tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-303749173644186482024-02-02T17:26:18.890-06:00ABOSUTBIMBA Bunch Of Stuff Used To Be In My Brain. Now it's here.Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-14297966250656366412023-08-04T13:00:00.005-05:002023-08-04T19:58:43.252-05:00Rules for Proper Dorm Behavior from VGHS Video Game High School<p>I couldn't find a complete list anywhere. Even the Reddit page was incomplete, so here ya go!</p><p>And yes... there is no #4. I don't know why. Do you?<p><p><br /></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi3qcf4gMgbyF7PrPeymXbIdtZKvfvJgKivNs_DpNarMjhiy7-Dr_YuiqWrGs46iNJjaC6Eo3vpveYDzEWORvrNwCyZ24pQA7MGRPpAOkCUD9IjNc7p3tp-om2S3xxXAMc18a31L8vvM3RdCUKKNIdDJecm6bSYPd1NkkeABEeijSOvKtwyj_Is0ju-Ic" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="749" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi3qcf4gMgbyF7PrPeymXbIdtZKvfvJgKivNs_DpNarMjhiy7-Dr_YuiqWrGs46iNJjaC6Eo3vpveYDzEWORvrNwCyZ24pQA7MGRPpAOkCUD9IjNc7p3tp-om2S3xxXAMc18a31L8vvM3RdCUKKNIdDJecm6bSYPd1NkkeABEeijSOvKtwyj_Is0ju-Ic" width="234" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From 16:20 of S2: Ep. 4</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>1. You do not talk about VGHS</p><p>2. No aim botting, map hacking, or hex editing</p><p>3. Don't steal or even think about stealing</p><p>5. No sticky liquids</p><p>6. Keep at least on article of clothing on at all times</p><p>7. Matches will go on as long as they have to</p><p>8. Eat at least 3 times a day</p><p>9. Beds are for sleeping</p><p>10. Blink multiple times an hour while gaming</p><p>11. The lights never go out at VGHs</p><p>12. Keep your feet on the ground</p><p>13. Check every room and chest before progressing</p><p>14. No strobe lights</p><p>15. No heavy breathing or panting</p><p>16. Houston will frequently have problems</p><p>17. Sun exposure won't kill you</p><p>18. Don't leave belongings in the hallways</p><p>19. The janitor is not your mother, don't hug him</p><p>20. No loud music</p><p>21. No audible singing or joy</p><p>22. Gaming is not a substitute for eating</p><p>23. No silly string inside dormitory buildings</p><p>24. Always fake your disarm</p><p>25. No clicking of spells or abilities</p><p>26. If you're a freshman you get the GIMP controller</p><p>27. The body cannot live without the mind</p><p>28. Lift the seat</p><p>29. Keep your room tidy and clean</p><p>30. No sleeping in the hallway</p><p>31. Lock your door before you leave</p><p>32. An APM under 400 is unacceptable</p><p>33. Button mashing is strictly prohibited</p><p>34. No crawling around on the floor</p><p>35. No pets</p><p>36. Keep your hands to yourself</p><p>37. Don't flush while someone is showering</p><p>38. No running with hedge clippers</p><p>39. Make your bed every morning</p><p>40. Don't LOS your healer</p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-9880402233847021592022-02-19T13:26:00.000-06:002022-02-19T13:26:14.452-06:00An old "About Me" from MobyGames<p>Find me on MobyGames.com here: https://www.mobygames.com/user/sheet/userSheetId,10649/</p><p>My main page is <a href="http://billyjoecain.com">billyjoecain.com</a></p><p>I've been making games for some time, getting my start at Origin Systems, Inc. in 1992. The first day I went to work was the day that Electronic Arts bought Origin. That was an amazing first day! At Origin, I first worked on SNES titles (Black Gate, Savage Empire, Wing Commander II), then went to EAUK and helped complete the first EA Sports Rugby on Sega Genesis (I was there for three months). Finally, I came back to Origin to work on a few things including a stint as lead designer on Wing Commander Prophecy. Origin was a lot of fun and a lot of work. Good people doing some amazing things. It also allowed me to get a chance to see what the internal workings of EA were like. I am impressed by them to this day.</p><p>After Origin, I got a job as a producer at a startup that lasted for a few years. The game we were working on was groundbreaking (Crimson Order) and was getting great press (it was playable), but the company shut down unexpectedly before we had a chance to get far into production. Bummer, but that's how it goes!</p><p>Then I landed at a company that needed a producer to complete a next-gen title for PS2 and GC. I took that role and got to meet a lot of great people while working on SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman as an external developer for THQ. </p><p>With two partners, I started a development studio and outsource company called Critical Mass Interactive in early 2003. We provided games for the United States Air Force and many others, we provided mercenary service on hundreds of games, from art, programming, game design, production management, you name it. </p><p>In January of 2010, I co-founded Sneaky Games in Austin, TX. Check out www.sneakygames.com for all the news that is news! </p><p>I'm almost always at some game conference or another, either meeting with clients, making new friends or even speaking. It seems to me that you should pay something back to the industry if it treats you well. </p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-73953207586263635802021-04-11T19:58:00.001-05:002021-04-11T20:00:36.418-05:00Biden and Harris are NOT what you think they are<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpiMiZCu5S8hQ8eB-yJJslXD2zBRELkjImKrnAJ2mXPQTTkQamdu1a02oYGVqSWXFhCAe4gWZczdB4s5NsqHXrIrOV5FPaODcBIJvd2La6tibV66OjBKYvDgZGdLHYIZNNtjaZfvM3pQ/s1066/Capture.PNG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpiMiZCu5S8hQ8eB-yJJslXD2zBRELkjImKrnAJ2mXPQTTkQamdu1a02oYGVqSWXFhCAe4gWZczdB4s5NsqHXrIrOV5FPaODcBIJvd2La6tibV66OjBKYvDgZGdLHYIZNNtjaZfvM3pQ/s320/Capture.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><br />It's been said that I complain a lot and have not proposed a lot of solutions. First of all, it's totally okay to be unhappy about things and say it. And it's okay if you do not have suggestions. That's NOT your job. Your role is to live your life. <p></p><p>I have beef. A lot of it. And I think it's painfully obvious that I'm not alone. </p><p>When the Democrats won the White House, the Senate, and the House, they should be ready to make HUGE changes. So...</p><p>Democrats... stop gloating that you won. Start DEMANDING. NOW. Here is what Biden / Harris WON'T give you. But I want them all and I'm going to fight for them. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>MEDICARE FOR ALL.</li><li>RETROACTIVE STIMULUS CHECKS FOR ALL AMERICANS.</li><li>ALL TAX BREAKS TO BUSINESS OFFSET BY NATIONALIZING THOSE BUSINESSES AND THEIR PROFITS.</li><li>DEFUND THE POLICE.</li><li>ABOLISH ICE.</li><li>MAKE ABORTION ON DEMAND LEGAL.</li><li>REMOVE ALL MEANS TESTING FOR ASSISTANCE.</li><li>END ALL WAR.</li><li>NATIONALIZE NATURAL RESOURCES. OIL, GAS, WATER, GOLD, MINERALS, SAND, DIRT, ETC.</li><li>MINIMUM WAGE $25/HOUR</li><li>MAXIMUM WEALTH $1 BILLION PER PERSON.</li><li>ENACT OCCUPANCY TAX.</li><li>PROSECUTE SCIENTOLOGISTS AS NEEDED.</li><li>END CASH BAIL.</li><li>FREE ALL PRISONERS OF DEBTOR PRISON.</li><li>MAKE CHILD BRIDES (I.E. HUMAN TRAFFICKING) ILLEGAL ON A FEDER AL LEVEL.</li><li>END THE GIG ECONOMY; MAKE CONTRACTORS EMPLOYEES.</li><li>MANDATE LOW INCOME HOUSING.</li><li>HOUSE 100% OF THE HOMELESS.</li><li>BAN FRACKING.</li><li>PROSECUTE BANKERS.</li><li>LEGALIZE ALL DRUGS.</li><li>END THE PATRIOT ACT.</li><li>CLOSE GUANTANAMO.</li><li>END ALL SANCTIONS.</li><li>PROSECUTE THE RICH.</li><li>AUDIT THE RICH.</li><li>AUTOMATIC TAX AUDITS AND PROSECUTIONS FOR ANYONE WITH OVER A BILLION DOLLARS IN ASSETS, NOT JUST INCOME.</li><li>90% TAX ON CORPORATIONS.</li><li>END STOCK BUYBACKS.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL LAWMAKERS TAKING BRIBES, LIKE PELOSI.</li><li>AUDIT EVERY POLITICIAN W/ $1M NET WORTH.</li><li>REMOVE ALL RETIREMENT PLANS FROM STOCK MARKET.</li><li>MAKE POLLUTION ILLEGAL.</li><li>FREE MENTAL HEALTH.</li><li>MAKE PRISON + JAIL REAL REHABILITATION.</li><li>FULLY FUND OUR SOCIAL SAFETY NET.</li><li>END OFFSHORE DRILLING.</li><li>END ARCTIC DRILLING.</li><li>NO PIPELINES WITHOUT FULL E.I.S.</li><li>PROSECUTE ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERS.</li><li>PROTECT ALL NATIONAL PARKS.</li><li>PROTECT OLD GROWTH FORESTS.</li><li>FREE ALL PROTESTERS.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL MURDEROUS POLICE.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL POLICE THAT KNEW AND COVERED UP MURDERS.</li><li>END GANGS IN POLICE DEPARTMENTS.</li><li>NO MATTER HOW RICH YOU ARE, YOU GO TO GEN POP.</li><li>LEGALIZE CANNABIS RETAILERS AND GROWERS USING BANKS.</li><li>PROSECUTE BANKS THAT HAVE LAUNDERED MONEY.</li><li>FREE ALL NON VIOLENT PRISONERS.</li><li>RESTORE FELONS' VOTING RIGHTS.</li><li>ABOLISH GERRYMANDERING.</li><li>OPEN SOURCE VOTING TABULATION.</li><li>HAND COUNT BALLOTS.</li><li>EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK.</li><li>FREE PALESTINE.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL WAR CRIMINALS, INCLUDING PRESIDENTS AND CONGRESSPEOPLE.</li><li>END THE DEATH PENALTY.</li><li>END FORCED STERILIZATION.</li><li>END TORTURE PROGRAMS.</li><li>FREE PRENATAL CARE.</li><li>RELEASE THE 9-11 REPORT.</li><li>RELEASE THE TORTURE REPORT.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL INVOLVED IN WAR CRIMES EXPOSED BY SNOWDEN AND MANNING.</li><li>END SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE MILITARY.</li><li>FUND THE EPA.</li><li>FREE ASSANGE.</li><li>FREE LEONARD PELTIER.</li><li>FREE ALL WHISTLEBLOWERS.</li><li>END STUDENT DEBT.</li><li>FREE COLLEGE.</li><li>FREE TRADE SCHOOLS.</li><li>PROSECUTE CHURCHES FOR COVERING UP ABUSE.</li><li>TAX CHURCHES.</li><li>LISTEN TO WHISTLEBLOWERS IN THE MILITARY.</li><li>MAKE MILITARY RECRUITING AT SCHOOLS ILLEGAL.</li><li>MAKE VOTING SIMPLE.</li><li>ALL ESSENTIAL WORKERS IMMEDIATELY GET $25/HR.</li><li>PROSECUTE BIDEN FOR ENRICHING HIMSELF.</li><li>PROSECUTE HARRIS FOR HER HAND IN CALIFORNIA PRISON LABOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING.</li><li>PROSECUTE STEVE MNUCHIN FOR ONE WEST BANK.</li><li>PROSECUTE HARRIS FOR NOT PROSECUTING STEVE MNUCHIN.</li><li>ALL PRISONERS RECEIVE FULL PAY FOR WORK IN PRISON.</li><li>REMOVE THE "FELON" QUESTION FROM ANY FORM.</li><li>SHUT DOWN PAYDAY LOANS.</li><li>REMOVE ALL TORT REFORM LAWS.</li><li>END ALL "WORK FOR HIRE" LAWS.</li><li>PROSECUTE TRUMP FOR ENRICHING HIMSELF.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL INVOLVED IN THE MORTGAGE CRISIS.</li><li>ARREST AND PROSECUTE ALL POLICE, MERCENARIES, AND MILITARY FOR BRUTALIZING PROTESTERS AT STANDING ROCK.</li><li>PROSECUTE THE BUNDYS.</li><li>PROSECUTE THE FBI FOR THEIR ROLE IN WACO.</li><li>REPLACE ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CURRENTLY DELIVERS LEAD IN THE WATER SYSTEM.</li><li>MAKE PURCHASING WATER FOR PROFIT ILLEGAL. I.E. END THE WATER WARS.</li><li>PUT LIMITS ON BIG AG.</li><li>ELIMINATE SHARECROPPING IN BIG AG.</li><li>ENACT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS RE: BIG AG AND THEIR POISONING THE ENVIRONMENT.</li><li>MAKE IT EASY TO START UNIONS.</li><li>BREAK UP THE BANKS.</li><li>BREAK UP FACEBOOK.</li><li>BREAK UP AMAZON.</li><li>RESTORE COMPLETE NET NEUTRALITY. </li><li>PROSECUTE ALL INTERNET PROVIDERS THAT HAVE SLOWED SPEEDS.</li><li>MAKE THE INTERNET A PUBLIC RESOURCE.</li><li>EXTEND INTERNET SERVICE TO POOR AREAS.</li><li>EXPAND SUPERFUND SITES.</li><li>REQUIRE NUCLEAR PLANTS AND CHEMICAL PLANTS TO PROVIDE PLANS FOR AND HAVE FUNDS SET ASIDE TO SHUT THEM DOWN IN THE EVENT OF SEA LEVEL RISE. </li><li>PROSECUTE ALL OIL COMPANIES FOR THEIR ROLE IN POLLUTING WATER.</li><li>END WHALE HARVESTING.</li><li>CLEAN UP THE OCEANS OF PLASTIC AND HUMAN POLLUTION.</li><li>LEAD THE EFFORT TO MAKE ALL OF SPACE A PUBLIC RESOURCE.</li><li>PREVENT CORPORATIONS FROM PROFITING FROM SPACE. GIVE THOSE PROFITS TO THE PEOPLE.</li><li>CLEAR OUT THE BACKLOG OF RAPE KITS.</li><li>FIX OUR CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE.</li><li>REPARATIONS FOR BLACKS.</li><li>FULLY FUND OUR INDIGENOUS POPULATION.</li><li>RESTORE LAND TO OUR INDIGENOUS.</li><li>MAKE PUERTO RICO A STATE (OR WHATEVER THEY WANT).</li><li>FULLY FUND THE REBUILDING OF PUERTO RICO.</li><li>RE-WRITE ALL HISTORY BOOKS TO INCLUDE THE REAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.</li><li>MAKE COLUMBUS DAY INTO INDIGENOUS DAY.</li><li>MAKE ALL ELECTIONS (STATE, LOCAL, FEDERAL) HOLIDAYS. </li><li>PROVIDE A FULL WEEK OF EARLY VOTING FOR ALL ELECTIONS.</li><li>REMOVE THE VOTING REGISTRATIONS REQUIREMENT TO SERVE ON A JURY (THIS PUNISHES HOURLY WORKERS).</li><li>FUND EMERGENCY PROGRAMS FOR NATURAL DISASTERS.</li><li>FORCE COMPANIES TO PROVIDE HUMAN TRAFFICKING FOOTPRINTS IN THEIR SUPPLY CHAIN.</li><li>ALL PRODUCTS MUST BE FAIR TRADE, OR BE MARKED WITH "MADE WITH X% HUMAN TRAFFICKING" AND A SPECIFIC LIST OF HOW MANY SLAVES AND WHAT THEY DID TO MAKE THE PRODUCT.</li><li>PROVIDE PREVENTATIVE MEDICAL CARE.</li><li>SENSIBLY INVEST IN RENEWABLE TECH.</li><li>MARSHALL PLAN FOR ALL COUNTRIES WE HAVE BOMBED OR PUT SANCTIONS ON.</li><li>SHUT DOWN BLACK SITES.</li><li>SHUT DOWN THE VAST MAJORITY OF MILITARY BASES.</li><li>NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT.</li><li>ENSTATE A HARSH WEALTH TAX.</li><li>END "LEGACY ADMISSIONS."</li><li>RENEW THE MEAT PACKERS UNION.</li><li>PROSECUTE ANY CORPORATION THAT AVOIDS PAYING BENEFITS BY KEEPING WORKERS "JUST UNDER" LEGAL REQUIREMENTS.</li><li>PUBLIC BANKS IN POST OFFICES.</li><li>MAKE FACIAL RECOGNITION ILLEGAL.</li><li>ALL DATA SHARING HAS TO BE OFF BY DEFAULT, AND AN EXACT DESCRIPTION IF WHAT WILL BE DONE WITH IT IF YOU AGREE.</li><li>END THE NSA.</li><li>DELETE ALL NSA COLLECTED DATA.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL NSA LEADERS.</li><li>PROSECUTE ALL PEOPLE IMPLICATED BY SNOWDEN.</li><li>ELIMINATE THE CIA.</li><li>END THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX. </li><li>PROSECUTE ALL POLITICIANS THAT HAVE PROFITED FROM IPOs OF COMPANIES THAT BENEFIT FROM PENDING LEGISLATION.</li><li>BETTER PROTECTIONS OF CHILDREN ONLINE.</li><li>PREVENT CHILDREN FROM ACCESSING PORN ONLINE.</li><li>PROTECTION OF ELDERS FROM FRAUDSTERS.</li><li>LEGALIZE PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE.</li><li>CLARIFY THAT HUMAN SMUGGLING IS NOT HUMAN TRAFFICKING.</li><li>END SHADOWBANNING.</li><li>END SHADOWBANNING THAT FORCES YOU TO PAY FOR PLACEMENT IN YOUR FOLLOWERS' FEED, ETC. </li><li>END THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE USPS TO HAVE 70 YEARS OF RETIREMENT PAY IN THEIR ACCOUNTS. (or whatever the numbers are - you know this is wrong)</li><li>MANDATE EVERY CHEMICAL COMPANY TO HAVE FUNDS SET ASIDE IN CASE OF SEAL LEVEL RISE.</li><li>IMMEDIATELY SUSPEND ANY POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED IN A SHOOTING, POTENTIALL INCLUDING EVERY ONE OF THEM THAT WAS IN THE AREA. </li><li>IMMEDIATELY INTERROGATE EVERY POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED IN A SHOOTING SEPARATELY BEFORE THEY CAN COLLUDE ON THE REPORT.</li><li>INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF ALL POLICE SHOOTINGS IN THE LAST 50 YEARS.</li></ul><p></p><p>I'll think of more. </p><p>BIDEN AND HARRIS ARE NOT THE SAVIORS YOU THINK THEY ARE.</p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-39803567624139156092021-04-11T13:50:00.003-05:002021-04-11T19:39:19.099-05:00Human Trafficking and your Privacy and Safety and Some Ideas that Might Make a Dent<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><h2></h2><h1><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt_hBLpFIiHAWAELduiRjrGCRjfoz42-9Ta312SMd4UKLYDArvZ7IPkSWMLBKmDBF_51i1XnqkXfRbSRfUKtub5H-X3gCel2Dx_FumRBH9BJeaaON27pqmn99DqbHPtW1JCKdJ8Ktjxc/s1000/face-detect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Human Trafficking is Real. Addressing it DOES NOT mean you have to give up YOUR Rights. </h1></div><div><br /></div>Has anyone started to notice that the danger of "Human Trafficking" is CONSTANTLY being used to take away your rights?<br /><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt_hBLpFIiHAWAELduiRjrGCRjfoz42-9Ta312SMd4UKLYDArvZ7IPkSWMLBKmDBF_51i1XnqkXfRbSRfUKtub5H-X3gCel2Dx_FumRBH9BJeaaON27pqmn99DqbHPtW1JCKdJ8Ktjxc/s1000/face-detect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Facial Recognition" border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYt_hBLpFIiHAWAELduiRjrGCRjfoz42-9Ta312SMd4UKLYDArvZ7IPkSWMLBKmDBF_51i1XnqkXfRbSRfUKtub5H-X3gCel2Dx_FumRBH9BJeaaON27pqmn99DqbHPtW1JCKdJ8Ktjxc/w320-h213/face-detect.jpg" title="Fear Should Not Remove Your Rights" width="320" /></a>I have.</p><p>It's almost like governments and the powerful let something fester for so long that they can then use it as a cudgel against you.</p><p>Privacy. Online identify. Security. Increased border patrol power. Surveillance. Bank records. Crypto.</p><p>HT is very real, of course. Way too real.</p><p>If you want to end it... Those tactics above are not the answers. </p><p>I'd like to offer a list of a few...</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Changes that might make a dent.</h2><div><i>Bottom line is that this horror is everywhere and addressing it requires a worldwide SHIFT in mindset and human understanding. It's everywhere and in almost every product in one way or another. It is almost impossible to live a single day (in America at least) without touching something affected by trafficking.</i></div><p><b>You end it through awareness and prevention education</b>. (Requires dramatic financial and societal commitment.)</p><p><b>You end it by defunding broken parts of the police industrial complex and spending that money on victim services and intervention.</b> (This also requires significant education.)</p><p><b>You end it by prosecuting military members and police officers and others that perpetuate the problem</b>. (Details on this one are disturbing, but let's just say one example is victims of human trafficking that are being prostituted against their will are constantly raped while they wear their uniforms.)</p><p><b>You end it by changing the ENTIRE social safety net. (</b>This requires UNbrainwashing the entire population about "pulling yourself up by the bootstraps." Which is impossible.)</p><p><b>You end it by actually creating legislation to prosecute the correct people. </b>("How" is a huge debate, but the goal is correct.)</p><p><b>You end it by prosecuting MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS that benefit from it. </b>(The computer device you're reading this from is built by slavery in its supply chain.)</p><p><b>You end it by stopping the endless wars.</b> (Is this not obvious? Do you know how many children are rounded up into "orphanages," and mysteriously disappear?" Do you know how many child soldiers are created by these wars?) </p><p><b>You end it by creating better refugee solutions</b>. (Cutting funding just makes it worse, and that's what we're doing.)</p><p><b>You end it by shutting down the IMF</b>. (They destroy economies which create disparities that result in direct trafficking or worse.)</p><p><b>You end it by helping migrants</b>. (There are cultural norms where people have one child to sell so they can survive.)</p><p><b>You end it by completely dismantling and replacing child protective services and the foster care system</b>. (The numbers and statistics linking the foster care system with trafficking and abuse are legion.)</p><p>I could go on and on. </p><p>So why aren't those being done? Guesses? I'll posit because it does NOT benefit the Oligarchy to change any one of those.</p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-68030957167090674722021-02-02T16:58:00.011-06:002021-02-02T18:43:37.437-06:00The Dakota XL Pipeline is Not Dead, No Matter What the Media Tells You. Don't Believe Them.<h2 style="text-align: left;">Biden stopped the Keystone Pipeline! Woo!</h2><p>Except that he didn't.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">This is the executive order "killing" Keystone XL, citing the reasons why Biden did it</h3><div><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/01/20/this-is-the-executive-order-killing-keystone-xl-citing-the-reasons-why-biden-did-it.html">https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/01/20/this-is-the-executive-order-killing-keystone-xl-citing-the-reasons-why-biden-did-it.html</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/01/20/this-is-the-executive-order-killing-keystone-xl-citing-the-reasons-why-biden-did-it.html"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2a3zB_MPcxyrMaeBa7IsRK-7mt8nwsIl9LR2rPkoeWaHUtqpotpnc9r8aPgOj_-ex6GmW7ZQ8jEPEMDFV_53epP9c-rXeWIYQAD7a87oh5KJeUjecz6w_YseSAQ27fzMGvhzU9YcKT-g/s866/pyramidofcapitalism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2a3zB_MPcxyrMaeBa7IsRK-7mt8nwsIl9LR2rPkoeWaHUtqpotpnc9r8aPgOj_-ex6GmW7ZQ8jEPEMDFV_53epP9c-rXeWIYQAD7a87oh5KJeUjecz6w_YseSAQ27fzMGvhzU9YcKT-g/w259-h320/pyramidofcapitalism.jpg" title="You are on the bottom. How does that feel?" width="259" /></a></div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">He's Removing A Permit that Trump approved; That's all.</h3><p>“Sec. 6. Revoking the March 2019 Permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline. (a) On March 29, 2019, the President granted to TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. a Presidential permit (the “Permit”) to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities at the international border of the United States and Canada (the “Keystone XL pipeline”), subject to express conditions and potential revocation in the President’s sole discretion. The Permit is hereby revoked in accordance with Article 1(1) of the Permit.</p><p>His "Executive Order" only removes one permit and does not "kill" the pipeline.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">It references in 2015 that "(b) In 2015, following an exhaustive review, the Department of State and the President determined that approving the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the U.S. national interest."