Thank you for Rampage! It is by far one of my favorite games of all time.

You're very welcome!

Whenever I went past an arcade and they had Rampage...ohhh the world stopped turning.

All of your "Thanks" are VERY much appreciated. I had a lot of fun making RAMPAGE, and even more fun re-making it as RAMPAGE WORLD TOUR, but it's always wonderful to hear from players who remember it with a smile, (like I do).

Oh man I had to have spent over a hundred hours playing General Chaos with my brother and I uh, don't have any questions I just wanted to thank you for an awesome part of my childhood.

It's always great to hear that and a little humbling!

Any chance of a modernized Rampage game? It's been far too long since a Rampage game has been released.

I was an Employee of Bally Midway when I conceived RAMPAGE and as such, don't have the rights. It's out of my hands unless WB taps me on the shoulder... (hint)

Why not make a rampage flavored game with new characters?

For me, the fun of Game Design is bringing new things to the table...

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I did RAMPAGE as an employee, and 10 years later did RAMPAGE WORLD TOUR as Game Refuge. When we were asked to do another one, we presented Midway with a very cool, completely redesigned , 3D re-invention of the Game, but Midway told us that they would rather that we simply keep doing the same game over and over. Where's the fun in that?

So we politely said, "Thanks, but no Thanks."

You haven't played any of the newer versions of Rampage?

Nope. But to be fair, I still have the original Arcade games in my Office. Besides, when you make games for a living, you don't spend as much time playing games as people think.

What is your favorite game you have designed so far?

Depends on how you mean it... I'm proudest of RAMPAGE, I love playing PIGSKIN head-to-head as an Arcade game here in the office, but for group fun... gotta be ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN as a Cash based LAN contest.

Awesome!

Are there any games you created that you were disappointed with after they were released?

The definitive answer here is ZWACKERY, a fun sword and sorcery exploration game that tested very well. But at the last minute, the management decided to try to justify the cost of a new, very expensive, hardware they were developing by having ZWACKERY use it; even though it was not developed for its capabilities. The high cost of the final game earned it the distinction of being the lowest selling game in history, only about 175 Cabinets were sold. Bummer.

Hey, at least it was a record breaker on way or the other :D

:)

What games do you play now these days?

Kind of embarrassing, but when you spend all day every day making games, you tend to shy away from doing it in your spare time. I love watching my kids play UNCHARTED and DEAD SPACE 2 from a reclining position on a nearby couch, however.

As a big fan of the retro age of video games, and as someone who is aspiring to make games in the future, what advice would you give me in this current market?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5EohoNt96s&list=FLypDgTtu16YUz4n1LYgW_yQ

This link has great advice, some of it from me, and even though the Documentary is a bit dated, the advice is still the same.

Rampage, General Chaos, Xenophobe and the such have a very similar, striking art style. Was this a symptom of the limitations, or truly how you intended these games to look?

Yes and Yes! My cartoon style is my cartoon style, and I can't help what that looks like. But, I took great pride in the fact that I was able to deliver a great deal of expression in my characters faces despite my extreme limitations of 16 available colors.

I don't have a question, I just want to say thank you.

I grew up in a household where my mother had a strict rule that I could only play video games on the weekends and on school breaks. I remember spending HOURS playing Rampage World Tour on my N64, and having long marathon sessions with my friends.

I just turned 21 this year and today a Barcade (Bar+Arcade) called 16-Bit Bar just opened up here in Columbus. I'm headed down there in about an hour for the grand opening, and I just got super excited because one of the games they have is the original Rampage.

So thank you for the loads of drunken fun I'm about to have, the hours of child like wonder I had when I was in school, and the life long passion for video games you helped create!

Wow. You are thrice welcome. Have a Great Night!

I love Rampage. Playing World Tour when I was young taught me a good bit of geography. Question: which monster is your favorite? Ralph's my boy.

I'd like to say George, because it was my photograph as a human, but since the human photograph for Lizzie was Rae, my wife, I think I better say that.

