[Noisebridge-discuss] Gamebridge?

[Al Sweigart]

Wow, I left for the weekend and this thread really blew up.

Alex: you're full of excuses. The only time that was okay was $170,000 ago.

Romy: Pointing out the fact that Alex blazed through a large sum of money
with next to nothing to show for it isn't character assassination. I think
you're being too generous with Alex. I think his reputation is well
deserved.

-Al


On Sat, Jan 18, 2014 at 5:23 PM, Romy Ilano <romy at snowyla.com> wrote:

> You know what, this conversation was actually very useful. I'm on my way
> to making my first open source SudoRoom and Noisebridge educational game.
>
> Despite all the public character assassination, i think this was a useful
> thread overall.
>
> When you're in charge, Alex, as you're learning, you're the one to blame
> when everything fails! That's just the way it is =D And character
> assassination is part of the game. I sure know how it feels.
>
>
>
> =============================
>
> Romy Ilano
> romy at snowyla.com
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Jan 18, 2014 at 2:18 PM, Oren Beck <orenbeck at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Can we signal boost that?
>>
>> "Hackerspace is for Hacking"
>>
>> On 1/19/14, Romy Snowyla <romy at snowyla.com> wrote:
>> > Id also like to go to noisebridge return to it's equilibrium of mostly
>> being
>> > about hacking.
>> >
>> > I'm very tired of going there and sudoroom and having people waste most
>> of
>> > my time trying to promote some offsite company product or to get me to
>> > attend five minutes of fame to hear a bunch of commercials,
>> >
>> > It's ok to advertise in small doses but this is a hackerspace not a
>> public
>> > relations firm. It gets to the point where I get stuff done if I avoid
>> > interacting with anyone .
>> >
>> > Plus hacking speaks for itself. I can see on github whether people are
>> > contributing or not or if they're just out to assault me with some
>> company's
>> > PowerPoint
>> >
>> > Let's keep the hacking in the hackerspace
>> >
>> > Sent from my iPhone
>> >
>> >> On Jan 18, 2014, at 8:59 AM, Oren Beck <orenbeck at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Ok- I'm going to take a whack at restoring vibes of Be Excellent To
>> Each
>> >> Other!
>> >>
>> >> Let's be adult and honest here- PASSION in one's crafts simply is what
>> >> sets many of us apart as "Role Models" and i see that while we DO have
>> >> honorless louts that are pure thieves- others get blinded by passion or
>> >> simple lack of clue... We see both the skills and the fails?
>> >>
>> >> From which the Truly Dark Sides gain a power we might contemplate being
>> >> scared shitless of. Scared  so by what I call the NOD Rule:
>> >>
>> >>  A tech guru is not inherently a #DEITY. Not Our Deity means- they're
>> >> HUMAN and can screw up on so many levels as can ANY of us.
>> >>
>> >> I hope my point is taken at the simplest evaluation. Cherish the skills
>> >> some folks have. Pardon them for being mere humans. Remind them as
>> others
>> >> have- bad acts are unacceptable =NOT EXCELLENT.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> TealDeer: LIVE by the   Be Excellent Meme.  Oh yeah- that does include
>> the
>> >> needful compartmentalization of skills from misdeeds.
>> >>
>> >> Constructive comemts on list- flame me  privately to keep drama off
>> list:>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Oren Beck
>> >>
>> >> 816.632.3695
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>> On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 12:41 AM, Romy Snowyla <romy at snowyla.com>
>> wrote:
>> >>> It's also common to see people at noisebridge bashing VC as if they
>> were
>> >>> all dumb.
>> >>>
>> >>> Well wow kick starter doesn't have due diligence does it. ? Kick
>> starter
>> >>> doesn't have a board if directors that will dis your collective
>> consensus
>> >>> bs that refuses to fire your best buddy and no board that pushes back
>> >>> when you hire a gigantic team?
>> >>>
>> >>> Geez.
>> >>> ;)
>> >>> All of these would've been prevented by a good VC. They don't
>> generally
>> >>> invest less than a million in a company that would expect to pay more
>> >>> than two or three engineers a living wage. Of $70k either
>> >>>
>> >>> Sent from my iPhone
>> >>>
>> >>>> On Jan 18, 2014, at 8:30 AM, Adrian Chadd <adrian.chadd at gmail.com>
>> >>>> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Romy,
>> >>>>
>> >>>> It's the dirty side of the startup culture. Everything is hyped, all
>> >>>> ideas will change the world.. and less than 1% of 1% of them will.
>> Those
>> >>>> that succeed stand to make stupid amounts of money and/or fame, but
>> the
>> >>>> rest .. fall into this kind of category. They have this kind of
>> drama.
>> >>>> The people involved end up this kind of burnt out.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I'm disenheartened by the comments left on the website. People took a
>> >>>> risk on kickstarter and now they want their money back? It's a risk.
>> >>>> Unless you have proof that Alex mis-spent $170k, it's totally easy to
>> >>>> spend $170k on legitimate business purchases and run out of cash
>> before
>> >>>> delivering. People are .. expensive.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I meet plenty of people with similar drive, similar ideas, and
>> similar
>> >>>> experiences in Silicon Valley.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Alex - I hope you've learnt your lesson. :-)
>> >>>>
>> >>>> -a
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>
>> >>>>> On 18 January 2014 08:18, Romy Snowyla <romy at snowyla.com> wrote:
>> >>>>> Al
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> All these guys angry at Alex are complaining about how they didn't
>> get
>> >>>>> credit.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Why don't they come out of the woodwork and take credit for the
>> >>>>> failure?
