Tag: Quirky »

Touchfight Games is an exciting new indie studio that was co-formed between game journalist and author Nathan Meunier, artist Leonard Kenyon, and programmer Jon Kenyon. Their debut game Go To Bed will be released this fall, and with all the excitement we wanted to get to know Touchfight Games a little better. Nathan, Leonard, and Jon were kind enough to speak to us about their work.

148Apps: What inspired you decide to go from writing about games to creating games?
Nathan: I've always been a huge fan of indie games in particular. Covering indies was one of my passions early-on in my career, and it's been a beat that I've really enjoyed focusing on throughout the past 8-9 years I've spent writing in the games industry. There's something about the fierce DIY spirit and inherent creativity in independent games made by small studios that's always resonated with me.

Prior to kicking off a journalism career over a decade ago, I actually dabbled with creating small games using a much earlier version of Game Maker. Back then, the indie scene as we know it today didn't exist. It was a different world, and I wasn't equipped to do much of anything with the rough game ideas I was putting together. Given that journalism was my chosen career path, I got a gig working at a newspaper and eventually transitioned into covering the games industry full-time as a freelancer.

It's been a great run in the games press, and I don't plan to give up freelancing altogether, but shifting gears to explore developing games has given me an a much-needed creative boost that's rekindled my passion for games. Also, I live out in the middle of nowhere and am used to working alone, so having an opportunity to collaborate on projects with two other local kindred spirits and my co-conspirators, Jon Kenyon and Leonard Kenyon, has been a blast, too. It's something that was missing from my freelance routine.

Winter is coming. Well, that's what the news reports say anyway - being here in south Texas, I haven't had to wear a jacket at all yet. But I was in Chicago last January, during sub-freezing temperatures. I had to wear gloves! Now, the problem is that wearing gloves makes it hard to use the capacative screens that the iPhone and most other touchscreen devices boast. Whenever I wanted to take a picture or check my phone, I had to take off my gloves, and risk my hands suffering instant frostbite, because I have lived in Texas my whole life and am not even used to snow, much less the 10-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures I experienced the day I was out and about downtown Chicago. Well, not using my phone was not an option! If only I had some sort of way to use my phone with my gloves!

I am not alone in my problem. South Koreans used sausages, and conductive gloves do exist. But what if I have a pair of gloves that I really like, and want to use my phone with? Is there not a compromise that exists? Oh, but there is! Meet a handy little accessory called Digits.

Digits consists of 4 dots that attach to any normal pair of gloves, and serve as conductive pins. By putting them on the thumbs and index fingers of a pair of gloves, they can allow any pair of gloves to control a capacitive touchscreen device. How wonderful! Now, texts and emails can actually be sent while the temperature outside feels like some kind of negative number! Or, enjoy the Avalanche mode of Super QuickHook while in an actual avalanche! (Disclaimer: 148Apps is not responsible for the safety of anyone who attempts to use their touchscreen device during an avalanche)

Digits are available now in a pack of 4 for $11.99. They are available from Quirky's website, or from outlets like ThinkGeek. While they might not be of much use in areas that consider snow to be nothing but a wild fairy tale, in colder climates, these may be extremely useful for those who can't bear to keep their phones in their pockets at any point!