What are you thoughts on emulators such as Mame, which enable people to play old arcade games which are otherwise nearly impossible to find?

It's great, as far as it goes... Unfortunately, Arcade Games were often designed to NOT use controls that were easily duplicated by home systems, so games like DISCS OF TRON or ZWACKERY which used a spinning, spring-loaded knob and an 8-way Gorf Handle with a Trigger and Thumb button, have no hope of being played or evaluated properly.

Since it seems most of your catalog is in the arcade business. How difficult was it for you when Arcades fell to the wayside?

Actually, fewer than half of my games are Arcade Games. But really, we've been pretty lucky... manufacturers/publishers still tap us on the shoulder and we turn our attention to whatever is at hand... That's part of the Creative Challenge that keeps things interesting for me as a designer.

I love Rampage, it truly brought me closer to my family. Nothing quite like a cooperative romp through a city. Do you game with your family? If so, which games do/did you enjoy the most?

My time with my family is spent mostly in the real world, camping, swimming, hiking laying around the back yard. We had an arcade in the basement, but I kicked the kids outside as often as possible. Actually, one of the single biggest Game Titles that we all played "as a Family" was HALF LIFE, oddly enough.

Growing up my mom and I played rampage a lot. I wanted to thank you for helping create memories.

That's great to hear. I think of entertaining games as social, family experiences, and its nice to hear that others do too...

Socks on or socks off?

Socks off baby!!!

Thank you for General Chaos! My brother and I broke at least 3 controllers playing that game! I can't believe there is going to be a remake.

The "controller" in the new Touchscreen version will be your finger; lets hope you don't break any of those!

I love Rampage. But I've always wondered: why include a giant werewolf?

I mean, I get the big ape (King Kong) and the big lizard (Godzilla). But why a werewolf, which isn't typically associated with towering size, rather than one of the more archetypical giant monsters (such as robot, insect, blob, etc.)?

Efficiency, for one thing... I wanted to re-use George's Body animation sprites, so he had to be furry, and the Players had to be able to tell at a glance who was who, so a Grey Wolf with Pointy Ears seemed ideal. Jeff liked the onomatopoeia of the name RALPH, which sounded like a canine growl... and the rest is history.

Grew up playing with my friends in General Chaos. Used to love the Grenade (I think) guy because he looked like Chuck Norris. Thanks for the entertainment. My question is about the sequel. Will bazooka man still be op?

All of the original Grunts will be included, (i.e., the CHUCKER, the LAUNCHER, the BLASTER, the SCORCHER and the GUNNER), and quite a few new ones as well.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=534631369943787&set=a.508148392592085.1073741828.508123149261276&type=1&theater

Oh God, General Chaos and Rampage where two of my childhood favorites. After checking Wikipedia I see you worked on Arch Rivals as well, another one of my all-time favorites.

God bless you for your creativity and originality. I look forward to contributing to General Chaos II.

...Thanks for the kind words, Niles! We're really pumped about the GCII remake; can't wait to make it a reality.

Hi

Do you do the game programming? Which langauge/s do you use?

What is your computer setup/equipment?

Thanks!

I do not do game programming, my background is art and animation. But our setup in the studio now is mostly Windows PCs and we currently use the Unity Game Engine and the C# language to program our games. In the past we have used the Torque engine to make games such as ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN and THE KOMATSU CHALLENGE, and every Arcade game had its own proprietary hardware to adapt to...

What is the funniest or weirdest thing that's ever happened in the studio?

Most of our fun stuff happens outside the office on a sunny day, "you can do that when you work at a game company". But the best was when we were at paramount studios one time, sneaking around the back lot while working on STAR TREK VOYAGER when we were accosted by a cigar-chomping Levar Burton, who demanded to know what we were doing on his closed set. I was speechless and terrified, but the animator with me was a huge trekkie and immediately started spouting his favorite STV episodes... all of which were directed by, you guessed it, Lavar Burton. Problem solved.

Rampage was the first game I received for the nes! What are you currently working on?

