The Making of LEGO Island - Revision history

MattKC: Reverted edits by PawPatroler (2025) (talk) to last revision by MattKC

2026-03-06T05:49:24Z

Reverted edits by PawPatroler (2025) (talk) to last revision by MattKC

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:49, 6 March 2026
(No difference)

PawPatroler (2025): PawPatroler (2025) changed the content model of the page The Making of LEGO Island from "CSS" to "JavaScript"

2026-03-05T19:07:59Z

PawPatroler (2025) changed the content model of the page The Making of LEGO Island from "CSS" to "JavaScript"

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:07, 5 March 2026
(No difference)

PawPatroler (2025): PawPatroler (2025) changed the content model of the page The Making of LEGO Island from "wikitext" to "CSS"

2026-03-05T19:07:47Z

PawPatroler (2025) changed the content model of the page The Making of LEGO Island from "wikitext" to "CSS"

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:07, 5 March 2026
(No difference)

MattKC: fixed another OCR issue

2024-12-01T22:53:10Z

fixed another OCR issue

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:53, 1 December 2024
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	I enthusiastically spent night and day just thinking about Legos. I started sketching out little scenes and options. Here's how you can knock down things. Maybe a big foot kicks it over, or you can blow it up with a dynamite brick. Then I drew a guy checking into a hotel...No, wait- what if you're the Lego character so you're at eye level and you check into the hotel. Another one was a guy walking along a street with another guy approaches him on a street with part of building in the background. I took these sketches and finalized them with markers on vellum, mounting them on Foam core with the obligatory flap. This was a presentation that varnishes with a coating of credibility. Put a company sticker on the front of the cover sheet and it looks like it's real. In between doing this, I did have other tasks, of course, working on a Mario Deluxe project making little building of different countries which was actually fun. We had to go to the library and find out how different houses and villages looked in other countries. One of my fellow art cave neighbors showed me some cool rendering tricks in the now archaic software. I had fun drawing some cool buildings or at least I was happy with them. It also gave me the opportunity to keep thinking about Lego as well as I moved pixels around. The company started hiring more artists. A new kid in town was hired since the workload was increasing did a really cool couple character sketches. Several more artists joined the core team now. The new kid was pretty cool and really talented. He had a friend from the same art school he went to who was a pretty unassuming kid and then in came a rather peppy girl who was rather a "good- looker" as my Grandfather use to say back in the ol' days. Finally, a really good friend of mine from Art school got hired. I felt rather proud because I recommended him and really proud because he was the best illustrator I ever met. H's name was, or still is, Jim, We called him Jimpy because his E-mail name was Jim P. The guy was great. He still is, I assume. The art cave was expanding.		I enthusiastically spent night and day just thinking about Legos. I started sketching out little scenes and options. Here's how you can knock down things. Maybe a big foot kicks it over, or you can blow it up with a dynamite brick. Then I drew a guy checking into a hotel...No, wait- what if you're the Lego character so you're at eye level and you check into the hotel. Another one was a guy walking along a street with another guy approaches him on a street with part of building in the background. I took these sketches and finalized them with markers on vellum, mounting them on Foam core with the obligatory flap. This was a presentation that varnishes with a coating of credibility. Put a company sticker on the front of the cover sheet and it looks like it's real. In between doing this, I did have other tasks, of course, working on a Mario Deluxe project making little building of different countries which was actually fun. We had to go to the library and find out how different houses and villages looked in other countries. One of my fellow art cave neighbors showed me some cool rendering tricks in the now archaic software. I had fun drawing some cool buildings or at least I was happy with them. It also gave me the opportunity to keep thinking about Lego as well as I moved pixels around. The company started hiring more artists. A new kid in town was hired since the workload was increasing did a really cool couple character sketches. Several more artists joined the core team now. The new kid was pretty cool and really talented. He had a friend from the same art school he went to who was a pretty unassuming kid and then in came a rather peppy girl who was rather a "good- looker" as my Grandfather use to say back in the ol' days. Finally, a really good friend of mine from Art school got hired. I felt rather proud because I recommended him and really proud because he was the best illustrator I ever met. H's name was, or still is, Jim, We called him Jimpy because his E-mail name was Jim P. The guy was great. He still is, I assume. The art cave was expanding.

