Date: 2006-01-17
Title: Shawn Noel, creator of the Jetz series
SHAWN ON THE RAMPAGE
Anyone out there played Jetz? Anyone at all? If you haven't - you're missing out. Shawn Noel is the creator of this wonderfully violent and hysterically funny series of games, in which you control a guy with a jet pack, who must fly around, killing civilians, completing missions and creating general chaos and havoc. You might be surprised to know that Shawn is only 17 years of age. I was lucky enough to get the chance to interview him. I have to admit - the interview surprised me - he didn't give me the rosy, care free answers that so many interviewees do. He showed me the struggles of motivation to keep going. Read on..
Introduce yourself to the readers..
Hey, my name is Shawn.. I’m 17 and live in Nebraska. I currently don’t have a job and I plan on putting off getting a job as long as possible because I have no motivation to get one. My interests include anything that doesn’t involve going outside or outside of my room really: videogames, computer and eating. That sort of stuff. I’m not sure you know I use Game Maker to make my games. That probably doesn’t make me look like such a great coder. Although the program does have its own code that I have mastered, it’s nothing like scripting a game from scratch so yeah. I started with html about 6 years ago. Oh and I don’t have a life. I make games out of boredom and it’s often still boring. I have no friends. You get the idea I suppose. Nobody should look up to me, that’s for sure.
It says on your site that you have loved games since you were a kid. What systems and games did you grow up with? Did any games in particular influence you to start creating games?
I remember a lot of Super Nintendo games as a kid. The Super Mario World games and F-Zero for Super Nintendo are the first games, that come to my mind, that I owned. No game really influenced me to start making games. My first game is horrible and I was just testing to see if I could make things work so I recreated some old simple games. But I wouldn’t say they influenced me at all.
Your 'Jetz' series of games has often been compared to Grand Theft Auto, both in terms of violent content and the mission-based gameplay structure. Do you agree with these comparisons? Did you draw much inspiration from GTA?
Jetz actually has little inspiration from GTA. I mean it started as me just wanting to make an arena Jetpack game, where you battle another person. I thought it might be fun to put the guy in a city and ideas started to come. Missions are there to make the replay value not completely suck. It was the only way I could think of. But the replay value still kind of sucks. You could compare the game to GTA but it isn’t even near as good or addicting as GTA. I haven’t really played Jetz in a long time so I might only be remembering the bad parts, I don’t know.
Your games in general seem to be a little on the quirky side. Where else do you draw inspiration from – is it mainly games you have played or do you have other influences as well?
I wouldn’t say other games really inspire my games but I have taken a few ideas from other games. My inspiration is mainly boredom to make games. Actually I’m starting to lose inspiration to make games but I think I could share that in an upcoming question.
Your Jetz series of games seems to be you’re most popular. Do you have a favorite game that you have created and why is it special to you?
As soon as I finish a game and read all the comments about it, I kind of give up caring about it. Since I usually work on a game until it drives me insane to work on it anymore and then release it, I don’t really have much to do with my finished games. So really I can only say the game I’m working on currently is my favorite game that I have created.
Is coding games generally an enjoyable experience? How much time do you spend coding – is it an 'all the time' activity or just 'here and there'?
Like I said, most people will probably consider using Game Maker to code cheating. Well it’s pretty fun to code when you’re making the basic engine. After you work on the game for a few months, it just becomes a chore to code so inspiration to work on the game really drops. It is just a “here and there” thing because I go off and on from wanting to work on the game and not wanting to so yeah, I don’t code a whole lot at one time.
Your games are welcome with open arms into the freeware and click communities – have you been pleased with the response to your games? Is it something that keeps you going, if you're ever struggling for motivation?
Getting comments does keep me motivated. The problem is there is a huge gap between finishing one game and another one. The online community is the only support I even get to make games. Other than that there is no motivation other than keeping myself busy. And I could do that with porn.. Yeah, don’t take that seriously..
