "platform-play" (not what you erect in your backyard for your children) and "ROI". If you use words like "rapid adoption" and "existing revenue" you score extra points, and if you say "nothing else like it" or "first time", you lose, game over, and they walk away. A funny language indeed. It's a bit like an adventure game...
...
You are standing the office of a large Venture Capitalist. Around you are couches and a plasma screen. A small stream flows down a waterfall mounted on the wall. There is an elf receptionist with an exclamation point above her head here.
> Talk receptionist
"Alas," she says. "There is a great scrouge upon us. Many a brave soul has attempted to put forth their business plan before the Great ..."
> Click Accept
"Hey!" the elf explains loudly. "This is not a ..."
> Click Accept
"OK, fine. Bring me 3 other people who want to give you money too and then you can see him."
> blink
The elf blinks back stupidly at you.
> say "How am I supposed to do that?"
The elf shrugs her shoulders and says, "I can't help you with that."
> say "Where is the elevator?"
The elf says, "NE of here, through the glass doors." You hear a voice in the distance. "Right near the stairs." You hear another voice in the distance. "LF2M! Need any coder and artist, ready to go!"
Games are funny elusive creatures. I've been on the warpath looking for money for games for so long now that I'm actually getting to the point where I don't absolutely suck at it. It's been a bit like growing up, where you get knocked down and punched in the face more than a few times.
What you end up learning is those scratches and scars are part of the dance, and if you don't have them people can tell you've never done the dance before, and so they don't want to dance with you.
Those who survive long enough without quitting and going back to their day job (or just going back to their day job and not quitting) end up finding out that the only way to do it is to play a sort of solitaire waltz, where you find every way to make your dream take you to where you want to be WITHOUT anyone's help except for the few who believe in the people and put in what they can.
We got punched in the gut, but we're still standing. In fact we're growing, both as people and as a company, which is an incredible feeling.
Last night I watched the South Park Guitar Queer-O episode and almost laughed my head off when the guy started playing the guitar controller sans game and music. The idea of using an unplugged controller as a musical instrument was just way too much. After I finished I stopped to think about how these games are so incredibly addictive because they make you feel like you are actually playing the song. I think that's a level of immersion that is really missing from games. I mean let's face it, you don't really feel like you could leap from a tall building after playing Superman.
Meanwhile my evenings are being spent chasing a dragon of my own with these VC types. They're a funny bunch themselves: You have to speak in words that say "Risk Mitigation", which is kinda a very select subset of the English language with some new words like "comparables" (pronounced COMP-ah-ra-Bulls, not COM-pair-a-bulls) and "platform-play" (not what you erect in your backyard for your children) and "ROI". If you use words like "rapid adoption" and "existing revenue" you score extra points, and if you say "nothing else like it" or "first time", you lose, game over, and they walk away. A funny language indeed. It's a bit like an adventure game...
...
You are standing the office of a large Venture Capitalist. Around you are couches and a plasma screen. A small stream flows down a waterfall mounted on the wall. There is an elf receptionist with an exclamation point above her head here.
> Talk receptionist
"Alas," she says. "There is a great scrouge upon us. Many a brave soul has attempted to put forth their business plan before the Great ..."
> Click Accept
"Hey!" the elf explains loudly. "This is not a ..."
> Click Accept
"OK, fine. Bring me 3 other people who want to give you money too and then you can see him."
> blink
The elf blinks back stupidly at you.
> say "How am I supposed to do that?"
The elf shrugs her shoulders and says, "I can't help you with that."
> say "Where is the elevator?"
The elf says, "NE of here, through the glass doors." You hear a voice in the distance. "Right near the stairs." You hear another voice in the distance. "LF2M! Need any coder and artist, ready to go!"
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