rodhumble
Latest
Rod Humble promoted to The Sims label lead
When we last spoke to The Sims' studio head, Rod Humble, he was applauding the franchise's retail success. Now the exec has another, albeit more personal reason to celebrate, having climbed up another rung on the corporate ladder, laying claim to the role of The Sims' brand's executive VP. The move follows the recent hiring of Jeff Green, who left the world of game journalism last month to throw his body on the gears of EA's expansion factory as well. Humble replaces former lead, Nancy Smith, who EA notes will handle "special" The Sims-related projects before eventually moving into a new as-yet-undefined role in the months ahead. We offer congratulations, and suggest he celebrate his new position by locking co-workers in the bathroom or pushing them in the corporate pool before deftly removing any means of escape.
GDC08: EA joins the user-generated bandwagon with 'The Sims Carnival'
GDC08 may have officially come to a close, but there's still plenty of news from the past week to catch up on. Lost in the mire of developer rants and ridiculously long lines was EA's announcement of The Sims Carnival, a "YouTube-style" site where users can create their own Sims-themed games, and play and rate those of their peers.By all appearances, Sims Carnival is just one more user-generated game portal, following suspiciously close to Microsoft's announcement of the XNA Community Games. What may set Carnival apart, however, is the involvement of Rod Humble, last seen wowing audiences with his minimalistic art game The Marriage. Still, examples games shown include your standard Space Invaders clones, and other simple titles which could very well turn Carnival into another dumping ground for mediocrity (albeit with the occasional low-fi breakthrough). The program is currently in a closed beta, but users can sign up via the website. We're anxiously waiting to be proven wrong on this, so go forth and create.
Rod Humble spills his thoughts on 'The Marriage'
Rod Humble's art-meets-game title The Marriage is only a few weeks old, but the critical response from both gaming and non-gaming communities has been enormous. Arthouse Games caught up with Rod to dissect his thoughts on the reception of his "game". The interview touched on future projects and also brought up the question we all wanted to hear: What does Rod's wife think of The Marriage?Including an explanation of the game's meaning has been one of the most criticized aspects of The Marriage. Art doesn't come with an instruction manual, games do, and Rod specifically labeled The Marriage as the former. He stands by his decision, however, and is proud to have seen the game affect such a wide audience. Relationship websites even featured his work, fueling the fire that The Marriage is more than just a game.While you're in the matrimonial mood, check out Kloonigames' April Fools parody of The Marriage aptly titled The Divorce.[Via Arthouse Games]
