by Rock Jonson

A great man once said: “In every industry, after years of stagnation and the following of false prophets, there comes a time of unbridled fruition, when one man steps forth from obscurity and changes the face of the industry forever.” Who this great man was is not important (as I am a modest and humble kind of guy) but he knows of what he speaks, and he speaks of the game industry.

Speaking of the game industry, my name is Rock Jonson – Industry Legend, but you can call me Rock (Industry Legend). My career as Game Design Consultant spans decades, and I have played muse, inspiration, and dare I say mentor (I dare), to many of the industry figureheads you know and love today. Always in the shadows, my collision sphere of influence has intersected with over 10,000 AAA titles (being a skilled programmer as well as design guru, I know what that last sentence means intimately).

Yes, it’s true. If it was not for me, Pong would have been one paddle short of a tennis game, this is the kind of influence I’m talking about here.

“So Rock,” I hear you ask, “if you have been content with having such a commanding role, steering the games industry from the side-lines for so long, why have you now decided to step forward into the spotlight?”

Well, dear reader, it all started at last year’s E3 festival.

I was standing at the Firaxis booth talking to my old chum Sid Meier, whose career I have nurtured like a small Bonzai Tree, or a little crippled bird, or something, when he turned to me out of the blue and said:

“You know Rock, I can’t thank you enough for the wise council you have offered me over the years. I can only imagine what would have become of the Civilization series if you hadn’t talked me out of adding all those killer badgers. But myself, Molly (Which is what us industry high-fliers call Peter Molyneux), Wrighty and Hare were all talking the other day, and we feel it’s mighty unfair that the world at large cannot be blessed with your great insights. Have you ever considered writing a witty and informative blog on the net about the intricacies of game design?”

Of course, I had already considered the idea long before Sid had (which is, unfortunately for him, usually the case), and so that is how it all began.

The look on Sid’s face after I told him I thought
he was doing a great job running Firaxis.

So sit with me a while, dear reader, and open your eyes to a wonderful creative world with no limits except that of your imagination. No, you’re not dreaming. You are drifting through the creative hotpot that is my mind. Enjoy your stay.

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