| Game Reviews From a Parental Perspective! | |
|
|
|
| Home | Forums | Review Archive | Columns | Feature Articles |
|
Home >
Feature Articles > Interviews > GamerDad Interview: Jeff Vogel of Spiderweb Software
Independent developer, shareware champion ... and gamerdad! The concept of sharewareﾗsoftware with limitations you can demo, pass on to others and then pay to unlock its full functionality for yourselfﾗis one of the major successes in PC history. PC games such as DOOM and Duke Nukem were distributed originally as shareware. The concept lives on at Spiderweb Software, an independent developer in the Pacific Northwest. Spiderweb made their name selling huge, high quality ﾑold-school' role-playing games using the Shareware concept. The company has produced several successful games, including the Exileseries from the mid-90's, and the more recent Geneforge and Avernum games. This year has been even busier than normal for Spiderweb founder, president and chief programmer Jeff Vogel. In the last few months, Spiderweb released the Windows version of the wonderful Avernum 4 and Jeff's welcomed a new daughter into his family! We were fortunate to have him take time away from his work and expanding family to answer a few questions about being a parent, developer, publisher and gamer. After you're done reading this interview, take a look at our review of Avernum 4 and head on over to Spiderweb to download the demo of the game.
 GamerDad: Congratulations on the birth of your new daughter! So now you have two girls about four years apart? How is everyone doing? How's the sleep? Jeff Vogel: We are doing alright. Our younger daughter, Miranda, now manages to sleep most of the night. Once the baby sleeps sort of sensibly, the job becomes much easier. GamerDad: How has being a father changed the dynamics of your company, and the personal dynamics of being a gamer and a game developer? Jeff Vogel: I only started to play Everquest really serious after my first daughter was born. I don't know. I guess I needed a fantasy world to escape into. I stayed awake late at night, so I could look after her if she woke up while my wife slept. Everquest helped fill up those hours. However, in the long run, it didn't really change my business. I kept doing what I'd always done, the way I'd always done it. GamerDad: Your games have always had detailed stories with interesting characters. How has parenthood impacted the types of characters you develop and the dialogue and quests you design for the games? Jeff Vogel: Not in the slightest, I'm afraid. This may change as they get older and can talk and express opinions more. GamerDad: You have been very successful with the Avernum and Geneforge worlds and have sequels to each game planned. Do you have other new ideas or directions or genres you plan to pursue in the future? Jeff Vogel: As a matter of fact, I do. I would love to write a fast-paced, humorous, more casual Paper Mario kind of game. At this point, it's something I'm sure I want to do. Someday. GamerDad: As a parent and game developer, how do you respond to last year's Grand Theft Auto III 'Hot Coffee' controversy and the recent re-rating of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion? Jeff Vogel: I think the re-rating of Oblivion is stupid. So it is possible to hack it to hide some textures so you can actually see a (shock! horror!) breast. Big deal. As for Grand Theft Auto (which I played from front to back and absolutely loved), most children come with a powerful, flexible safety mechanism to keep them from playing it. It's called a "parent."
 GamerDad: Is your older daughter a gamer yet? If so, what do you have her playing? Jeff Vogel: She is four, and she's starting to get into the game thing. Her favorite game is Animal Crossing for the Nintendo. Though I tend to think of it as less a game than a "game". GamerDad: What is your opinion of console and portable console gaming, and of the systems currently available and forthcoming? Do you have any of them in your house, or plan to in the future? Jeff Vogel: Pretty much every generation, I weigh all the alternatives, think very hard, and then end up buying a Nintendo. Everything else I want to play is on the PC, but Zelda is only there. I may get a 360 though, in case I try to write my casual role-playing game to go on Xbox live. GamerDad: What do you think that 'Boot Camp', the Mac utility to run Windows on OSX, will do to Mac gaming? Does it alter any of your development plans going forward? Jeff Vogel: It's a cool thing, but it doesn't factor into my life. GamerDad: What games have you enjoyed recently and what is it about them that you liked? What about recent trends in gaming don't you like? Jeff Vogel: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a lot of fun. I play a ton of World of Warcraft. I don't like the trend in gaming of fewer and fewer small and independent studios, but everyone feels that way, and it doesn't look like anything can be done about it. GamerDad: What about other forms of entertainment? How has parenthood impacted the way you look at movies, TV, and the media in general? Jeff Vogel: It has drastically changed the things that flip my emotional triggers. Rewatching my favorite movies, I find that I react strongly to way different parts of them now that I'm a parent. I still like exactly the same things, but in different ways. GamerDad: You are viewed as a milestone success in independent gaming. What would you like to see kids get out of gaming in the future that they are not getting from it today? Jeff Vogel: I think games are a marvelous leisure activity. I think that children, like every other human, deserve leisure. I think games today are just fine. Except for one thing I'd like to add. I think that massively multiplayer online role-playing games are some of the most marvelous educational games ever made. I think the way they teach children to type, communicate, and work as a team is truly marvelous. GamerDad: Anything else you would like to add? Jeff Vogel: Just that this was a fun interview to do. It's nice to answer different questions than the ones I've been asked a thousand times. GamerDad: We would like to thank Jeff for taking time to answer, and wish Spiderweb and his whole family all the best!
|
Read the GamerDad 2007 Holiday Guide!
|
Please Note: GamerDad is not intended to be read by anyone under 18. We stay clean, but be warned! Content Management System developed by Redbird Solutions. |
