OK, I get to be all sentimental again. A month or so ago, GarageGames pulled the original Torque Game Engine off the market. Now, they are pulling the name GarageGames itself off the market, and replacing it with Torque Technologies. I can’t disagree with the decision Brett Seylor, TT VP of Tech and Tools, made to change the name. Torque is a shiny new modern 3D game engine, and they have decided that the idea of programming in a garage is not quite the image they want to project. Even though I understand, it still tugs at my heart strings.
GarageGames Logo and Motto
When Jay Moore and I used to head out on the road to evangelize our idea, we loved every minute of it. It was exciting times doing everything we could to help indies. Having a mission that fills your heart as well as your brain makes you do things you would not normally do, like working for little to no money for a long time, or getting up in front of big crowds to do public speaking (which I hate), or cold calling hardware companies to have them help out at IndieGamesCon.
We got paid back in so many ways though. Like our first booth at GDC, a wooden concoction I had a friend make for us. Our little 10 X 10 booth was the busiest per square foot of any booth at the conference, with people lined up 10 deep just to get in to talk to us. Or like seeing employees at big companies like EA walk by and thrust their clenched fist in the air and shout, “GarageGames!” with us knowing that they were using Torque in their off hours trying to escape the Man. Or having and incredibly talented and dedicated developer drive across the country to work for us for peanuts and sleep in his cars for days until they he was paid enough to get a room (we didn’t know this until years later, and that guy is now one of my partners in PushButton Labs).
What's It Worth On eBay Now?
I don’t think that kind of magic can ever happen twice in a row. But, after Dynamix, I never thought I could start and work at a place that would have its magic, yet GarageGames surpassed it. You never quite know the magic is happening when you are in the middle of it. There are time pressures, the stress of development, paying the bills and worrying about money. You need to look inward and make sure you feel the magic. This time around I am actively looking for the magic. My senses are a lot more tuned to it. I can tell you that the past two weeks have been nothing but magic, and some day I’ll blog about it when I can bring it public.
-Jeff Tunnell, Game Maker
Make It Big In Games
Follow me on Twitter