7 ms·

Game Developer Gives 7-Year-Old Best Birthday Present Ever

593 points by mrtnkl 15y ago

mathattack 15y ago
They're awesome and you're SuperDad!
albertzeyer 15y ago
In the beginning when I saw the pictures, I thought that you could build levels for a 2D platform game with Lego and the game automatically reads them in via Webcam or so and you could play them. That would be fun! :)
- vyrotek 15y ago
  I thought the same thing! The next generation of toys gets me really excited. I hope things like that become a reality. I can't wait to play.... err get them for my kids. ;)
  - techMAC 15y ago
    We can also enjoy those toys, not just our kids. LOL
- JonnieCache 15y ago
  I was expecting him to have hooked up a kinect to the level editor, so he could scan in all his lego levels.
  - rcthompson 15y ago
    Why can't we just put a computer in every lego piece with inputs and output on the "pegs" and holes, and have the pieces figure out on their own how they're put together? Then we just need a USB-to-lego adapter to export to the computer. Anyone into distributed systems research?
    - jonbro 15y ago
      There are a few research systems that do exactly this, and I think that some of them may be coming to the market soon. http://www.modrobotics.com/ http://www.modrobotics.com/ is the one that I could find quickish.
erikpukinskis 15y ago
This is a lovely story, great parenting, and a lovely gesture. But I could not stop thinking about how many extraordinary coincidences would be required for this to happen to a little girl. Would her parents have encouraged her relationship with video games? Would her friends support it? Is it even physically possible to make an "Edge" level with the new "girl" Legos? These are the tiny little experiences that turn little boys from future Biologists into future Computer Scientists.
- kylemaxwell 15y ago
  My daughter plays the same games (e.g. Minecraft) as the boys. She plays with the same Lego bricks as the boys. It's not that she doesn't see the differences, especially at school - it's that we don't make the differences seem like anything to worry about at this point. By the time those differences matter more, I hope to have her self-confidence to the point where she'll kick those boys' butts.
  - cicloid 15y ago
    Maybe, the only sad part is that creativity toys like Lego have somehow stopped being gender neutral. Have you seen the latest sets?
    - JonnieCache 15y ago
      You can't make shit with the girl lego. You can go shopping though. See http://jezebel.com/5868334/lego-targets-girls-with-pink-blocks-cute-figures--no-creativity http://jezebel.com/5868334/lego-targets-girls-with-pink-bloc... and http://jezebel.com/5883041/girly-lego-sucks-but-theyre-selling-like-hotcakes http://jezebel.com/5883041/girly-lego-sucks-but-theyre-selli...
    - tomjen3 15y ago
      One does not buy the latest lego sets -- one buys what ever magnum box they have with the most blocks. Especially if you are concerned about the image.
    - 15y ago
skystorm 15y ago
Incidentally, the game in question (Edge) is part of the current Humble Bundle, including a version for Android devices. I've already had quite a bit of fun with it on my way to work. :) Edit: Kinda obvious, but here's the link http://www.humblebundle.com/ http://www.humblebundle.com/ (only 4 hours to go!)
ThomPete 15y ago
Why can't the world be much more like that? Such a fantastic present. And it makes you wonder if there is some untapped potential in there.
gtrak 15y ago
Yes, for that kid this will be something to look back on in pride. That's amazing.
hobin 15y ago
There's not much here to say except: this is the awesomest thing I've ever seen game developers do.
hieronymusN 15y ago
Such a great story. Such a great ad for a game. Downloading now.
richardlblair 15y ago
This is a really touching story. Above that, it will really spark this young man's creative mind. For his eighth birthday get him a laptop, and get him programming. Sounds like a really awesome kid. You are one lucky Dad.
- ralphael 15y ago
  yep, couldn't agree more! The laptop could be the best present you ever buy him! ..second to Lego :-)
snorkel 15y ago
I'm embarking on a similar hands-on exercise with my own 5 year old son called "let's make an iPhone game". I'm letting him completely define the plot, the characters, the actions, and overall requirements no matter how nonsensical it all seems, I don't debate his choices, I just take requirements as is. I have him involved with every step from designing the artwork, the music, the sounds, the actions, and he is quite obsessed with working on this project continuaously. I don't expect he'll know all the details of how the game works but I want to demonstrate that he can create fun things using a computer. The refreshing part of getting software requirements from a child is there's no tedious debate about implementation details, timelines, and business value. "The cowboy is only on level 2 and level 4 because his friend is the mosquitto." OK, whatever, nonsense but perhaps no more ridiculous than Pac Man.
- yassim 15y ago
  Thankyou. I cant read the article from work as we block anything with the word games in the meta tags. But your post gave me most of the gist as well as making me smile with what you are doing. My hats off to you.
  - jacquesm 15y ago
    Let's hope game theory will never be applicable to your line of work.
  - Ideka 15y ago
    I suggest reading the article when you can, as that post wasn't actually very similar to it.
  - SquareWheel 15y ago
    I'm not sure if you need to be logged in to Instapaper to see this, but here is a text summary that has all the content: http://www.instapaper.com/text?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmartinkool.com%2Fpost%2F17611582440%2Fgame-developer-gives-7yr-old-best-birthday-present-ever&article=251584168 http://www.instapaper.com/text?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmartinkool.com...
6ren 15y ago
Unfortunately, they need to license his level; and if it is sold with the official game, they arguably should pay him. This issue wouldn't occur if they coded his map for him as an independent modder's map - but a big part of the coolness of this gift is that it's part of the official game. (I mean, when I was 7, such a gift would be like becoming a god - legal issues, even money, would only diminish that). /sick of negotiating licenses for my code
deleted 15y ago
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idan 15y ago
Am I the only one who is curious to see gameplay video of this 7-year-old?
slewis 15y ago
And the developer gets positive karma from the press for doing this, which leads to more sales. Sweet! (disclaimer: I'm not at all insinuating that they did it for the press. I just like that a good action is being rewarded.)
damian2000 15y ago
Well done to the game devs to support their fans/players like this ... they deserve all the exposure they will no doubt get for their game because of this story ...
SkippyZA 15y ago
Lovely story. If I were a kid and that happened to me, I would be ecstatic!
deleted 15y ago
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tete 15y ago
Isn't that what indie game development is all about? That the developers actually care. At least that's a lot of why I like indie games. They often do awesome things. They usually don't just develop games to make money, but to make people happy. I think that's a lot about why they are more creative and not just another implementation of the same boring game with better graphics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&#38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&
reinhardt 15y ago
Apologies for the meta comment but this is the thread with the highest points/comments ratio I've seen in HN. Almost six hundred readers upvoted it but less than 10% posted a comment, which is pretty unusual. I'm guessing it's the overwhelming "this is amazingly cool/touching/lovely but other than I don't really have anything to add to the discussion" feeling.

