Jason Rohrer made a big name for himself at the gamma 256 event with the release of Passage. It was a great use of the videogame medium, conveying a message and evoking emotions. It also created enough mainstream buzz to garner Jason a very interesting article in Esquire. His humble and spiritual lifestyle made him an indie darling, and no one very few people dared to say anything negative about him.
Not too many people seemed to notice that Jason wasn’t just a gentle “hippie” developer, though. For example, his article on non-randomized, “infinitely replayable” single-player games was a cold, hard look at game mechanics. The piece was almost an antithesis to the game that made him famous, showcasing his range as a designer.
The man himself.
In recent days, it was announced that Jason would be joining Tool, an advertising agency. At first glance, this seemed like a good fit. Jason has proven himself a very creative individual, capable of using a medium in unique and unexplored ways. Logically speaking, this makes him a potentially great fit for advertising, and kudos to Tool for recognizing it.
However, what I failed to initially grasp is that this also makes him a sellout.
The grumbling in the indie community has already begun, with the most notable bit coming from auntie pixelante. On her Twitter feed, Anna posted these three consecutive messages:
“http://bit.ly/TOOLROHRER jason rohrer your parents are rich you don’t have to sell out. i’m sure TOOL will be a good fit for you though”
““i see video games not as addicting time-wasters, but…tools for communication and expression” you’re going to make ads for fucking verizon”
“jason rohrer won’t plug in a refrigerator for fear of killing chinese children but he apparently has no qualms about selling refrigerators.”
Really?
OK, let’s break down this vitriol a bit:
- First of all, glad to know some of us are not above the low-hanging fruit that is calling Jason Rohrer a sellout by referencing “TOOL,” the name of his new employer.
- How is not mooching off your parents a bad thing?
- What does Verizon have to do with Jason’s view of videogames?
- Where is it stated that Jason will be creating ads for refrigerators? Isn’t that a bit presumptuous? Also, when did he state that ridding the world of refrigerators was his life goal? Maybe he’s just someone who follows his own personal beliefs without shoving them down the throats of others?
I mean, isn’t this all just a bit silly? The guy has made a modest living off of creating small — and for the most part — freeware games. Obviously the donations he received for these titles have not kept him financially secure. Wanting to improve his monetary situation, he’s found a gig at a company that seems to value his skill-set. The details of this job are unknown, and Jason has not stated anything about the future of his games.
And yet, this is enough to crucify him?
Seriously, get off your high-horse people and stop shitting on a talented guy who’s done nothing but try to enrich the culture you hold so dear.
#1 by Jim on June 18, 2009 - 3:40 pm
I’m pretty sure Jason has been living off the largess of an unidentified investor, a sponser if you will, for a number of years. Perhaps the cash ran out. Based on TOOLS online portfolio, I’m not impressed. Perhaps what Jason excels at most is selling himself.
#2 by The Management on June 18, 2009 - 4:02 pm
Perhaps. I don’t know Jason, although he certainly has made a name for himself. Regardless of his fame, though, this recent batch of criticism is not valid in my eyes.
#3 by Liam on June 18, 2009 - 6:18 pm
He has a wife and 2 kids to support and times are tough. Anyone calling him a sellout clearly hasn’t ever had to deal with that.
#4 by Jon on June 18, 2009 - 8:44 pm
Jason has always been pretty transparent with his living situation. He was in fact living off of very meager wages from an unidentified investor basically without any other income to support his family. He also lives on a co-op trying to do the whole self sustaining thing. That being said, I’m pretty sure he talked about his concerns with not being able to live off of no money. There’s actually a really good interview with him on the at1up podcast from 04/02/2009 that I think does a lot to tell you about the character of Jason Rohrer. Of course, this crap always happens in any indie scene. The second someone makes a little money, someone else is going to call them a sellout. I think pixelante needs to cool down a little.
#5 by Homer Jay on June 19, 2009 - 12:32 am
I think that it’s equally unfair for everyone to spring forth to defend him, seeing as how it is unlikely that anyone here actually knows the guy.
Either way, who cares? The man got a job. Let him be.
#6 by Cristina on June 21, 2009 - 1:40 am
In this day and age finding a job and keeping it is hard, people just need to see that sometimes you would have to compromise.
Indie is not a bohemian revolution, where an individual and his/her family should starve to death just to be part of that revolution.
#7 by daphny on July 12, 2009 - 5:07 pm
the refrigerator thing is a joke becuase he unplugs his fridge at night because chinese children are dying
yes, its something HE SAID TO ME
he doesnt actually live in a co-op he lives in a town with a farming commune that he gets his produce from
its not that hes a sell-out, its just that he never had the ideals he presented himself to have in the first place
#8 by Phillip on April 28, 2010 - 1:12 pm
What about the fact that Sleep is Death now costs $?