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1lf443/hi_im_brian_colin_designer_of_such_classic_video/cbyls3c

Rampage was one of my favorite games as a kid! I've always wondered two things about the original. First, what was the inspiration for Ralph? I know where the idea of Lizzie and George came from but Ralph doesn't seem to be inspired by anything. Also, how did you all decide on the three names of the monsters? Thanks, I'm a huge fan of the series!

I wanted to re-use George's Body animation sprites, so he had to be furry, and the Player's had to be able to tell at a glance who was who, so a Grey Wolf with Pointy Ears seemed ideal. Jeff liked the onomatopoeia of the name RALPH, which sounded like a canine growl... and the rest is history.

"George" looked like a George (Of Mice and Men), and Lizzy was a nice, gender appropriate pun.

I don't have a question to ask you, I just wanted to thank you for General Chaos. Always in my top ten for genesis games.

You're welcome. Would you have any interest in seeing it remade for the PC &/or TouchPads?

If you look at plants vs. zombies, you know that kids to adults will eat up simple, cartoonish strategy games. Could you comment on the control in General Chaos? I loved the game, and maybe it was because I was 12, but I always felt limited by the control or the genesis joypad. Finally, was there any reason your games were mostly on Genesis? You may have been the reason I bought that console. That, altered beast, and golden axe.

Oh, you also made me popular because I had pigskin and other kids didn't!

I created the Arcade versions; which were then ported to the Genesis, (and others)

You're not alone, the time it took to use the DPad to move the Cursor to the desired spot cost a lot of soldiers their lives! Which is why we're hoping to remake the game with Touchscreen capabilities in the very near future. Look for information about our upcoming GENERAL CHAOS II Kickstarter on our Facebook page... https://www.facebook.com/GeneralChaosfanpage?ref=hl

If you had to explain who you were to a stranger, but you couldn't use words, you could only play one song for them, what song would you choose?

Heart of Saturday Night by Tom Waits... ... the innate optimism trumps the melancholy...

My buddy last night pointed a picture of General Chaos on his phone and asked me "Do you remember that game, it was rad". I sadly don't. But good timing.

Synchronicity.

How did you come up with the idea for General Chaos? Was it always intended to be a Genesis title or was it something you'd wanted to make for a while?

Loved that game on my old Mega Drive growing up. Me and my dad used to play it for hours! :D

Looking backwards from General Chaos at my previous arcade work, the progression of squad based gameplay (controlling multiple characters) is pretty clear… our last arcade game for Midway, Pigskin 621, allowed players to control a six-man team of sword-wielding rugby enthusiasts. It’s predecessor, Arch Rivals was the first game to let players use real basketball strategies because they were controlling a two-man basketball team instead of a single character, and even Sarge let players pretend to be a one-man army by jumping back and forth between a tank and a helicopter. One of the first games I got excited about after getting into the industry was a game called ANT RAID, in which two players controlled entire angry hives of marauding ants fighting over food.

In the end, General Chaos was just a natural extension of the little kid with army men in the sandbox saying “you go here, you go over there, and you... you guard this dump truck with your LIFE!”

Wait a minute...my fantasy world where General Chaos gets remade is actually happening? I'm assuming that this is happening on touch devices, since it makes the most sense. What kind of business model, platforms, or other details are there for this game? I'm generally indifferent to EA (who I'm assuming holds the rights to the game), but their business models with touch games as of late would be to the detriment of a proper General Chaos.

Rest assured, We're doing it our way. We have the rights and EA's blessing. Look for our KICKSTARTER launch on Monday the 9th of September!

Wow thank you for creating most of my favorite childhood games I am so excited for a remake of general chaos me and my friends still play it occasionally. My question is what is your favorite game you have created and why?

Depends on how you mean it... I'm proudest of RAMPAGE, I love playing PIGSKIN head-to-head as an Arcade game here in the office, but for group fun... gotta be ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN as a Cash based LAN contest.

