Ok, here we go!
Hi guys! As some or all of you know, the models we make are quite a bit different than most. This puts us at a slight disadvantage. The models made here are more involved, sometimes complex, and driven by pure fandom (not necessarily because we have any real deadlines or requirements), not only the nostalgia but in my original creations as well.
If you wish to use the models to make money, want to help grow the platform, and discuss the vision I see (and have always seen) for the long term, we can have that conversation in the discord!
Let me quickly put this down – A little history.
I am a game designer and developer first. I have a foundation in programming and have studied art, history, and business to depths that most people have trouble grasping. I have 5 games currently in their final phases. They have been play-tested at events that I used to host before everyone became so isolated. I used to teach game development, animation, and modeling.
In addition to Pixel and Plastic
I run a video game studio called Never Sun Games. I have been making games for private events that were completely built around pure fun. I didn’t have to worry about monetization. The games I was making thereafter were no longer fun and were being destroyed because of monetization. As I moved into the more indie field, it took over quickly. To get out of it, I started playing games—because it’s kind of my thing.
I would talk about my story, and what I have accomplished. In doing so, I found that not only did I not like making games with in-app purchases and ads, but nobody liked them in their games either.
So the harder question.
How can I continue to make a living without those? Toys. The answer was toys. I, and so many people, just like you, LOVE toys. We like buying toys, playing with toys, and exploring with our imagination. Everything. It’s beautiful, so I dug in. Is this possible? At the time, sort of. But it was going to be expensive. Has it been done? ABSOLUTELY. For example, some of the bigger companies on the planet built everything without these tactics. Because they simply didn’t exist. Well, here we go, I had a lot more studying to do to get into toys, and as rapidly and full-heartedly as I could, we were off to the races.
Now, because of this dive, I have made some of my greatest friends ever. I had to learn what made toys great in the first place. Which just so happened to be, a story. The story made everything. It’s how we connect, it’s how we grow, it’s how we develop intuition, it’s how we make friends, it’s how we build relationships. Everything. I have stories. Not half bad ones, if I may say so myself, but now they are just sitting there. For me to finish these games, they have to be able to make an income. I can do that, by licensing them to Pixel and Plastic. Make the toys, let everyone play the games, pure of heart, for free. This is the destination the ship is sailing towards. (Now quite a few ships – building a freaking armada here).
NOW, I can make toys for a purpose, to bring friends together, new and old.
We can show everyone what the heck the point of all of this is. Not just a lonely artist making some pizza bucks (please don’t get that wrong, I love pizza, send pizza money) – the ambition is grand, I know. But all the resources to do it are prepared and ready. Now it just needs to be done.
There is so much to talk about, and how we can all work together and grow together is important to me. So connect in the discord, connect your discord account to your thangs account.
How can we make this all grow? How can we make the world a little better with just a little pure imagination, just like when we were kids? Let’s talk about it, talk to you soon!