Spiderweb Software - The Saga of Older Developers

Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software talks about getting older, and the effects it had on his game development. He even mentions he will make more iPad games now.

I haven't done much blogging for a long time. Part of it is that I don't feel I have much advice to give. The business has changed an awful lot in a last few years, and I'm still mired in the old ways. I'll let the elder statesman mantle pass to those who actually know things about our amazing modern cyberworld.

But there is another reason I haven't been writing. I have been suffering from a massive period of exhaustion, triggered by an ugly combination of age and medication. That, perhaps, is something I can write about usefully.

For a variety of reasons, game industry workers tend to be young. Little gets said about the grim business of growing old in this industry.

(Younger people have now tuned me out. Don't worry. It's fine. You will live forever.)

This is a tale about my age and health, how they helped me make the biggest screw-up in my career, and how I am trying to climb out of the hole.

Seems no one reads the forum boards anymore.

I at least found it to be a good read.

Thanks for pointing the article out, Couch.
Unfortunately, I can completely sympathise with Jeff in this article. I'm of a similar age and similar field (software dev) and suffered some health set-backs in the last couple of years that total fucked with my ability to compete. Sometimes I wonder if I ever will be at the level I want to be, again.

A good read Couch. Thanks again!

I do commiserate with Jeff.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software talks about getting older, and the effects it had on his game development. He even mentions he will make more iPad games now.

Not sure a RPG has been made about aging?
The problems and troubles of every day life…

Losing friends and family.
Going to the doctor.
Getting your meds..
Getting lost in the home town you grew up in.

Thanks for the laugh CelticFrost but the article is not about a game. Its about how Jeff made a big mistake in judgement a few months back , and now regrets it.

He is also a an RPG developer hence I put the topic in the RPG forum. I actually sympathize with him as he speaks the truth about getting older as an developer.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Thanks for the laugh CelticFrost but the article is not about a game. Its about how Jeff made a big mistake in judgement a few months back , and now regrets it.

He is also a an RPG developer hence I put the topic in the RPG forum. I actually sympathize with him as he speaks the truth about getting older as an developer.

It wasn't really meant for a laugh. I would be interested in that sort of game if done in a respectful way.

I will be hitting 50 very soon and started watching Halt and catch fire yesterday. I drive a lot for my work which gives me a lot of time to think about things. I am getting older. When a show like that can make me call my parents and ask them how I was about computers back in 83-84.

It could be a very interesting game, the population is aging and I am sure there is a ton of people like me that would find an RPG game base on those lines interesting.

Well I have played a few RPGMaker games that had some of what you listed. Still it might not be a bad RPG to a make just to try something different nowadays I guess.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
I played a few RPGMkaer games that had some of what you listed. Still it might not be a bad RPG to a make just to try something different nowadays I guess.

Chapter one the 80's
Chapter two the 90's
Chapter there 2000's

There are a ton of us there that must be getting sick of the same old thing that never lives up to what people promise. Going dam in 198X they did that but so much better, though if it had great graphics it would bring really to life. now we have the graphics just lack of any sort of real direction or passion in a lot of case.
It also could be because it has all be done before over and over and over again.

Something different like that in a true RPG could be very interesting if the right team did it.

A good read, and a lot of what he said rang true for me. I'm not quite as old as he is, but my body is starting to send me those signals of, "You're not 20 anymore!"

Also, I've always known that game developers tend to be pretty young, but hadn't realized that things dropped off so much with folks in their 40s.

Originally Posted by CelticFrost
Not sure a RPG has been made about aging?
The problems and troubles of every day life…

Losing friends and family.
Going to the doctor.
Getting your meds..
Getting lost in the home town you grew up in.

Not quite an RPG as such (but it definitely had some RPG elements) the closest game I can think of to what you're describing is probably "Alter Ego"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alter_…986_video_game)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YD8xfjqJy8

Whilst I never had an original of it for C64, I have played it and can attest that it's basically a "This is your alternative life from start to finish" type of game, replete with choices, consequences and life-changing stats. It's both fascinating and a truly novel design, coming in both male and female versions.