But actually, the game that has been the most FUN for me personally was an Advergame that I created for the CON EXPO tradeshows from 2005 through 2011, THE KOMATSU CHALLENGE. It was a Racing Game on a 100 foot wide six player stage set that thousands of people would play while I watched from the wings. VERY gratifying.

http://www.gamerefuge.com/upyourexposure.html

I was always impressed with Xenophobe -- one of the most original approaches to video game collaborations ever. I passed on a chance to buy a cabinet a few years ago (had no space) and I do regret it.

I've played a lot of your other games too but that one is the most memorable.

Thanks! That pedestal cabinet was definitely one of a kind, wasn't it? I think engineer John Kubick was the guy who dreamed that one up

I Loved General Chaos, Rampage, and Xenophobe. I must say, I was not happy with the way Kansas City was depicted in Rampage- Cows and Silos? Really? My kids still play rampage on Wii.

Forgive me, but the game is meant to depict the soul of the place as perceived by the rest of the world, not as it is. Games ain't reality. Cows and Silos are Fun.

In your opinion, what has been the most significant change(s) to triple AAA game development since the old console days?

Thats easy. Hundreds of People & Millions of dollars per title.

How would you bring Rampage into the modern era if you were able to? Would it be an HD remake? Would it be a 3D world? Would you give a sharp cel-shading and keep the same addictive formula?

This is just a quick thank you and personal story in hopes that you read it. I was once at this woman's house who was a friend of my mom's. She was having some get-together or something, I don't really remember. But I know that it was there that I met one of my best friends of 15 years, and we met playing Rampage. I'm probably one story of many, but I just want to thank you. Not for just making a game, but for building the foundation of what can only be many friendships. Without your indirect intervention in my life, I would have one less friend and be a very different person. Thank you so much for making games and making my life that much better.

Wow. Thank you for sharing that with me. You have no idea how great it feels to hear a story like that.

If it were up to me, MY next remake of RAMPAGE would definitely be: same formula, but a dramatically different 3D adaptation... (I floated a proposal of this sort past Midway after RWT, but they didn't want to stray from the same old - same old. So we took a pass on future sequels.)

Brian, I was obsessed with Rampage as a kid. I got the game genie one Christmas and a friend and I spent a day or whatever to beat the game. If I remember correctly all it says when you beat the game is "congratulations" and then it starts all over again. I remember that moment as one of the biggest letdowns of my life! WTF??

Sorry Raaa...andy,

But you have to realize that those early ports were simply quickly knocked-off copies of the Arcade Game.... and folks tend to forget that in the Arcade, a multiplayer game meant that people could join the action at any given moment, so even if someone was already playing for hours, a total stranger could "buy in" and pick up the game at level 10, or level 150!

So it didn't make any sense to "End" the game, since at any given moment people may have just started playing... Hence no Cinematic ending or Finale on any of my early games... since they were not designed to be played anywhere but the arcade.

Once I realized that having an Hit in the Arcade meant that it would end up as a home game too, I started putting in a Huge reward sequence for completing the game.

The ending on RAMPAGE WORLD TOUR was infamous, even banned on some systems for being too Risque....

When I was 13 I worked a summer job in the corn fields. I spent all the money I made on Xenophobe. I just wanted to tell you that it was absolutely worth it.

Thanks! It's funny... RAMPAGE broke all previous arcade earnings records, but then XENOPHOBE earned even more! In the long run, however, RAMPAGE had more staying power...

Rampage was one of the few games I ever remember playing with my mom, great times. Loved Xenophobe as well. You're directly responsible for me parting with so many quarters.

Question: I quit my job and became a mobile game designer this past year. Are you as excited as I am about the resurgence of classic 2D games for mobile platforms?

Hard to say, since I can only Guess what your level of excitement is... But I think the transparency and democracy of independents developing for Mobile Platforms will be bringing a much needed shot of passion and creativity into the industry! The direct access to the player means that the game, not the marketing buzzword(s), will determine it's success.

What are you working on next?

