May 2012
2 posts
April 2012
2 posts
March 2012
2 posts
February 2012
3 posts
January 2012
1 post
December 2011
1 post
3 tags
“Sometimes I look up from my iPhone
And see the train tracks whistle by
Observe...”
– Joel Auge
October 2011
2 posts
September 2011
3 posts
August 2011
6 posts
“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from...”
– John C. Maxwell
HitGrab Levels'up.
HitGrab leveled up to new offices in downtown Toronto today.
HitGrab Levels'up.
HitGrab leveled up to new offices in downtown Toronto today. They are stellar. Come visit!
July 2011
1 post
7 tags
No One Cares About Making Cool Social Games...
A country-life parable
Michelle and I bought our second house last September. When we were first engaged we would drive through the countryside around Oakville, Ontario (where she’s originally from) and marvel at the properties. We’ve always had this dream of buying a humble home in the country, having a huge plot for a garden and a beautiful green yard for our kids (currently just...
May 2011
2 posts
New Game on the Way...
I’m sitting here at my little corner desk at our Oakville, Ontario, Canada offices - just a few short weeks away from releasing our first major product in many many months. While some might say we’ve moved too slowly in our space (I’m assuming, though I’ve never heard anyone say that. Call it self-criticism if you’d like), I’d like to think we’ve made...
Sorry. It’s been a while. Here’s a post.
March 2011
5 posts
Homemade Maple Syrop
Well… I’m officially as Canadian as the clichés will allow. I have geese on my hockey pond, and my first batch of homemade maple syrup made from the trees in my yard on the counter. Pretty awesome eh?
Watchalexanderfairchild:
So my good friend Brooks Reynolds, photographer, director, and vegetable enthusiast, told me to write a song and perform/record it all in one night at the studio (with the help of my able-bodied friend and co-producer David Kuwabara). So I did, and here’s the song, from the upcoming release of Alexander Fairchild’s fourth LP.
LOVE.
AF
Happy 3rd Birthday MouseHunt!
I am amazed. It’s been 3 years to the day since the launch of MouseHunt. He is officially the little social game that could… and he just keeps on going. (I’m personifying the game because it has provided so much opportunity for me and all HitGrab-ers, and has so much character it almost feels alive). MouseHunt persists while many competitors have come and gone; while social...
February 2011
1 post
7 tags
Why Social Games Will Finally Get Social:
(Warning: Pre-GDC rant)
;)
Ahead of my time at GDC this coming week, I wanted to address something that’s been popping up of late. There’s this gripe in the traditional video game industry about social games not being social at all. One particular article by a smart dude ( @brendansinclair -http://j.mp/fu1EHO ) - an editor at gamespot.com - observes the phenomenon of traditional...
January 2011
4 posts
Midnight skating drills on the frozen pond. Could one ask for more? #allthewayawesome
michelemademe asked: reduced to a giant puddle of tears while standing in the kitchen in front of a sink of dirty dishes today listening to you and your "OK". those words "now my heart's okay" are so simple. so simple. and so real to me and my own story. nothing, nothing to do with you. but speak straight to me. thanks joel, the poet.
i have no questions.
your...
i have no questions.
your...
December 2010
6 posts
10 tags
4 Biggest Lessons I Learned @ HitGrab in 2010
1. Scaling is (nearly) Everything 2. Players are People Too 3. Failures are Potential Steps Towards Success 4. Make a Plan. Work The Plan Preface: I personally hate whiners. (Hate is a strong word and I use it here with it’s intended vigour). There’s nothing worse than reading someone’s excuses for not having accomplished this or attained that. I will do my very best to avoid...
11:30am- get to arena.
11:40am- get out on ice.
11:45am- lose skate edge in corner, hit boards
11:46am- scream from excruciating pain.
11:55am- faint from sheer pain.
12:25pm- get to hospital after torturous car ride w/Darcy. (not Darcy’s fault). Recognition that expletives have no real value in dealing with pain.
12:35pm- nurse asks re: pain level, marks 10/10 when answered with loud...
"The Valley"...
is cool for (more than) a few reasons. Here are a few off the top of my head.
Although some might feel there’s an eliteness there, they’re an effective elite… It’s hard to attack something with such a high rate of return.
The desire to change the world is palpable. Access to that desire means access to human potential. That’s pretty awesome no matter how you spin...
November 2010
4 posts
October 2010
2 posts
Cool Friends Who Move The Needle (pt 2)
This is a straight-up copy from a post on our MouseHunt forums. All credit goes to Elizabeth Kitterman - MouseHunt Player.
Dave Vanderburg, You are a true Jedi of the HitGrab force and you move our needle.
Elizabeth Kitterman Writes:
“ I have to share this as I think it truly shows how great the Devs are! Dave helped me with a huge problem at 3am Dev time!! 3am!! He was working on MH...
7 tags
Cool Friends Who Move The Needle (pt 1)
I’ve made a cool friend I rarely talk to but am inspired by nearly daily. This isn’t sucking up as he likely will never read this post (will you Dave…?). Via his tweets and facebook status messages, I am continually reminded of (and floored by) Dave McClure’s efforts in business-building. (Which is arguably the second best way to bring about positive change in the world...
September 2010
3 posts
S’more-d’oeuvres: m&m on a mini-marshmallow melted betwixt two Teddy Grahams. It’s an original. Don’t steal.
Zynga Has All the Gamers (and it's good...)
So yesterday evening I was privy to an event put on by facebook and their games team at FBHQ in Palo Alto. Eighty or so attendees watched as Zucks and team announced their dedication to games, the launch of some new features, and the closing down or tweaking of some others. One of the features which is being tweaked is the newsfeed. It’s being modified so that if you don’t play a game, you won’t...
Second HitGrab Studio Imminent
Next week HitGrab opens it’s second studio in downtown Toronto. The team we’ve put together is awesome and I just had to post about it. We’re growing, we’re focused, and we’re about to start on the next phase of the HitGrab journey. Pretty pumped.