	Sometime in between doing Mario Art, I received the news that we're going to London. I was thrilled and excited since I've ~~néver~~ been overseas and there's a possibility we're in the finals and I made the team. I spent some of my summer college years exploring America when most people I knew in the 60's did the European backpacking thing. I did discover that we have actually about 50 countries in our country though.		Sometime in between doing Mario Art, I received the news that we're going to London. I was thrilled and excited since I've never been overseas and there's a possibility we're in the finals and I made the team. I spent some of my summer college years exploring America when most people I knew in the 60's did the European backpacking thing. I did discover that we have actually about 50 countries in our country though.

	I was really getting pretty excited that I'm being sent over to Europe. I was beginning to feel special but suspicious because I suspected that a programmer will take over sooner or later. I did know that, at least for now, this is an opportunity. I'm going to England! I did, of course, had to get a passport which was a bit of a wait in line for several hour but I felt like I was a world traveler, a global jet-setter. Consulting my Boy Scout Check List, I started packing days before departure.		I was really getting pretty excited that I'm being sent over to Europe. I was beginning to feel special but suspicious because I suspected that a programmer will take over sooner or later. I did know that, at least for now, this is an opportunity. I'm going to England! I did, of course, had to get a passport which was a bit of a wait in line for several hour but I felt like I was a world traveler, a global jet-setter. Consulting my Boy Scout Check List, I started packing days before departure.

MattKC: corrected some more minor OCR issues

2024-12-01T22:11:51Z

corrected some more minor OCR issues

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:11, 1 December 2024
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	When we got back to California I was asked to continue the best assignment that I've had in years: to come up with more precise, more immersive, fun ideas. This was an incredibly fun task because this is what I do and now I am free to do this and...get paid. I went to art school because I enjoyed, often to my detriment, making things up and drawing since I was a little kid or did I already say that? I know I did because I say it often. I think to rationalize why I didn't become a doctor, a lawyer, or a programmer. Actually, I spent my childhood doing this in addition to playing guns in the woods. I felt at the time that I was, at best, a mediocre illustrator; maybe enough to get a job though. I didn't have lessons. I just had the passion. I had to go to Art School after an obligatory Liberal Arts degree. I realized one rarely chooses what they are and I was an artist....Finally, after an obligatory two degrees with one at Art School, I was ready to enter the real world. I thought advertising or sdmeplace where I could be creative would be a perfect. It would satisfy my degrees in behavioral sciences and art. It would make me feel almost normal. The jobs I could get was just doing production (back when there was such a thing) and mostly for everybody else's ideas. I tried being a "wrist" which we called a job where one's brain isn't really required. It got to a point when I realized that if one really wants to work in the business of being creative than it's best to go into sales. They seem to have that job of having ideas and telling the art department what they and the client wanted. I didn't though. I hung in there.		When we got back to California I was asked to continue the best assignment that I've had in years: to come up with more precise, more immersive, fun ideas. This was an incredibly fun task because this is what I do and now I am free to do this and...get paid. I went to art school because I enjoyed, often to my detriment, making things up and drawing since I was a little kid or did I already say that? I know I did because I say it often. I think to rationalize why I didn't become a doctor, a lawyer, or a programmer. Actually, I spent my childhood doing this in addition to playing guns in the woods. I felt at the time that I was, at best, a mediocre illustrator; maybe enough to get a job though. I didn't have lessons. I just had the passion. I had to go to Art School after an obligatory Liberal Arts degree. I realized one rarely chooses what they are and I was an artist....Finally, after an obligatory two degrees with one at Art School, I was ready to enter the real world. I thought advertising or sdmeplace where I could be creative would be a perfect. It would satisfy my degrees in behavioral sciences and art. It would make me feel almost normal. The jobs I could get was just doing production (back when there was such a thing) and mostly for everybody else's ideas. I tried being a "wrist" which we called a job where one's brain isn't really required. It got to a point when I realized that if one really wants to work in the business of being creative than it's best to go into sales. They seem to have that job of having ideas and telling the art department what they and the client wanted. I didn't though. I hung in there.

	I think I just lucked out. I couldn't quite figure out how I ended up in this Forest Gump-like opportunity right about the time I was ready to admit defeat. I was accepting the fact that I'm not really all that good. At best, maybe I'm an average artist but I decided that I should hang on for as ~~Iong~~ as I can. I'll wait until someone finds out that I''m really not that good and asks me to go home and grow up. At least, I'll have a good story when it's over but really it was just about to begin. I had an amazing almost accidental career start.		I think I just lucked out. I couldn't quite figure out how I ended up in this Forest Gump-like opportunity right about the time I was ready to admit defeat. I was accepting the fact that I'm not really all that good. At best, maybe I'm an average artist but I decided that I should hang on for as long as I can. I'll wait until someone finds out that I'm really not that good and asks me to go home and grow up. At least, I'll have a good story when it's over but really it was just about to begin. I had an amazing almost accidental career start.