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Why don't they take credit for the product sucking? It really wasn't
>> >>>>> that great.
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Why don't these angry people take credit for trying to run a
>> company by
>> >>>>> consensus and too many chefs spoiling the soup?
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> They are all so eager to blame Alex for the failure.. But they want
>> >>>>> credit for any success. It's confusing. Why pin the failure on one
>> >>>>> person and then greedily grab credit if there's success ?
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> It's very childish!
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> I also think anyone quitting their job expecting a great wage from a
>> >>>>> company with only $170K in funding is pretty foolish. I'm not saying
>> >>>>> anyone deserves bad fortune but it's easy to blame others for your
>> lack
>> >>>>> of foresight
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> I'm also wondering how any company can raise money without a
>> figurehead
>> >>>>> like Alex. You want to raise a couple million by consensus ?
>> Without a
>> >>>>> spokesperson ? Forget it
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> You're all so eager to blame Alex for your troubles .., why not
>> share
>> >>>>> it if you were all so eager to share the success?
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>> On Jan 17, 2014, at 8:44 PM, Aduct lex Peake
>> >>>>>> <empowerthyself at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Al:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> It pains me that you think ill of me because I highly respect you,
>> >>>>>> your book, your work teaching programming, and your contributions
>> to
>> >>>>>> Noisebridge. (The lockers you added recently are amazing.)
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I do think your view of me and my work is based on incomplete and
>> >>>>>> inaccurate reports by journalists, online critics and disappointed
>> >>>>>> team members.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> As bleak as the picture they paint of me and Code Hero may seem,
>> it is
>> >>>>>> not the whole story.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I know you've posted negative remarks about me online in the past
>> and
>> >>>>>> I regret not speaking to you previously.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I've responded to backer concerns already, but as a fellow
>> Noisebridge
>> >>>>>> community member bringing this up on the mailing list your concerns
>> >>>>>> deserve an answer here.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I would like to take this opportunity to clear a few things up.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I'd also like to speak to you in person so you can express whatever
>> >>>>>> concerns you have with me and we can address them.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> TLDR:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I started Code Hero to make a game that teaches people
>> programming. I
>> >>>>>> was inexperienced at the outset and made a lot of mistakes along
>> the
>> >>>>>> way.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I overreached on the design and tried to do more than our
>> Kickstarter
>> >>>>>> budget allowed for, our team ran out of funding and we all suffered
>> >>>>>> because of that.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I didn't update Kickstarter backers often enough and I upset a lot
>> of
>> >>>>>> people who felt betrayed because they thought I had abandoned the
>> >>>>>> project I've never stopped working on Code Hero and it has come a
>> long
>> >>>>>> way closer to completion since then.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I apologized to everyone who was hurt by my miscommunication about
>> our
>> >>>>>> setbacks.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I promised to deliver what people were owed and I continue working
>> >>>>>> with the development team to achieve that.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I apologized to David and everyone on the team who worked without
>> pay
>> >>>>>> at the end of our funding and I do so again now for not being able
>> to
>> >>>>>> pay folks until we first fulfill our obligations to the backers.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I apologize to you Al as a member of the Noisebridge community for
>> the
>> >>>>>> negativity this cloud of disappointment has made you feel.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We're now working hard on the game and delivering backer T-shirt
>> >>>>>> rewards.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> You can try the latest beta at http://www.primerlabs.com (click
>> Guest
>> >>>>>> Mode in-game) and let us know what you think.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> For Al and whomever else wants to know more of the Code Hero's
>> >>>>>> history:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I started Code Hero, a game that teaches Unity game programming.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I applied to YCombinator with a friend and we recruited a small
>> team
>> >>>>>> to help build the prototype.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We got interviewed but didn't get accepted to YCombinator.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> The team split up after that, as often happens with teams who are
>> >>>>>> counting on funding and don't get it.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I continued working on it for a year and raised a small amount of
>> >>>>>> money to survive..
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I released a first alpha that taught the player enough to solve
>> >>>>>> Portal-like puzzle levels and beat FizzBoss.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> The game showed enough promise that it was time to hire a team to
>> work