</p></blockquote><p>What permit? Unclear. Here's a look at it. <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/04/03/2019-06654/authorizing-transcanada-keystone-pipeline-lp-to-construct-connect-operate-and-maintain-pipeline">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/04/03/2019-06654/authorizing-transcanada-keystone-pipeline-lp-to-construct-connect-operate-and-maintain-pipeline</a></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">This permit supersedes the Presidential permit issued to the permittee, dated March 23, 2017. For the avoidance of doubt, I hereby revoke that March 23, 2017, permit. Furthermore, this permit grants the permission described in the previous paragraph and revokes the March 23, 2017, permit notwithstanding Executive Order 13337 of April 30, 2004 (Issuance of Permits With Respect to Certain Energy-Related Facilities and Land Transportation Crossings on the International Boundaries of the United States) and the Presidential Memorandum of January 24, 2017 (Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline).</p></blockquote><p>I don't see anything referring to the type of permit; only that it's a "Presidential Permit." </p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrebRFgUrJazsWO5RL7zDm3L2rpMyJbVAz-qTCdzlrmxM7O9E69tPTqrxuDXlAZV5My-aIClTkjZMmoLWbnvkhxfPFzJoJMG_mUllfwvoJJ3uvFU_DfX9nY-Qc3qaEugiQkkalzvdsn8/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img data-original-height="379" data-original-width="863" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrebRFgUrJazsWO5RL7zDm3L2rpMyJbVAz-qTCdzlrmxM7O9E69tPTqrxuDXlAZV5My-aIClTkjZMmoLWbnvkhxfPFzJoJMG_mUllfwvoJJ3uvFU_DfX9nY-Qc3qaEugiQkkalzvdsn8/w320-h141/image.png" title="The capitalists are poisoning you." width="320" /></a></div>The whole "Biden's stopping the XL Pipeline" is merely providing cover for the dozens of new permits he's allowed. And XL is only one blip on this map. <br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/maps/interactive-map-pipelines-united-states">https://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/maps/interactive-map-pipelines-united-states</a></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">The media is trying to get you to believe Biden is going to do anything to help the environment. I guarantee that anything you can point to that the media is calling good... I can tell you why it's a lie. I can do this all day, but it won't make a difference. I only wrote this because I'm sick of the white moderates on my Facebook wall that have had their consent manufactured to benefit the oligarchy.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Before we start, let's look at some history.</h3><p>Before you build a major project like the XL Pipeline, you are required by law to get an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) performed, so you can get a permit. From the Army Corp of Engineers. </p><p>This study can take YEARS. And it's very expensive. For a good reason. </p>Here's a tiny backgrounder on how the Army Corps of Engineers do things: <a href="https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Dam-and-Lake-Projects/Oil-and-Gas-Development/Dakota-Access-Pipeline">https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Dam-and-Lake-Projects/Oil-and-Gas-Development/Dakota-Access-Pipeline</a>/<br /><p style="text-align: left;">They even try to make that confusing. <b><span style="color: red;">An EA is different than a EIS</span></b>. Here's a place to go for more information: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/nepa/national-environmental-policy-act-review-process">https://www.epa.gov/nepa/national-environmental-policy-act-review-process</a></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>On July 25, 2016, the Corps <b><span style="color: red;">granted permission to applicant</span></b> Dakota Access, LLC, under Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, 33 U.S.C. 408 (408 permission), for a <b><span style="color: red;">proposed pipeline</span></b> crossing under Lake Oahe approximately 0.5 miles upstream of the northern boundary of the Standing Rock Reservation. The approximately 1,172-mile pipeline connects the Bakken and Three Forks oil production areas in North Dakota to an existing crude oil market near Patoka, Illinois.</p><p>The 408 permission was supported by a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) based on an <b><span style="color: red;">Environmental Assessment (EA)</span></b>, as contemplated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This EA/FONSI was completed on July 25, 2016, the date that the Corps granted the 408 permission. On February 8, 2017, the Corps <b><span style="color: red;">granted an easement</span></b>, with conditions, to cross federal property administered by the Corps at Lake Oahe, North Dakota. The Corps granted the easement under the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA), 30 U.S.C. 185. The easement allowed for the installation, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, replacement and termination of a thirty-inch diameter horizontal directional drill buried oil pipeline for the purpose of transporting crude oil, and related facilities, at or under Lake Oahe Project in North Dakota, with a 50-foot wide width plus the ground occupied by the pipeline and related facilities. Operation of the pipeline began on June 1, 2017.</p><p>On March 25, 2020, the District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Corps to prepare an <b><span style="color: red;">EIS </span></b>for this portion of the pipeline because the pipeline’s “effects on the quality of the human environment are likely to be highly controversial.” </p><p>Consistent with the Court’s decision, Dakota Access, LLC seeks an easement from the Corps for the original proposed project <b><span style="color: red;">whose construction was completed</span></b> on June 1, 2017. A decision on whether to authorize the pipeline to cross Lake Oahe at the proposed location would be based on: (1) the July 25, 2016, <b><span style="color: red;">EA/FONSI</span></b>; (2) the Corps’ August 31, 2018, analysis on remand from a decision by the District Court; and (3) additional analysis developed through this <b><span style="color: red;">EIS</span></b>. </p></blockquote><h3 style="text-align: left;">Ask yourself, why was it allowed to be built at all? Because it was in full swing in 2015 and 2016.</h3><p>Any casual observer can tell they had the entire line planned, but they got it all approved. Why? Because no one was watching. And they knew how to manipulate the system. </p><p>Maybe it's because they are financially powerful? </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Zg7HhwiKnLGi6Pv82wXMz0jhN5DkDe0cRoxtTwwVEd-Rz4TD5G2fQqH6MaNa4r-Azxcvj7mBuiy2_Xg72qScaQIdPHxvO6DMSiGMPCnDS2YWpwVXOx5GVrbvvgzhPEnj63cKtbSO_24/s998/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="998" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Zg7HhwiKnLGi6Pv82wXMz0jhN5DkDe0cRoxtTwwVEd-Rz4TD5G2fQqH6MaNa4r-Azxcvj7mBuiy2_Xg72qScaQIdPHxvO6DMSiGMPCnDS2YWpwVXOx5GVrbvvgzhPEnj63cKtbSO_24/w552-h195/Capture.JPG" width="552" /></a></div><br /></div>I think they might know a few loopholes.<br /><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Yep. Loopholes.</h3><p>Energy Transfer Partners told the government (that knew better - how could they not?) that they were building separate pieces and got the smaller permits to build each one. </p><p>They used approvals of sections of the pipeline <span style="color: red;">instead of getting the real EIS</span>, and everyone KNEW IT. The Obama administration let them build. And build they did, destroying sacred sites and maiming peaceful water protectors, even in the freezing weather ON THANKSGIVING OF ALL DAYS.</p><p>Native American were being BRUTALIZED on Thanksgiving? Yep. That's America. <a href="https://popularresistance.org/deconstructing-thanksgiving-with-standing-rock/">https://popularresistance.org/deconstructing-thanksgiving-with-standing-rock/</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uCATzZDbLOawd_KTgyEQPCz-ur3L6C5vY8_kcka7VKvJ7Dis768w187jibR0UczjIui63zxbYLw3RvFcnrZBN4_7GyhXEyUn5hwSYe1eoJNFiXE1bZCoQidTUV60TNR0bJMAho0QqWs/s4191/P5qbcT0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="4191" height="88" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uCATzZDbLOawd_KTgyEQPCz-ur3L6C5vY8_kcka7VKvJ7Dis768w187jibR0UczjIui63zxbYLw3RvFcnrZBN4_7GyhXEyUn5hwSYe1eoJNFiXE1bZCoQidTUV60TNR0bJMAho0QqWs/w498-h88/P5qbcT0.jpeg" width="498" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Obama said "Let it play out for now."</h3><p>That's just about when I decided I needed to see this for myself. So I went. I was there at the end and I saw the whole theater play out. </p><p>On December 4th, 2016, a SUNDAY afternoon, the easement was denied by the Army Corps of Engineers. A Sunday. Sunday? Why? What in the world could have caused the government to wake up early and work on this denial of the easement? </p><p>HOW COULD THEY EVEN BE BUILDING OR DIGGING OR GOING UNDER A RIVER OR DESTROYING SACRED SITES WITHOUT A PERMIT? </p><p>Energy Transfer Partners lied and cheated, and the government ran cover for them until the poor people stood up. </p><p>There were special circumstances the oligarchy didn't want anyone to see. </p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Bad Optics</h3><p>On the day before the denial of the easement permit, thousands of veterans showed up to "put their lives in the line." They were ready to die to defend the water and our constitution. Maybe that would have gotten mainstream coverage. Maybe seeing veterans be murdered by our police state would be bad TV?</p><p>During the entire Standing Rock occupation by the Federal Government, Obama and Biden used federal troops to stop native Americans from protecting their own land and our environment. And so much more. They BRUTALIZED the peaceful protesters. </p><p>The level of surveillance was out of control. All under Obama and Biden.</p><p>It's where "environmental terrorism" entered the governmental lexicon.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">"Let's Let Trump Approve it!"</h3><p>So the permit was revoked under Obama. Yay!! Except that less than a month afterward, Trump did just like the oligarchy planned, and reinstated the pipeline, not requiring the <span style="color: red;">EIS</span>.</p><p>Progress still happened on that pipeline. </p><p>And now, we're back to Joe Biden denying a permit, that he can approve any time he wishes. According to the Executive Order: "<span style="color: red;"><b>subject to express conditions and potential revocation in the President’s sole discretion</b></span>," which means that, just like Trump, Biden (or Harris, if she becomes president) can just approve it with the stroke of a pen. </p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Here are some other things to consider.</h2><h3 style="text-align: left;">Fracking Is Not Profitable</h3><p>Yeah. The profits aren't there right now. Believe whomever you want, but my bet is the rich people will win. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-This-The-End-Of-Albertas-Oil-Industry.html">https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Is-This-The-End-Of-Albertas-Oil-Industry.html</a> (propaganda)</li><li><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/10/03/fracking-revolution-peak-without-profits">https://www.desmogblog.com/2019/10/03/fracking-revolution-peak-without-profits</a> (likely the truth)</li><li><a href="https://lithub.com/so-youre-saying-fracking-isnt-even-profitable">https://lithub.com/so-youre-saying-fracking-isnt-even-profitable</a>/ (more likely the truth)</li><li><a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/08/industry-focus-energy-07-02-2020.aspx">https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/07/08/industry-focus-energy-07-02-2020.aspx</a> (truth?)</li></ul><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Sioux tribe lawsuit </h3><p>The Sioux tribe just won a lawsuit to force the government to do what it was supposed to do under the Obama regime.</p><p>Just look at this insanity: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/07/15/891276857/court-halts-dakota-access-pipeline-shutdown-as-legal-fight-goes-forward">https://www.npr.org/2020/07/15/891276857/court-halts-dakota-access-pipeline-shutdown-as-legal-fight-goes-forward</a></p><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>On July 6, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered Energy Transfer to halt oil flow and empty the pipeline within 30 days. Boasberg ruled in March that the Army Corps had failed to address concerns about the risk of oil spills and ordered it to conduct a full environmental impact study. That study could take another year to complete.</p></blockquote><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Supreme Court has Already Required the EIS to be completed</h3><p>Here's another: the Supreme Court required the Environmental Impact Statement to be completed. Which SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE UNDER OBAMA BEFORE ANY DIRT WAS MOVED.</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>"The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for several pipeline projects to proceed under a fast-track permitting process but excluded the controversial Keystone XL expansion from their ruling, forcing major delays."</p><p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/06/politics/keystone-xl-supreme-court-pipeline/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/06/politics/keystone-xl-supreme-court-pipeline/index.html</a></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The Supreme Court allowed many projects to go ahead while the environmental reviews are done, but excluded the Keystone XL. The Keystone XL pipeline must still abide by the arduous environmental review process, the justices ruled. </div></blockquote><p>Notice that other pipelines are being built and being built before their EISs are complete.</p><p>That's what's up. And why you need to look past the headlines.</p><p>Wait... Is the Pipeline running or not?</p><p><a href="https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-hits-keep-coming-dc-circuit-vacates-6466348/">https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-hits-keep-coming-dc-circuit-vacates-6466348/</a></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Summary:</h2><p>This claim that Biden "shut down" the XL Pipeline is PERFORMATIVE on the part of POLITICS and the MEDIA, and meant to give you the impression that Biden is actually doing something to help the environment.</p><p>Why didn't he stop the fracking that generates the oil?</p><p>How about we believe in science and end fracking altogether?</p><p>Maybe it's because that's only ONE pipeline. </p><p>Don't worry, we'll be saying that it's our of Biden's hands and the Army Corps says that a pipeline running across America and underneath a river where 20 million Americans get their drinking water just approved it, so it must be all good.</p><h1 style="text-align: left;">My Skepticism</h1><p>The price of oil has driven that pipeline out of business and that Energy Transfer Partners wants to find some way, some loophole, to declare some sort of bankruptcy or other economic plea to someone due to the government shutting it down so they can make more money.</p><p>SOMEONE IS GETTING PAID FOR THIS. WHO IS IT?</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Update! </h2><p>Just found this... It's a pretty good overview. And if it shows ANYTHING, it's that the pipeline will be opened soon. <a href="https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-hits-keep-coming-dc-circuit-vacates-6466348/">https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-hits-keep-coming-dc-circuit-vacates-6466348/</a></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">It’s been a difficult several days for the oil industry. First, the Biden administration revoked the border-crossing permit for the Keystone XL pipeline on January 20. Another executive order, among other things, directed the secretary of the US Department of the Interior to pause oil and natural gas leases on public lands and offshore waters pending a review of leasing practices. And on January 26, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit affirmed a district court’s decision to vacate an easement vital to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL or the pipeline) that had been granted by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). But the court, however, reversed the lower court’s order that required the pipeline to cease operations. Accordingly, the pipeline may continue to operate while the Corps decides what to do about Dakota Access’s trespass. Separately, however, local Native American tribes have sought an injunction before the district court, the briefing for which ended earlier this month.</p></blockquote><p> The conclusion of this article is garbage. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>After the district court’s March order, the Corps started to prepare an EIS.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">The time to prepare an EIS ranged from 51 days to 6,708 days (18.4 years). The average time for all federal entities was 3.4 years. Average times differed significantly by year and by entity. - Source: <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1017/S146604660808037X#:~:text=The%20time%20to%20prepare%20an,by%20year%20and%20by%20entity">https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1017/S146604660808037X#:~:text=The%20time%20to%20prepare%20an,by%20year%20and%20by%20entity</a>.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>An EIS is expected this summer, after which the Corps could regrant the easement.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> As this is one of the larger EIS that need to be completed, 51 days is hardly enough time. Please. I bet if you look what speeds up an EIS is how much money your project is worth, not how much land needs to be assessed.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>But it could deny the easement too. And while we're throwing out this "Expected this summer," let's read back from above: "Boasberg ruled in March that the Army Corps had failed to address concerns about the risk of oil spills and ordered it to conduct a full environmental impact study. <b><span style="color: red;">That study could take another year to complete.</span></b>"</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">What does that mean? Of course it could. </p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>And at present, DAPL is trespassing on government property. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">If trespassing is the problem, DAPL and the American government are trespassing on Native American land. See Ft. Laramie Treaty for one example. <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/1868-two-nations-made-treaty-us-broke-it-and-plains-indian-tribes-are-still-seeking-justice-180970741">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/1868-two-nations-made-treaty-us-broke-it-and-plains-indian-tribes-are-still-seeking-justice-180970741</a>/</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>The Corps has been investigating its legal options, but has yet to decide how to respond, and had indicated it was waiting for the DC Circuit’s ruling before making a decision. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> Legal mumbo jumbo.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>And separately, the tribes’ petition for injunctive relief remains pending before the district court. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> Legal mumbo jumbo.</p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>The issue has been briefed fully, and the district court may issue its ruling any day. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> More legal mumbo jumbo. I seriously doubt anyone is fully briefed. </p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>That is, there are two avenues by which the pipeline may be ordered to cease, and Dakota Access must prevail before both the Corps and the district court to keep the oil flowing.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">All it takes is the right amount of money or stocks moving to the right person, and that pipeline will continue to flow. </p></blockquote></blockquote><p>So, if you were guessing, based upon what the media told you about the XL Pipeline... Do you think it's transporting oil right now? Post in the comments!</p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Last thing: 10,000 Jobs lost</h1><div>Please, someone tell me how many of those are Union Jobs? How many are full time jobs? How many are contract? <br /><br />See if you can guess how many employees work on completed oil lines. </div><div><br /></div><div>Energy Transfer Partner Employees (est.) (Dec 2019)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>12,812</div><div><br /></div><div>Some things to read: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://extras.denverpost.com/oil-gas-deaths/subcontractors.html">https://extras.denverpost.com/oil-gas-deaths/subcontractors.html</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/11/05/553969144/big-oil-has-a-diversity-problem">https://www.npr.org/2017/11/05/553969144/big-oil-has-a-diversity-problem</a></li><li><a href="https://www.oilandgas360.com/fifth-circuit-finds-directional-drillers-are-independent-contractors/">https://www.oilandgas360.com/fifth-circuit-finds-directional-drillers-are-independent-contractors/</a></li></ul></div><div>What do you think? Is it possible there could be 10,000 full time employees that lost their jobs on a pipeline that wasn't even legal? </div><div><br />Sounds like propaganda to me.</div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-37883729399861079992021-01-13T23:29:00.002-06:002021-01-14T11:07:39.279-06:00Corporate Censorship and Human Trafficking<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Warning, this might be EMOTIONALLY TRIGGERING re: human trafficking.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>One of my good friends on Facebook asked me how censorship applies to human trafficking. More specifically: "You're involved in stopping sex trafficking. Should websites that support that be closed down? Shouldn't services/accounts being used to incite/plan/execute domestic terrorism also be shut down?"