	Now at Mindscape, the company and its commanders were quite encouraged that we (well, Paul actually) got an inside number to call. I assumed, because of my low self-esteem, thought that I'll be asked to go back to moving pixels around though and they'll take it from here. It was just the way the industry worked and that's the way the game artist's job was in 1995. Surprisingly, I was asked to work on the concept some more while they set up an appointment with the Connecticut offices. I eagerly started out by finding out what these Lego things look like. I started checking out what the Lego characters are capable of doing. I was still kind of stubbornly closed minded about it at first. They just weren't the kind of toy that I grew up with. I mean, they can't engage in any kind of war and you certainly can't chew on these and no way can you set them on fire as easily. These yellow faced plastic guys with happy faces on them can move their arms up and down, which is kind of cool but rather useless, really. You can take them apart and mix up the pieces though which is cool. It is designed for building things. I noticed that I spent an hour or so doing just that and was getting increasing engaged by a handful of bricks. Maybe they are kind of cool after all.		Now at Mindscape, the company and its commanders were quite encouraged that we (well, Paul actually) got an inside number to call. I assumed, because of my low self-esteem, thought that I'll be asked to go back to moving pixels around though and they'll take it from here. It was just the way the industry worked and that's the way the game artist's job was in 1995. Surprisingly, I was asked to work on the concept some more while they set up an appointment with the Connecticut offices. I eagerly started out by finding out what these Lego things look like. I started checking out what the Lego characters are capable of doing. I was still kind of stubbornly closed minded about it at first. They just weren't the kind of toy that I grew up with. I mean, they can't engage in any kind of war and you certainly can't chew on these and no way can you set them on fire as easily. These yellow faced plastic guys with happy faces on them can move their arms up and down, which is kind of cool but rather useless, really. You can take them apart and mix up the pieces though which is cool. It is designed for building things. I noticed that I spent an hour or so doing just that and was getting increasing engaged by a handful of bricks. Maybe they are kind of cool after all.

MattKC at 21:11, 5 November 2024

2024-11-05T21:11:34Z

Show changes

MattKC at 21:00, 5 November 2024

2024-11-05T21:00:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:00, 5 November 2024
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	The memoir details some of the early creation of ''[[LEGO Island]]'', particularly the conception and pitching of the game to [[LEGO]]'s U.S. executives in 1995, as well as an opening chapter recounting LEGO's "Childhood Experience", an internal exhibit designed to evoke the feeling of growing up to new LEGO recruits.		The memoir details some of the early creation of ''[[LEGO Island]]'', particularly the conception and pitching of the game to [[LEGO]]'s U.S. executives in 1995, as well as an opening chapter recounting LEGO's "Childhood Experience", an internal exhibit designed to evoke the feeling of growing up to new LEGO recruits.

	The memoir was never finished before Jenkins' death in 2017, and cuts off shortly before the team travelled to London to pitch LEGO's Denmark executives. The text contains evidence of being a first draft, such as occasional spelling and grammar errors and ~~repetition~~. These errors remain uncorrected in this reproduction.		The memoir was never finished before Jenkins' death in 2017, and cuts off shortly before the team travelled to London to pitch LEGO's Denmark executives. The text contains evidence of being a first draft, such as occasional spelling and grammar errors, repetition, and awkward phrasing. These errors remain uncorrected in this reproduction.

	== The Making of LEGO Island - Wes Jenkins ==		== The Making of LEGO Island - Wes Jenkins ==

MattKC at 20:58, 5 November 2024

2024-11-05T20:58:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:58, 5 November 2024
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	''[[The Making of LEGO Island]]'' is an incomplete memoir written by [[Wes Jenkins]].		''[[The Making of LEGO Island]]'' is an incomplete memoir written by [[Wes Jenkins]].

	The memoir details some of the early creation of ''[[LEGO Island]]'', particularly the conception and pitching of the game to [[LEGO]]'s US executives in 1995, as well as an opening chapter recounting LEGO's "Childhood Experience", an internal exhibit designed to evoke the feeling of growing up to new LEGO recruits.		The memoir details some of the early creation of ''[[LEGO Island]]'', particularly the conception and pitching of the game to [[LEGO]]'s U.S. executives in 1995, as well as an opening chapter recounting LEGO's "Childhood Experience", an internal exhibit designed to evoke the feeling of growing up to new LEGO recruits.