>> >>>>>> on it.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We raised $170K on Kickstarter with the help of many supporters.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We hired and paid most of the team to work on it full time. Some
>> of us
>> >>>>>> already had jobs and worked on it part-time. David was one of
>> those.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We worked together at IGN's Indie Open House incubator alongside
>> other
>> >>>>>> indie game dev teams and learned a lot from them and other game dev
>> >>>>>> mentors.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> An investor offered to fund us beyond the Kickstarter and we worked
>> >>>>>> with them to set up the company for that to happen.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We were invited by Kickstarter to exhibit with them at PAX East
>> and we
>> >>>>>> showed the second alpha there with a new orientation level.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We worked on it more to implement the rest of the game's
>> introductory
>> >>>>>> levels and level editor gameplay mechanics.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We were invited to show the third alpha at PAX Prime in the Indie
>> >>>>>> Megabooth.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> What we showed was a big step forward but it was still buggy and
>> >>>>>> incomplete and there was a lot of work remaining.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> At that point we were nearly out of funds and were counting on the
>> >>>>>> investor to fund us further.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> While we were there, the investor withdrew their offer and we were
>> >>>>>> faced with a difficult financial situation:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> If we continued working on it, there was no guarantee that we'd
>> have
>> >>>>>> the money to get paid for it.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I paid some of the developers out of my own pocket at that point to
>> >>>>>> keep things going but without a funding source, the paid team
>> stopped
>> >>>>>> working at the end of the month.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I and a few other volunteer programmers continued working on it and
>> >>>>>> released more alphas.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We made Kickstarter updates, but there were long delays between
>> them
>> >>>>>> and Kickstarter backers got frustrated.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I tried to raise money to rehire team members to work on the
>> project
>> >>>>>> and I continued working on it unpaid.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Then some frustrated Kickstarter backers made threats and shared
>> their
>> >>>>>> complaints with journalists.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> The writers spoke to some team members who were understandably
>> >>>>>> disappointed at not getting paid after the project ran out of funds
>> >>>>>> before completion.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> In our Kickstarter update, we apologized to backers for delays.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We vowed to fulfill backer rewards, to complete the game, to
>> rebuild
>> >>>>>> the team, and to eventually refund backers and repay teammates
>> >>>>>> including David wages we couldn't pay when we ran out of funds.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I recruited a project coordinator who has helped organize our new
>> team
>> >>>>>> and I did contract work to earn enough money to start producing
>> >>>>>> Kickstarter rewards.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Since then, we've released Code Hero Beta 0.2 and we're preparing
>> to
>> >>>>>> print and ship the t-shirts for backers.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> You can download it at http://www.primerlabs.com and try it (just
>> >>>>>> click Guest Mode in-game).
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We've got a long way to go still.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We've been rewriting the server backend, redesigning the alpha
>> levels
>> >>>>>> to match the new beta level design style, and we welcome feedback
>> and
>> >>>>>> suggestions to make it better.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> There are still many critics who've interpreted our delays between
>> >>>>>> updates as proof that Code Hero is a scam, skeptics who think we
>> can't
>> >>>>>> finish the game, and worried supporters who wonder if we can pull
>> it
>> >>>>>> off.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Despite all the mistakes, setbacks and criticism so far we're
>> learning
>> >>>>>> from it and persevering to finish Code Hero.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We have a lot of enthusiasm to finish the game and teach people
>> >>>>>> programming,
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I am also dedicated to teaching Unity programming at Noisebridge
>> and
>> >>>>>> I'd like to expand the number of teachers who can do that so it
>> >>>>>> doesn't depend on just me and whomever I can bring to help teach
>> for
>> >>>>>> the class to happen.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I've taught Gamebridge classes for over a year with a few breaks
>> when
>> >>>>>> travel or work prevented me from being there, and lately I've been
>> too
>> >>>>>> busy working on Code Hero to make it.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> If anybody is interested in learning Unity programming and/or
>> learning
>> >>>>>> to teach, I'll be expanding on the the teaching materials I've used
>> >>>>>> for the classes at Noisebridge, Hack The Future and other workshops
>> >>>>>> and sharing them in an organized spot with a mailing list for
>> people
>> >>>>>> who are teaching and attending to notify each other of class plans.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I'd like to hold a teacher teaching class soon and I'll contact