Do you get any time to play other games within the freeware community? Any favorites?
I don’t play freeware games. Seeing other people’s games that are better (and there are tons) just de-motivates me. Some people it would inspire but there are just some things I see people do that I know I can’t.
Your games, especially Jetz, seem to thrive on crude humor and over-the-top violence – have you ever received any negative feedback regarding these aspects of your games? What is your opinion regarding violence in the media – do you think it is harmful or harmless?
Well, basically I don’t give a damn about anyone else. So that I don’t really feel like I have any limits on what I’m putting in the game. I think I have got negative feedback a few times but I probably didn’t even read it or laughed. Violence in the media is harmless. Let people see what they want to see. I don’t know why people should care.
How's your new game, Street Bike Fury, coming along? Anything new to share with fans about it?
SLOW! People would expect so much more to be done in the thing since I’ve been working on it forever but there is hardly anything new since the last demo! The game is going to be released and lack replay value severely. I mean if I had a team of workers I could have them all build themed levels but I really don’t have motivation to make tons of new graphics and level designs to keep the replay value up. It is going to end up as a game you probably play one day and get bored. That has really turned me off the game and I work on it one day and take a break on it for a week. Work is not consistent and I find myself playing Halo for like six hours straight because I don’t have a reason to get off of it. I think the newest version of it is http://s64games.com/SBF6.zip though. You can play that if you want.
What else is in the pipeline – do you already have ideas for other future projects or is all your energy focused on your current upcoming release?
I don’t know. I really don’t.
Top. 5 videogames – what are they and why?
This isn’t really my top 5 games I’ve ever played. Games are great until I beat them then I forget what they were even about so, um. Currently I have an X-box that I play often and I thought Splinter Cell Chaos Theory was pretty fun. Oh and I play Halo 2 on live a lot. I like racing games..
See, I have a hard time naming a top 5 list.
Again, thankyou so much for your time. Keep up the good work.
Shaun Noel's website.
Title: Shawn Noel, creator of the Jetz series
SHAWN ON THE RAMPAGE
Anyone out there played Jetz? Anyone at all? If you haven't - you're missing out. Shawn Noel is the creator of this wonderfully violent and hysterically funny series of games, in which you control a guy with a jet pack, who must fly around, killing civilians, completing missions and creating general chaos and havoc. You might be surprised to know that Shawn is only 17 years of age. I was lucky enough to get the chance to interview him. I have to admit - the interview surprised me - he didn't give me the rosy, care free answers that so many interviewees do. He showed me the struggles of motivation to keep going. Read on..
Introduce yourself to the readers..
Hey, my name is Shawn.. I’m 17 and live in Nebraska. I currently don’t have a job and I plan on putting off getting a job as long as possible because I have no motivation to get one. My interests include anything that doesn’t involve going outside or outside of my room really: videogames, computer and eating. That sort of stuff. I’m not sure you know I use Game Maker to make my games. That probably doesn’t make me look like such a great coder. Although the program does have its own code that I have mastered, it’s nothing like scripting a game from scratch so yeah. I started with html about 6 years ago. Oh and I don’t have a life. I make games out of boredom and it’s often still boring. I have no friends. You get the idea I suppose. Nobody should look up to me, that’s for sure.
It says on your site that you have loved games since you were a kid. What systems and games did you grow up with? Did any games in particular influence you to start creating games?
I remember a lot of Super Nintendo games as a kid. The Super Mario World games and F-Zero for Super Nintendo are the first games, that come to my mind, that I owned. No game really influenced me to start making games. My first game is horrible and I was just testing to see if I could make things work so I recreated some old simple games. But I wouldn’t say they influenced me at all.
Your 'Jetz' series of games has often been compared to Grand Theft Auto, both in terms of violent content and the mission-based gameplay structure. Do you agree with these comparisons? Did you draw much inspiration from GTA?