Currently beta testing an ambitious "Flirtual Reality" Facebook Game for TrulySocial and an iOS Mobile game that I can't really mention yet. In our spare time we're working on something that we're very excited about, a sequel to the cult classic Genesis game GENERAL CHAOS, GC2: SONS OF CHAOS. We're currently putting the Kickstarter together for it now, for launch on September 9!

Do you still play any of the games you designed? I know I do :D

Nice to hear, thanks. I play all of the Arcades I still own, and spend hours on long winter's evenings playing the Touch Screen Countertop games in my basement Barcade (TouchTunes Playportt & Merit Megatouch) with a cold beer in one hand.

How did you go about designing the monsters from RAMPAGE?

I started with the faces, figuring that the humor was only possible if I could get the expressions right.

The animations started with the fist, my fist, which would show up in ARCH RIVALS and PIGSKIN in later years.

What is your favorite sandwich to eat and what sandwich would you be for the rest of your life?

To eat...? Portillo's Beef and Sausage Combo, dipped; no question. (Chicagoans know what I'm talking about...)

To be...? I guess that would have to be a Hero Sandwich. (I'm a legend in my own mind)

Xenophobe - I liked this game as a kid, but was it even beatable??

It had a finite number of Levels, Yes, but the last couple were pretty near impossible to complete. And, NO, there was no ultimate reward screen or Final resolution.

Is that your family in that picture?

It's actually my work family.

I'm a big fan of the original rampage. If I can ever find a machine locally, I'd buy it in a second and put it in my game room.

What early 80's arcade game (that you didn't have a part in) is your favorite?

Battlezone

[deleted]

Space Goblins & Bobblehead Baseball for the Touch Tunes Playportt, and Puck Shot and Air Shot for the Merit Megatouch were all fun to make for very different reasons. The manufacturers came to us, so I can't offer advice on "how to" get a contract.

What infuriates you the most when designing? Rigging? Modeling?

Everything having to do with game creation is ultimately satisfying, regardless of the myriad problems, snafus and general insanity that pervades every aspect of the process.

"Infuriating" is a word I reserve for the business side of things.

What would you say is the most career defining game you've released?

And do you have any wisdom to pass down to aspiring indie dev's like me?

In terms of "career-defining" manufacturers & publishers are mostly interested in record breaking earnings or sales numbers. So in that sense, it would have to be RAMPAGE.

But on a personal, professional level, it would have to be GENERAL CHAOS, because the story of Game Refuge and the story of how General Chaos came to be are really one and the same. An EA producer contacted me out of the blue one day and asked if I’d consider coming to work for them. The thought of doing games for EA was very appealing, but I wasn’t really interested in relocating to California. I was working out of my home two-three days a week at that time, and I was pretty happy with the flexibility in my current situation. After several weeks of exchanging employment options & possibilities, they made me a very attractive offer: IF I started my own company, they would do whatever game I wanted to do, sight unseen!

As great as that sounds, it was still quite a big risk. since I couldn’t sign any papers, discuss any terms or even talk about what the first game might be until after I left Williams-Bally/Midway.

It took me a while to convince my friend and fellow designer Jeff to come on board, but eventually we took a “leap of faith” and quit our jobs, traveled across the country and pitched our game to a roomful of total strangers.

Fortunately, they loved the game, (or at least pretended to), and except for a brief moment when someone asked if we’d consider making it a gang war, (we wouldn’t), the meeting was a smooth and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Game Refuge & General Chaos were born.

How did you come up with the idea for Rampage? How big was the team that worked on it back then?

I was discussing the limitations of the current hardware with co-workers Sharon Perry (nee Barr), Jim Belt, Jeff Nauman and Mikey Bartlow, when it occurred to me that the annoying rectangular constraints were ideally suited for only one thing: a building collapsing upon itself. It was only a small step from there to giant monsters smashing buildings, which was enough of a hook to convince us to start drafting a game proposal. Middle management, however, was less than receptive to something that was so far outside the norm, and the unusual idea seemed slated for oblivion. So I went directly to the office of the new President of Bally/Midway, Maury Ferchen who, needless to say, loved the unique concept. The game went on to break all previous earnings records. Here is a shot of the Original Team. (That's me in the towel).