</b></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's a GREAT question and something that needed a good answer, with references. :)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm completely against opaque corporate censorship. </span></span></h2><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to nationalize all monopolistic social media so we can have a First Amendment online. (I also want to nationalize national resources to pay for all national services to people within a nation, but that's a side issue.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have given the 'but human trafficking' aspect of corporate censorship quite a lot of thought. While human trafficking is an epidemic of monumental proportions and we MUST end it, ultimately it is being used as a wedge issue to get us distracted from 1) corporate takeover of individual thought and 2) having our rights taken away by invisible oligarchs based upon however they determine their Terms of Service applies to any situation they wish at any time. See if what I'm saying below makes sense.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are very few easy answers with regard to human trafficking other than for it to have never happened.</span></span></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since being involved in this field, I have learned that there are many political positions that are taken by different groups, and taken to <i><b>extremes</b></i>. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Responses to specific issues are not consistent across the board in America, and certainly not across the world. There are no strict standards or rules or learning objectives or other things. I have been surprised by this. There's much more under the rug than I want to bring up in public.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The following issues have people on every side. This is just a few; there are more.</span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sometimes the police will let someone be trafficked for months or years because they "want to catch the bigger fish." </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sometimes the police know exactly where trafficking is happening, but there's no money to even try to start a case, much less do an arrest that’s only going to result in a victim becoming a criminal. Pimps (can be parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, neighbors, friends, other children, big ag) hardly ever go to prison.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Sometimes you wind up with people being arrested and prosecuted because the police don't know how to recognize trafficking and think it's just a domestic issue. Or worse.</li></ul><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Houston you can take a van tour (Elijah Rising) where they literally show you where trafficking is happening RIGHT THAT SECOND. There isn't a desire from the public to shut them down. It's pathetic.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGcaQ6R80FPI7At8uLLtdcs7TqyJeUkE29MjJHi-9_x_0Rep0ZSprCZrj-OERz8kcoytD2hDopaQQZju-_LxQFc1FrZbgztcTxztdQFOpHBxXxpvpajCBl1k4QSRVV-cphnJCp-NA89E/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="1280" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGcaQ6R80FPI7At8uLLtdcs7TqyJeUkE29MjJHi-9_x_0Rep0ZSprCZrj-OERz8kcoytD2hDopaQQZju-_LxQFc1FrZbgztcTxztdQFOpHBxXxpvpajCBl1k4QSRVV-cphnJCp-NA89E/w400-h143/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.elijahrising.org/van-tours/">Click to learn more</a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are also groups on either side of legal sex work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_YyCmmy6eKL2Lz2M8jecs6509SoKs4DWJk5CUkDon99W4127DlkcpSBlCsvBaYUZB-CzkvByFhTMChGzNiVpIwItXSxJfYAfSfFh2iwbL9uRtffbg_aoV9Ek576dppi8Uy2h4DIArhM/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="849" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX_YyCmmy6eKL2Lz2M8jecs6509SoKs4DWJk5CUkDon99W4127DlkcpSBlCsvBaYUZB-CzkvByFhTMChGzNiVpIwItXSxJfYAfSfFh2iwbL9uRtffbg_aoV9Ek576dppi8Uy2h4DIArhM/" width="306" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href=" https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/understanding-sex-work-open-society">Click to learn more</a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">BACKPAGE</span></p>Backpage was a site that definitely had trafficking victims on it (just like many other sites, including Facebook and Fortnite chat). Should it have been shut down? People on both sides here. One side wants to burn down the bridge to keep people apart. Another side says that you should make it harder to cross the bridge so only legal accounts, with real persons, can post legal things.<br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Um5xHnhNO-vqQk9NVSS0EFjjRjmaLOX8LcPTnioLAvvLcHKYrUIku_IQ3ltVG874D4lmlKlc7S7Djk_b-xyO8qCo0_6y3OzGFDenyoPcoh8sL-wGlYY1lg9OsidfII3C0oNMZtHrQvA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="1312" height="45" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Um5xHnhNO-vqQk9NVSS0EFjjRjmaLOX8LcPTnioLAvvLcHKYrUIku_IQ3ltVG874D4lmlKlc7S7Djk_b-xyO8qCo0_6y3OzGFDenyoPcoh8sL-wGlYY1lg9OsidfII3C0oNMZtHrQvA/w400-h45/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCO9srvdK5Bv353wxhGjxRLXzM3xMkD6_BA-Oq7W-NJtZrvPEc-Kgb3-m7SdVzoBST3JYvUqDc67dRKPeOtRSkDBs9bGndvg9P1dHMVzVZq55Seb5GwkM_oJESgbXTkolkQix_4uLmQw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="931" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCO9srvdK5Bv353wxhGjxRLXzM3xMkD6_BA-Oq7W-NJtZrvPEc-Kgb3-m7SdVzoBST3JYvUqDc67dRKPeOtRSkDBs9bGndvg9P1dHMVzVZq55Seb5GwkM_oJESgbXTkolkQix_4uLmQw/w400-h174/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2017/07/18/under-attack-backpage-com-has-its-supporters-as-anti-trafficking-tool-but-many-differ/">Click to learn more</a> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shutting Backpage down led to a lot of expected, if not intended, results, which were part of the argument to keep it open. Legal sex workers were using people's profiles to ensure their customers were safe (referrals, etc.), and without a community, many bad things happened (you can look it up). This was expected and has hurt these workers.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGYMpcjAq2cUpbEEYVXzEwnC_Y72t2K0YAgYviopoPz6Gj6HSwVXJWi4Db7wvNb9LIcaniQ7WRVBJi5zyzPJss25MPJNRxbCu3uhpgV7YxypmYLAg-VanL1CGuyGuAkN3Gb0NPjG5uUQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="779" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGYMpcjAq2cUpbEEYVXzEwnC_Y72t2K0YAgYviopoPz6Gj6HSwVXJWi4Db7wvNb9LIcaniQ7WRVBJi5zyzPJss25MPJNRxbCu3uhpgV7YxypmYLAg-VanL1CGuyGuAkN3Gb0NPjG5uUQ/w400-h343/image.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-now/sex-workers-devastated-look-to-alternatives-after-backpage-closure/465-82d8e97e-a1d4-4d18-82f5-66a309d87ece">Click to learn more</a> </span></div></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another expected result was that people would think that saved people. It was a "feel good" solution. If anything, a case can be made that it made it worse for victims in many ways, one of which is that it's harder to find those victims because our police are busy on other crimes that get them notoriety and attention: drug busts. Looks great on the cover of a newspaper. If you don't know, our system is already underfunded and overworked, so putting these victims out on the street isn't going to solve anything. Rest assured, those victims are still turning tricks for that money. It forced people to go underground, where it’s a lot less safe.</span></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtr86CJA8jrxA3EmhkRh7UrktRjPMsojhAgRrrJCojKnwiHlLL1EbFIxjklscZy4UoGeQW9NYUfAonNm5MO_uPliDYmIK7f4NXegsttQ9j0FXjR8c1_Ht-_9VUQPBXsgK3AiE9xaYuTs/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="800" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtr86CJA8jrxA3EmhkRh7UrktRjPMsojhAgRrrJCojKnwiHlLL1EbFIxjklscZy4UoGeQW9NYUfAonNm5MO_uPliDYmIK7f4NXegsttQ9j0FXjR8c1_Ht-_9VUQPBXsgK3AiE9xaYuTs/w400-h244/image.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.salon.com/2018/04/15/the-lies-about-sex-trafficking-that-brought-down-backpage/">Click to learn more</a> </span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">For this moment, let's consider, with regard to Backpage censorship, I'm only talking about people under 18, so it is definitely illegal. Here are two cases that were making a difference, but without Backpage are impossible.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Police used Backpage to locate children. Having an easy way to find someone online is a big benefit to the police. I have met with people that did that. It was mind-boggling. Those police were DEVASTATED Backpage was being shut down. Emotionally devastated. And they couldn't / can't say it in public because they will be considered EVIL. Same now as it was then.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjli2QZK55IGf9lb-NwKEw1edmhkOg-QLzkBDzHVlYA9Qy-SssjhUfRmxL0obsErhN9qChr2TThl3uuqb1fYxMKdSvwQA-iyh1j4sSwwxPP6Imvsx0Pg6Imo2y3BtrUN9pDU4CH0lFQfGA/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="437" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjli2QZK55IGf9lb-NwKEw1edmhkOg-QLzkBDzHVlYA9Qy-SssjhUfRmxL0obsErhN9qChr2TThl3uuqb1fYxMKdSvwQA-iyh1j4sSwwxPP6Imvsx0Pg6Imo2y3BtrUN9pDU4CH0lFQfGA/w400-h375/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://world.wng.org/content/sex_trafficking_in_the_post_backpage_era">Click to learn more</a> </span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interrupting "buyers" can help lower demand. I was there while a group put up a fake ad on Backpage. They got hundreds of texts within moments. This group was intercepting these buyers and having conversations with them to try to get them to understand what they are doing is hurting people. In this case, they were reducing the demand so less people are being brutalized. They weren't arresting them; they were trying to change their thinking. This is a scalable solution that is all but impossible now. </span></div><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">People even argue about arrest and prosecution instead of rehabilitation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNe20yTHWM0GHOxuzYEET2noSNs_ytZHXKHyuE6VVF2H8BGXu9XJX1ZehDf-xqdPau3vDc9RxVlEkEQAmESa1QoQ_lcIYiVLN9q7UlunqofoKI_VouPxD9J6XQpcDqqBFKpFI-gJxB8M/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="902" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNe20yTHWM0GHOxuzYEET2noSNs_ytZHXKHyuE6VVF2H8BGXu9XJX1ZehDf-xqdPau3vDc9RxVlEkEQAmESa1QoQ_lcIYiVLN9q7UlunqofoKI_VouPxD9J6XQpcDqqBFKpFI-gJxB8M/w400-h313/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.kxan.com/news/john-school-for-men-arrested-after-soliciting-sex-gets-approval/ ">Click to learn more</a> </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">WHAT IS MY TAKE?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Everyone needs awareness and prevention education. Every front line worker. Police, EMS, Code Compliance, Cable workers, etc. Right now, very few people really understand this problem, and very little is being spent EFFECTIVELY on training. This is what I can go off on for years now. It's the absolutely critical problem and is the easiest one to fix. It's certainly less expensive than our current reality.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The REAL problem isn't censorship or not. The real problem is trafficking itself. It's incredibly lucrative and people in desperate times are put in a position where many that would not have ever done anything like this. Drug abuse, suicide, trafficking, and other problems are diseases of poverty.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Labor trafficking is a disease of corporate greed. And it's also how you get the vegetables and fruit on your table. The chocolate you give children at Halloween. Your clothes. Your phone. Your shoes. Your seafood. Your nails. Your restaurant food. Your beds turned in hotels.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This stuff goes on and on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">IT IS TIME TO GET PISSED OFF</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6C8UVqBAVu4vjQ7jchFWPBRreGxZj1C8pAGEzw_h8NuHGiX5fe0BTPgQvE8ozj8NdsC844fvYlV_jRD9BvjVYDhx7aNrQa4h4XD3py_6OogRbTYjGBSWYgxtQ-S7EG_w0M8HHZprErM/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="2048" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS6C8UVqBAVu4vjQ7jchFWPBRreGxZj1C8pAGEzw_h8NuHGiX5fe0BTPgQvE8ozj8NdsC844fvYlV_jRD9BvjVYDhx7aNrQa4h4XD3py_6OogRbTYjGBSWYgxtQ-S7EG_w0M8HHZprErM/w400-h253/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we are going to get pissed off, we need to get REALLY pissed off. Like change your WORLD GOVERNMENT pissed off. </span><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Poverty and lack of medical care and mental health care are causing trafficking to happen. It is a part of the broken system that people don't want to address. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here's a short list of what we need to fix so we even have a CHANCE to end trafficking.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>TO END TRAFFICKING, A SHORT WISH LIST FOR THE WORLD. </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We need:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">tools that result in the most pimps arrested and prosecuted as quickly as possible.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to save as many victims as we can.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to have places to put those victims.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to rehabilitate those victims.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to give them 360 degree healthcare, including whatever therapy they need.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to use a "victim-centered" mindset. This means to see a trafficking victim as a victim, not a criminal.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to demand that more money is spent to solve this problem.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to demand better public defenders.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">tens of thousands of victim-centered experts across the United States and hundreds of thousands across the world.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">people to think of all the OTHER trafficking that is happening. It's not all young girls and we're not just talking about sex trafficking.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">shut down and punish corporations that knowingly or unknowingly hire workers without papers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">States to stop funding the "anti-trafficking" measures at the border, because that's human smuggling. And that's money that should come from the Feds; not the States.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">sex education. Early sex leads to trafficking.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">our students to all have social workers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">our students to all have nurses.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Medicare for All.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">mental health services.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">completely replace the foster care system.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">train all medical workers to recognize trafficking.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">our students to all have free, nutritious food at school and at home.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">our students to all have emotional learning classes; these victimizers take advantage of human weaknesses.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to end poverty. Poverty causes trafficking.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to shut down the IMF. They cause trafficking on the widest scale imaginable.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">UBI.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to fund education.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to give all schools the funds they need - untie the funding from the neighborhood. No more rich schools and poor schools. All equally funded. Or not.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to arrest and prosecute everyone up and down the whole system that participates in perpetuating this system. This includes all city workers, all state workers, all federal workers, all military members, the clergy, foster care workers, and anyone that has ever violated a child.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to shut down multinational corporations that profit from trafficking.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to make it illegal to sell any product made with slave labor. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to stop <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/child-marriage-united-states-donna-pollard/">child brides in America</a> in all the states.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to break up any agriculture corporation that benefits from labor trafficking.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.colorado.edu/program/fpw/2020/01/29/violence-extractive-industry-man-camps-endangers-indigenous-women-and-children">to hold oil companies accountable for their "Man Camps."</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to rehabilitate buyers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to change our entire incarceration system to be restorative.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to legalize all drugs and treat addiction as a mental illness.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">to treat the EPIDEMIC of porn addiction as a mental illness.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The problem as I see it is that human trafficking is being used as a wedge to get people mad at each other and take away our right to free speech. And everyone is lining up to give it away because they are told they should because of (x, y, or z). This time it's trafficking. It'll be something else soon enough. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a tactic used to manufacture consent in the public, for whatever the powerful want us to believe: The Common Enemy.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX7NgZKQNCKOMO_mbfZc9WcMNaecnT6JS4ZX4Xb_CqYZIVXfugt_GWqja9voTBYFS4rnZzyHjy8hxbGAaQERtOHSPKhNphvXVw8ywEppdQsT3WaxwvfYbFepui2hsCvrElCWXcMH19gY/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="647" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX7NgZKQNCKOMO_mbfZc9WcMNaecnT6JS4ZX4Xb_CqYZIVXfugt_GWqja9voTBYFS4rnZzyHjy8hxbGAaQERtOHSPKhNphvXVw8ywEppdQsT3WaxwvfYbFepui2hsCvrElCWXcMH19gY/w400-h239/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/34LGPIXvU5M?t=235">Click to learn more</a> </div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My answer to all of this is to make the signup process for starting an account transparent, so we can know that someone is who they say they are. Or at least make it so the company does. That's where the law can come in, I'm sure. Make it illegal to impersonate someone on retail platforms. This would work on PornHub, to keep your children away from pornography. If you had to have an account attached to your bank statement, verified with a house bill and two factor authentication, you'd see a lot less 10 year olds viewing it. Also, I'm not a lawyer, but I can guarantee someone can come up with an answer to that. I know it seems that way with my bank.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all. If a real person sells someone online, then the crime is the crime and you can locate them immediately. No need to end free speech. You can catch the bad guys and rescue the victims. Super easy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">You're not changing anything by burning down the bridge. The bad guys scatter. But one thing is for sure... Those pimps are going to get their money.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C6yPU5YI1MjT6GyHD9tC7ZHw61qCHk5xNS_kfb57TsC7yJQu5BrwlKNFZd598zJ0qUZQNSeWNr73Ss86QzJxM-edvi0hXtrI1ljn9nTzbqSM_qG7TOYp4iZwJwbIARjIJOiTo58Ygzw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="704" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-C6yPU5YI1MjT6GyHD9tC7ZHw61qCHk5xNS_kfb57TsC7yJQu5BrwlKNFZd598zJ0qUZQNSeWNr73Ss86QzJxM-edvi0hXtrI1ljn9nTzbqSM_qG7TOYp4iZwJwbIARjIJOiTo58Ygzw/w400-h181/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/why-investigating-human-trafficking-became-more-difficult/73-e3f2c2b1-10e2-4c02-98f3-39917ba5b510">Click to learn more</a> </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beyond that, I'd like to see a wide variety of experts sit down and come up with the best answer to the online question. There are PLENTY of people in the anti-trafficking world that want to be part of that, and there are PLENTY of legal sex workers that want to be there, too. I'd love to be at that table. Because it's going to be a HUGE fight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">There's nuance everywhere. There's no one clear answer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If we don't start with the understanding human trafficking is perpetuated by poverty controlled by the IMF and large corporations, worldwide, why are we even having this conversation? Just saying that the IMF, large corporations, churches, and the government is the problem will, eventually, get me censored and deplatformed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">My mission is to fight this epidemic and there are no easy answers. Right now, I'm focusing on domestic minor sex trafficking and labor trafficking because they are definitely illegal. I'm leaving the rest to the experts in other areas, until I feel like I can offer something to those discussions. I will help anyone in any way and I will calmly discuss this over a Zoom call at any time. A Facebook comment is not a conversation. I can also have my mind changed. It's already been changed back and forth about ALL of these issues above since I've been involved in this fight. I am open minded about how to help.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you think censoring things 'because human trafficking' is good, let me remind you that trafficking happens on:</span></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">EVERY GAME WITH OPEN CHAT. </span></span></li><li>Every user generated content platform (<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, YouTube, etc.). </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every MMO. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Every multiplayer game. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Discord</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Slack</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Corporate phones</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Corporate business trips. </span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The list is ENDLESS. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do we need to censor all of those? According to the 'because human trafficking' doctrine, the answer is yes. Have the government intercept all communications, hire tens of millions of people to look through them to ascertain their hidden meanings (machine learning can't do this... yet), follow all the emoji cryptograms that constantly change and evolve to stay ahead of law enforcement, review all phone applications and their chats, read between the lines of all the conversations to determine if gaslighting is happening, emotional abuse is happening, listen to the background of all game chat to determine if the child is in an unhealthy environment, etc. You see where I'm going. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The system is broken. There is no easy answer.</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Certainly, censorship is not the answer to helping victims. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">WAY MORE MONEY is needed to even make a dent. Without that, everything is moot.</span></p></div>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-19449357325975853482020-10-05T17:22:00.002-05:002020-10-05T17:22:36.563-05:00Some Origin Memories<p> </p><p>Hey there! </p><p>Sometimes I get asked questions about the "Good Old Days," and instead of letting them sit in an email no one will read, I want to make them public. Here's one of them!</p><p>A gentleman online purchased an old patch from Privateer 2: The Darkening on <a href="https://www.ebay.com/str/theblackholelodge?_sop=12&rt=nc" target="_blank">my eBay store</a>, and this is what I sent him.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4gTDWqt3RoYCZ4ZC_WANiD67Fp0ajIMx2YQ-qhZ9xaK0AVvp5hIxUTRka2ABQXP-biCEL8Q-TpKKV2V4wFKEmVBOEghxeGk5lT6FlZViiC7Ir26KJghuDcCQL5Eu25egDnRix1Ej0qw/s184/Origin_Systems_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4gTDWqt3RoYCZ4ZC_WANiD67Fp0ajIMx2YQ-qhZ9xaK0AVvp5hIxUTRka2ABQXP-biCEL8Q-TpKKV2V4wFKEmVBOEghxeGk5lT6FlZViiC7Ir26KJghuDcCQL5Eu25egDnRix1Ej0qw/s0/Origin_Systems_logo.png" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;">I worked at Origin from '92-98 and it was one of the best, most difficult jobs I've ever had. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The Maverick Team (Chris Roberts) had been cranking out Strike Commander, Armada, Wing Commander 3 and Wing Commander 4, and I watched them as I worked on other games. In '94 I was asked to go to England to help start the Rugby franchise because they were in crisis near the end of the project and they were overwhelmed. When that was done, I was asked by Erin Roberts (Chris Roberts' brother) to work on The Darkening, which was another space game being made in Manchester. Since I was needed on a project back in Austin, I politely declined and returned to Austin. </p><p style="text-align: left;">When I got back, I worked on Abuse, which was a side-scroller created by Dave Taylor of DOOM fame. </p><p style="text-align: left;">After that I was brought on to run the PlayStation 1 version of Wing Commander 5, which did not have a title yet. Chris Roberts left Origin to start his own company, leaving the Wing series completely. The design team had already begun work, and we soon realized we needed to conserve our resources so I had to fire some of my friends that were working on it. It was SO painful. It was one of the worst experiences of my life to that point. Then, our lead designer, Phil Wattenbarger, decided to leave as well, so I took over his role. </p><p style="text-align: left;">That was the beginning of the hardest job I ever had. My role was to be certain that the Engine Team, the Art Team, the Design Team, the Marketing Team, and Creative Services were all working in synchronicity. It required me to work unpaid overtime for almost 2 years. But the result was a fantastic game that I will be proud of for the rest of my life.</p></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>It's not a lot of story, but it's better to put it out here than keep it hidden. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ask if you have questions!</div><div>Billy</div><div><br /></div>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-61670979072540367652020-02-16T12:22:00.000-06:002020-02-16T12:22:13.251-06:00Stranger Danger is actually part of the problem, so what are you supposed to do?Parents, please please please do these four things IMMEDIATELY for any child that can SPEAK:<br />
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1) Teach your children the scientific name for their body parts. They need to know there ARE different parts of their body and they need to know how to identify *exactly* where someone touches them.<br />
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2) Because abuse happens inside families, and by close friends to your family (including neighbors), you have to think defensively. Give your child at least 3 people outside your family they can tell anything. Doctor, nurse, teacher, you name it.<br />
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3) Be cautious with "Stranger Danger." #2, above, is a way to make it make more sense. Stranger Danger can keep abuse inside a family, so your child has to feel SAFE telling someone.<br />
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4) Tell your children that secrets are supposed to feel GOOD, like a birthday gift. They should never make you feel scared or threatened. Ever.<br />
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Pass this along to other parents. Now.<br />
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<br />Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-26582635694556295752017-12-12T20:34:00.000-06:002017-12-12T20:38:19.120-06:00Radical Empathy End of 2017 Report / Status<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.radicalempathyfoundation.org/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Gy3xEPSDBhwlsiGAP1jXuqLTgriyWQWi8KCP6rxN4kZdlcuCbGRg2P5jmTrPqxJXJCLU7FhtVnZHipNlp6dGcqvB2HVsCmaZ1j_hlLUAP09buIBIJuXEWZABoIqX_RJGd43uBhDjIh4/s320/REEF+Logo+Blue.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This year, my journey with <b><a href="https://www.radicalempathyfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Radical Empathy Education Foundation</a></b> has been one of discovery and hope. I wanted to share some about it here.<br />
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<b>Short Version</b><br />
This year, I started a non-profit to raise awareness of human trafficking. It’s up and running, growing, and we have the right path ahead of us. More cool stuff next year!<br />
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<b>Longer Version</b><br />
So much time was spent ensuring that we had the business structure set up correctly from the beginning (non-profits are still businesses and corporations first). I’ve spoken with so many people about this part of the journey, and I have no idea how people spin up companies so quickly. I think the truth MUST be that they are just going really quickly. We’re working with non-profit experts to ensure that we’re making the decisions that they would have made if they started something from scratch. These decisions have taken more time than, I think, that others would think are moving to slowly.<br />
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Throughout 2017, we’ve brought on experienced advisers, built a powerful Board of Directors, and found so many subject matter experts that it’s humbling. We now have relationships with universities for researching our results and with hardware companies that want to use our products to add value to their customers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZLxWAqarYl5hmhkF16pieV3IQu4Czz3jN5vpeX-UAJjqiDphg1qzdu2GNnmTn360g0N6oyNTIUYisFW0OWDd1nHrivqnZsmkG5ctLAcfS7p5GK-ZikzdnJGSPGrjpzUekCyh53x36Fo/s1600/TRAPPED+Screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZLxWAqarYl5hmhkF16pieV3IQu4Czz3jN5vpeX-UAJjqiDphg1qzdu2GNnmTn360g0N6oyNTIUYisFW0OWDd1nHrivqnZsmkG5ctLAcfS7p5GK-ZikzdnJGSPGrjpzUekCyh53x36Fo/s320/TRAPPED+Screenshot.png" width="320" /></a></div>
We have attended and demoed our (in development) game, <b><a href="https://www.radicalempathyfoundation.org/vr-detective/" target="_blank">TRAPPED: A VR Detective Story</a></b>, at conferences and for groups across America. During this time, we’ve met with <b>thousands</b> of people, and I’ve learned one thing:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">MOST PEOPLE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING. </span><br />
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Of course there are people that do, but the VAST majority of regular people haven’t ever heard of it. And that’s just not enough.<br />
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The work ahead of us is immense and overwhelming, but it is also hopeful, because the individuals and groups we have assembled are completely committed to success.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY78go1eVnkZrGH-PAN97ChWMSRQlzo5Oi7TsHi-lFB3uzqYAGXCS958anjYBf1K_pAPFE0voeWPD9rrPApX3cnVLulxclbFrEEWaS_vaV9TPy_OtccKalt9P4ApJd6tH66ihy8wHf5k/s1600/Conferences+and+Awards.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY78go1eVnkZrGH-PAN97ChWMSRQlzo5Oi7TsHi-lFB3uzqYAGXCS958anjYBf1K_pAPFE0voeWPD9rrPApX3cnVLulxclbFrEEWaS_vaV9TPy_OtccKalt9P4ApJd6tH66ihy8wHf5k/s320/Conferences+and+Awards.png" width="320" /></a>On our travels, we’ve also met some amazing trafficking survivors that have given us so much guidance and shared so much wisdom. The stories I have heard are so heartbreaking and horrible that it’s impossible to convey, and I know that I have only heard a TINY amount of this reality.<br />
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Next year, I’ll share a whole lot more. There are exciting things afoot and it’s humbling to be a part of this journey.<br />
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If you feel the calling, we're still accepting donations to put into our work, products. and travel. </div>
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Every penny (and share) helps. <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/radicalempathy/">https://www.gofundme.com/radicalempathy/</a><br />
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More coming in 2018!</div>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-56846281320561652692017-08-29T09:46:00.003-05:002020-05-25T18:04:23.278-05:00Advice to a Young Game Developer from an Old Industry Veteran<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: small;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9S3DEMPqYeYuhZo7JUt6KwJWYYEa4LFOvnjw4xV5gX3dY2E1ZjqICxlKON3KBkZkO0xO51U-c3TnAEXobjWyFT53znpcft3vGne6qyBQhf4fpyW8IoDl6eyiusl8LjWP-Dgsjf-oiJE/s1600/desperate-young-man-16391875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9S3DEMPqYeYuhZo7JUt6KwJWYYEa4LFOvnjw4xV5gX3dY2E1ZjqICxlKON3KBkZkO0xO51U-c3TnAEXobjWyFT53znpcft3vGne6qyBQhf4fpyW8IoDl6eyiusl8LjWP-Dgsjf-oiJE/s320/desperate-young-man-16391875.jpg" width="214" /></span></a>Got this question today and thought it may be of benefit to someone.</div>
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A friend of mine landed a contract position and now they have been offered a new, better, position at a NewCompany. They WANT to stay at CurrentCo, but their boss cannot commit to a full time position. Since their game is about to ship, it makes it even harder to decide to stay because, well, CurrentCo is going to experience a Reduction in Force. Adding more complication... they have only worked at CurrentCo a couple of months, but they have been excelling in their job and people have noticed. </div>
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Will they lose their CurrentCo job no matter what? Who knows?</div>
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NewCompany is regular full time. Plus some benefits. </div>
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<b>Here's what I sent them and what I want you to critique. This COULD be bad advice in the current state of the industry. What do YOU think? </b></div>
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-------------------------------------------</div>
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It is a good problem to have. </div>
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The balancing act is:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Do I have stability (a joke in the game industry)</li>
<li>Have I worked at CurrentCo long enough to make NewCompany feel comfortable hiring me? </li>
<li>Will NewCompany offer better benefits (including stability)?</li>
</ul>
</div>
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I think you're in a situation where:</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: small;">
<ul>
<li>You don't feel stable</li>
<li>CurrentCo cannot offer stability</li>
<li>NewCompany sounds good (and for purpose of the reader's perspective, both companies are large and have existed for a long time, making them about equal in COMPANY stability). </li>
</ul>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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When I was at a LargeCo, I got a job offer I really couldn't refuse from SmallCo. Better money, better lots of things, including that "stability," because I had just finished a big game and there was no commitment to another project for our team. Finally, LargeCo couldn't / wouldn't match the money / compensation SmallCo had, so I left with a clear conscience. I broke no commitments with LargeCo.</div>
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To do that, I had to, essentially take the SmallCo job, with SmallCo knowing that I was going to take my offer back to LargeCo and see if they would match it. This worked because the person I was negotiating with at SmallCo knew he was going to have to give me more than LargeCo and, well, he and I had worked together before and he knew I was worth the hassle.</div>
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So... can you get the new job and then try to leverage it at CurrentCo? Hell yes. Go land it and take that fact back to CurrentCo. If you've told your boss that you don't have stability and the new job provides it, well, they can make you a full time offer or you can go to your new job. If CurrentCo makes you an offer, tell NewCompany that and keep your gig at CurrentCo. </div>
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There are other factors at play here, too. Your job at CurrentCo could end abruptly. Especially since they are shipping a product. At the end of products, that's when the management has to decide who to keep / fire. Lots of factors there, and one of them that you can't do much about is "Last Hired; First Fired." It's hard to swim that far upstream to best people with years behind them. Because a full time hire will likely mean that they'd have to lose someone to get you in the regular full time category. </div>
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Lots to think about here. </div>
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<br /></div>
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But if you're looking for stability, that's the real leverage you have with CurrentCo to make that move and feel good about it. </div>
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If you're looking stay and be part of the CurrentCo family... you may have to take the risk and hang out until you get converted or fired. </div>
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Good luck in your decision. </div>
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bjc</div>
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-66195720649097234972016-09-12T17:48:00.000-05:002016-09-12T17:48:07.560-05:00No one is going to maintain your career. So, where do you start? Here are some "Resume" and "Online Presence" tips to help.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Imagine you are in the market for a new job, or you're thinking that you want to be on the market. How is your marketing machine working for you? How does your online resume stack up to the competition? How well does your LinkedIn profile match your real skills? Are unwanted people reading your "private" social posts? </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Can anyone find you online or are you lost on page 43 of a Google Search?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you aren't certain your potential employers are going to be stunned by your work, or if your answers to these questions aren't certain... you need some help. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Let's talk about what you can do to give yourself an edge.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Make no mistake... NO ONE IS GOING TO DO THIS FOR YOU. You have to do this yourself. Immediately.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To get noticed and to get through the screening process, we'll start with your resume. After all, what's a resume for? </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">It's not supposed to get you the job. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">It's to get you an interview. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Resume Tips</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A reader should be able to get the <b>highlights </b>of your experience through a quick scan of your resume. Think 6 seconds. Then... think 2. What ARE you? Can they figure that out instantly? If not, then you have work to do.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Your resume must be <b>attractive </b>when you send it through email, print it out, and when you post it online. The best way to ensure that is to save it as a PDF. Electronically, that's about as good as you can get and be able to expect most people to be able to open it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Your resume must be <b>well-formatted </b>in a manner that is appropriate for this century. I.e. no tables or other graphical weirdness. No matter how cool it looks, these have to be parsed by programs (resume readers) and if the program gets confused, your resume gets tossed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It must be written in a way that is <b>easy to be read by humans</b>. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally it must be edited so it is <b>tight</b> (brevity is important) and so it gets to the meat of your experience quickly and succinctly. No one wants to read War and Peace.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Once you have your resume whipped into shape, you can start getting your online presence aligned with it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Online Presence Tips</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Get a <b>LinkedIn profile</b>. You can expand your resume sections here in a more detailed manner. It is an "addendum" to your resume, not a mere duplicate.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you have your own site, make it <b>easy to find your resume</b>. That resume should match your LinkedIn profile closely enough that there should be no questions when the two are compared. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Make sure all of your links work</b>. Nothing says "I'm not paying attention" like having a broken link to your resume, for example.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Check the security settings on your Facebook (and all social media)</b>. Make sure only the people you want to see your stuff have access. Can't figure it out? If there's something you don't want seen... delete it asap. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Pay attention to what you're saying online</b>. If you don't want the HR manager at your next company to show it to the person with whom you'd be interviewing, probably should delete it. And never write that stuff again!</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay, that's enough to sink your digital claws in for now. Questions? Just post 'em in the comments!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />If you want some personal attention, email me at billyjoecain@gmail.com</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-50125541417908977612016-09-06T02:45:00.000-05:002020-05-25T18:05:21.129-05:00Capture the Essence. What IS the Game?<br /><br />One of the challenges of building a video game as a project manager is trying to define the "essence" of the experience. You have to define that essence as early in the process as possible because it is going to help drive every aspect of the game for you. When there is a choice in development, you should always take the path that is most strongly tied to the essence.<br /><br /> For instance the essence of a game like Pac Man could be described as "collect dots and avoid ghosts." Once you have the essence, you write your game around that, which in turn generates the remainder of the features that support it.<br /><br />The game's essence is inextricably linked to each part of development so that every aspect of the project melds into one. The project manager's role is to continually ensure that the game is on track and to ensure everything supports it, and continually redirect the team toward the goal as the project moves forward. When the team internalizes this behavior, the project begins to take on a life of its own. Your job, as a project manager, is to ensure that their creativity is allowed to flourish as long as deadlines are met. <br /><br />Additional features in Pac Man that support "collect dots and avoid ghosts":<br /><ul>