	The memoir was never finished before Jenkins' death in 2017, and cuts off shortly before the team travelled to London to pitch LEGO's Denmark executives. The text contains evidence of being a first draft, such as occasional spelling and grammar errors and repetition. These errors remain uncorrected in this reproduction.		The memoir was never finished before Jenkins' death in 2017, and cuts off shortly before the team travelled to London to pitch LEGO's Denmark executives. The text contains evidence of being a first draft, such as occasional spelling and grammar errors and repetition. These errors remain uncorrected in this reproduction.

MattKC at 20:57, 5 November 2024

2024-11-05T20:57:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:57, 5 November 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	The ~~following~~ is an incomplete memoir of the ~~making~~ of LEGO Island ~~written by lead designer Wes~~ Jenkins.		''[[The Making of LEGO Island]]'' is an incomplete memoir written by [[Wes Jenkins]].

			The memoir details some of the early creation of ''[[LEGO Island]]'', particularly the conception and pitching of the game to [[LEGO]]'s US executives in 1995, as well as an opening chapter recounting LEGO's "Childhood Experience", an internal exhibit designed to evoke the feeling of growing up to new LEGO recruits.

			The memoir was never finished before Jenkins' death in 2017, and cuts off shortly before the team travelled to London to pitch LEGO's Denmark executives. The text contains evidence of being a first draft, such as occasional spelling and grammar errors and repetition. These errors remain uncorrected in this reproduction.

	== The Making of LEGO Island - Wes Jenkins ==		== The Making of LEGO Island - Wes Jenkins ==
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	Next day we took a short flight from Denmark back to London. In the lobby of the Danish airport was a rack of schedules. The Danish word for “Speed” is “Fart”. We all grabbed a		Next day we took a short flight from Denmark back to London. In the lobby of the Danish airport was a rack of schedules. The Danish word for “Speed” is “Fart”. We all grabbed a
	handful of “Fart Schedules”. I ~~ﬁean~~, wouldn’t you? I still have a framed “Fart Schedule” hanging in my bathroom. Somebody asked if Americans think farts are funny. Apparently, body sounds are a universally funny to kids everywhere. It’s another common denominator of childhood.		handful of “Fart Schedules”. I mean, wouldn’t you? I still have a framed “Fart Schedule” hanging in my bathroom. Somebody asked if Americans think farts are funny. Apparently, body sounds are a universally funny to kids everywhere. It’s another common denominator of childhood.

	Once In London, I packed up and headed for home. What was consistent and slightly humorous was that every time I went back and forth to London, my wife would pack my luggage. On my		Once In London, I packed up and headed for home. What was consistent and slightly humorous was that every time I went back and forth to London, my wife would pack my luggage. On my
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	being a human. He was known as Greno. I was obviously thrilled because I get to continue to do what I really wanted to do and, in fact, simply had to do: tell stories and draw silly pictures but you already knew that. I eagerly started thinking of an approach. I decided that it might be cool, given the age it’s really intended for, to leave it open like a toy: a toy with gaming features. The program shouldn’t have any rules or a specific direction that you have to go to with fear of death. There’s no end to the game. You should be able to go where ever you want to and come back. Building and knocking down stuff seemed important. What if you check into a hotel and you can just go into town or the woods and just meet people and- I don’t know- do something. It should be a toy because kids just want to play and Lego seems to be about just messing around and making up things.		being a human. He was known as Greno. I was obviously thrilled because I get to continue to do what I really wanted to do and, in fact, simply had to do: tell stories and draw silly pictures but you already knew that. I eagerly started thinking of an approach. I decided that it might be cool, given the age it’s really intended for, to leave it open like a toy: a toy with gaming features. The program shouldn’t have any rules or a specific direction that you have to go to with fear of death. There’s no end to the game. You should be able to go where ever you want to and come back. Building and knocking down stuff seemed important. What if you check into a hotel and you can just go into town or the woods and just meet people and- I don’t know- do something. It should be a toy because kids just want to play and Lego seems to be about just messing around and making up things.

