Frequently Asked
Questions
about Steve’s Job Status
Q: Where are you working and when did you start?
I’m
working at Blue Fang, creators of the
well-loved and super-selling Zoo Tycoon series. I started on 12/18/06. My
contact info there:
Blue Fang Games
781-547-5475 x242
Q: What will you be
working on at Blue Fang?
A:
The company is branching out in several exciting new directions (all within the
scope of the company’s mission
statement, of course). Unfortunately, I can’t talk about any of them yet,
so I really just mention them to get you to seethe with curiosity.
Q: Weren’t you trying to
start a new company?
A:
Yes, provisionally named Muddy C, a new casual gaming destination on the Web,
with an emphasis on multiplayer and community, and higher production values
than are typically seen in casual games. There were 4 others involved in the
start-up, and we spent several months trying to raise money from VCs. We
received a high level of interest from many of the firms we pitched to, but
Q: What the hell kind of
a name is Muddy C?
A:
It’s named after the Muddy Charles Pub
at MIT, where we had many of the initial meetings.
Q: So, is Muddy C dead?
A:
No. The premise is still very interesting and potentially very lucrative, and
there’s a chance it still might happen with the involvement of Blue Fang.
Q: Are you still serving
as “Games Advisor” to WorldWinner,
where you worked from 2000 through 2005, and which is the leading provider of
cash tournament games on the Internet, and which is now owned by Fun
Technologies, and which recently launched the incredibly popular game “Scrabble
Cubes”?
A:
Yes.
Q: Weren’t you working
on mobile games after you left WorldWinner?
A:
Yes, for Floodgate Entertainment. I worked
on several games during my year-plus there, but mostly on “Pirates of the Caribbean Multiplayer”,
published by Disney. It’s a real-time
game for up to 16 simultaneous players, and is perhaps the most ambitious
mobile phone game created to date. Although I think that mobile gaming holds a
lot of promise, I found that between the current technical constraints of the
platform and the publisher/carrier-related constraints of the market, there
wasn’t a lot of room for creative growth. However, Floodgate and I parted on
good terms and I wish them the best.
Q: Are you still
collaborating on some writing projects with Bob Bates, who many people consider
the second-funniest adventure game designer of all time?
A:
Yes, Bob and I work together whenever we have free time, which is approximately
never. However, if you put enough monkeys in a room for long enough, some of
them will have some free time. Or something like that. So we’ve managed to
create one complete screenplay, “Buying Time”,
available now to the highest-bidding major motion picture studio! Plus we have
several more projects, in various stages of completion, including some text
adventure games.
Q: Well, then, who’s the
funniest adventure game designer of all time?
A:
You’ll have to ask “many people”.
Q: Didn’t your home email
address used to be “steve@boffo.com”, not “steve@boffo.us”?
A:
Yes, we sold the boffo.com domain to Variety
a few months ago. But steve@boffo.us will be my home email for life. Of course,
that’s what I said about steve@boffo.com. But I was lying then. I’m not lying now.
Q: Can I see some photos
of your just-completed kitchen renovation?
A:
Nope, sorry, Betty says that photos don’t do it justice and you’ll just have to
come see it in person. For all you people who don’t live in the area, please
email Betty to complain.
Q: Is it true that your
son Dan is in his freshman year at RPI and is
thinking about a double major including game design studies?
A:
No comment.