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=574665349218120&set=a.119627874721872.15301.119622791389047&type=1&theater

If you weren't a game developer what would you have become?

Short Order cook was always a favorite gig. I won international awards as an animated filmmaker, so maybe I'd have ended up there.

were you on the team that made rampage total destruction?

I would like to know this too, it wasn't exactly the best rampage remake everybody hoped for...

Nope. I did the original, and 10 years later, we did Rampage World Tour, but we decided to pass on subsequent sequels since Midway was unwilling to let us take it where we wanted to go...

I d not, in general, enjoy sports games but I loved Pigskin (as well as other non-traditional "sports" games like Basewars on the NES). I think that there is a huge untapped market of gamers that are bored by or not interested with traditional sports but would respond favorably to games like these that have a more fantastic element. Say, Madden with cyborgs, lasergun arms, missile launchers, tanktreads, combat drugs, etc.

My questions are, have you considered making a Pigskin-esque game for modern consoles/computers? Why do you think there are so few "pseudo-sport" games historically? Also, was Pigskin considered a commercial success?

Thanks. I love playing PIGSKIN too, and you're right; there's not usually enough going on in a conventional sports game to keep my attention.

You should give ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN a try, if you think you can handle the white-knuckle absurdity of a Deathmatch /Racing /Poker/ Battlegame! You can grab it for free here:

http://www.gamerefuge.com/arcticstud/game/arcticstud25u.zip

Given RAMPAGE was an arcade classic, was is your take on how arcades are going today? Last I went into a Gameworks it felt more like a casino that arcade, what with 80% or more of the machines more or less gambling for tickets. What do you think of this trend and do you see it changing ever back towards what it once was?

Yeah, as a nation we seem to be bringing our kids to mini gambling establishments rather than to a place that engages them on a social, skill or intellectual level. Some of the finest Arcades around use the Free-To-Play model, and these places seem do be doing very well.

First, I would like to not only thank you for this AMA, but thank you as well for believing in freshly graduated students to work under your wing. I'm friends, and was in the same graduating class, with one of your employees and I remember him telling me that he loves working there.

As someone who just formed a group of four to start our first game studio, what advice can you offer me/us that you wished you would have known first starting out?

Thanks again!

Edit: I think I went to school with the girl on the right as well. If it is who I think it is, her name starts with an S?

Advice: Have fun. Balance Creativity with Common Sense. Problems are challenges, and each one is an opportunity to become a better designer.

S? Yep.

How do you feel about sloths?

Sloth? Three toed or two toed?

As one of the seven deadly sins... I prefer Lust. Tho I look like I prefer Gluttony.

You made Pigskin, that kicks ass, my brother and I spent so many quarters on that game. It was kinda obscure, so it made it "our" game so to speak. Our favorite part was when the crow started chanting -

SEND IN THE TROLL

The guys at the office sometimes have to ask me to turn the PIGSKIN attract sequences sounds off... the phrase "TROLL, Troll, Troll..." chanting from the hallway can get on one's nerves after a while.

So when you were working on 1982, did you think " in the future there will be high tech computers affordavle for everyone and consoles 1000x more powerful than current gen?

No way. My first 40 MB hard drive was as big as a Portable Dishwasher. (No exaggeration!)

I don't predict technology with much accuracy. I predicted BETA over VHS, asserted that no one would PAY for cable TV and I was convinced that the Internet was a fad.

Next-gen Rampage :)?

See this link:http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1lf443/hi_im_brian_colin_designer_of_such_classic_video/cbymnk9

I have always been a fan of Rampage in particular, although I'm sure you're hearing that a lot, and am excited for this AMA! What are your opinions on the newer Rampages, like World Tour and Total Destruction? Or have you not even really bothered to pay them much heed?

I did World Tour as well, so I paid a great deal of attention to that one. I never paid too much attention to any of the subsequent ones, however.

