extremepreneur

The Shawshank Redemption and Steve Jobs

There are going to be 1000's of blog stories about Steve Jobs because there was so much to the man.  He changed the world and in my case, made my career possible.  From my first published game on the Apple II in 1980 to my current work on the iPhone.  

But personally there's something in Mr. Jobs' life that has always resonated with me so very strongly.  

Steve Jobs left Apple Computer in 1985.  In fact he was fired from Apple.  Here's what he had to say about that:

“I feel like somebody just punched me in the stomach and knocked all my wind out. I’m only 30 years old and I want to have a chance to continue creating things. I know I’ve got at least one more great computer in me. And Apple is not going to give me a chance to do that.” – Playboy, 1987

If you have ever felt wrongly judged, this has to resonate with you.  Perhaps it was a company where you thought you were doing great work and were fired unjustly.  Maybe it was a spouse who just lost faith in you.  Or maybe you were wrongly accused of something you didn't do.

In "The Shawshank Redemption" Andy Dufresne is a young and successful banker who is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife and her lover, a crime he did not do.

This is one of my favorite films.  Why?  Because in the end the good guys win.  In fact I can't think of a single film with a more satisfying conclusion than Shawshank.  

When things were especially difficult in my life, when it seemed the tables had turned against me, this quote always centered me:

"Get busy living, or get busy dying." - Andy Dufresne

That's what Steve did after he was kicked out of Apple, the company he had co-founded.  He got busy living.  First with NeXT Computer, which while not a huge business success, did change the world of computing ... the very World Wide Web you are reading this on was created by Tim Berners-Lee on a NeXT Computer in 1991.  Then he went onto Pixar where the first fully 3D rendered feature film success, A Toy Story, was created.

But nothing, not in any film or novel, compares to the "I told you so" triumph of Jobs' return to Apple in 1997.

Apple was truly on the ropes in 1997.  At the time Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Computers had this to say about Apple:

"What would I do?" Mr. Dell said to an audience of several thousand information technology managers. "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."

What happened next has been well documented.  The iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad were wild successes.  Jobs didn't just win product categories, he created entirely NEW product categories.  Was there even any sort of tablet market before the iPad?  

For me, a lifelong video game guy, the iPhone app store created the first 'meritocracy' for games ... a place where anyone could come up with the next cool app, and get rewarded for it.

So when I think of Steve, I think of how he proved everyone who wrote him off wrong.  It has motivated me during the last decade to make great things happen.

“I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.” - Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Address

Thank you Mr. Jobs

 

Go to MacWorld, Play Bocce with a Pretty Lady, Win Stuff

This FREE game will be out in a few days.  If you like "Paper Toss" or 'SKEE-BALL' ... you'll love PlayScreen BOCCE BALL.

Apple Rope-a-Dope's Adobe Flash

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope

The rope-a-dope is performed by a boxer assuming a protected stance, in Ali's classic pose, lying against the ropes, and allowing his opponent to hit him, toward the end that the opponent will tire and make mistakes which the boxer can exploit in a counter-attack.

In competitive situations other than boxing, rope-a-dope is used to describe strategies in which one party purposely puts itself in what appears to be a losing position, attempting thereby to become the eventual victor.

So today Apple announced that you'll be able to use alternative tools to create iPhone/iPad/iPod touch apps:

"... In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need."

But here's the thing, that's NOT Flash running as a plug-in in Safari.  That's an Adobe tool that converts Flash applications into Native iOS applications which are submitted into the iTunes App Store, which Adobe has shown in the past.

With all the review processes and controls etc...

And at the same time Apple clarifies its rules on approvals.  No 'junk' apps.  Apps have to use iOS controls.

Very clever.  

By Request: In Praise of Paper

NOTE: This article originally appeared in Interactivity Magazine, June 1998.  I am posting it in honor of http://www.mobilesketchbook.com ... a very useful tool for iPhone designers.

In Praise of Paper - William Volk

     Let me tell you a little secret.  The best way to build a great "high tech" interactive title is to start with paper.  I know it sounds "retro", but in designing for a visual medium paper works best.  A room filled with your creative, technical, and yes ... marketing types ... with at least one person who can draw blazingly fast ... is the best way to come up with great designs.

    It doesn't matter if it's a video game, educational title, or corporate presentation.  The ability to view what the thing is going to look like, right then and there, can make the difference between success and failure.  Rapid visualization allows you to explore the possibilities, come to consensus, and most importantly have a actual clue as to what the product is going to look like.  All the verbiage and flow diagrams in the world can't take the place of a talented artist's quick sketch at what you're talking about.

