WHERE’S MY JETPACK? …
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008Last night my wife and I spent a wonderful evening around Colonial Williamsburg. We were trying to get into Busch Gardens for the last night of Howl-O-Scream but were turned away twice as the park was filled to capacity. As it turns out we probably had a nicer time strolling down Duke of Gloucester Street drinking hot apple cider, smelling the crisp autumn air, and in general just being romantic.
William & Mary is my wife’s Alma Mater and it’s always nice having her for a tour guide. I had been interested in attending the school myself but life had other plans for me. No, instead I return to the school every so often as an alum’s significant other. In a way it’s possible that the school has more meaning for me in this way than had I attended. Afterall, I did kiss my wife when we were dating on the Crim Dell bridge; a telltale sign of marriage legend has it.
Last night another cool little occurrence furthered my love for the city and the school. At the end of our walk down Duke of Gloucester Street we stopped in the William & Mary bookstore which is also a really great Barnes & Noble. My wife and I agree that it’s the best one in existence 
Now, no matter where I go whether it’s The Power Plant in Baltimore, Maryland, The Red Lion in Eugene, Oregon, or this quaint street in Williamsburg, Virginia you’ll find me in a bookstore perusing the Science & Technology section. On this trip while I was checking out The Singularity is Near once again (we’ve been flirting for the last 6 months or so) a rare but shiny little gem caught my eye. Really, books are rarely shiny ;P
Lo and behold there it was, a book written for me personally if ever there was one; WHERE’S MY JETPACK by Daniel H. Wilson, Ph.D. For those who know me well the irony is just amazing! I instantly fell in love and purchased the book much to Ray Kurzweil’s dismay.
Now aside from the fact that the book is amazing, funny, and something every geek should buy it has a lot of personal meaning for me. In November 2002 I prototyped the physics demo that would serve as the basis for my first published game, Aerial Antics. As a child I fell in love with Nintendo’s Pilotwings because it was freeing, educational, and it featured a rocket belt, the official predecessor of the jet pack. I also dreamed of the day when there would be a full 3D jet pack game where you could fly around Virginia alongside the family car as it drove down 264 headed to Norfolk. Or, perhaps I dreamed about a real jet pack alongside the family car but also thought a game version wouldn’t be half bad
Throughout the years I took notice of other games that featured jet packs. One in particular really looked cool and it allowed players to fly in buildings as I had imagined as well as over huge rolling hills. That game was Tribes. Now, I was never the biggest Tribes player though I owned the game. It was more the flight and sense of scope I was interested in rather than the online combat. Nevertheless years later when I had fulfilled my childhood fantasy of making a fully 3D jet pack game it seemed only natural that I would pitch it to Garage Games; a company dedicated to helping people realize their dream games and also started by the fellows that torqued the bolts on Tribes!
In 2004 Garage Games published Aerial Antics and someone gave us a good review stating:
“I wish there was a Tribes mod with physics like these”
Wow, what promise huh? Well the reality was that although a lot of people respected the game, it never sold amazingly well. After working for over a year on the project and even getting some cool nods like a nomination for Sim Game of the Year by Game Tunnel, a listing as a Top 5 Physics Download by Computer Gaming World, and a spot on the G4 Network show Cinematech I realized that Aerial Antics was not my metaphorical jet pack … even though it was about jet packs. Actually, scratch that! In relation to the title of this book it really was my jet pack; a mystical object of desire for me that didn’t pan out to be the killer app I thought it should be.
As I read my new book last night I realized that there are a lot of really cool technologies and innovations that haven’t reached their potential. Besides jet packs the book covers zeppelins, teleportation, flying cars and more. The point is that sometimes you have a really cool idea but it’s not necessarily practical.
The technologies in the book all have a basis in the real world. They aren’t complete pipe dreams but for some reason or another each of these really cool toys was relegated to the back burner while other more practical matters were dealt with. As I read the book I was reminded of my own life.
As a high school student my plans to attend William & Mary were dashed as family matters became unstable. Of course, it was during those perilous times that I decided I would like to become a game developer. I followed my childhood jet pack game making dreams if only to escape what life had brought upon me. Amazingly, I succeeded in making that darn game but just after Aerial Antics was finished family life became very challenging once again. Since Aerial Antics didn’t become a hit I had to turn to other means of support for my family. Ironically, this also led me to my wife and our precious visits to William & Mary.
The moral of the story is that the jet pack is always strapped firmly to our backs. It’s just not always appropriate to use it. Just as in history there have been good times to create and study some of these wacky dream inventions there are good times to follow our dreams. Conversely there are times when these great big ideas must be put aside to coincide with reality.
The most important thing about dreams is making the time to pursue them when it’s appropriate. We must always remember to take time out for dreams. If no one did that there wouldn’t be any jet packs, or books about jet packs, or games about jet packs.
Furthermore consider the concept that perhaps sometimes it’s practical to go looking for the jet pack. Perhaps sometimes it’s even necessary because without a burst of flight caused by decomposing hydrogen peroxide at 1300 degrees it’s impossible to reach the next stage of existence. Sometimes dreams and survival work together.
People have struggled between dreams and the rigors of reality from the beginning of time. There’s never been a reason other than timing why a dream wasn’t born into the real world. When the time’s right forget about the past, expose the fuel to the catalyst, and prepare for liftoff!