>> >>>>>> everyone who contacts me with interest in participating.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> PS:
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I have not addressed every single concern or claim people have made
>> >>>>>> here because this is already too long for those dedicated enough to
>> >>>>>> read it all.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> However, I'll answer any questions people have via email or here.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Keep in mind that there are some made-up claims out there like
>> people
>> >>>>>> saying I flew to Amsterdam with Kickstarter funds.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> In reality, I was paid including flight and expenses to teach a
>> >>>>>> programming workshop in Amsterdam. No Kickstarter money was spent
>> on
>> >>>>>> that.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> People speculated that we somehow misused our funds simply because
>> >>>>>> they were worried at our lack of communication and assuming the
>> >>>>>> worst.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> We were required to keep careful accounting of project costs by
>> >>>>>> investors who required us to spend project money carefully.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> ᐧ
>> >>>>>> The reality is one which many game projects have in common: We put
>> all
>> >>>>>> our resources into paying staff to build a game that took longer to
>> >>>>>> finish than we had funding for.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> In hindsight, I should have made half as ambitious a game and
>> polished
>> >>>>>> it with the resources we had and set aside our bigger plans for
>> >>>>>> component scripting and editor gameplay till after the first
>> polished
>> >>>>>> release.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> What we completed with the funding we had was the technical core of
>> >>>>>> the ambitious editor design, and what we're completing now is the
>> >>>>>> polished content that makes good on that design one level at a
>> time.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> I owe a thanks to those who speak up on my behalf, and I hope the
>> >>>>>> critics will give us another chance as they see the game improve.
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 17, 2014 at 4:23 PM, Al Sweigart <asweigart at gmail.com
>> >
>> >>>>>>> wrote:
>> >>>>>>> If he's ever around the space again, I'll introduce you to David.
>> He
>> >>>>>>> was a 3D artist employed at a studio who left his job to work for
>> >>>>>>> Alex. The agreement was that Alex would match his previous salary.
>> >>>>>>> After 3 months, David was only paid for one month, and less than
>> what
>> >>>>>>> they had agreed on. David finally realized he wasn't going to ever
>> >>>>>>> see a check, and quit. The thing is, this was only a couple months
>> >>>>>>> after the Kickstarter, so Alex had plenty of funds. David will
>> also
>> >>>>>>> tell you how Alex's personality made him difficult to work with,
>> how
>> >>>>>>> he took credit for other people's work, and basically exploited
>> >>>>>>> people who really believed in the project. There were several
>> people
>> >>>>>>> who worked with him, got fed up, and then left. He's always
>> >>>>>>> recruiting new people.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> Meanwhile, Alex has no accounting whatsoever for how the $170,000
>> he
>> >>>>>>> received was spent. He didn't even reveal it was all gone until
>> half
>> >>>>>>> a year after the fact.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> If he wants to help train new teachers in Unity or lead some
>> classes,
>> >>>>>>> that's great. But as soon as he asks them to contribute to Code
>> Hero,
>> >>>>>>> that's when people need to politely and firmly tell him No.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> -Al
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 17, 2014 at 4:09 PM, jarrod hicks <hicksu at gmail.com>
>> >>>>>>>> wrote:
>> >>>>>>>> I was not aware of troubles with the Code Hero project, that is a
>> >>>>>>>> bummer.
>> >>>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>>> As far as being a positive example, contributor, and someone who
>> >>>>>>>> should have the nerve to be at Noisebridge. Alex was one of those
>> >>>>>>>> who
>> >>>>>>>> stepped up when my partner asked the Noisebridge community for
>> help
>> >>>>>>>> showing her physics students the wonders and possibilities of
>> >>>>>>>> Noisebridge, and in turn the greater hacker/maker community. He
>> >>>>>>>> worked
>> >>>>>>>> with rotating groups of her students and within 20 - 30 minutes
>> he
>> >>>>>>>> had
>> >>>>>>>> them making games and seeing the basic possibilities of
>> programming
>> >>>>>>>> that many of them were not aware of. Alex, and all those who
>> >>>>>>>> helped,
>> >>>>>>>> showed Noisebridge at its best that day, and my ongoing
>> commitment
>> >>>>>>>> to
>> >>>>>>>> this space/community is in large part because of people like
>> Alex.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>> >>>>>>> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
>> >>>>>>> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
>> >>>>>>> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>> _______________________________________________
>> >>>>> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
>> >>>>> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
>> >>>>> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>> >>>
>> >>> _______________________________________________
>> >>> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
>> >>> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
>> >>> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>> >>
>> >
>>
>>
>> --
>> Oren Beck
>>
>> 816.632.3695
>>
>
>
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>
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