    At this recent Interactivity Roundtable, I bought this concept up for discussion.  Unfortunately it degraded into a debate on why a computer based input system can’t be as good as paper.  I suppose I could have called this article “In Praise of Ultra High Resolution Flat Panel Displays Mounted Horizontally with Pressure Sensitive Drawing Surfaces”, as this advanced technology is slowly becoming available (Disney is rumored to be using it as a replacement for traditional paper and pencil animation stands).  However for most of us the computer display and drawing technology (monitors and mouse) isn’t as immediate as paper or a white board.  I’ll concede that the “paper-less office” is a possibility, as I suppose the “paper-less bathroom” is also a possibility …. but for most of us … I doubt it.

    The main point is that rapid (within seconds) visualization of design concepts is a necessary first step in creating great designs.  I also think the nature of the initial design meeting needs to be open and inclusive.  Having representatives from all areas of product development from the “get-go” allows for a consensus on what the title will look like.  All ideas in this “creative room” need to be considered.  There will be plenty of time to whittle the design down to the practical and producible.

    Drawing can and should play a role as the design is refined.  To start with the drawing serves to center discussion on what a particular section or game will look like.  In educational software (see dCamera) there is often a question of the fit of the on-screen elements.  Text must be readable and the images should be identifiable.  Drawing is a fast and inexpensive way to look at several possibilities and to arrive at the ever important design consensus.

    I view the process of starting off with a general concept and a few sketches and finishing with a complete description of the title in a design document/database as “turning the wheel.”  You review ever smaller sections of the title in ever greater detail, refining at every turn.  Drawings eliminate much of the “how did we end up with this?” nonsense that can lead to re-work and blown budgets.  In the example (dCharge) notations are made about the use of the screen and the placement of text and numbers.

     I’m not against the use of computer based tools.  In fact I believe that the final design should be reflected in a production database.  This can be a relational database that contains the description of all production elements and their use in the product.  I think the next step will be to have this information available to the entire development team in the from of a browser accessible intra-net database.  Programmers, managers, artists, and testers should be able to access a common design “document” that details the operation of the title.

    Just as drawings representing the appearance of the title enable the visualization of the various “interactive scenes”, other styles of drawings can be used to convey operation of a title.  Flow diagrams can be used to link the earlier sketches into a diagram of how a user will navigate the title (see dPKMain).  Action can be represented in a series of drawings, otherwise known as a storyboard.  

    One justification for this visual emphasis is the mere fact that part of the audience for a design document are “visual learners.”   It may be a generalization to say that the programmers tend to be more comfortable with written descriptions than your art staff, but it’s not far off the mark.  I learned this by trial and error.  At Lightspan we started with a very detailed text document that described our titles in detail.  What we found was that we needed the text description … and we also needed visualization.

    Having reams of written description of the title and it’s production elements was not sufficient to insure production of a design in a timely and accurate manner.  The visualizations of the scenes and of the flow of action provided the “forest” that helped to provide a context to the “trees” of the individual production elements.  You can see how the final game screens (Charge and Camera) reflect the design intent. 

    This may all sound obvious, but it easy to get caught up in the world of “high technology” and forget just how natural the processes of drawing on paper and design can work together.  Find some who can quickly come up with rough visualizations (the best do it in mere seconds) and your design meetings will have a focus that mere words cannot provide.  

The Ultimate Puzzle Game: Match 3D Flick Puzzle Preview

"This is an INCREDIBLE game!"  - Lord Gek

"If Spock played games, he would play this!" - Mobile Game FAQS

MATCH 3D FLICK PUZZLE has 512 cubes of the hottest puzzle playing goodness to mess with your brain.

This game is more than an awesome matching game, its EIGHT different modes and UNLIMITED LEVELS will satisfy your puzzle playing mania.

You control a 3D supercube consisting of 512 smaller cubes.  Easy-to-use controls allow you to access the individual planes and faces of the cube.  Flick the cube to move it.  Pinch to zoom in or out.  Shake your iPhone or iPod touch to spin it. Lock it to a full screen view with just a single tap on the magnifying glass.  

In Match 3D Flick Puzzle matches of three or more of the same patterned cubes can occur in three dimensions as well.  Special cubes enhance play with wild-card instant-matches, cube-blasting explosions, locked blocks and clear blocks.

If you get stuck, DON'T PANIC!  You can earn bonuses that provide special moves enabling you to advance to expert levels; destroy a block, change a block, highlight all matches, swap blocks, change any block to a random normal block, randomly change the location of every block in the game, even destroy all blocks of a single type.

Match 3D Flick Puzzle offers many addictive play options -- from casual to intense.  

• Classic: Blocks removed are replaced with new blocks. You progress from level to level by scoring a specific number of matches.