<li>Eating Power Pellets that allow you to eat ghosts </li>
<li>Earn additional points for eating multiple ghosts in a row </li>
<li>Enjoy mini-cut scenes that bring out the character of the ghosts </li>
<li>Collect special items at certain times </li>
</ul>
Question each of your project's features reason for being. Do they each support the main essence? If not, they gotta go. Or maybe they can be re-imagined. The choice is yours to explore.Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-81368003523229068212016-02-16T10:13:00.001-06:002016-07-18T02:03:04.731-05:00Are Videogames Becoming Marketing Machines? Yep.<b>The Marketing Cycle May be Complete. </b><br />
Are games becoming marketing machines? I believe so, and it may just be another evolution of the game industry's business model.<br />
<br />
The goal of every commercial game is to attract players and earn income for the developers. To do this, developers incorporate every aspect of marketing possible, so that users <b>want</b> to tell one another about it in some way or another. After all, word of mouth is the best marketing tool.<br />
<br />
<b>(Social) Word of Mouth</b><br />
First, creating a story that interests a customer enough to participate (or creating a place a player can create their own) is core to inviting them into an interactive experience. The better the story, the longer they play. Once players are engaged and enjoying themselves, the game can allow you to share your progress, so those players are your best marketing tool.<br />
<br />
<b>How did the Game Industry Integrate Marketing into its Products so Fully? </b><br />
Business models in the video game industry have constantly evolved. Beginning with a "buy it once" model with software literally sold in "baggies," over the years there were other evolutions including the "try and buy" and monthly subscriptions. Downloadable content for previously purchased games has added extra revenue to developers after the sale. A very successful model is "Free to Play" (F2P), where customers receive a free game, but to enhance their experience they may purchase virtual goods through real money micro-transactions. This is very prevalent in current mobile titles, where customers prefer free downloads because they can try a game with no financial risk.<br />
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Designing in-game virtual goods and a way to encourage but not force (i.e. market them) players to purchase them is the core to turning a game into a business that can support a development studio.<br />
<br />
In addition to micro-transactions, there are also opportunities for in-game advertising can be used. Done well, integrating advertisements in games in ways that create more immersion into the experience (Pennzoil ads in a racing game) or enhance gameplay (ask a player if they would like to watch a video to earn additional fuel for a tractor in a farming game) can help game developers earn extra income on F2P games.<br />
<br />
<b>The Final Loop?</b><br />
This leads to an interesting situation... marketing of the F2P game drives players to the game, and once they are playing the game, they are encouraged through play to purchase virtual goods, which are in-turn marketed to the player within the game experience. Adding the ability to socially post those purchases continues the game doing its own marketing. In-game advertising allows the game to market even more products.<br />
<br />
So, what do you think? Are games marketing?Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-33735316735010002142016-01-04T13:10:00.000-06:002020-05-25T18:05:51.533-05:00My Password Technique - What's Yours?Is the beginning of the year a good time to change your passwords? Seems as good as any! <br /><br />Here's my password "plan" to avoid using the same password on different URLs and hopefully prevent me from having to change ALL of my passwords at one time if there's a hack in one of my online profiles, etc.<br /><br />I use a basic password that I customize for each URL. Then, I take the URL I'm logging into and pull two letters from it, capitalize them, and then add a weird symbol. <br /><br />For LinkedIn, where my basic password is "pasword24" I would use something like: pasword24LI!<br /><br />It's something I can remember and has lowercase, uppercase, numbers and a weird symbol. That way, all the passwords are similar and unique (to the point of a 2 letter ID that may be similar on different sites, like LinkedIn.com and Life.com (both start with LI).<br /><br />You may want to use something that isn't a word or have duplicate or concurrent numbers or letters (which is why I deleted the second 's' and didn't use 21). I've been hit with that before and nothing's worse then having to have a special password once you've started working like this.Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-10317574387525603462014-10-29T11:05:00.000-05:002015-09-27T14:07:43.573-05:00The secret to making things go faster? Trust.<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">IT'S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE</span></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeY-mFwdDeFswr9tGcq3rv62xOIjQm0JU309aD45jrgKlpRttnUXpRycvUhvTrJriDtzs859hqvbMNzBIBY5FKAbBV4y0d-v7Q5cMYUD08YaLad1WnOjx8RTGb4DZF5Y6E4lTBSOVL5g/s1600/asdfadsf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpeY-mFwdDeFswr9tGcq3rv62xOIjQm0JU309aD45jrgKlpRttnUXpRycvUhvTrJriDtzs859hqvbMNzBIBY5FKAbBV4y0d-v7Q5cMYUD08YaLad1WnOjx8RTGb4DZF5Y6E4lTBSOVL5g/s200/asdfadsf.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Making awesome products with amazing people in a big hurry on the edge of the technological knife is fun! But it's not easy. Starting three video game studios in Austin has proven that to me without a doubt. Luckily a lot of people have helped me along the way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks to those awesome people, I have over 20 years of Product Development and Project Management leadership experience producing, designing, and contributing to over 200 popular games on just about any platform you can name. It has been a great ride and I can say with authority that when you have a transparent environment with trust in your fellow employees, things just go faster. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">IT'S ALSO ABOUT YOUR ENVIRONMENT</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://remnanttucson.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/trees23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://remnanttucson.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/trees23.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trust can flourish if you allow it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Create an environment and culture where there are no "surprises," personnel are allowed and encouraged to make mistakes quickly, a complete "Tree of Trust" can flourish, mistakes are celebrated and hopefully not repeated, and listen to and support the team's needs however you can. The love and effort you put into your culture shows through in the products you create, so make it awesome!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">STORYTELLING, EMOTIONAL JOURNEYS, AND ROCK STARS</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love building teams to make great experiences. It's been my fortune to have had the ability to own the project vision for many of the projects I have worked on and having that responsibility has been very exciting. I love telling stories and taking people through immersive, interactive, meaningful experiences that allow them to explore their emotions. I love building community around these experiences so people can share their emotional journeys with one another. When people tell me how my products have given them a positive emotional experience, I am always grateful for having had the opportunity to be part of their lives. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">TIME TO HIT THE STAGE!</span></h3>
<a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120604111623-jubilee-9-horizontal-gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120604111623-jubilee-9-horizontal-gallery.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My role as a leader is like being the Road Manager for a band, in that my team members are the rock stars and my job is to make sure they have a gig, it's been marketed, their instruments are on stage in tune, the sound system is ready, and the fans are pumped up. All they have to do is make the music and rock the fans! When they're finished, I make sure they get a chance to sign autographs and have a new town in which to play. When the members of my team tell me they had a great gig because I have provided them guidance, authority, responsibility and assurance so they can be the best they can be, I am humbled. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">---------------------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Billy Joe Cain is the Business Development Director for Meta 3D Studios (<a href="http://www.meta3dstudios.com/">www.meta3dstudios.com</a>) in Austin Texas. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Meta 3D Studios creates apps, games, and provides development support from art to code. If you need help, that's what we do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please connect with him on LinkedIn! <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain">www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-24195767098528526472014-09-02T12:58:00.003-05:002020-05-25T18:34:05.430-05:00Ever had a Game Killed? Wow. It sucks. Here's how to deal with it.<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As an Executive Career Specialist in the video game and technical industries, sometimes my background as a developer may have some bearing on how you should manage your career. I've told these stories to others over the years and it occurred to me that they may be able to illustrate a point Mary-Margaret has made in her blog post: "<a href="http://www.mary-margaret.com/2014/04/14/free-agent-thats-bad-news/" target="_blank">You are a Free Agent and That's Not Bad News</a>."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"></span><br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">LET'S GET STARTED</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After working yourself to the bone on a game, pouring your heart into it, sometimes it is necessary for the game to die. Whether it's <b>financial constraints</b>, a change in <b>market demands</b>, the right <b>personnel leaving</b> the company, a lack of <b>development progress, </b>a <b>lack of cohesion</b> with the development team or some other reason, it is still painful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">After an event like that, it is hard to decide to put your heart into your next game. It's a really difficult task and can seriously affect your emotional state. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am going to try to be vulnerable in this article, and since these stories are real, I hope that I don't offend anyone by being too honest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have been on a lot of projects and the ones that stand out as the most painful are the biggies that got killed. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll start with the first and go to the most recent. There are others I skipped and many left out. And there are plenty after 1999, too. Maybe I'll write those up one day. Let's get on with it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">RIP: WING COMMANDER II SNES 1994-1994</span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">CAUSE OF DEATH: <span style="font-weight: normal;">MARKET CHANGES</span></span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We survived. The game didn't.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The first project I was on that was "killed" was pretty weird. It was an adaptation of Wing Commander II on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. I had been working on it until just before it was to ship, and then I had to go to England to work on Rugby World Cup 1995. The game was in the final stages of testing when I left and I was able to provide some design / data editing support while I was away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The game was approved by Nintendo, but the publisher, Pony Canyon, decided to not move forward with publication because it was the end of the SNES's life cycle. So the game does not even exist now. <b><a href="http://www.wcnews.com/articles/wc2snes.shtml" target="_blank">No copies. Nothing. Not even a backup.</a></b> That is horrible. That thing was FINISHED! Very frustrating, but not as bad as it could have been. We could have been at 95% and have had it put to sleep. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">At least for me, it wasn't too bad; I had already moved onto a high profile project and was embroiled in making it get out the door. That helped my sanity greatly but I am certain it wasn't good for the others that had finished it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lesson learned: <b>Get on another project that is moving quickly.</b> It'll help you cope. At least it did for me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">RIP: CYCLONE ALLEY 1994-1995</span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">CAUSE OF DEATH: <span style="font-weight: normal;">LACK OF COHESION</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I remember working on this for a year. This one had a few big issues, and the death knell was that the product owner didn't know the platforms we were trying to launch on. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When he was asked during a product approval meeting what we thought about doing the game on Saturn (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Saturn" target="_blank">the game system</a>), the answer he gave was that we'd do the game on every planet! Umm.... The final nail in the coffin. Bam. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lesson learned: <b>Have the right people with the right answers in front of the right budget committee</b>. </span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">RIP: PROWLER </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">1995-1996</span><br /><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">CAUSE OF DEATH:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-weight: normal;">FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This one <b>really </b>hurt. I was brought on after it had been in production for a while. For well over a year I worked a lot of overtime with a lot of people. Then it was killed.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No. It was a MECH game.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Prowler suffered from a lot of problems. It started as a 3DO game and since that market was changing, we moved it to PlayStation. That cost time and money. Always a bad sign. There were issues on the development team with project direction, we were using tools that were constantly evolving that required rebuilding the game models too frequently and the game's scope exceeded its budget. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Without going into too much detail, it was ultimately killed in favor of other projects that needed funding in order to meet financial goals of Electronic Arts. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lesson learned: <b>Pay attention to the power of the most important projects at the company</b>. They may eat resources when they need them most. Most importantly... yours.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">RIP:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">WING COMMANDER PROPHECY: PLAYSTATION - 1996</span></h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">CAUSE OF DEATH:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was GOING to be awesome.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The PC version was the biggie. We knew it. But our group had console experience. Eventually the decision was made within Electronic Arts that the whole company had to make 25% cutbacks in salaries. Our executive producer was new at EA and made the decision to follow through on this mandate. I know it was immensely hard for him. He summoned me along with a cadre of other managers to an offsite to help determine the fate of our group. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was not long before it was apparent that the adaptation of Prophecy to PlayStation was not what was going to make the most money for the group, as we had to consolidate everything toward the main SKU. This was a harsh lesson to learn and it was unbelievably hard to deliver this news to my friends that I'd worked with for years. It still haunts me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lesson learned: </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">If you are not working on the company's lead title, you are constantly on the chopping block, even when you don't think so.</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<h3>
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<a href="http://www.jeffwofford.com/resume_files/image007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">RIP:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">CRIMSON ORDER - 1999</span></h3>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">CAUSE OF DEATH:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This one was pretty much out of the development team's hands. The company was funded by winning a lawsuit against a larger company and the owner wanted to get the remainder of the funds owed. Allegedly so it would find the remainder of development. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The owner went through the studio, filming how the projects were being made, and created a really cool video showing our <a href="http://www.ign.com/images/games/crimson-order-pc-14347/4fa6c986cdc388ed13e5950f" target="_blank">progress</a>. We were really excited to see that happen because we saw it as great marketing so we could get more <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/21/crimson-order-interview" target="_blank">press</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://assets2.ignimgs.com/2000/11/10/CrimsonOrder001-193714_640w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://assets2.ignimgs.com/2000/11/10/CrimsonOrder001-193714_640w.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Turns out that the right person saw it and realized we really needed the cash and that we were doing the right things, because the owner won the lawsuit and got the extra money. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then the owner took the money and the football and went home. <b>Had the total right to go home</b>. The trouble was that we didn't want to. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lesson learned: <b>Everything can blow up at any time. </b></span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is a Silver Lining</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Games get killed. Quarters come and go. Companies die. If you are going to work in an industry where your projects are pulled out from under you after almost killing yourself, you need to be aware of the dangers you face. And you should be aware of how much it hurts. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There IS a silver lining here. The people you worked with on these projects also suffered this pain. Do your best to remember the good times: the first time you could play it, adding a new feature and experiencing it, the long nights in design sessions, a great meal shared with your team, or whatever stands out to you. These people may be the bridge to another job or you may be their bridge to another job. They'll also be there to validate your pain.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lesson learned: <b>In the end, the only thing that matters is relationships.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Being Ready for the Kill</span></h3>
</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dubsism.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/sword-of-damocles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://dubsism.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/sword-of-damocles.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too much paranoia here, but be<br />
aware that it MAY be up there.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">No one knows when the end is near, really. You want to think you do, but you do not. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The best thing to do is keep your resume up to date. Always. Manage your online reputation. Pay attention to what's going on in the industry. Who is hiring? Go to local networking events. Stay in contact with your co-workers / friends / family that may be able to help you find new work. Start an IGDA group for your area. [Insert your own idea here.]</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Lesson Mastery</i>:</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>You are your own recruiter. You are the only person that can really make these things happen. GO UPDATE YOUR RESUME NOW! </b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Final Thoughts</span></h3>
</div>
