Garage Zombie* High Score Contest!

Garage Zombie* beat out 34 other games for Overall and Graphics!

To celebrate Garage Zombie* winning first place in mini-LD 40 for both Overall and Graphics (thanks to Ariel - an amazing artist!), I went back and added a Mochi High Score board to the game and am kicking it off with a contest!

Whoever has the highest score at the end of the contest (11:59pm Eastern time on March 31st) will win 20+ Critterverse games AND every game we make from April 1st, 2013 to April 1st, 2014! This is a purchasable prize that's set at $20 on the website, so it has a $20 value!

As this is entirely download-based, the competition is open to anyone from anywhere in the world, and you're welcome to play it as many times as you'd like (the game is very largely based on luck, so it will most likely take numerous tries to get 1st place and keep it!)

The ONLY RULE is that you MUST use one of the following as your name on the high score board, so that I know who to contact once it's over:

• Your Twitter Handle (@Whatever)
• Your Facebook Name (www.facebook.com/Whatever) without the www.facebook.com part
• Your email address (Whatever@Where.com)

If you don't, I'll have no way of knowing who won!

And one last thing: if you enjoy the game, please consider preordering it! It's only $1 and you'll get every version of the game as it's made through development, so you can even test it and leave feedback! If you preorder the game and win the contest, I will give you your $1 back! And you get an immediate download of the game if you preorder - one with ads and high score board and one without ads or the high score board (the two are tied together, so I can't make a version with the score board but without ads).

Oh, and if you want to give the game a shot, CLICK HERE TO PLAY GARAGE ZOMBIE*!

Good luck! :) 

The Adventures of Rubberkid Brings Out Some Amazing Stories

The Certificate Pledge, made by Ariel Marsh

Ever since I started publicizing The Adventures of Rubberkid, I've found that a LOT of people who learn about it instantly connect to the game. I set out to make the game for kids, but I've heard stories of adults tearing up a bit over it, connecting very strongly to one of the bullied kids or another, or just talking about how much they were bullied, or their kids, or anyone they know. Bullying has even been in the media a lot lately, and I think it's great that it finally seems like people are showing their support against bullying these days.

Anyway, the reason I wanted to write this post was because of something that happened today. When I started my Kickstarter, I did the math on every single level for everything that the rewards earned EXCEPT  the certificate pledges. I don't know why I forgot, but I did... And apparently, five color copies comes to anywhere between $2.50-$5 around here! I checked online at a half a dozen places and they all were 49 cents or more... Except for one UPS store that only charged the 25 cents we were aiming for (another UPS store in the area charged double, so it varies from store to store even!)

We went to pick them up today and the lady there said that she thought they were really neat, and asked what they were for. I told her a little about The Adventures of Rubberkid and how it fights bullying and so on, and she said that she thought it was great! She had done some school work (thesis? studies? I don't remember honestly) and so she was intrigued by it.

As we were getting ready to leave, another guy in the store who was making copies (not sure if he worked there and knew about them or just overheard us) turned and said that he thought what we were doing was great, and that he lost his son two years ago to bullying. Angel said she was sorry to hear it, and he said that he was in Heaven now, and bless us for bringing light to such a horrible problem.

It's times like these when I realize that I'm on the right track and doing the right thing. Every time someone tells me their story or shows any kind of appreciation, I feel that much more successful. Thanks so much everyone!

MARCH to Victory! ... Or Off a Cliff...

Like Mario reaching Bowser's castle, or Link drawing his sword on Ganon(dorf), or Mega Man walking that tiny hallway and getting ready to face off against a boss, March stands against me now.

Also much like the ghost in Escape from the Afterlife, not knowing if the next square could be its downfall or salvation.

February came and went, surpassing or at least meeting nearly every one of my goals (except for money), and overall I'm about even for Jan and Feb monetarily thanks to The Adventures of Rubberkid Kickstarter funds hitting January and selling a few copies of When Asteroids Attack. 

What this means is that The Adventures of Rubberkid bought me enough time to finish the game and line up a surprisingly awesome March. It's going to be one crazy month, though:

• March 1-8: The Adventures of Rubberkid
• March 9-17: Escape from the Afterlife (the same dates as 7DRL - Seven Day Roguelike - but won't technically be part of it since the game has already been started)
• March 18-21: Hangman
• March 22-24: (#1GAMCRUNCH? Ludum Dare? Some sort of jam?)

Luckily, we're going to have some major fun at the end of the month with some of Angel's winnings, so that will give me something to look forward to throughout all of the upcoming challenges.

Now, the challenge: While I'm going to *fingers crossed* HOPEFULLY have three full, new games done this month (and a jam game!), they have to make money! It does me no good against the evils of the MarchMonster to make unsuccessful games.

Wish me luck!