american independent video game developer artist games include ridiculous fishing hundreds originally formed games classmate worked small games trained artist worked mainly visual assets released ios success let experimental approach fare time collaborated hundreds based game design later released critical acclaim named forbes games industry released following years development career studied graphic design graduated described aesthetic simple elegant said practice good character design prefers work file formats images work resolutions feels creativity skill cultivated influenced lifelong experience playing video games favorite game gate shadows writings lifestyle required indie development noted games journalists named forbes games industry met experimental video game development class took attempted help project quit drawing aliens met university final year college discovering close interests began work game named completed college money worked game founded games university decided stay iowa financial feasibility local connections team members friends iowa state lived farther away saw flash games easy entry point time self employment planned eventually work console platforms development process proposed worked ideas drop ideas found said argued aspects games found normal natural labor team divided art programming reflective skills time pair agreed assessment partnership left brain right brain saw majority joint work editing aside business aspects grateful creative freedom work appreciated benefits contract work struggled relative isolation having colleagues low salary job instability disagreed cinematic action games saw popular time hoped contribute compelling ideas young industry thought artists work experimental worked long hours making flash games found exciting worked games participated game jams april created games game flash based strategy action game players compete seize settlements upgrade capacity eventually kill dinosaur features online concept came unfinished projects member drawing team funded new flash site november games platform finished years release reported mixed reviews players later games months comparison abandoned use design documents instead chose experiment process released hail gray april players action game hail control hail wind destroy buildings objects time limit game published gray players control single character try end riot influencing individuals crowd game featured case thought idea based college art project project followed bike trail snow related romantic relationship art installation involving bike spray painted black red blue tracks painted floor concept went unused months needed idea added game mechanics visuals game player character young woman set escape post apocalyptic sci test chamber core gameplay revolves commando style hook bit era graphics style sought later canceled project hiatus october march moniker selected gamma showcase based showcase button game theme players control button apiece destroy enemy ships favorite game gamma selections later displayed game developers conference wild event announced zero november prequel teaser game trial based challenges wall jumping girl clones attempt swing jump test chambers reach ring bell shorter version limit scope overall project named flash game best year game hiatus lack resources interested making games outside flash market game sport inspired player finger draws ground screen pass level filled gates tunnels walls designed flash game set limitations mechanics game concept came session scrolling revised fits creativity paired scrolling speed began prototype saved character design felt weakest area decided develop ios addition flash release versions simultaneously released simultaneously flash ios august game receive public appreciation ios version months compared flash release gave stability branch non flash platforms riding earnings continued pay salary means try new ideas estimated discarded fairly polished prototypes development game able live year iowa years working new game somewhat income collaborations shared income successful duo following comparable indie developers like team meat felt like external pressure low instead pressure internal said worked hour weeks weekends living funds making felt game quality improved continually found idea million person audience questioned recreate success ran money borrowed money parents eventually went homeless living friends released august decided release game non free play game free base game app purchases extended content players paid content expected players difficulty finding purchase function game downloaded times august launch week briefly ranked near itunes downloads ranking break grossing chart began collaborate reached aesthetic advice game designing game compared cross tile matching blocks fall screen players turn letters words communicated entire development process message email chain served game programmer artist composer selected group indie games july released universal app iphone january hundreds finishing role artist wanted experiment game programming designing game developed hundreds idea staring ceiling imagined circle growing overlapping growing found good core game concept based game patience persistence game style inadvertently borrowed year art school composed black white red focus composition color design style simple elegant game functional inexperience programming code forced written single file finished hundreds flash game flash sites interested purchasing chose open source code partly intent spur non try version available online projects programmer found open source code ported game weekend time ios device test port purchase johnson version spurred consider hundreds work cooperative play consider hundreds collaborative ios release project intended quick level expansion quickly surpassed month estimate extended game mechanics new circles puzzles implemented ideas later removed happy final result credited game interaction qualities built level designs said basically levels new team enjoyed working hundreds players touch circles grow overlapping puzzles increase complexity flash version simpler design added circles onscreen game progressed ios version added new gameplay mode narrative element based codes released january iphone later android nominated independent games festival awards atlantic critic wrote game functioned like design object feat unique video game medium ridiculous fishing produced art ridiculous fishing person team designer alongside ios developer described games journalists indie dream team ridiculous fishing player uses motion touch controls catch fish consequently shoot sky cash game known developers battle version game released company team worked separately sporadically little progress game august road trip home united_states seattle new_york convinced team set deadline scrapped percent work moved new_york_city live work hour days final weeks parts ridiculous fishing assembled smoothly released march ios later year android received launch near universal perfect scores won apple design award apple iphone game year ign thought game levels differentiated theme art style found design absolutely gorgeous welsh eurogamer agreed art cool reflected retro minimalist indie gaming trend gameplay collaborated game player numbered tiles grid combine development began ridiculous fishing march release presented idea similar final product simplicity pair tiles prototype written single night spent half year game month development main idea early designs pair felt game needed appear complex interest players sent designs themes chess cheese soup hydrogen confused test audiences received wake fellow game designer encouraged return foray complexity final game returned original theme numbers speaking retrospect said game wanted simple noted players think math seeing game numbers game spatial relationships happens number theme returning fundamental original game concept pairing tiles developers felt experiments informed final game development decisions theme individual tile personalities extended final version tiles faces express emotions paired example tile pirate personality large tooth pirate development process called tough frustrating hard worth released ios february later ported android xbox version announced development game received video game review score aggregator metacritic described universal acclaim eurogamer awarded game perfect scores calling close gets perfect mobile game code reported dominated chart following weeks highest grossing app store later won apple design award release planned celebratory road trip game jam victoria british_columbia game fare expected day jam create core mirror reflection mechanics years sporadic work remainder game player monitors phone calls government surveillance program find public threats story told series reflection puzzles player screen reflect beam room intended destination felt theme light audio signal closely bigger aaa game like system shock eventually paired concept satirical theme following global surveillance original efforts concept story political message grew deeper wrote script conference chapter decided including option skip puzzles felt game player capacity adapt increasing difficulty called philosophy school game design released march ios review aggregator metacritic characterized reviews generally favorable july collaborating computer game based arcade game ice cold beer player uses keyboard keys navigate seed holes game development cards humanity game program planned release
Greg Wohlwend