593 points by mrtnkl 15y ago

They're awesome and you're SuperDad!

In the beginning when I saw the pictures, I thought that you could build levels for a 2D platform game with Lego and the game automatically reads them in via Webcam or so and you could play them. That would be fun! :)

vyrotek 15y ago
I thought the same thing! The next generation of toys gets me really excited. I hope things like that become a reality. I can't wait to play.... err get them for my kids. ;)
- techMAC 15y ago
  We can also enjoy those toys, not just our kids. LOL
JonnieCache 15y ago
I was expecting him to have hooked up a kinect to the level editor, so he could scan in all his lego levels.
- rcthompson 15y ago
  Why can't we just put a computer in every lego piece with inputs and output on the "pegs" and holes, and have the pieces figure out on their own how they're put together? Then we just need a USB-to-lego adapter to export to the computer. Anyone into distributed systems research?
  - jonbro 15y ago
    There are a few research systems that do exactly this, and I think that some of them may be coming to the market soon. http://www.modrobotics.com/ http://www.modrobotics.com/ is the one that I could find quickish.

erikpukinskis 15y ago

This is a lovely story, great parenting, and a lovely gesture. But I could not stop thinking about how many extraordinary coincidences would be required for this to happen to a little girl. Would her parents have encouraged her relationship with video games? Would her friends support it? Is it even physically possible to make an "Edge" level with the new "girl" Legos? These are the tiny little experiences that turn little boys from future Biologists into future Computer Scientists.

kylemaxwell 15y ago
My daughter plays the same games (e.g. Minecraft) as the boys. She plays with the same Lego bricks as the boys. It's not that she doesn't see the differences, especially at school - it's that we don't make the differences seem like anything to worry about at this point. By the time those differences matter more, I hope to have her self-confidence to the point where she'll kick those boys' butts.
- cicloid 15y ago
  Maybe, the only sad part is that creativity toys like Lego have somehow stopped being gender neutral. Have you seen the latest sets?
  - JonnieCache 15y ago
    You can't make shit with the girl lego. You can go shopping though. See http://jezebel.com/5868334/lego-targets-girls-with-pink-blocks-cute-figures--no-creativity http://jezebel.com/5868334/lego-targets-girls-with-pink-bloc... and http://jezebel.com/5883041/girly-lego-sucks-but-theyre-selling-like-hotcakes http://jezebel.com/5883041/girly-lego-sucks-but-theyre-selli...
  - tomjen3 15y ago
    One does not buy the latest lego sets -- one buys what ever magnum box they have with the most blocks. Especially if you are concerned about the image.
  - 15y ago

