Bob's Game Guy Gives Up

Andy Chalk

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Nov 12, 2002
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Bob's Game Guy Gives Up


Robert Pelloni, the developer of Nintendo's [http://www.bobsgame.com/] refusal to give him a software development kit, is ending his protest after experiencing increasingly negative side effects from the solitary confinement.

Pelloni has single-handedly developed Bob's Game, a "retail-length RPG type console game" which he claims to have invested five years and 15,000 hours in creating. But after Nintendo allegedly jerked him around when he tried to get the SDK, leaving him unable to legitimately publish the game, Pelloni decided to draw attention to his plight by isolating himself in a room for 100 days [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88326-Bobs-Game-Developer-Stages-100-Day-Protest-to-Nintendo] with no contact with the outside world beyond updates on his blog and a webcam that allowed the curious to peek in on his torment.

But as things dragged on, Pelloni's updates grew increasingly rage-filled and erratic. On January 6, he wrote, "There is nobody like me. I have created the entire game, start to finish. I am far better than Miyamoto, Itoi, Kojima, Carmack, and Wright COMBINED. NONE of these 'designers' could create the entire thing if their lives depended on it! They rely on the assistance of others- and take all the credit. They don't even deserve their titles! I have bested them all by far." Two days later he simultaneously apologized to Nintendo for his words and vowed to exact a horrific vengeance if the company continued to deny him the SDK, and began complaining of a persistent headache and feelings of paranoia. Finally, only a few weeks after the protest began, he decided to bring it to a close January 10 with one final, intensely bitter blog update.

"It was foolish of me to think Nintendo would hear my pleas," he wrote. "They're just another heartless corporation, only interested in the biggest profits. The core gamers don't matter anymore. It's not about the games or the fans, it's about spreading out and getting casual gamers to buy Wii Fit [http://www.nintendo.com/wiifit/]."

"I've had enough. I'm ending the protest. I give up on getting the SDK," he continued. "I really tried my best. Show's over. It's just not going to work. Sorry, everyone. I just can't stay in here. My head won't stop pounding. I feel like I'm losing my mind. It's like I'm splitting in half. I keep seeing these posts that I apparently wrote, but I can't remember writing them. I'm afraid I'm becoming someone else entirely."

But is it really the end? Bob's still not the most coherent guy on the planet but he seemed to imply on his site that his protest isn't actually over just yet. "The mild-mannered programmer of Bob's Game, hopelessly tormented into a state of apparent madness from solitary confinement, has been valiantly pulled from the tragic wreckage of his former office by the local authorities- but they were too late," the blog says. "Once again barricading himself inside of what appears to the untrained eye to be the same office but is assuredly a secret dungeon lair, he will begin carrying out his ridiculous, meticulous, deluded, convoluted, senseless mess of vengeance... Or has he already begun?"

Stay tuned!

via: GameCyte [http://www.gamecyte.com/bobs-game-over]


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Anton P. Nym

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Sep 18, 2007
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Part of me thinks that Bob is a perfect illustration of why we desperately need TPoIP (Throat Punch over Internet Protocol) technology developed. The rest of me is ashamed that I gave the raging attention whore even this small sliver of satisfaction.

-- Steve
 

ratix2

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Feb 6, 2008
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not to say that the guy didnt try or that his game isnt good, but seriously, so he didnt release it on the wii, BIG DEAL! release it over some other channels. ever think of the pc where you DONT NEED an sdk? every think of contacting valve and trying to get it published over steam? or why not release it for free over the internet and see how it does then? if enough people download it for free and have good things to say about it that will speak to publishers and game companies. and just look at audiosurf, sold millions over steam, so why didnt he try that?

and while i agree that some game company heads dont deserve the praise they get *cough*tim sweeny, hes dead wrong about carmack. carmack and 4 other people worked on wolf 3d and doom alone, and carmack mostly does engine work for id, and in that regard hes one of the best in the industry.
 

man-man

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Jan 21, 2008
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If he wants a wide open development platform, should have gone for the PC.

Aside from that, he didn't even make it past 3 weeks? Aside from foraging for food and attending to hygiene (which he had covered) I reckon I could spend that long or longer in here without going even half as crazy as he did. Can't have been far off doing just that during one summer holiday or other...
 

Dancingman

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Aug 15, 2008
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I get the feeling that the Prince of Darkness will have deliciously ironic, and torturous fun with him in Hell.
 

ProfessorLayton

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Nov 6, 2008
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That guy seems more like a dick than a game developer... oh wait most game developers are dicks.

Anyway he probably could have bought WoW and he wouldn't have even had to vow to lock himself in his room.
 

Alone Disciple

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Jun 10, 2008
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It would have been awesome if his girlfriend or friends pranked him by playing the Mario theme song outside his windows at all hours.
 

Lord_Ascendant

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Nintendo is trying to create their new console, the one they plug into your brain to make you buy more Nintendo crud

then they turn you into a Terminator
 

Nimbus

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Oct 22, 2008
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Alone Disciple said:
It would have been awesome if his girlfriend or friends pranked him by playing the Mario theme song outside his windows at all hours.
Bit of a stretch, a guy like him have a girlfriend, or friends, no?
 

cleverlymadeup

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Mar 7, 2008
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Nimbus said:
Alone Disciple said:
It would have been awesome if his girlfriend or friends pranked him by playing the Mario theme song outside his windows at all hours.
Bit of a stretch, a guy like him have a girlfriend, or friends, no?
damn you beat me to the gf comment

as for the guy himself, yeah he's a bloody wanker as those across the pond would say. i read the story and thought "wow what a loser" i mean if he was as good of a coder as any of those ppl he mentioned he'd have made the game multi-platform with little difficulty
 

Seydaman

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popdafoo said:
That guy seems more like a dick than a game developer... oh wait most game developers are dicks.

Anyway he probably could have bought WoW and he wouldn't have even had to vow to lock himself in his room.
ha, aint that the truth
 

CUnk

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Oct 24, 2008
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What did he spend 15,000 hours working on without an SDK? Assets? Or was he trying to port it from another platform?

edit: Ok, I guess I should have checked out his site first. Judging by the video he seems to have a running game (not the type of game I'd be interested in though). Why not just release it on the PC?
 

DJPirtu

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Nov 24, 2008
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jamesworkshop said:
Or just buy a SDK nintendo don't just give them away for free
Well, that is what he was trying to accomplish. To buy a Nintendo SDK. From Nintendo.

In general, I do think I would have had some respect for the guy, should he had not turned out be such a whiner. Mental instability or not. I certainly would have applauded him had he pulled of his isolation marathon. I would even had had some sypathy for the quitting, given the health reasons.
But no. He had to turn it into a huge ball of drama.

But all in all, his sheer hell bent determination to do the game all by himself and to a spesific platform, seems to have became his downfall. Well, that and the fact that he seems to think this one miracle creation would turn out to be something better than anything "Miyamoto, Itoi, Kojima, Carmack, and Wright COMBINED" had ever designed.
 

Samah

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Jul 7, 2008
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He's comparing himself with Carmack in terms of "I can make a whole crappy game by myself" whereas Carmack could design and write an advanced 3D engine in his sleep (and he probably does).

Anton P. Nym said:
The rest of me is ashamed that I gave the raging attention whore even this small sliver of satisfaction.
Spot on description.

Perhaps if this self-righteous "guru" realised that there are other platforms than the Wii, he might get a clue. Nintendo are laughing their arses off.

Edit: Actually read the whole article...