Plan for Andy Schatz
by Andy Schatz · 10/14/2005 (12:58 pm) · 18 comments
Hello folks, and welcome to StarCave cocktail hour.
Just kidding. Sorry to toot my own horn here (small as it may be), but there's a pretty cool article on BusinessWeek Online about me, Venture Africa, Pocketwatch Games, IGC, and GG.
READ IT HERE!
Hopefully this .plan will erase the terrible memories of getting shot down in the first hour of my last .plan by Jeff Tunnell. CURSE YOU JEFF!!! If it weren't for you meddling kids...
Just kidding. Sorry to toot my own horn here (small as it may be), but there's a pretty cool article on BusinessWeek Online about me, Venture Africa, Pocketwatch Games, IGC, and GG.
READ IT HERE!
Hopefully this .plan will erase the terrible memories of getting shot down in the first hour of my last .plan by Jeff Tunnell. CURSE YOU JEFF!!! If it weren't for you meddling kids...
About the author
#2
10/14/2005 (1:18 pm)
#3
If you don't find a kick-ass full time game programmer in San Diego, I'm available up in Portland for Portland wages! ;)
10/14/2005 (1:25 pm)
Congrats Andy!If you don't find a kick-ass full time game programmer in San Diego, I'm available up in Portland for Portland wages! ;)
#4
10/14/2005 (1:30 pm)
Way to go man! I'm proud of you. When you get your new Ferarri, don't forget to stop by my house and pick me up so we can go to a Padres or Chargers game. :p
#5
10/14/2005 (2:09 pm)
The article is a bit cheery about my financial situation, but it's still neat :) The thing she didn't mention is that I've already blown through half of the 100K already, so it's a good thing that success is on the horizon.
#6
10/14/2005 (2:26 pm)
Quote:I've already blown through half of the 100K alreadyJust on rent and gas alone I bet. :p San Diego is no joke when it comes to your wallet. This city knows all the right moves to cripple your pockets and flip them inside out fast.
#7
10/14/2005 (2:59 pm)
Great going Andy! That is totally sweet!
#9
10/14/2005 (3:41 pm)
Congratulations on the success Andy.
#10
10/14/2005 (4:11 pm)
Way to go man ... I knew you had a hit on your hands!
#11
It says you are looking to make other games involving animals. Will they be "Tycoon" style as well?
-B
10/14/2005 (5:12 pm)
Yeah I enjoyed Venture Africa quite a bit. It was nice to meet you at IGC, and I am glad you are doing well! I think if I had $100k I would give it a go full time too ;)It says you are looking to make other games involving animals. Will they be "Tycoon" style as well?
-B
#12
The next title will be the sequel to this one, Venture Arctic which will be double the number of animals and have underwater as well as land-based gampley (from blue wales to arctic hares). We're also adding cooperative/competitive multiplayer.
There's also another title in the very early stages of development as well.
10/14/2005 (5:33 pm)
Well the business plan is to be the "Discovery Channel" of game, so that means animals and much much more. Real world inspired games. Just like the Discovery Channel is entertainment, not education (but you will probably learn something along the way), we're hoping to do the same thing with our games.The next title will be the sequel to this one, Venture Arctic which will be double the number of animals and have underwater as well as land-based gampley (from blue wales to arctic hares). We're also adding cooperative/competitive multiplayer.
There's also another title in the very early stages of development as well.
#13
10/14/2005 (6:42 pm)
Since there are no flowers in the arctic, will there be the Aurora Borealis instead of orange flowers when the animals "get busy"? I can't wait to see some seals being eaten by Shamoo! 
#14
10/14/2005 (7:05 pm)
Nice PR eh, Andy? I'm not too happy with GG coverage though. We put on a show, do all the work, pay to bring all of the PR people to Eugene, and it somehow became Microsoft's show.
#15
10/14/2005 (10:43 pm)
Jeff- Yeah that's no good. It seems that most of what she saw at the show was dominated by Greg Canessa, so perhaps she got the wrong impression.
#16
10/15/2005 (2:14 pm)
Andy, congrats on the PR, it's always nice to see all of your hard work be recognized and appreciated. When I first saw your game, I thought it looked interesting, I am just glad that you found a good publisher. I wish you continued success in your endeavors.
#17
... and the last bit:
Could have been better I suppose but they definitely hit on the Garage Games note a few times. I guess it's just journalists (like that guy from Teen People) conforming to what they know ... their readers know. That really struck a cord with me when the Teen People guy basically said the only games his editor would let him cover were big time games ... or basically the games that people already knew about because of the multimillion dollar budgets behind them ...
I pointed out to him that they were basically not doing a great job with their journalism since anyone who can watch a TV commercial could write about the games they were writing about and also how it stunk that they were basically just falling right in line with those huge marketing budgets. He said they wanted to write about the games their readers wanted to play ... and I said well you're writing about games that your readers think they want to play from advertising ... instead of advertising different innovative games that they'd surely have just as much fun playing just because it'd actually take some work to find them!
10/16/2005 (1:54 am)
It says:Quote:
from conference organizer and indie label GarageGames.
... and the last bit:
Quote:
Mark Frohnmayer, president of GarageGames, summed it up for conference attendees this way: "It's definitely possible for independent developers to make a living from making games," he said. "If you can quit your day job, now is the time." That's just what Andy Schatz did. And look where he is now.
Could have been better I suppose but they definitely hit on the Garage Games note a few times. I guess it's just journalists (like that guy from Teen People) conforming to what they know ... their readers know. That really struck a cord with me when the Teen People guy basically said the only games his editor would let him cover were big time games ... or basically the games that people already knew about because of the multimillion dollar budgets behind them ...
I pointed out to him that they were basically not doing a great job with their journalism since anyone who can watch a TV commercial could write about the games they were writing about and also how it stunk that they were basically just falling right in line with those huge marketing budgets. He said they wanted to write about the games their readers wanted to play ... and I said well you're writing about games that your readers think they want to play from advertising ... instead of advertising different innovative games that they'd surely have just as much fun playing just because it'd actually take some work to find them!
#18
Isn't that the whole problem with the media today? They write what people want to read, and not what they NEED to read. You need to know if your municipal budget is spiralling out of control, but Britney has finally shown her bellybutton after being pregnant! WOOOO! Let's hear all about that!
10/16/2005 (2:57 am)
Quote:He said they wanted to write about the games their readers wanted to play ... and I said well you're writing about games that your readers think they want to play from advertising ... instead of advertising different innovative games that they'd surely have just as much fun playing just because it'd actually take some work to find them!
Isn't that the whole problem with the media today? They write what people want to read, and not what they NEED to read. You need to know if your municipal budget is spiralling out of control, but Britney has finally shown her bellybutton after being pregnant! WOOOO! Let's hear all about that!
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