nono, I actually rather appreciate it. Its a lot better to know why someone does/doesnt do something than be told it and expected to believe on faith.
Cool.
Although I think its cool that you wrote a game just to play with your family more
Two, actually. AI War and Alden Ridge both came about from that motivation, although Alden Ridge won't be released until 2011. But my wife and I loved playing Lode Runner: The Legend Returns together, and I wanted more-of-that-but-very-different. So, Alden Ridge -- you're chased by guys like in Lode Runner, and you use tools, and that's about where the similarities end. My wife and I have already gotten a lot of enjoyment out of that, mainly a while back; she designed about 30% of the levels for it, and we both played each other's levels a lot and she had a number of ideas for new features, etc. Actually, other than Lars (Fiskbit), she's the only other person beyond me who's played that game more than a few minutes.
Incidentally, A Valley Without Wind is another game that my wife and I plan to play a bunch together, and that's one of the main motivators for me there. We loved playing PixelJunk Monsters together until we exhausted it, and I wanted AVWW to basically be PJM + Chrono Trigger + Plants vs Zombies + my own ideas.
Not all my games are family-motivated, but those three happen to be. The puzzle game that is coming next, the RPG called Cayenne that will come way in the future, and several puzzle and adventure games that I want to make are all purely based on my own interests... although, I imagine my wife will play all of them. And I know my mom is really itching to get her hands on the puzzle game (actually, a lot of the staff moms are).
/tangent
the common folk comment was really just in jest..
I know, I could tell. I was sort of jesting back, but also sort of responding publicly -- this isn't exactly private correspondence, and others will read your comment and maybe not know you were joking.
I was just kinda figuring that if you work all day in the office.. uhm.. doing whatever it is a single man (more or less.. different time zones you say o.0 ) office.. you must find /something/ to do all day long... >.>
What do I do all day long... well, answer forum and email correspondence; coordinate with other staff on the various parts of the game; handle business issues, contracts, vendors, etc; seek out new marketing and publicity and distribution opportunities; and program and design games. Sometimes it's after lunch before I even get past the correspondence and business side of things. December was particularly bad what with having to get set up with a new tax accountant, a new payroll service, new health insurance, and handle the handoff to my replacement at my old job. Plus all the holiday stuff, and I had a birthday in there. January is crazy so far because of two regional retail deals that have just been finalized, another new digital distribution partner, and of course all the stuff with the expansion and DLC. Next week I can actually start sleeping again.
Not that I'm really complaining, mind -- this is my dream job, and I was the one who set the schedule that has been so hard on me. But even a dream job isn't just "happily ever after" like most people (myself included, really) tend to assume. Maybe in a few years, if we get really popular.