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wageningenur.nl/upload_mm/1/c/c/95174fc3-f0ef-478b-bf4e-3b181727e2f2_Here%20to%20help%20-%20640%20x%20430%20-%20shutterstock_79216681_help_hulp_reddingsboei_boei_zwemmen_640x430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://www.wageningenur.nl/upload_mm/1/c/c/95174fc3-f0ef-478b-bf4e-3b181727e2f2_Here%20to%20help%20-%20640%20x%20430%20-%20shutterstock_79216681_help_hulp_reddingsboei_boei_zwemmen_640x430.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Help is totally okay to ask for. Really.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you have real problems after a project death, <b>talk to someone</b>. These are serious life events. When you are out of control of a stressful situation it can have real repercussions on your mind and body. Talk to a professional. I am not kidding. There are people I have worked with that suffer from PTSD from the overtime on and death of a project we worked on together. They have had to get help, but I fear it was not fast enough and they didn't realize just how bad it was for them. Learn from their mistakes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And most of all, get yourself back into something creative that YOU are in control of start to finish. Take a class, find a hobby... just do something. Something that matters to you. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll end this with an invite for you to talk about your projects that were killed. How did that affect you? We're all in this together. Maybe you just need to talk about it. Like me!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Billy Joe Cain is an Executive Recruiter with Mary-Margaret Network (<a href="http://www.mary-margaret.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.mary-margaret.com</a>) and focuses on the video game industry. He has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Please connect with him on LinkedIn! </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">www.linkedin.com/in/<wbr></wbr>billyjoecain</a></div>
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</h3>
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-20498088251793413212014-07-31T11:25:00.001-05:002015-09-27T14:35:07.591-05:00Speaking on Two Video Game Panels at Wizard World Comic Con in San Antonio 8/2/14 and 8/3/14<br />
I have been lucky enough to speak on one of <a href="http://genesedavis.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/video-games-and-our-future-portland-comic-con/" target="_blank">Genese's panels</a> at a previous Comic Con in Portland so I'm very excited to be part of this one as well. Thank you, Genese!<br />
<br />
If you make it to the San Antonio CC, come by and say hi, even if you don't make one of the talks. I'll be there geeking out with my kids I'm sure!<br />
<br />
Here are the descriptions of the talks:<br />
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VIDEO GAMES AND OUR FUTURE: WE’RE ALL GAMERS<br />
Saturday, August 2nd<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczzDbC-B68enfgdg1r7WfAN1uSL5YM4H7DHDnYgmtEf7H0v6FyuioxiTOr9n_z7zaNYlogk097DZT88KWG3laDicBwDA1CZ6wFkV3_211wYivRtGGNXSL7rwr3kqgDGwnJA-QOJjwNs8/s1600/sanantonio_comicconpanelcollage_vgof.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczzDbC-B68enfgdg1r7WfAN1uSL5YM4H7DHDnYgmtEf7H0v6FyuioxiTOr9n_z7zaNYlogk097DZT88KWG3laDicBwDA1CZ6wFkV3_211wYivRtGGNXSL7rwr3kqgDGwnJA-QOJjwNs8/s320/sanantonio_comicconpanelcollage_vgof.jpg" width="234" /></a>1:00 - 1:45PM<br />
ROOM 214<br />
<br />
Veterans of the video game industry join forces for this highly-anticipated panel. Don't miss Genese Davis (The Holder’s Dominion; MMORPG.com; The Gamer In You) Billy Joe Cain (Wing Commander: Prophecy) Joe Currivan (Producer - BattleCry Studios) and Antonia "Toni" Phillips (Live Producer - Electronic Arts; BioWare) give their insight on everything ranging from creating futuristic video games to delving into themes that span the most prevalent elements of pop culture. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at video game story details, gameplay features, and the influence video games possess in both video game culture and pop culture at large. These high-power panelists will discuss the past of video game culture as it compares to today and how "gamification" is making it possible for everyone to become a gamer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3I3uELF2CI9X1sW5dzUoEmdrt2ncWrWOkZcJgpPXgljcYbJh8kHGYqPvUde-4U8KgRMEDF0NG6Wpe5Eh0QczYFlAkEBB80tz9MKRYJZQhoP467r2HMavIXssNi-gnpB3iZuSYnOCasg/s1600/sanantonio_comicconpanelcollage_wvgct.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3I3uELF2CI9X1sW5dzUoEmdrt2ncWrWOkZcJgpPXgljcYbJh8kHGYqPvUde-4U8KgRMEDF0NG6Wpe5Eh0QczYFlAkEBB80tz9MKRYJZQhoP467r2HMavIXssNi-gnpB3iZuSYnOCasg/s320/sanantonio_comicconpanelcollage_wvgct.jpg" width="234" /></a>WHAT VIDEO GAMES CAN TEACH<br />
Sunday, August 3rd<br />
2:00 - 2:45PM<br />
ROOM 212<br />
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Join this high-powered panel divulging how much of an impact video games can have on people's lives in-game as well as offline. Parents advocating for a learner-centered approach often bring up the question, "Won't my kids just play video games all day?" Although the answer to that is multi-faceted, we know that no experience is devoid of learning. And, in fact, some may have more opportunities for development than we first believe. Join our featured panelists Genese Davis (The Holder’s Dominion; MMORPG.com; The Gamer In You) Robert Bell (Minister of Games - Enspire) Billy Joe Cain (Wing Commander: Prophecy) and Garry Gaber (Game Designer; Artist; Director; Founder - Escape Hatch Entertainment) as they discuss the benefits and potential drawbacks to video games and how to navigate both. This high-powered panel will plunge into video game culture and its social development divulging how video games affect our lives and education.<br />
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Wizard World - <a href="http://www.wizardworld.com/billycain.html" target="_blank">Billy Joe Cain</a>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-86305833749225298432014-07-21T18:27:00.000-05:002015-09-27T14:36:32.520-05:00How to Reach the Hiring Manager<a href="http://www.employmentspot.com/wp-content/uploads/istockphoto/10-09/detective-manager.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.employmentspot.com/wp-content/uploads/istockphoto/10-09/detective-manager.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Do you need more than one resume? Do you need to tailor your resume to the job you are applying for? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Help the Hiring Manager</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a hiring manager, a custom resume is always a help to see how someone specifically fits the job role. <i>The easiest way to get a hiring manager to cut to the chase is to make the resume tailor-fit to the role</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why does a Hiring Manger Need Help From ME? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hiring managers are overwhelmed and have a lack of time to read between the lines. They may have a stack of other resumes that have been customized with specific details clearly delineated so they can match them to the job, and <b>if your resume requires them to guess about your skills at all, you get tossed. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There can be a <i>disconnect between the job role and the resume's "soul."</i> Your resume needs to emphasize your strength in that job specifically, not in the general career. They can tell if you really want it. <b>Prove your interest in the job through your intent toward how you build your resume.</b> Otherwise, you get tossed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What if the Hiring Manager Isn't Reading Resumes First?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Often, an intermediary, such as a HR representative, is used to "filter" out the "obvious" resumes that aren't fits before they go to the hiring manager. <b>The intermediaries are </b>your biggest critics and <b>the single biggest chance you will get tossed (by a human. See Applicant Tracking System, below)</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When your resume goes through a human intermediary, this creates additional levels of communication breakdown. This means someone <b>perfectly qualified gets tossed in the trash</b>. </span><br />
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Applicant Tracking System (ATS)</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These are programs that "read" your resume automatically and dissect them. There is so much to say here, it would need its own blog. This is a constantly changing effort between applicants and employers, so the effort put into this challenge is ongoing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Top Reasons You Get Tossed Into the Circular File</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The intermediary may not understand the position or qualifications well enough to know how items on your generic resume are really relevant to the position.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The intermediary may not understand what "equivalent experience" means to the hiring manager. Find a way to make equivalent experience match up with the job description. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The intermediary may be going down the job description top to bottom and if your qualifications are like "Where's Waldo?", they may give up looking. Make it easy to find the relevant parts. Ideally you can even reorder your resume to make it even easier.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Applicant Tracking Systems. (<i>See above</i>).</span></li>
</ul>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Think About it From Their Point of View</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They are trying to winnow down a huge stack to a manageable number, and they may be sorting through a huge stack of resumes. Make it easy to get in the "yes" or even the "maybe" pile. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Has that candidate seemed to care enough about your opening? Do they care about working here? Get someone else to pretend they are the hiring manager. Get someone else to pretend they are you, and you <b>role play</b> as the company representative. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Final Thoughts</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosVP8C8sq-DlhmpN6g4Um9EyRRa2ZsU8qmW4K7GGIsMcLJgUnpnwCO4BlmYIDR3KE5cg_lQoNQ8ySOJdbinNvXldCIfnADy9dKMaIQyw8Q6ZizJ-mHzbfwxRRUB8w_fxL3cCmVGGFTbc/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhosVP8C8sq-DlhmpN6g4Um9EyRRa2ZsU8qmW4K7GGIsMcLJgUnpnwCO4BlmYIDR3KE5cg_lQoNQ8ySOJdbinNvXldCIfnADy9dKMaIQyw8Q6ZizJ-mHzbfwxRRUB8w_fxL3cCmVGGFTbc/s1600/download.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You want this job. You want this salary. Hiring managers want to hire someone that <b>solves their pain</b>. They are trying to make the best decision for their team, and are ready to spend a lot of money for it. You have one chance to get their attention to get them to BUY. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Get really serious about this. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then go back and edit your resume to make it custom. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Your Career is More Than Your Next Job - It's Your Mission. Want Help?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those of you that are attending Casual Connect in San Francisco, you can come get the answers to the above questions and get advice to navigate your own career. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On 1pm, July 24, 2014, at <a href="http://usa.casualconnect.org/" target="_blank">Casual Connect</a> in San Francisco, CA, Mary-Margaret Walker shares the best practices in resume writing and formatting at an exclusive workshop on July 24th. <a href="http://bit.ly/MMNCCEB" target="_blank">This workshop</a> focuses on helping you build your resume, express your accomplishments and maximize your confidence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most people who can articulate a path to their goals frequently find they do not need to leave their current job in order to meet their goals. If you are already seeking your next role, let us make your resume land in the YES stack.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Specific Topics Covered: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">•</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Resume Mechanics (What’s an ATS?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> • Keywords</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> • Formatting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> • Content Layout</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> • How to speak about accomplishments</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> • What about LinkedIn?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> • Typos, grammar, and editing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/MMNCCEB" target="_blank">Attendance requires a ticket, and is limited. Sign up here now!</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">---------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Billy Joe Cain is an Executive Recruiter in the video game industry and has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please connect with him on LinkedIn and mention you read his blog! www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain</span>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-84362205444295679362014-05-12T07:00:00.000-05:002015-09-27T14:37:27.389-05:00The Eric Davis Interview of Billy Joe Cain from April 2007<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today, I was looking through my hard drive for some information and ran across this 2007 interview I did for a student, Eric Davis, while I was VP of Development for my company, Critical Mass Interactive. I always ask if I can reprint things, so I figured I'd go ahead and share this here. It's always fun looking into the past! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I only edited it so the spacing between the questions was even. And I added the pictures to explain what I was talking about. Enjoy the typos and things of that nature. It's what makes it SO awesome!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">bjc</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">----------------------------------</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by eric davis</span></div>
<h1>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Interview with Billy Cain of Critical Mass</span></h1>
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<a href="http://www.ausbcomp.com/a3dug/3D2010CMI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ausbcomp.com/a3dug/3D2010CMI.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>1. What brought you into the gaming industry?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Well, when I was a kid I was fascinated with video
games. There were a number of home
consoles that were becoming available there were arcade games that were out. I
spent, god, probably, I mean even when I was a little kid I played games before
there were video games. Like, I would play those old games… what do you call
‘em? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Pen and Paper?” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yea I played pen and paper but that was like when I got
older..” Cain tells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Ok.” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.pinrescue.com/games/images/tvbaseball/baseball%20machines%20002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.pinrescue.com/games/images/tvbaseball/baseball%20machines%20002.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“It’s like when I was a little kid they had games like
baseball where you’d press a button. (<i>Cain</i> <i>begins gesturing the game size</i>)
The steel ball would come out from underneath this little covered thing, and
there would be this plastic bat and you would hit the button and wherever you
would hit it would get a Single, Double, Home Run, Triple or whatever. And it
would light up these little guys that would just be lit flat pieces of plastic
as they ‘ran’ the bases.” Cain proclaims.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Is it about this big?” I say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yea it was about that big and it was a full stand up arcade
machine. They also had other things like a driving game that had just a piece
of paper that just rolled by and a car that you moved left and right with the
steering wheel and basically it would determine where or if you would get hit
and flash lights on the screen if you wrecked. I was completely and utterly
fascinated with those things. And then when Pong got real big, I played Pong
and Gunslinger and all those old games. I became completely enamored with video
games.” Cain tells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yea” I say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1970s/76_Fairchild_Channel_F/Japanese_Channel_F_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1970s/76_Fairchild_Channel_F/Japanese_Channel_F_small.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Then the home systems started hitting the market and I
started getting involved with all those the Atari 2600 and others. But when all
that stuff happened there were a ton of different systems there was the
Fairchild, the 2600, the Odyssey (like Pong) and the Odyssey 2 and you know all
that kind of stuff and I was absolutely and just totally fascinated by it. So all of my friends and I would buy
different systems and all trade different games and you know you couldn’t
pirate those things there was no piracy - at least by any of us. What we did
was we’d pool our resources and each person buy different games and then we’d
just trade them all to each other. That
seemed to help us get our fix the way we wanted to get it. As the years passed, I played a ton of home video
games, non-stop arcade games and I really got into Defender because it was the
first game with a battery backup for high scores. Once I had mastered that game
they had this giant tournament at 7-11 and through that I became the Texas
Defender Champion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Nice.” I state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.uniworldnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Battlezone.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.uniworldnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Battlezone.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“But when I’d play these games I would dissect them and
figure out why is this happening? Why is the next level just a little bit
harder? I wasn’t doing it to become a game designer. I was doing it to play
better. I figured everything out, why does
Defender work the way it does? Why does Asteroids play the way it does? What’s
going on in Battlezone, you know? Eventually all of those ideas became the way
that I looked at different video games.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/b/be/Origin-Systems-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/b/be/Origin-Systems-logo.png" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The way that I got into the industry was through my friend Steve
Powers. He and I had known each other our entire lives we grew up in the same
little town. We were roommates in <st1:city w:st="on">Austin</st1:city>
and he saw a job listing in the paper that said “Artist needed at Origin
Systems for video games.” He had been an
artist for years and went for it. He and I had been playing D & D forever.
So he went and brought all of his D & D stuff with him and when they saw
all of his they said ‘You know what? I think we’d rather have you as a game
designer instead of an artist.’ So he started as a designer working on Ultima
7: Serpent Isle. The day he came home from getting that job he said “Dude, I
got this job… I’m making video games now.” I was like ‘hmm… that sounds like a
good job for me, too!!’ I was doing a
lot of temporary work and was in a band at the time. I wanted a way out of that kind of grind
because there was no real ‘retirement plan.’ I saw that as my way to ‘make it’
because I didn’t have a complete degree. I had years of management classes and
years of business classes that I could have taken to a degree, but this was a
huge opportunity for me. I had a lifetime of video game experience. My business
training and working with a band for years <i>could</i>
pay off after all! Video games seemed like a really good thing to do. It took
me a year and a half to get a job there!! What wound up happening was that I
wanted that job so badly (and since Steve and I had known each other as friends
forever) I was going up there constantly, seeing what was going on. Plus Steve
was doing ridiculous hours so it was the only way to see him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://savageempire.ultimacodex.com/files/2012/06/wildbasin3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://savageempire.ultimacodex.com/files/2012/06/wildbasin3.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pic is before my time, but that's where <br />
we played "Green Guns" (Laser Tag)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since I saw what kind of games that Origin made,
I knew that if I was going to try to get a job there, I’d better know those
games backward and forward. I didn’t have a PC at home so I would go up to
Origin and play on Origin’s PCs and learn and play their games because they
were all ready installed right there. About 6 or 9 months later, we were
playing Laser Tag inside the Origin building at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Wild</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Basin</st1:placetype></st1:place>
location. I got to know everyone and they got to know me. Eventually people
there just thought I worked there because I had been there so much. It was hilarious!”
Cain tells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“That’s awesome.” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yea, and they didn’t have locks on the doors or anything
crazy like that (they eventually put them in) but I knew enough people and they
would let me in to go see Steve. Ah, then (<i>chuckles</i>) one of the guys
there (David Beyer) started the Origin Softball team (Swing.bat). Since it was
his idea and Origin sanctioned it, Dave was in charge of the rules. Not enough
people from Origin signed up so I asked if I could join the team. Dave said
‘hell, yeah!’ So I was on the Origin softball team without being an employee and
we were playing with a lot of the guys that would just be making the games. Once
in a while we’d have Richard Garriott come out or Chris Roberts or his brother Erin.