Here's a link to last night of the Creation of RAMPAGE WORLD TOUR... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbpqAsV-WE&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLDB98135B0B41C7C0

Holy shit! General Chaos was amazing, what platforms are you planning on for General Chaos II?

PC first; Touchscreen &/or Mouse controls, Multiplayer across LAN/Internet.

Touchpads next, naturally.... After that, we'll have to wait and see what the response is... We'd love to hit XBOX & PS too, of course.

[deleted]

Still have an original cabinet in my basement, but I'm hanging on to that one.

What cool stuff do you have leftover from your days at ballymidway? any proto stuff?

Sure. A couple of my Games are cobbled-together prototypes, and I tried to snag as many Headers (Game Marquees) and Vinyl side art panels as I could. Lots of Memorabilia, Trade show stuff, stickers, flyers etc...

If you ever have time, you should take some pics and share that type of thing with the internet. Who knows what long lost cool swag you have. It'd be cool to document it.

We're starting to do just that on our Game Refuge Facebook Page; adding photos of some of our one-of-a-kind cabinets and assorted memorabilia.

Visit us, or better yet LIKE us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GameRefuge?ref=hl

I grew up not around actual arcade units (I'm 22, those are rare these days) but playing MAME. Rampage and Xenophobe are top 2 of my favorite games. Not here to ask, but to thank, for making such damn good games!

EDIT: what's your hobbies?

My pleasure; literally.

Hobbies: Outdoors - Camping, Hiking, Canoeing, Swimming Indoors - Reading, Painting Miniatures & Resin Figures

I am a high school student looking into getting into game design. What are your suggestions to students like me?

Do whatever you can with the tools available... don't NOT do something because you're worried about it looking less than perfect. Its more important to get the creative-problem-solving experience than it is to wait for that perfect idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5EohoNt96s

How did you get in the video game industry?

I really backed into it. I was an animated filmmaker working as a "roving cartoonist" ... doing Ads for local Taverns & Restaurants. I answered an Help wanted Ad at the Bally Midway company... I thought I was answering an Ad to paint pinball back-glass art.

When they said they wanted me to do art for video games I was kinda disappointed, the screen art was still at the PAC MAN level... Still, they were willing to pay me real money, as opposed to the free beer and popcorn arrangement I was used to.

When I got the job, I thought that childhood was officially over.

I was wrong.... ;)

You can get more details here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZk94q2UiTI

If Rampage was to be made into a film, how would you want it to be done?

I heard it was supposed to be made into a film, offered my services to the producers, and even asked Stan Lee to play me if the producers wanted me in a cameo role. Never heard back.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=630751860276135&set=a.171627646188561.36795.119622791389047&type=1&theater

If you had to eat only one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? How about for drinking?

I can't answer that in a forum where children may be present. Michelob Ultra.

I LOVED Rampage as a child. Who was your favorite monster to play as? I always liked Lizzy.

George...no question! I am George and George is me.

Rampage was my childhood. That game was just too fun! In fact, i still play it whenever I have time. Who came up with the ideas of monsters destroying cities? Genius!

That would be me; though, for the record: I am not a genius. Just a legend in my own mind.

What movie would you like to make into a video game?

Hmmmm... CLOCKWORK ORANGE would be fun, lots of opportunities for Squad based Mayhem.

Though Woody Allen's interpretation of EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX could offer some entertaining possibilities as well.

Oh wow. Thank you for many informative years in arcades during my childhood.

Without getting into a debate the arcade scene is all but dead. Have you gone into any of these arcade bars and seen your games being played in their original format by a younger generation?

Was there an arcade game back then that you wish you had made? (Smash TV for example)

Thanks. Good luck with the General Chaos remake. I'm sure it will be successful.

