Foozle for iPhone

A Foozle Proposal

January 4, 2012 in Uncategorized

**To celebrate Joe and Jen’s new engagement, Foozle will be free for just a few days! Download Now**

One might think that there are no longer creative ways of proposing. After all, men have been proposing to women for centuries. Well, when I saw a guy named Joe post on one of my developer forums asking for help designing a proposal into an iPhone game, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. He loved the idea of incorporating his big question into my game, Foozle. Both Joe and his girlfriend Jen are avid gamers so Joe knew that this would be a unique, fun way of asking Jen to be his wife. I offered my services for free and simply asked Joe to try and record the proposal, which you can see below.

Will: Joe, how did you and Jen meet?
Joe: We actually work together. We didn’t
know each other too well even though we were working on the same team.
She was moving into a new condo and I helped her with some painting, etc
and the rest was history!

Will: What made you think to propose via iPhone game?
Joe: A few years ago I bought her an iPod and she became completely addicted to puzzle games.
So when I was thinking about how I wanted to propose, I wanted something
completely unique and something she wouldn’t have known was coming. Who
would ever think a proposal would be hidden in a game?? We have 5 cats
and a dog so it’s hard to get away so I wanted to do so something at
home.

Will: When the time came for her to play the game, what was going through your
mind?
Joe: That she wouldn’t be able to get past level 7!!!

Will: Jen, did you suspect anything was up when Joe requested that you play the
game?
Jen: It’s not unusual for Joe to get me to try different games. I had no clue
anything was up. At the time, I was reading an article that I wanted to
finish before I tried the game. So, poor Joe was sitting there waiting
so patiently until I was finished. I was intent on completing the
levels, so I was totally surprised when the screen came up, asking me
to marry him. It took a few seconds to comprehend what I was reading.

Will: You obviously said yes, so tell us a bit about your wedding plans, or
have you even thought that far ahead?
Jen: We haven’t made definite plans yet. We both agree we want a small,
non-traditional wedding- perhaps a destination wedding to Las Vegas or
the Caribbean. For now, Joe and I are still basking in the new
engagement.

Congrats again Joe and Jen! It was an honor being a part of your special proposal.

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Play Foozle To Raise Money For Cancer Research

December 9, 2011 in News

iTunes link: Foozle
From December 8th through Christmas day, all proceeds generated from the sale of Foozle on the App Store will be donated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in memory of Steve Jones, who lost his battle with lung cancer yesterday. Steve was the father-in law of developer William Thurston. Anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch can download the game and know that the money generated from their purchase will be donated for Cancer Research.

He was being cared for in Monterey, CA and had at his bedside his loving family, including wife Rene and daughters Breanna and Jordan. I am married to Breanna, but I am still a college student and do not have the means to make a large donation in his name. I thought it best instead to donate all proceeds from Foozle for the iOS. Given the volume of sales that can be generated on the App Store, this has a far greater chance of raising money for Cancer Research than anything else I could do.

The game itself is a shape changing puzzle game that has received great reviews across the Internet including a 5 star rating from AppAdvice.com who said that Foozle “definitely carves a niche for itself.” This is a fully produced high quality game that we’ve decided to give away all proceeds from in remembrance of an amazing father and husband.

A special thanks goes to Alejandro Rosa, and Verónica Rosa who also spent countless hours creating Foozle. They have also agreed to forgo their portion of sales for this special event.

Steve jones, in his daughter’s words

“The first photo below was recently entered into a photography contest. I entered it on a whim, because the name of the contest was “Best Of”. Was this the best photo that I had taken all year? Yes, and let me tell you why.

My dad has stage IV lung cancer. Just last week, we learned that the cancer has spread to his bones. These are my dads final days. If I get to spend Christmas with him this year, it will be the last. When most people think of this disease, they think of someone who is bald from radiation, perhaps someone who is in a hospital bed or in a hospital gown. They think of someone who is skinny and sick looking. They think of someone who has wires connected to them or an oxygen tube in their nose. They expect to see grief, sadness, tears, sickness. Why yes, those are the things they picture when they think of cancer.

What you may not picture? A man who is spending his final days at home, in his favorite reclinging chair in the living room, who prefers to wear sweats instead of some hospital gown. A man who has indeed lost weight, but still apears to be a significant size. A man who wants to remove his oxygen because he knows that his youngest daughter is taking a photo of him. He doesn’t want her to remember him that way. A man who is still capable of smiling and being silly, because he knows that is what his family wants to see.

This photo was taken in my dad’s recliner, the only place where he can sit or sleep comfortably. This photo was taken with his oxygen tubes laying in his lap, ready to be put right back on. This photo was taken by a daughter with shaking hands who had to force herself to press the shutter button. This photo was taken by a daughter because she was told that someday she would look back at these photos and be thankful that she took them, all the while wondering if that is true. Is this really how she wants to remember her hero? The man who took her on Harley rides? Who layed her concrete patio in 100 degree heat? Who threw his grandson over his shoulder with the ease of a man half of his age? Who was playing football on the beach 10 months ago?

No, this is not the most amazing photo that you will ever see. This photo will never win awards or be acclaimed for its greatness. This photo may be quickly overlook by someone who does not regognize the indentation on a man’s cheek from his oxygen tube. This photo may be overlooked because it is none of those things that I initially listed.

This is the face of cancer. This is our face of cancer.

This is my grief.

This is my love.”