• Survival: Blocks removed are not replaced. You progress from level by level by removing ALL possible matches on the board.
  

• Un-Timed vs Timed:  Create a casual game experience or an incredibly intense one that tests your speed.  It's your choice.

• Locked vs Unlocked blocks:  A challenge for the true pro puzzle player - locked blocks appear at higher levels and cannot be moved.
  

Survival-Timed may just be the most challenging game you have ever played, just getting to the 2nd level will drive you crazy.  

So ... if you've Beaten Bejeweled, Bested Bloons, Survived StoneLoops, Solved Sudoku and are looking for the ultimate puzzle game challenge, you just found it.

Match 3D Flick Puzzle saves multiple games in progress automatically, records your high score and features three different music selections.  It even will allow you to play music from your iPod instead of the game's music.

Video Preview:

Huffington Post: Farting Permitted, Politics Prohibited? Does Apple Have a Problem with Political Games?

The Huffington Post covers the issue of Apple blocking and/or delaying apps with political satire.

Farting Permitted, Politics Prohibited? Does Apple Have a Problem with Political Games?

Twitter Saved My Life

Well, not exactly ... but for three days solid I used TweetDeck and replied to EVERY message I saw about the Bailout and keep pounding away that Bailout Bonanza (our iPhone game) was delayed, perhaps due to concerns about it's satirical nature. That message was then re-twitted by major bloggers to 10's of 1000's of followers

Well, it just went LIVE in the store. It had been delayed for well over a month.

You can see it on the iPhone App Store.

Sales were generated last night even though you have to type in the name or use my provided link to buy the title. It isn't in the "what's new" in the game categories yet.

Look, what I basically did was to create a wave of public discussion on the approval delay. Our contacts had told us that the title might be looked at next week. This Twit Blitz may have done the trick, I have NO WAY of knowing if it did the trick.

I also resorted to on-camera begging last weekend:

http://www.theappshow.com/2009-03-22-the-app-show-episode-21-no-parking/

Beat the Bailout on your iPhone or Google Android Phone

AN UPDATE:

IT SHIPPED! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SENT MESSAGES AND MADE CALLS

Buy it at the iPhone App Store

We've decided to increase our contribution to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties to 25% of sales (retail price).

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PlayScreen Battles the “Bailout Bonanza” with a New iPhone Game

Angered by the million dollar bonuses, corporate jets, fancy junkets and other executive perks

funded by the Bank Bailout?  Wish you could stop this “Bailout Bonanza?” A new iPhone game 

will give you the opportunity to do just that, and in the process, provide a REAL helping

hand for people in need.

PlayScreen has created “Bailout Bonanza,” a fast, fun and furious arcade-action game where 

you try to catch bundles of cash being thrown by a greedy executive.  Taking advantage 

of the iPhone’s cool control features, “Bailout Bonanza” gives you the option to play by swiping your 

finger across the screen or by tilting the phone.  Watch out for the occasional shoe toss!  If you 

miss a moneybag or get hit by a shoe you lose one of your baskets and make the greedy 

exec very happy.

PlayScreen is pledging to donate 25% (yes, we have changed this from 5%) of each sale to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

With “Bailout Bonanza” you can channel your frustration over Bailout abuse into helping the people hit hardest by this economic crises.

Now available for the Google Android G1 phone!



Contact Information:

William Volk
[email protected]
(858) 692 1124

Bailout Bonanza, a new iPhone game that takes on the abuses of the bailout

AN UPDATE:

IT SHIPPED! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO SENT MESSAGES AND MADE CALLS

Buy it at the iPhone App Store

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Motivated by anger over the abuses of the Bailout, PlayScreen is launching a iPhone game called "Bailout Bonanza."

Here is a video trailer for the game:

(There's a high quality viewing option on the lower right of the video).

"Bailout Bonanza" is a classic arcade game where you try to stop the abuses of executives using the Federal Bailout of Banks for their own personal benefit.

Featuring a choice of a Swipe or Tilt interface, "Bailout Bonanza" recreates a classic arcade experience with a theme as timely as today's headlines.

The game will be available on iTunes for a price of 99 cents.

PlayScreen is pledging to donate 5% of each sale to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties. With “Bailout Bonanza” you can channel your frustration over Bailout abuse into helping the people hit hardest by this economic crises.

Bigfoot Sighted! On an iPhone.

Just released on iTunes!

The rare and elusive creature known as Bigfoot has been spotted on an iPhone.

In this new strategy game you have to capture Bigfoot before he can escape:

This game features auto save, manual save, and 11 levels that will frustrate you to no end.  Bigfoot likes to laugh when he gets away.  You'll learn to hate that laugh.

Here is a video preview:

I expect this will appear on the App Store sometime next week.