	I enthusiastically spent night and day just thinking about Legos. I started sketching out little scenes and options. Here’s how you can knock down things. Maybe a big foot kicks it over, or you can blow it up with a dynamite brick. Then I drew a guy checking into a hotel...No, wait- what if you’re the Lego character so you're at eye level and you check into the hotel. Another one was a guy walking along a street with another guy approaches him on a street with part of building in the background. I took these sketches and finalized them with markers on vellum, mounting them on Foam core with the obligatory flap. This was a presentation that varnishes with a coating of credibility. Put a company sticker on the front of the cover sheet and it looks like it’s real. In between doing this, I did have other tasks, of course, working on a Mario Deluxe project making little building of different countries which was actually fun. We had to go to the library and find out how different houses and villages looked in other countries. One of my fellow art cave neighbors showed me some cool rendering tricks in the now archaic software. I had fun drawing some cool buildings or at least I was happy with them. It also gave me the		I enthusiastically spent night and day just thinking about Legos. I started sketching out little scenes and options. Here’s how you can knock down things. Maybe a big foot kicks it over, or you can blow it up with a dynamite brick. Then I drew a guy checking into a hotel...No, wait- what if you’re the Lego character so you're at eye level and you check into the hotel. Another one was a guy walking along a street with another guy approaches him on a street with part of building in the background. I took these sketches and finalized them with markers on vellum, mounting them on Foam core with the obligatory flap. This was a presentation that varnishes with a coating of credibility. Put a company sticker on the front of the cover sheet and it looks like it’s real. In between doing this, I did have other tasks, of course, working on a Mario Deluxe project making little building of different countries which was actually fun. We had to go to the library and find out how different houses and villages looked in other countries. One of my fellow art cave neighbors showed me some cool rendering tricks in the now archaic software. I had fun drawing some cool buildings or at least I was happy with them. It also gave me the opportunity to keep thinking about Lego as well as I moved pixels around. The company started hiring more artists. A new kid in town was hired since the workload was increasing did a really cool couple character sketches. Several more artists joined the core team now. The new kid was pretty cool and really talented. He had a friend from the same art school he went to who was a pretty unassuming kid and then in came a rather peppy girl who was rather a “good- looker” as my Grandfather use to say back in the ol’ days. Finally, a really good friend of mine from Art school got hired. I felt rather proud because I recommended him and really proud because he was the best illustrator I ever met. H’s name was, or still is, Jim, We called him Jimpy because his E-mail name was Jim P. The guy was great. He still is, I assume. The art cave was expanding.
	opportunity to keep thinking about Lego as well as I moved pixels around. The company started hiring more artists. A new kid in town was hired since the workload was increasing did a really cool couple character sketches. Several more artists joined the core team now. The new kid was pretty cool and really talented. He had a friend from the same art school he went to who was a pretty unassuming kid and then in came a rather peppy girl who was rather a “good- looker” as my Grandfather use to say back in the ol’ days. Finally, a really good friend of mine from Art school got hired. I felt rather proud because I recommended him and really proud because he was the best illustrator I ever met. H’s name was, or still is, Jim, We called him Jimpy because his E-mail name was Jim P. The guy was great. He still is, I assume. The art cave was expanding.

	Sometime in between doing Mario Art, I received the news that we’re going to London. I was thrilled and excited since I've néver been overseas and there’s a possibility we’re in the finals and I made the team. I spent some of my summer college years exploring America when most people I knew in the 60’s did the European backpacking thing. I did discover that we have actually about 50 countries in our country though.		Sometime in between doing Mario Art, I received the news that we’re going to London. I was thrilled and excited since I've néver been overseas and there’s a possibility we’re in the finals and I made the team. I spent some of my summer college years exploring America when most people I knew in the 60’s did the European backpacking thing. I did discover that we have actually about 50 countries in our country though.

MattKC: /* CHAPTER TWO - On Your Mark, Get Set... */ Fixed OCR error

2024-11-04T04:10:51Z

CHAPTER TWO - On Your Mark, Get Set...: Fixed OCR error

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:10, 4 November 2024
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	=== CHAPTER TWO - On Your Mark, Get Set... ===		=== CHAPTER TWO - On Your Mark, Get Set... ===

	In 1994, a handful of artists moved pixels around on what was, at the time, some pretty hot P.C’s. It had Intel Pentium 1 processors, 75 MHz, 16 Mb RAM, and a CD ROM drive. \| actually have no idea what that means really. I just googled what the hot PC of the 90’s was. Apparently I had one.		In 1994, a handful of artists moved pixels around on what was, at the time, some pretty hot P.C’s. It had Intel Pentium 1 processors, 75 MHz, 16 Mb RAM, and a CD ROM drive. I actually have no idea what that means really. I just googled what the hot PC of the 90’s was. Apparently I had one.

