GoblinBob has 6 chronicles

1. Who is GoblinBob?
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Jan 27 2008

   Let me start by introducing myself: my name is Brian Colin and I’ve been designing and developing video games for the Coin-Operated Arcade, Coin-Operated Gaming and Home Console markets for over 25 years. I work for GAME REFUGE INC, a small, independent Illinois game development company that I run together with my friend & business partner, Jeff Nauman.
   
   The first question everyone asks is “…Have you ever done anything I might have heard of?” , so lets start there. The following list represents just some of the over 40 games I’ve designed/developed over the years:
   
   ARCH RIVALS Dedicated Arcade Game
   PIGSKIN 621 AD Dedicated Arcade Game
   RAMPAGE WORLD TOUR Dedicated Arcade Game
   STAR TREK VOYAGER Dedicated Arcade Game
   XENOPHOBE Dedicated Arcade Game
   ZWACKERY Dedicated Arcade Game
   SARGE Dedicated Arcade Game
   POWER DRIVE Dedicated Arcade Game
   RAMPAGE Dedicated Arcade Game
   DEMOLITION DERBY Dedicated Arcade Game
   GENERAL CHAOS Sega Genesis Console Game
   PUCK SHOT Touchscreen Countertop Game
   TENNIS ACE Touchscreen Countertop Game
   AIR SHOT Touchscreen Countertop Game
   GOOOOAL Touchscreen Countertop Game
   THE MUNSTERS Coin-Op Gaming Device
   MONEY STORM Coin-Op Gaming Device
   DEEP POCKETS Coin-Op Gaming Device
   TAILGATE PARTY Coin-Op Gaming Device
   THE HONEYMOONERS Coin-Op Gaming Device
   MATCH GAME Coin-Op Gaming Device
   MONOPOLY OWN IT ALL Coin-Op Gaming Device
   MONOPOLY GRAND HOTEL Coin-Op Gaming Device
   RESCUE RIDERS Custom PC Game
   KOMATSU CHALLENGE Custom PC Game
   DELIVERANCE Custom PC Game
   ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN Independent PC Game
   
   (OK, it feels a little weird talking about myself like this, almost like I’m applying for a job. But I suppose that if a BLOG is really a Biographical Log, I should probably get used to it.)
   
   ----new thought----
   
   Now looking at the list above, you may be wondering why I call the most recent game an Independent PC Game.
   
   Well, guess technically I've been an “independent developer” since '92, when my pal, Jeff Nauman and I left Bally Midway to form our own company, Game Refuge. But in a lot of respects, very little changed about the way we created games. Sure, by definition we were independent developers; but the truth is: getting paid to create a game for a client doesn't feel that much different than creating a game for an employer. (They pay the bills; you make the games.) We've always been lucky enough to have a tremendous amount of creative freedom, and we've always enjoyed whatever challenges were integral to a particular project, so in many respects, making games for EA or 3DO or Midway or IGT or whoever, has always felt pretty much the same. ( i.e., hard work that's satisfying, rewarding & fun)
   
   But everything changed a couple of years ago, when I asked a couple of the guys with a little time on their hands to do a mock-up of a game-play mechanic we'd come up with several years earlier: "the non-linear race". (The design aspects of this mechanic have an interesting history, but that's another BLOG) Using the Torque engine, we had a simple version up and running in a week or so, and from the first moment we saw it in action, we were hooked.
   
   We're a small company; we had our hands full with a number of other (paying) projects at the time, but we knew that this was something we had to finish. So we threw out our tried & true business model of getting paid in advance for projects, and decided to push ahead with our addictive little experiment without a publisher. Virtually every spare moment of the next 14 months was devoted to developing the game. Night after night the laptop came out after dinner and I don't move till my wife drags me to bed at two am. Week after week we squeezed extra hours into the day just to work on it. Not surprisingly, some of us were even hospitalized for stress-related illnesses during its creation.
   
   In hindsight, developing a game without the safety net of a client has been the most grueling, frustrating, aggravating and exhausting development experience of my life... and yet somehow, it was still easily the most enjoyable game development experience I’ve ever had!
   
   And in just a few days from now, the game, ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN, will be released to retailers all over the country…thanks to the great folks at Got Game Entertainment who see the potential in this unusual and addictive LAN party game.*
   
   Check it out. Not only is it a lot of fun, it has some unique gameplay wrinkles & surprising multiplayer dynamics in it; …certainly not what you might expect to find in a Typical FPS-Racing-Strategy-Poker game.
   
   We've had a ball making this game, and we hope you enjoy playing it.
   
   * (…and please pardon this shameless plug. My only excuse is that I’m really, really proud of this one and looking forward to seeing it at my local Wal-Mart’s shelves!)
   
   -------another new thought--------
   
   I’m more than happy to answer game design & game development questions; …its what I do, and I’m always delighted to have an opportunity to ramble on if I think I have something to offer on a subject.
   So feel free to drop me a line anytime.
   
   I encourage you to visit www.gamerfuge.com and www.arcticstud.com to learn more about what I’ve done over the years and what I’m doing now. Also, you may want to check out the GoblinBob Channel and the GameRefuge Channel on YouTube for some unusual insights into my rather unique line of work.
   
   Oh yeah, I almost forgot...
   "Who is GoblinBob?"
   
   GoblinBob is a character in one of my games. That’s all for now.

   
   

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GoblinBob has 3 comment s on this chronicle.

1. GoblinBob
   Posted On Jan 05 2009

   Thanks, Yart.
   I appreciate the sentiment.

2. Yart
   Posted On Jan 01 2009

   Dude... Rampage and Xenophobe? Seriously?
   
   ...Those games are some of the best ever... I love you.

3. BEN
   Posted On Jan 28 2008

   With all the Coin-Op Games you've developed, I bet you get paid in quarters, haha jk.
   
   Thanks for a great start on your Chronicles here. After such an in depth Chapter 1, I'll be looking forward to Chapter 2!
   
   Also, I think the fact that you're open to chat with younger people, who are looking to get into the business, is a cool opportunity for sure. I know when I was thinking about moving into game development, it would have been great to have a mentor type person to bounce my ideas and questions off of.
   
   Finally, I know you're a busy guy, but thanks again for jumping into The GoG and loving it like we do! You'll have to spread the word in your community, as I'm sure you have tons of video gamer contact that would also enjoy being here...