Jetz actually has little inspiration from GTA. I mean it started as me just wanting to make an arena Jetpack game, where you battle another person. I thought it might be fun to put the guy in a city and ideas started to come. Missions are there to make the replay value not completely suck. It was the only way I could think of. But the replay value still kind of sucks. You could compare the game to GTA but it isn’t even near as good or addicting as GTA. I haven’t really played Jetz in a long time so I might only be remembering the bad parts, I don’t know.
Your games in general seem to be a little on the quirky side. Where else do you draw inspiration from – is it mainly games you have played or do you have other influences as well?
I wouldn’t say other games really inspire my games but I have taken a few ideas from other games. My inspiration is mainly boredom to make games. Actually I’m starting to lose inspiration to make games but I think I could share that in an upcoming question.
Your Jetz series of games seems to be you’re most popular. Do you have a favorite game that you have created and why is it special to you?
As soon as I finish a game and read all the comments about it, I kind of give up caring about it. Since I usually work on a game until it drives me insane to work on it anymore and then release it, I don’t really have much to do with my finished games. So really I can only say the game I’m working on currently is my favorite game that I have created.
Is coding games generally an enjoyable experience? How much time do you spend coding – is it an 'all the time' activity or just 'here and there'?
Like I said, most people will probably consider using Game Maker to code cheating. Well it’s pretty fun to code when you’re making the basic engine. After you work on the game for a few months, it just becomes a chore to code so inspiration to work on the game really drops. It is just a “here and there” thing because I go off and on from wanting to work on the game and not wanting to so yeah, I don’t code a whole lot at one time.
Your games are welcome with open arms into the freeware and click communities – have you been pleased with the response to your games? Is it something that keeps you going, if you're ever struggling for motivation?
Getting comments does keep me motivated. The problem is there is a huge gap between finishing one game and another one. The online community is the only support I even get to make games. Other than that there is no motivation other than keeping myself busy. And I could do that with porn.. Yeah, don’t take that seriously..
Do you get any time to play other games within the freeware community? Any favorites?
I don’t play freeware games. Seeing other people’s games that are better (and there are tons) just de-motivates me. Some people it would inspire but there are just some things I see people do that I know I can’t.
Your games, especially Jetz, seem to thrive on crude humor and over-the-top violence – have you ever received any negative feedback regarding these aspects of your games? What is your opinion regarding violence in the media – do you think it is harmful or harmless?
Well, basically I don’t give a damn about anyone else. So that I don’t really feel like I have any limits on what I’m putting in the game. I think I have got negative feedback a few times but I probably didn’t even read it or laughed. Violence in the media is harmless. Let people see what they want to see. I don’t know why people should care.
How's your new game, Street Bike Fury, coming along? Anything new to share with fans about it?
SLOW! People would expect so much more to be done in the thing since I’ve been working on it forever but there is hardly anything new since the last demo! The game is going to be released and lack replay value severely. I mean if I had a team of workers I could have them all build themed levels but I really don’t have motivation to make tons of new graphics and level designs to keep the replay value up. It is going to end up as a game you probably play one day and get bored. That has really turned me off the game and I work on it one day and take a break on it for a week. Work is not consistent and I find myself playing Halo for like six hours straight because I don’t have a reason to get off of it. I think the newest version of it is http://s64games.com/SBF6.zip though. You can play that if you want.
What else is in the pipeline – do you already have ideas for other future projects or is all your energy focused on your current upcoming release?
I don’t know. I really don’t.
Top. 5 videogames – what are they and why?
This isn’t really my top 5 games I’ve ever played. Games are great until I beat them then I forget what they were even about so, um. Currently I have an X-box that I play often and I thought Splinter Cell Chaos Theory was pretty fun. Oh and I play Halo 2 on live a lot. I like racing games..
See, I have a hard time naming a top 5 list.
Again, thankyou so much for your time. Keep up the good work.
Shaun Noel's website.