	I was on the art staff. Most of us were Techno-Amish at the time. We just knew how to draw. A few of us had previous computer experience but that was never the major qualification for an art department staff in those days. It was more important if you were an artist. We sat glued to our monitors in the Art Cave. The Art cave was a large dark room back in the day when software companies would put artists in a kind of internment camp where management would only approach with great caution. For several years we used primitive art and animation technology that was pretty similar to Grandma’s needle point; one stitch at a time, one pixel at a time. We sat in eccentrically decorated cubicles. Strange contraptions from Archie McPhee’s novelty store, plastic plants, and childhood toys filled most of our Levittown office neighborhood. There was a starting core tribe of 6 of us. We were a perfect sociological balance according to a theory of group dynamics. A pretty “free spirit” kind of woman, a quiet funny guy, a conservative woman, An excellent artist with a somewhat shady past, and the Art Director who was most charming with a slight hint of dizziness... oh, and me. The department slowly expanded but this was the starting core group. I was the last of the core group hired and I really wasn’t too skilled at this new digital format (yet). Irreverent animations of established characters, jokes, and silly over-the neighbor’s- cubical conversations were our culture. Artists at the time were the “necessary evil” for most programmers although often placated by some that we had a very important job. Most of the programmers seemed to anxiously be waiting for art-droids to be invented so they could minimize the social contact with some of us. They simply told the artists what to do but always followed it with “but you’re the artist”. My favorite follow up instructions were “make the colors pop.” “you should decide but it should look something like this.” In the beginning of video games, programmers designed the concept, the game and would often insert “programmer art” for us to follow. They would leave the production to the artists but really, you couldn’t risk the artist to be in charge of anything important. Lord knows what they’d do. It was a cultural issue. Sarcasm was a common language. We could, of course, after loyal service rise to the position of “Art Lead.” It was a noble title in lieu of a raise. I was an art lead for a project at the time for a presumably revolutionary product called the 20<sup>th</sup> Century Almanac. It was revolutionary for its time because it was a century of important dates that when selected would have historic videos and film. This was a great gregarious group of programmers and producer, a rarity in the biz.		I was on the art staff. Most of us were Techno-Amish at the time. We just knew how to draw. A few of us had previous computer experience but that was never the major qualification for an art department staff in those days. It was more important if you were an artist. We sat glued to our monitors in the Art Cave. The Art cave was a large dark room back in the day when software companies would put artists in a kind of internment camp where management would only approach with great caution. For several years we used primitive art and animation technology that was pretty similar to Grandma’s needle point; one stitch at a time, one pixel at a time. We sat in eccentrically decorated cubicles. Strange contraptions from Archie McPhee’s novelty store, plastic plants, and childhood toys filled most of our Levittown office neighborhood. There was a starting core tribe of 6 of us. We were a perfect sociological balance according to a theory of group dynamics. A pretty “free spirit” kind of woman, a quiet funny guy, a conservative woman, An excellent artist with a somewhat shady past, and the Art Director who was most charming with a slight hint of dizziness... oh, and me. The department slowly expanded but this was the starting core group. I was the last of the core group hired and I really wasn’t too skilled at this new digital format (yet). Irreverent animations of established characters, jokes, and silly over-the neighbor’s- cubical conversations were our culture. Artists at the time were the “necessary evil” for most programmers although often placated by some that we had a very important job. Most of the programmers seemed to anxiously be waiting for art-droids to be invented so they could minimize the social contact with some of us. They simply told the artists what to do but always followed it with “but you’re the artist”. My favorite follow up instructions were “make the colors pop.” “you should decide but it should look something like this.” In the beginning of video games, programmers designed the concept, the game and would often insert “programmer art” for us to follow. They would leave the production to the artists but really, you couldn’t risk the artist to be in charge of anything important. Lord knows what they’d do. It was a cultural issue. Sarcasm was a common language. We could, of course, after loyal service rise to the position of “Art Lead.” It was a noble title in lieu of a raise. I was an art lead for a project at the time for a presumably revolutionary product called the 20<sup>th</sup> Century Almanac. It was revolutionary for its time because it was a century of important dates that when selected would have historic videos and film. This was a great gregarious group of programmers and producer, a rarity in the biz.