It was totally bizarre. There I was just playing softball with all those guys
and of course they’re just guys like everyone else but it was odd because they
would look at me and you could see them thinking… “Do you work here?” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://img1.game-oldies.com/sites/default/files/packshots/nintendo-super-nes/ultima-vii-the-black-gate-usa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img1.game-oldies.com/sites/default/files/packshots/nintendo-super-nes/ultima-vii-the-black-gate-usa.png" height="233" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After
about year and a half of trying to get a job there I finally got one. I started
as a designer working on Super Nintendo Games, we were doing a SNES adaptation
of Ultima 7 that was eventually called Ultima: The Black Gate. What I discovered when I first started
actually working there was… how should I say this… I didn’t feel like
management in the video game industry was at the level it should have
been. I had watched a lot of things
happen at Origin and I kinda knew how things worked but didn’t know how things
worked all over Origin because it was a pretty big company at the time, only to
get bigger later. When I started there officially, I began to realize there was
a void and while I was happy to design, I was also happy to do more. So what ended up happening was that every
time there was an opportunity, I took on more responsibility. I wasn’t getting
paid for it and I knew I wasn’t being paid for it. I didn’t care because I just
wanted to do more because I knew it was going to take me to the next
level. Eventually I got to a point where
within Origin, I didn’t think I was getting the ‘breaks’ that I could have. I
didn’t think that I was being noticed as well as I could have… This kind of
leads into how EA got into the picture and I think this is kind of interesting:
my first day was the day that Origin got bought by Electronic Arts.” Cain says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://daxueconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Daxueconsulting-China-Market-Research-on-Electronic-Arts-EA-Entertainment-in-China.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://daxueconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Daxueconsulting-China-Market-Research-on-Electronic-Arts-EA-Entertainment-in-China.gif" height="154" width="320" /></a><o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I read that, that’s right.” I exclaim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“So they had taken the whole company out to Lake Travis, we
got on a party boat with free booze, they had a free Sega Genesis for everyone
(with a game as well), gave stock options to the people that were there prior
to the purchase, and gave talks about their pension plan and 401(k). This had to be the greatest first day in the
history of first days; I never could have imagined anything better. They said
“We are changing your benefits, it’s going to have vision and dental and better
medical.” It was wonderful. Now we’re
back to where we were. I took more and more responsibility on and I finally got
to the point where I was looking outside of Origin because I wanted the EA
executives to take notice of me. Every time people would come by from EA to
walk around for a tour, I would get up and introduce myself and try to take
them to lunch or go to lunch with them. That was my big plan to try and get
somewhere. I got to a place where I knew
a few of the executives and one day I got a phone call while I was working on Wing
Commander II for the SNES. It was Richard Hilleman, an EA executive from <st1:city w:st="on">San Mateo</st1:city>. He said “Over
at EA Langley, they are having a huge problem with one of their games called <st1:place w:st="on">Rugby</st1:place>.” This was in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region>
and this was the first version of <st1:place w:st="on">Rugby</st1:place> that
EA had ever done. The year was ’94 and he said that they needed an Associate
Producer immediately. I said “Ok, when do I leave?” He said 2 days.” Cain
tells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“How long was that trip for?” I ask.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I had 2 days to get ready for a 3 month trip. I got ready and decided I would go learn
about Rugby so I went down to the stores and there were no books on <st1:place w:st="on">Rugby</st1:place> that I could find! There wasn’t anything! I didn’t know anything about <st1:place w:st="on">Rugby</st1:place>. All I knew is I had to pack up enough stuff so I
left a bunch of blank checks for Steve and just said write whatever needs to be
mailed for the bills. I went over and
worked on that and the title shipped on time which was great. But we KILLED
ourselves and I mean literally killed ourselves to do that but it gave me a
great opportunity to make a bunch of friends in <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region>
and go see stuff like <st1:place w:st="on">Stonehenge</st1:place> and stuff
like that. But when I came back, this is
kind of interesting, I don’t know how this will translate to tape or for your
story. But what I noticed was when I
left I was guy that worked on Super Nintendo titles who cares. But when I got there I was Associate Producer
that is going to do whatever it takes to get this thing finished do whatever he
says.” Cain says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“So like starting fresh with new people.” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“It was totally new, what was amazing though was when I hit
the ground people were like if I said jump they would say how high? But it
wasn’t, I wasn’t being mean I got there and said teach me I’m trying to help
you guys. They said here is a big stack of Rugby videos go learn and I got it
and was ready. We started working on the game from where it was. We had a lot of mutual respect for each
other, because I came in with this title so I must have achieved enough to get
this title and I helped them get things done. It wasn’t I was being an ass or
anything but it was like you know, lets try to get it done together and we
would crunch together, I wouldn’t go home or anything like that. Then when I got back to Origin, I was that
guy that worked on Super Nintendo titles again.
There was no transference of the things I had done they were like “Where
did you go for 3 months? England? Big deal, vacation? What’s the big deal?” And
I realized I couldn’t get anything done anymore, I had to get put on a few
projects to get my feet back underneath me.
Long story short, it was basically climb up to the top and then I moved
to another company and another company and then to this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“That’s amazing.” I tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yea, its crazy its like 14 years of job experience rolled
into that kind of insanity.” Cain tells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. How long have you been involved with it?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since November of 1992.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. What kind of education does one need to become
involved in this field?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://aspireblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bigstock_Online_Education_11092172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://aspireblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/bigstock_Online_Education_11092172.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“That is a good question because the answer to that question
has evolved over time. It used to be if you were really excited about video
games and had a lot of potential you could get a job in the industry and people
would teach you because it was kind of a um… an Apprentice like scenario. You want an Apprentice ok great, come in I’ll
show how this mysterious Alchemy works and you’ll rise to the level of… you
know… master. Now there are schools out
there that are not only kicking out phenomenal graduates that know all the
tools and they know how to make a game because they’ve done it because it was
there final project and have tons of talent and you can see it as well. So the trick is you’ve gotta have both, you
can have all the technically ability in the work, you can make photoshop sign
and dance and flip up and down and turn out a schedule, if you can do that. But
no one cares if your going as an artist if you don’t have the art skills or the
talent. I think a lot of times the
technical skill that you learn in a school is no replacement for actually
having talent. But you have to have…” Cain says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You can’t teach talent.” I say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxOhQBu70VI9fcLETQQKXdnVW_I5gZ2xzKbcEU3jJZ4IikAC0YnHAQnQjMO9X7R4BQSWfF74E2m7P80zBqSuQ1POVCOdOQH3r9lFFA7MZkTJ9Hz4diE26sbR7yTy9K8DwIDexjoV_1Ss/s1600/0543631_3362_MC_Tx360%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxOhQBu70VI9fcLETQQKXdnVW_I5gZ2xzKbcEU3jJZ4IikAC0YnHAQnQjMO9X7R4BQSWfF74E2m7P80zBqSuQ1POVCOdOQH3r9lFFA7MZkTJ9Hz4diE26sbR7yTy9K8DwIDexjoV_1Ss/s1600/0543631_3362_MC_Tx360%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make games, dammit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You can’t teach talent, that’s right. But you can teach the
technical stuff and that’s one of the things we struggled when we started the
ACC program and many others that are starting the video game programs because
talent is, you have to be working on your talent all the time. I don’t believe people are born with talent
but they work their butts of to develop their talent. I don’t think people just open their mouth
and become an Opera Singer, you probably sang all your life quite a bit and
then got a vocal coach and technics but you have to have that talent that you
developed on your own that raw talent.
Have you ever seen Throw Momma From the Train, Billy Crystal (<i>I nod</i>),
A writer writes always! That’s what it means, if you are going to be an artist
you better draw, if your gonna be a designer you better design, if your going
to be a producer you better take some management classes. You need to know that stuff it can’t be
half-assed, you can’t just think you will learn as you go because that day is
over, there are people at the gate screaming and throwing themselves over the
gate to get into the industry. How you
rise above that noise with that talent and how you show it or shown in a way
that someone in the receiving end of that email will be able to get it and
quickly. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I was in a band I took some music management classes, it was my
first time that ACC taught this. They said if your going to put a demo tape
together you better put your best song first and your second best song second
don’t do some artist crap, put your BEST one first. That’s exactly the way
demo’s are, because you gotta knock someone out if not that person watching is
going to go skip. And I can’t tell you
how many people have sent in art demos, programming demos, because if I’ve gone
so far as to double click on it, it better not waste my time… sorry. And I wish
that wasn’t the case, I wish there was time to teach people. Back in the day with Origin when everything
was 2-d and we were moving over to 3-d, Origin was back in the day was the
first one to start 3-d stuff. You know
Wing Commander was 2-d but looked 3-d, it was done in 3-d but just took
pictures from all the different views.
When we really made the transition all the artists were 2-d so we had to
train our artists so that was the humane way to do it they know the business,
they work together great, they have great rapport well your going to get em on
the 3-d boat or they are going to get left behind. We trained them and there were free 3-d
classes and I ended up going to them because I figured if I’m going to manage
these people, so as a manager you should have some working knowledge you should
know what people are doing. Did that answer your question?” Cain says.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4. What do you think of education especially in this
field of work?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/schools/primaryhistory/images/worldhistory/rosetta_stone/rosetta_stone_hieroglyphs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/schools/primaryhistory/images/worldhistory/rosetta_stone/rosetta_stone_hieroglyphs.jpg" height="187" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“You have to have a level of education so that you can walk
into a company and have base knowledge of what you are supposed to know. If you
are an artist and just drawn things or painted with oil, you can’t walk in the
door and get a job in the game industry, you must know Photoshop. It’s the fundamental Rosetta stone that
everyone uses. Also if you are going to be a 3-d artist you need to know 3dmax
or Maya, you have to have a working knowledge because if you don’t I’m sorry
there are a ton that have.” Cain tells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(<i>We discuss more of a question I asked about 3-d
programs.</i>) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. What is your experience in this industry and what kind
of importance do you put on experience?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.colourbox.com/preview/3269089-487550-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chaff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.colourbox.com/preview/3269089-487550-separating-the-wheat-from-the-chaff.jpg" height="320" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a difference</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The number one most important thing…. (<i>phone rings</i>)
I can’t get that (<i>he says to his assistant</i>)… if I had 2 potential
employee’s and one of them had shipped a title and one hadn’t, I’d take the one
that shipped the title first and the reason behind that is because…. Going
through that last phase of finishing the game, I hate to say but it separates
the men from the boys. [NOTE FROM BILLY: I SHOULD HAVE SAID WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF. UGH.] But what it really does is it shows what elements from
the design are actually going to make it till the end of the game. You may think you can just put it in the
options menu. But once you’ve been through a game you can begin to question
things like you fully know what that means is if you test that game you have to
play the game with the option on then play all the way through with it off, now
can you change during the middle of the game now you have about a million
variables. But some people say if the option works then it works but that’s not
good enough for a lot of game companies specifically console games. Back in the old days and still true to today
basically Nintendo and Sega would test things themselves and if they found
anything wrong with the game they would kick it back to you. If one pixel was off or it was walking behind
this house and during this random scenario you see his feet that would be a bug
to them. It teaches you that console games are hard to develop, who’s in charge
of pc games? Nobody and makes it a lot easier. You can see most console games
do not crash and the reason is because the console manufacturers lose a lot of
faith on not only the game but the console as well. No manufactures have really made any money on
the hardware it’s the software which you will learn all this. But when people send their boxes back it breaks
the whole consoles. Imagine if a game
came out and just crashed your console right in the middle of say the season
and erased your memory and ruins everything. But tons of these have been
shipped and now your stuck and it becomes chaos. With PC games you can never know who’s fault
it was, so most just say reboot.” Cain tells.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. What makes you want to stay in this field of work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP3hu7NKl1UYpr5tli1nhyIWm_YxqdzTL1rF_MN1uWE0ZJYvb8dZoTRqhM0kWwp_X_ueQNaAhxhC8VHc3R9b31hHJ0Zn23tWDLW-TpSiDIgaoxmlNuHDjntsUIfwySjdSUdhZCLbCsg/s640/rising+tide+lifts+all+boats+false.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP3hu7NKl1UYpr5tli1nhyIWm_YxqdzTL1rF_MN1uWE0ZJYvb8dZoTRqhM0kWwp_X_ueQNaAhxhC8VHc3R9b31hHJ0Zn23tWDLW-TpSiDIgaoxmlNuHDjntsUIfwySjdSUdhZCLbCsg/s640/rising+tide+lifts+all+boats+false.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Before I started I had some horrible jobs some really
really bad jobs and I won’t bore you with them. But I’ll tell you this when I
first started in the industry I realized that I am surrounded by people that
are smarter then me. It was humbling and
encouraging to me, because I didn’t like working with people that aren’t well
not that they are but smarter then me because I’m sure they are, however being
put in a situation where the people around you pull you up, that’s awesome. But
in something else where you’re the only person doing all the people [NOTE: I THINK I SAID PULLING. :) ], and I’m
not saying everyone is stupid because I don’t believe that but its amazing when
you have the bar be raised and then you have to make that bar. And that is
happening to me everyday, and I’ve never felt in this industry at all that I
know everything that is going on and that things can’t be improved, because I
am constantly learning because who knows that call that I just had could have
been someone that is going to teach me something.” Cain explains. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. What is your
overall view of the history of games?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Video games?” Cain asks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yea, I know you said that you had played other types before
but specifically Video Games.” I restate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/929/9291711/2410947-3dfx-wallpaper-5019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/929/9291711/2410947-3dfx-wallpaper-5019.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PCs rot. Consoles don't. Mostly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Ok, what is my overall view? That’s a good question, I
think the market is becoming very splintered, which is good because that means
everyone is getting there needs satisfied.
You can see there are a lot of casual video games, retiree’s are playing
games and enjoying games that are made for them. The only thing that I would say that is bad
about that is you don’t get the huge break out hits anymore. There are more games then ever, which makes
it very difficult, I think. Let’s say PS2 or the major consoles that are out
there, and there are a ton of developers not doing consoles at all, there are a
ton of online games, casual games, pc games and they haven’t even touched
consoles, yet. You want to know
something that really bugs me? Its games that rot, lets take a PC games that
has been out for a while, your game has a shelf life, you have a shelf life,
and your computer has a shelf life. You
can’t play Wing Commander prophecy because I don’t have a 3DFX card because
that company went out of business and doesn’t look good in direct 3-d
mode. You might have that person out
there that has the retro machine, so I’m seeing a lot of pc games that are
ultimately going to rot. Like if you
have money you can keep updating and changing you games to keep up with
changing technology. My world view is
probably different from others is I want to play a game, play play play then
keep it and go back later on. But you
can’t do that on PCs, its not a new feat but it’s happening and been happening
since the beginning of pc’s. So I don’t know my overall view I want to make as
much money as possible but I feel our art form is going out of business… I do I
feel we are making (<i>beginning to laugh</i>) temporary commercial art, unless
you make it on a dedicated console system. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>8. I have heard of some companies trying to make
characters in games have more emotion during the gaming experience. With these
kinds of break-throughs in games how do you feel that games will evolve?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://quantumkool.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/felicia_day_the_guild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://quantumkool.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/felicia_day_the_guild.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was just a matter of time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“What does that mean? People never have an answer for that,
but they can but I’m never sure if I’m convinced. I see a lot more people playing online games
and get into a VR or VR life, it’s happening more and more and more. Just look
at WoW they are going off the charts and they got Second Life where you live in
the game. People getting married in a game? It’s touched my life here because
it’s the guys that I work with here would meet up with people that they have
known for years and it totally freaks me out.
When they get together they are like fish to water, but then they talk
about their real life interests like when he went out with them and they were
in some crazy motorcycle clubs and totally freaked me out. That’s going to be more bazaar with the
online world and the virtual part, as world goes apart and then comes back
together.” Cain says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(<i>We talk more about actual events</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>9. I saw that your company just finished a game for the
U.S. Air Force, how do you feel about the industry making more war-type games
for military personal to use as a training tool?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/SiteCollectionImages/issues/2005/jan/images/p16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/SiteCollectionImages/issues/2005/jan/images/p16.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Yes we did, and I think its great, the whole point in my
world is that if your making a game so that someone can go out and practice.
Your going to save taxpayers money and save lives. I guess some say we are making a more vicious
killing machine, which is understandable, but I would rather help people
understand what they are doing and save lives. The one hand yea I’ll make money
on that and feed my kids and pay my mortgage but I believe in that and support
it. Am I making the guy pull the trigger
to drop the bomb, no but will I help him make it so he doesn’t miss and is
better at it, that may be immoral or whatever but I would love to help.” Cain
explains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>10. In reading I saw that you have been a lead Designer
and been a Producer, the class I am taking now it focuses on Video Production
as a Producer. Which of those 2 categories do you enjoy more?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/7/9/3/106793.jpg?v=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/7/9/3/106793.jpg?v=1" height="151" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No. I don't say that. I just think it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Whoa… I think I’m going to go ahead and say Producer
because I get to use my Design abilities. No less then an hour ago I was on the
phone talking about an online game and I got to help brain storm some stuff for
them. And as a producer you need to be
able to speak design or art or programming or whatever. You are just there to
how to do it right not only be one aspect of it. After I got done with that phone call I
really enjoyed it because I got to help brainstorm but then not have to go do
all the little details for it afterwards. So I really like it, because I am
plenty busy with my Producer stuff but being able to keep involved with design
stuff, I love.” Cain says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>11. If you weren’t
being the Vice President of Development for Critical Mass what would you be
doing or better yet what did you “think” you would be doing?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.founditemclothing.com/halloween/spinal-tap-cap-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.founditemclothing.com/halloween/spinal-tap-cap-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, that's anatomically correct</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“(<i>Laughs hard</i>) Like the Spinal Tap question, if your
weren’t in spinal tap where would you be? You know if there were sex and drugs
I wouldn’t care if there were rock and roll.