Yes to the bars. (Fun to see) No to other people's games. Part of what drives me as a game designer is making things that don't already exist... I could play SMASH TV, so I had no desire to make it. Does that make sense?

if i were to ask you for an address so i can send some of my Classic NES Consoles (such as Rampage) for an autograph, would you be up for it? i would pay postage both ways, and provide pre-addressed boxes for you to just pop the signed stuff in and send her back. :)

...Sure, pyro; I'd be delighted. Believe it or not, we talked about offering that as one of our "Rewards Tiers" in our first Game Refuge Kickstarter, (launching next week) but we decided against it... sounded a bit too full of ourselves. Send an email to [email protected] and tell her "Brian sent you"

I really miss arcade style games. The kind of games that try to get everyone's attention by being the loudest and flashiest. Midway and sega were great at that. Nowadays people just want to know if their games are 20+ hours long. When back then it was just a few minutes but they were loads of fun.

Do you ever think about bringing back those type of games, either at home or maybe trying to resurge the coin op?

By the way I love rampage and general chaos.

I miss em too...

Which is why our top Reward in our upcoming GENERAL CHAOS Kickstarter Campaign will be an arcade style Two-Player Sit Down Cocktail Cabinet. Best of BOTH worlds!

My late friend and I spent hundreds of hours playing general chaos as kids. Thank you for creating that gem of a game and for giving me those memories!

Sorry about your Friend; glad I could be a small part of your good times.

[deleted]

The following are games that I worked on, more or less in chronological order. Of the 80 games listed, I served as an artist/animator on all... a contributing designer on about three quarters of them... and was principal designer/team lead on at least half of them. 30 of them were my original concepts as well.

DISCS OF TRON
KOZMIK KROOZ'R
ANT RAID*
SPYHUNTER
DEMOLITION DERBY
SARGE
P’TOOIE LOUIE*
RAMPAGE
ZWACKERY
XENOPHOBE
SHOOT THE BULL JUMPSHOT
MIDWAY’S PRO TOUR*
MAX RPM
SPY HUNTER II
THE SPECTRE FILES*
BLASTED
ARCH RIVALS
JET PAC* PORKIES
MASH KICKMAN
PIGSKIN 621 AD
THE UGLY STICK*
GENERAL CHAOS
MAJOR SNAFU*
PLUNDER*
RC SQUARED*
RAMPAGE WORLD TOUR
BODY COUNT*
PUCK SHOT
TENNIS ACE
AIR SHOT
GOOOOAL
TOON FIGHTER*
THE MUNSTERS
THE HONEYMOONERS
FIVE CARD INSTANT BINGO
TAILGATE PARTY
DICKCLARKS TV CENSORED BLOOPERS
MONEY STORM
DEEP POCKETS
STAR TREK VOYAGER:THE ARCADE GAME
ALFRED HITCHCOCK
THE MATCH GAME
THE GREAT CHEESE CAPER
MONOPLY - GRAND HOTEL
MONOPOLY - OWN IT ALL
WILD PITCH*
ICDM POKER**
THE KOMATSU CHALLENGE
THE KOMATSU CHALLENGE 2008
THE KOMATSU CHALLENGE 2011
RESCUE RIDERS
DELIVERANCE
LOTTO BINGO**
ARCTIC STUD POKER RUN
COW TIPPING
LINE EM UP
MATCH IT
COUNT DOWN
SPACE GOBLINZ
BAG TOSS
BALL BOBBLERS
BOBBLEHEAD BASEBALL
CAP'N ZACK
ELECTRIC FOOTBALL TRIVIA
FISHIN' HOLE
PSYCHIC 21
UNCOVERGIRLS
MOTOCROSS COUNTRY
SHUFF O BOWL
BOCCE BALL
SUNDAE SCHOOL
CAVE BAM
DEADLIEST CATCH
FLIRT PLANET 3D**
WHIRLWIND POKER**
GENERAL CHAOS II - SONS OF CHAOS**

• = Never released, ** = Still in development

[deleted]

...and if you want to know the more about the development of any of these titles, you can find more details in my Personal Development History at...

http://www.gamerefuge.com/alongtheway.html

had a ton of fun with rampage and general chaos as a kid- nice work- thanks!

You're welcome. We had a ton of fun making those games, and I sometimes I think that that makes all the difference....