Obama Game Diaries

New York Toy Fair

2009-02-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

We recently attended the New York Toy Fair to meet and greet and see what was going on! Crazy, fun, but our camera crapped out on us!

We did meet some amazing and fun folks--check out Charlie's quickie podcast review of the event and some of the new toys on Indie Spinner Rack.com!

We also happened upon a really great game called Yamodo! It was created by Bill Phelps of Idea Storm Products. Check it out at http://www.yamodo.com

Obama Game @ the New York Comic Con!!

2009-02-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the New York Comic Con!
I'm a little late putting these up-but here ya go!
There were actually many, many, many more things going on, my camera died and so I didn't get that many great pics. But there was a lot of cool stuff to see!

Charlie and Jon Price shooting a segment for a cable pilot on which we are working. They were standing in front of a gigantic "blue" He-Man. *

I can't tell you how many times I overheard convention visitors asking, "Why is He-Man blue?"

(I had a punchline here - something about "Teela spending too much time with Ram-Man and Fisto," but, it was just too...(ahem, cough-cough)... blue.)

Here are our Obama Games at the Midtown comics booth! Right under the WATCHMEN action figures!!

Clayton Gumbert with Kurt looking elegant and glamorous as usual.

I just think Cylons are cool!! We are off to the Toy Fair next!

*I believe the blue He-Man statue was actually a replica
of a character known as "Fakor" or "Faker",
but I didn't want to be tooooo Nerdy about it.

Fan Mail, Pics, Giant Cardboard Checks!

2009-01-31T09:47:00.000-08:00

So we have received some wonderful emails and pics from friends that we made in our short inaugural stay in Wash DC! Special shout outs to Jamie, Rachel and M! Thank you for the pics!
In fact, Jamie had this to say:

"I met you on the Sunday before inauguration on my walk back from the concert. I was with my friend Rachel who bought the game from you and you told us that if we thought of a drinking game you would publish it on the site! Well, we haven't thought of a drinking game yet."

Well, Jamie, remember we are counting on you and your Brandeis friends to come through-- so far the Australians are winning--Don't let them win!!!

In other news, we sold a lot of games! Once we finish paying our bills, we are going to cut a check to Lost and Found Inc. We hope to hand them a GIANT check, cuz that is always fun to do! Like this:

No... wait, that is a giant Czech.

I meant a giant cardboard check, these Red Hat ladies have the right idea. Yay, scotch tape, scissors and the Culinary Art Society of Ajijicccijiciich:

Also, we may get a report soon from Charlie and Kurt as they attended the New York gift fair and learned some valuable things. Like how insane it is to try and create a card game with no time and no money and then to try to get it into stores.

Also, Also check out some other cool Barack blogs:

PositivelyBarack.com

Thanks for the Pic, M!

..."The Risk-Takers, the Doers, the Makers of Things"...

2009-01-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated, but more often, men and women obscure in their labour, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom." -B. Obama, Inauguration Speech, 2009

We were there in the icy wind, bleary eyed from no sleep and buzzing with anticipation, standing on a hill on the Mall and looking eastward at all the people looking eastward.

All the people who came from all over the world to hear this speech. When I heard this passage, it stuck with me. I had to look around the crowd into the upturned faces of those around me. Trying to see the "Doer" in them. Trying to see the "Risk-takers" and "Maker's-of-Things" obscure in their labors.

I thought about my Dad and how he was up at 4 am every day, to travel an hour to another city to go to work, and who would then bust his butt to get to a night class, so that he could earn his degree in Engineering. I looked at the faces around me and wondered, how many of them had taken risks just to be here. I thought about the fact that we busted our butts to make this Obama game. I thought about the fact that our mission was to bring folks together and to laugh and interact. I thought about my friend Barry Brown of Lost and Found, Inc. , who aided us in infusing it with a sense of purpose.

I thought about how most people simply want work that matters, satisfies, and supports them and their families. And that most people aren't greedy and want to be able to lead fulfilling, peaceful lives. I think about so many of my friends that have recently lost their jobs and I thought about the fact that both, Kurt and Charlie have recently been laid off from their respective jobs and there they both were, wearing silly "bug" hats and hugging as many people as they could in the middle of 17th street and Constitution at the entrance to the Mall.

And I was struck by how hopeful everyone was, for hearing these words. Hope, infused with action can be very powerful.
So it is my extreme wish for you that you can "be" something. Be a doer. Be a risk-taker. Be a maker of things.
J.