What would I be doing if I wasn’t here? If I didn’t have money and
wasn’t in the game industry? I have no idea; I probably would have gone through
a number of bullshit jobs and gone back to school in business management. I wanted to become a small business owner
which would have been a bad deal because I wanted to open a CD store which was
ruined by Napster and people STEALING MUSIC (<i>he yells into the recorder</i>).
No I’m just kidding but I guess that is where I would have been.” Cain says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rlv.zcache.com/stepmoms_no_credit_all_blame_button-rc6883f5efa564c77bdec7b0e07569d2e_x7j3i_8byvr_512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://rlv.zcache.com/stepmoms_no_credit_all_blame_button-rc6883f5efa564c77bdec7b0e07569d2e_x7j3i_8byvr_512.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It should say "Producers"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>12. What suggestions do you have, with the extensive
knowledge of the industry, for an entry-level game professional?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Stay in school, don’t do drugs. My suggestions “A write
writes always.” If you find something you want to do, find a way to do it all
the time. If you want to be a producer find someone to talk to like other
classes and other projects and say I’d like to put some of this stuff to use,
because I guarantee you someone out there needs some help. You may start being
a list man and that’s a way to get going.
You job is whatever everyone else doesn’t do, that’s it your responsible
for it. Because if the game succeeds everyone else is commended and if it fails
its your fault. Its true.” Cain tells. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>13. In the future my end goal is to be an Animator in the
film industry, specifically towards cartoon type features such as The
Incredibles or Toy Story. In my research
I’ve found most animation companies hire their animators from the Gaming World
because of the real world and team experience they get. Is what I found sound
accurate from what you may have encountered or seen?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/how-to-unclog-toilet-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/how-to-unclog-toilet-4.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to make games</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoBodyText">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The closest I’ve been to
that is being on the full sale advisory board where I had the opportunity to
meet people from Disney who moved in and out of the game industry and they’ve
reached to a point in their career where they write their own ticket. And I
think your on the right path, I think you can do it if you have the
talent. And its not all about talent its
about being a Team Player being the producer and doing everything others don’t,
that’s being a team player. If you work with 5 other people and the toilet is stuck
sometimes it’s your turn to unclog the toilet. When I find the people that do
that I want to keep them around and tell others about them.” Cain explains.</span></div>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-64678480351148814832014-05-05T14:55:00.000-05:002014-05-05T14:55:00.291-05:00How can Mary-Margaret Network assist job seekers?<a href="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/87/87/8787e6f974d546fefd44bbfe10f438d5.jpg?itok=sUSsAXUH" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/87/87/8787e6f974d546fefd44bbfe10f438d5.jpg?itok=sUSsAXUH" height="241" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently I have been asked if Mary-Margaret Network could help individual job seekers find new positions in the game industry. While I wish we could perform that service on an individual basis, it is unfortunately outside our scope. However, what we <b>can</b> do is make you a better candidate!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is a look at how we can help you if you are currently looking for a new position. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">WHAT WE DO</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As recruiters <b>we work for clients that are looking for additional staff</b>. Our specialty is locating hard (or impossible) to find candidates. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">WHERE TO START</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you or someone you know are looking for work, you can <b>start by taking a look at our current listings</b>. Our list of open jobs is always located at <a href="http://www.mary-margaret.com/jobs/">http://www.mary-margaret.com/jobs/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When a job seeker creates a profile on that page, their <b>resume is always on hand for future consideration</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR SEARCH?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Since I started recruiting full time, I have learned so much about the little (and big) things people can / must do to drastically improve their job search. <b>That's not even hyperbole</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Accordingly, we have expanded <b>our career services</b> to <b>provide strategic help for job seekers</b>. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Having a professional career counselor give you practical advice you can act on immediately makes a big difference. </span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For a view at our offerings, designed to <b>make you a better candidate</b>, please refer to our career services page at: <a href="http://www.mary-margaret.com/career-consulting-services/">http://www.mary-margaret.com/career-consulting-services/</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> We also have more services coming, including webinars and upgraded do-it-yourself help. All of that takes time and we are creating it as fast as we can to help as many people as possible.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As always, if you have thoughts, please share them here. We want to be the best assistance in the business and we can't do it without your feedback and direction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Billy Joe Cain is an Executive Recruiter with Mary-Margaret Network (<a href="http://www.mary-margaret.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.mary-margaret.com</a>) and focuses on the video game industry. He has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please connect with him on LinkedIn! <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.linkedin.com/in/<wbr></wbr>billyjoecain</a></span></div>
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-54872160887029841262014-04-28T09:29:00.000-05:002014-04-28T09:29:00.074-05:00Why is Social Media Important? Answers From a Game Industry Recruiter.<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently a reporter asked me a few questions for inclusion in an online story. Seeing as how they usually pull a few responses to use as quotes, it seemed useful to post the entirety of my response here. Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">=======================</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I work as an Executive Recruiter in the video game industry for Mary-Margaret Network. All of our employees use social media in one way or another to promote our company as well as our own personal "brand."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Social media is absolutely vital to Mary-Margaret Network because it is the main way we maintain our clients' trust. For my company we all post on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn regularly so we can <b>stay active in the community</b>. We share relevant recruiting tips, ask questions and provide answers, and of course, list jobs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The most important thing to remember when you are using social media is that <b>you have to be honest and genuine</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first law of social media is that <b>you have to 100% honest</b>. There are simply too many people that read your work to be able to lie or even mislead people online. If you make a mistake, admit it as soon as possible. Fall on your sword. Your customers respect when you are willing to accept responsibility for your mistakes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The second law of social media is that in order to connect with your friends, followers, or fans, <b>you have to be genuine</b>; you must really care about them. People know when they are being played and when they are being manipulated. Tell them how you feel; you must confide in them because that way they know that you are human, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The third law of social media is that <b>you are a click away from obscurity</b>. Your customers are fickle; they can leave your site with the click of a button, never to return again. You have to build up their trust, and trust is what it is all about. You are investing in them and hopefully they reciprocate with purchasing your goods or services. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The fourth law of social media is that <b>you have to maintain your presence</b>. When you start participating, you have to keep participating. Customers can tell when you don't care, so you have to really commit if you are going to stay social and relevant. You can't develop loyalty with 2 Tweets a quarter. Too many companies have abandoned social profiles, and that is bad business. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What social media channels are you finding the best to engage with your current customers?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The best way to engage with our current customers is to <b>go where they are</b>. In our case, "they" means applicants. For video game recruiters that means at the very least, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Sometimes we venture out to other, more specific sites, but in general we stick to sites where we are committed to posting. We also regularly write blogs. LinkedIn is the professionals network, so we tend to focus on business-related items there. We post links to our blogs or other interesting recruiting items: resume tips, how to interview, and other ways to increase the value of our potential applicants.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How has social media helped you to retain customers vs. other more traditional channels- i.e. phone, face to face, events? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Social media has helped us retain customers through our combined use of our email newsletter and engaging them through Facebook and LinkedIn, where we have our job postings. Providing job search tips, such as how to write a resume or interview for a job are ways to prove to our potential applicants that we care. This is in many ways better than face to face for those types of customer education because we just do not have the time to spend with each candidate to give them that type of information. That said, there is <b>nothing </b>that <b>replaces face-to-face</b> to truly build trust with people, but running a global job agency means that <b>you can't be everywhere at once</b>. We do go to large events, but we can only meet with the people that travel to those events. Talking to our clients and candidates by phone is the next best way to retain our customers because <b>there is just no way to run a people centered business without becoming part of their job search personally</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you have any specific examples you can share?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As with everyone that uses social media well, we <b>run metrics on the effectiveness of our posts and blogs</b>. It's interesting to me that, while our job / career related posts do well with our clients and candidates, the posts that do the best are ones that are funny and even unrelated to our field. The personal touch that adding things that we think are hilarious seems to resonate with our friends and followers. We're just as geeky as they are!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">---------------------------</span></div>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">
<div style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Billy Joe Cain is an Executive Recruiter with Mary-Margaret Network (<a href="http://www.mary-margaret.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.mary-margaret.com</a>) and focuses on the video game industry. He has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please connect with him on LinkedIn! <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.linkedin.com/in/<wbr></wbr>billyjoecain</a></span></div>
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Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-88260454222008963552014-04-21T22:13:00.000-05:002014-04-21T22:13:00.184-05:00What are the Top Warning Signs That It's Time to Get a New Job?<b>How do you know when it's time to start looking for a new job? </b><br />
<br />
I have done a lot of research with my colleagues and they have helped me come up with a list for you. All of these are good things to watch out for, but I want to make one thing clear: in the end, "the company" doesn't care about you or anyone else.<br />
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"The company" only cares about continuing its existence whether that is with or without you.<br />
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It's a harsh reality, but all employees need to keep that in mind. The best you can do is to keep your resume and LinkedIn profile up to date and ready to go. You're your own hiring manager. Be ready to look for a new position at any time.<br />
<br />
<b>Pay attention to these Warning Signals. </b><br />
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<ul>
<li>You recognize that you have maxed out reasonable opportunities for career growth, promotion, or salary increases.</li>
<li>Your actual work assignments are putting you behind the curve in technology or tool use.</li>
<li>Reductions in force happen, even if they don't hit you.</li>
<li>Your team experiences widespread morale drop.</li>
<li>Performance bonus plans are dropped, curtailed, or go unpaid.</li>
<li>Your boss/manager/team lead leaves and his/her replacement is a jerk or starts in with a "Not Invented Here" mentality towards work previously done. I.e. your work can be replaced with less expensive talent.</li>
<li>You find yourself assigned relatively meaningless tasks rather than the type of work you had been doing, even though your recent work has been otherwise praised.</li>
<li>Formerly transparent seniors on your team suddenly seem to be having a LOT of meetings without sharing what is going on.</li>
<li>Your performance review has obviously been crafted to expose you as this year's stack-ranking victim.</li>
<li>Meetings are held by management with people attending who don't normally have meetings with those attending and no results of those meetings are shared. </li>
<li>Managers have trouble looking you in the eye. </li>
<li>People start to update their LinkedIn profiles and hiring freezes start. </li>
<li>Your boss starts taking phone calls at work and has to excuse themselves or talk quietly as they walk out for each call. </li>
<li>Managers take the mornings off or have extended lunches when they never really did before.</li>
<li>There are two types of "when to quit" feelings. There is that nagging feeling of "is this the best I can do?" and then there is that "no way in hell am I going to violate my ethics." </li>
<li>In the game industry, one of the best ways to know it's time to update your resume is when they take away the free sodas. </li>
<li>When your company obviously values one department over another. i.e. programmers get large raises, public commendations, upward job mobility and other departments do not.</li>
</ul>
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Honestly the best way to "get ready" is to ALWAYS BE READY.<br />
<br />
<b>How can I always be ready? That sounds crazy! </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
It's not hard if you do a little each week. And you need to do this; there is no such thing as lifetime employment. You are the only one that is going to manage your career. YOU.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Your resume should always be current.</li>
<li>Your LinkedIn profile should also be current.</li>
<li>Make sure to get LinkedIn recommendations as soon as you can get them. Don't wait until you're no longer employed there. </li>
<li>Continually add people to your LinkedIn network. Adding a bunch when you are unemployed looks desperate. </li>
<li>You should keep (legal) versions of any work you'll need for a portfolio. </li>
<li>All publicly viewable presentation / portfolio work should be put online regularly.</li>
<li>Always have at least one interview outfit.</li>
<li>Keep some PTO saved aside just in case of an interview.</li>
</ul>
<br />
What about you? Do you have any tips?<br />
bjc<br />
<br />
---------------------------<br />
<br />
Billy Joe Cain is an Executive Recruiter with Mary-Margaret Network (www.mary-margaret.com) and focuses on the video game industry. He has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.<br />
<br />
Please connect with him on LinkedIn! www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain<br />
<br />Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-34606635631871133382014-04-17T18:30:00.000-05:002014-04-17T18:30:15.361-05:00MEDIABRIX NEEDS SUPPORT ASAP WITH HTML5 TITLE<span style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mediabrix.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/logo.png" height="47" width="320" /></span><a href="https://www.mediabrix.com/" target="_blank">MEDIABRIX</a> NEEDS SUPPORT WITH PERFORMANCE TUNING SMALL HTML5 GAME<br />
<br />
Small HTML5 game needs assistance with how graphics are rendering as well as responsiveness of the controls on Android (4.1 & up).<br />
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The game is HTML5 using CSS3 & JavaScript running through an Android webkit browser. Seeking a resource who can examine the code & produce a solution that will allow the game to perform as expected.<br />
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We will support you with QA & direct interfacing if needed. Turnaround time is 3 days max as we are on a tight release timeline.<br />
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Contact <a href="mailto:ricneil@mediabrix.com">ricneil@mediabrix.com</a>.<br />
<br />
PLEASE SHAREBilly Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-80157723222200287352014-04-14T15:08:00.000-05:002014-04-14T15:08:00.166-05:00When Should You Turn Down a Job Offer?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/moms-who-drink-and-swear/files/2014/02/keep-calm-and-just-say-no.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.chicagonow.com/moms-who-drink-and-swear/files/2014/02/keep-calm-and-just-say-no.png" height="320" width="274" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"No" is always an option. <br />
You can also say "No, thank you."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was recently asked a damn good question: "<b>What are some reasons why a job seeker might turn down a job offer? When is it a good idea to turn down a job offer?</b>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I surveyed a lot of my friends and they helped me create this small list of their top reasons they would turn down an offer, or why they DID turn down a job offer. Here are the results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">TRUST YOUR GUT</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By far, the biggest reason to turn down a job offer is a <b>"</b></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">gut feeling</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>" that the job or company just isn't right for you.</b> This can be due to the general feel of the office or the personalities you meet, the feelings you get from your potential manager, the organization or handling of the interview, or the company culture. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">THIS ISN'T WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another good reason to turn down a job is <b>when you find that the job is slightly different than what you thought you were applying for</b>. This can indicate that the company has an overall lack of professionalism, shifts its expectations of their workforce, or even that management doesn't understand what the job requires.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">QUALITY OF LIFE</span></div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How your work / life balance is going to be affected is very important. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When you interview, remember that</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you are literally giving them the most precious thing you have, your time. They better be worth it.</b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">---------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Billy Joe Cain is an Executive Recruiter with Mary-Margaret Network and focuses on the video game industry. He has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please connect with him on LinkedIn and mention you read his blog! www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain</span></div>
Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30374917364418648.post-74863742887004570562014-04-07T08:30:00.000-05:002014-04-18T13:20:55.197-05:00Do You Need More Than One Resume? <a href="http://www.employmentspot.com/wp-content/uploads/istockphoto/10-09/detective-manager.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.employmentspot.com/wp-content/uploads/istockphoto/10-09/detective-manager.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Do you need more than one resume? Do you need to tailor your resume to the job you are applying for? Does just tailoring your cover letter do the trick?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Help the Hiring Manager</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As a hiring manager, a custom resume is always a help to see how someone specifically fits the job role. <i>The easiest way to get a hiring manager to cut to the chase is to make the resume tailor-fit to the role</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why does a Hiring Manger Need Help From ME? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hiring managers have a lack of time to read between the lines. They may have a stack of other resumes that have been customized with specific details clearly delineated so they can match them to the job, and <b>if your resume requires me to guess about your skills at all, you get tossed. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There can be a <i>disconnect between the job role and the resume's "soul."</i> Your resume needs to emphasize your strength in that job specifically, not in the general career. We can tell if you really want it. <b>Prove your interest in the job through your intent toward how you build your resume.</b> Otherwise, you get tossed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What if the Hiring Manager Isn't Reading Resumes First?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Often, an intermediary, such as a HR representative, is used to "filter" out the "obvious" resumes that aren't fits before they go to the hiring manager. <b>The intermediaries are </b>your biggest critics and <b>the single biggest chance you will get tossed</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When your resume goes through an intermediary, this creates additional levels of communication breakdown. This can cause someone that is perfectly qualified to get tossed in the trash. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Think about it from their point of view. They are trying to winnow down a huge stack to a manageable number, and they may be sorting through a huge stack of resumes. Make it easy to get in the "yes" or even the "maybe" pile. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Top Reasons You Get Tossed Into the Circular File</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The intermediary may not understand the position or qualifications well enough to know how items on your generic resume are really relevant to the position.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The intermediary may not understand what "equivalent experience" means to the hiring manager. Find a way to make equivalent experience match up with the job description. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The intermediary may be going down the job description top to bottom and if your qualifications are like "Where's Waldo?", they may give up looking. Make it easy to find the relevant parts. Ideally you can even reorder your resume to make it even easier.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Are Cover Letters Vital?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They are always a good idea, however these get lost in the shuffle. We don't want to admit it, but they do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When a resume is forwarded to a team of people that evaluate you as a candidate, cover letters are rarely given to the team and if they are, they are rarely read. Writing a cover letter is a clear way to stand out to the person that originally receives your resume, showing us that you cared enough about the position for you to write something special. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your cover letter needs to be special and specific. And it must be polite and humble. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cover letters are a way for us to see if you did your homework and understand the company and job, and see if you can write well. And if you write one poorly, guess what? You get tossed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Final Thoughts</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You want this job. You want this salary. We want to hire someone that solves our pain. We are trying to make the best decision for us, and we're ready to spend a lot of money for it. You have one chance to get our attention to get us to BUY. Yes, this is a purchase. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Think about it from our perspective... has that candidate seemed to care enough about your opening? Do they care about working here? Get someone else to pretend they are the hiring manager. Get someone else to pretend they are you, and you role play as the company representative. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Get really serious about this. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then go back and edit your resume to make it custom. And if you have the guts, go after that cover letter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can do it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">---------------------------</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Billy Joe Cain is an Executive Recruiter in the video game industry and has worked for Electronic Arts and started three game studios in Austin, TX. Since 1992, he has created games such as Wing Commander: Prophecy and SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Please connect with him on LinkedIn and mention you read his blog! www.linkedin.com/in/billyjoecain</span>Billy Joe Cainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12589833565605658812noreply@blogger.com0