skystorm 15y ago

Incidentally, the game in question (Edge) is part of the current Humble Bundle, including a version for Android devices. I've already had quite a bit of fun with it on my way to work. :) Edit: Kinda obvious, but here's the link http://www.humblebundle.com/ http://www.humblebundle.com/ (only 4 hours to go!)

ThomPete 15y ago

Why can't the world be much more like that? Such a fantastic present. And it makes you wonder if there is some untapped potential in there.

gtrak 15y ago

Yes, for that kid this will be something to look back on in pride. That's amazing.

hobin 15y ago

There's not much here to say except: this is the awesomest thing I've ever seen game developers do.

hieronymusN 15y ago

Such a great story. Such a great ad for a game. Downloading now.

richardlblair 15y ago

This is a really touching story. Above that, it will really spark this young man's creative mind. For his eighth birthday get him a laptop, and get him programming. Sounds like a really awesome kid. You are one lucky Dad.

ralphael 15y ago
yep, couldn't agree more! The laptop could be the best present you ever buy him! ..second to Lego :-)

snorkel 15y ago

I'm embarking on a similar hands-on exercise with my own 5 year old son called "let's make an iPhone game". I'm letting him completely define the plot, the characters, the actions, and overall requirements no matter how nonsensical it all seems, I don't debate his choices, I just take requirements as is. I have him involved with every step from designing the artwork, the music, the sounds, the actions, and he is quite obsessed with working on this project continuaously. I don't expect he'll know all the details of how the game works but I want to demonstrate that he can create fun things using a computer. The refreshing part of getting software requirements from a child is there's no tedious debate about implementation details, timelines, and business value. "The cowboy is only on level 2 and level 4 because his friend is the mosquitto." OK, whatever, nonsense but perhaps no more ridiculous than Pac Man.

yassim 15y ago
Thankyou. I cant read the article from work as we block anything with the word games in the meta tags. But your post gave me most of the gist as well as making me smile with what you are doing. My hats off to you.
- jacquesm 15y ago
  Let's hope game theory will never be applicable to your line of work.
- Ideka 15y ago
  I suggest reading the article when you can, as that post wasn't actually very similar to it.
- SquareWheel 15y ago
  I'm not sure if you need to be logged in to Instapaper to see this, but here is a text summary that has all the content: http://www.instapaper.com/text?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmartinkool.com%2Fpost%2F17611582440%2Fgame-developer-gives-7yr-old-best-birthday-present-ever&article=251584168 http://www.instapaper.com/text?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmartinkool.com...

6ren 15y ago

Unfortunately, they need to license his level; and if it is sold with the official game, they arguably should pay him. This issue wouldn't occur if they coded his map for him as an independent modder's map - but a big part of the coolness of this gift is that it's part of the official game. (I mean, when I was 7, such a gift would be like becoming a god - legal issues, even money, would only diminish that). /sick of negotiating licenses for my code

deleted 15y ago

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deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

idan 15y ago

Am I the only one who is curious to see gameplay video of this 7-year-old?

slewis 15y ago

And the developer gets positive karma from the press for doing this, which leads to more sales. Sweet! (disclaimer: I'm not at all insinuating that they did it for the press. I just like that a good action is being rewarded.)

damian2000 15y ago

Well done to the game devs to support their fans/players like this ... they deserve all the exposure they will no doubt get for their game because of this story ...

SkippyZA 15y ago

Lovely story. If I were a kid and that happened to me, I would be ecstatic!

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

tete 15y ago

Isn't that what indie game development is all about? That the developers actually care. At least that's a lot of why I like indie games. They often do awesome things. They usually don't just develop games to make money, but to make people happy. I think that's a lot about why they are more creative and not just another implementation of the same boring game with better graphics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&#38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&

reinhardt 15y ago

Apologies for the meta comment but this is the thread with the highest points/comments ratio I've seen in HN. Almost six hundred readers upvoted it but less than 10% posted a comment, which is pretty unusual. I'm guessing it's the overwhelming "this is amazingly cool/touching/lovely but other than I don't really have anything to add to the discussion" feeling.