Dabeaz

As a programmer and father of young boys, I have something to get off my chest--namely, most of the gaming industry, and especially that aimed at young children, leaves me in a furious rage. Maybe it's the time that a $35 in-app charge for a million popping bubbles showed up on my credit card (thanks Apple). Or maybe it's that whenever I look at what the kids are "playing", they're usually just sitting around watching a timer to see how long they have to wait before a tanker hatches out of an egg, boards a boat, and travels across the ocean to the racetrack to put fuel in their racecar (or pay and race now!). Or the incessant ads, or requests for a Facebook login, or any number of other annoyances that pop up constantly. Who makes this crap?

Well, I can tell you who makes it in the eyes of my kids--dad. Yes, I'm the one who "makes" the games through some kind of magic incantation. Frankly, I'm getting tired of hearing "dad, this game sucks." At this point, I'm pretty reluctant to install any game at all because I know that odds are it will be terrible and I'll be annoyed. However, enough of that.

Over the weekend, I got tipped off to the game Monument Valley. I'm so blown away that I'm motivated to write this brief post. In short, the game is visually stunning, mysterious, and engaging in every way that a game should be. In short: I love it and so do the kids.


However, it's more than just that. This is a game that is devoid of ads, in-app purchases, waiting around, powerups, gambling, violence, or any other mainstay of modern "gaming." For that, I'd like to heap some praise on its maker Ustwo. Thanks for making Monument Valley. More games like this please! I'll gladly pay.