"We are the makers of music, and we are the dreamers of dreams"

-Willy Wonka

Kurt, Myself and Charlie watching the monitor from an unwieldy angle.

The only monitor to which we could get close.

On our way to the inauguration.

2009-01-20T06:45:00.000-08:00

On our way to the inauguration.

All lined up.

2009-01-20T02:59:00.000-08:00

All lined up.

The descent.

2009-01-20T01:11:00.000-08:00

The descent.

Charlie is asleep! Theres no sleeping!

2009-01-20T00:52:00.000-08:00

Charlie is asleep! Theres no sleeping!

Obama chants in metro center!

2009-01-19T21:21:00.000-08:00

Obama chants in metro center!

Headed into dc to spend the night and se

2009-01-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

Headed into dc to spend the night and see the new pres!

Charlie draws for fabienne!

2009-01-19T18:43:00.000-08:00

Charlie draws for fabienne!

Obama Time!

2009-01-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

Ch On the way to Kennedy Center. Oprah was doing her show there today. We didn't get in, but we met some wonderful people from Illinois!

These folks were awesome! Visiting from California!

Charlie is strategizing!

More later!

Jeff freezing outside the park!

2009-01-18T23:13:00.000-08:00

Jeff freezing outside the park!

"Come on up for the Rising! Come on up, lay your hands in mine!"

2009-01-18T20:00:00.000-08:00

"Come on up for the rising

Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight" -B. Springsteen

Okay, so today the most exciting moment for me, is when we are down at the mall, moving toward the entrance to the welcome concert and all the sudden you see this choir in red on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. Really, they are many, many little red dots spread out across the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Then, a little dot dressed in black joins them on the stage. (Because from where I was, everything was pretty much a little dot of some kind.) And the little choir dots begin singing "The Rising" by Bruce Springsteen. In perfect, awesome harmony. I love perfect, awesome harmony. It sends perfect, awesome chills down my neck. And then it hits me. The little dot is the Boss himself. It was fantastic and this is how the concert started. This is one of my favorite Springsteen tunes. It never felt so appropriate.

What is a "Rising"? What constitutes one? Being here at this time and place feels like it must certainly be one. Everyone I have encountered has been so, for lack of a better word, "open" to what is going on around them. And it feels as if we are, together moving "upward". People from all walks of life, coming and going and smiling and laughing and living and hoping and loving and taking in the moment. Just taking it all in and wanting to be here. I'm honored to be here and grateful to be able to be part of this!

Oh, and I wore a pachyderm on my head all day.

Day 2! Headed to the concert!

2009-01-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Day 2! Headed to the concert!

CNN at Union Station

2009-01-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

Suzanne Malveaux from CNN. She was very gracious. There was a constant throng of people gathered around the cameras at Union Station and she generously posed for pics as she interviewed the excited visitors coming to DC for this historic experience.

This is Jeff with CNN producer, Jamie

And here's Charlie being weird.

What a day.......!

2009-01-17T23:36:00.001-08:00

So, we are pretty tired and getting ready to turn in. I have finally stripped off the 27 layers of clothing that I was wearing and managed to sit down to my laptop.

wow! we were interviewed by Suzanne Malveaux of CNN! there was this tremendous energy and excitement by all the people hanging out in Union Station. Kurt and Charlie managed to interview Code Pink at CodePinkalert.org. The were dressed as Pink can-can dancers-I hope that came through in the previous video!

Also, I did an interview with Anthony who was taking photographs for his project, "Different Places, Different Faces."
We'll post more tomorrow, I'm going to bed now, because we are getting up early. Ciao.
J

Monica buys the game with the last of he

2009-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Monica buys the game with the last of her savings.

Kurt interviews khari johnson!

2009-01-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

Kurt interviews khari johnson!

Jeff getting a photo with suzanne!

2009-01-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

Jeff getting a photo with suzanne!

Jeff getting interviewed!

2009-01-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

Jeff getting interviewed!

Jeff and charlie getting interviewed by

2009-01-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Jeff and charlie getting interviewed by cnn?

Charlie interviews Www.codepinkalert.org

2009-01-17T16:06:00.000-08:00

Charlie interviews Www.codepinkalert.org

Is ie here yet?

2009-01-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

Is he here yet?

We met the fiddla of dc!

2009-01-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

We met the fiddla of dc!