Trotter

by Gil De Palma

Quick, what does INDNJC stand for?

Some of you may already know this.

Hint: Musical genius Johann Sebastian Bach often wrote the letters INDNJC at the bottom of a manuscript.

It is also my secret to creating Wordtrotter. You will find it in the end of the Wordtrotter game credits.

But first, let me tell you my story about how working INDNJC brought forth what we fondly call “the coolest word game in the world.”

By the time you finish reading this, you’ll pretty much have an inkling of what this mysterious acronym is all about…

I was at my wit’s end. Clueless. Beating my brains out for days trying to pin down ideas that would constitute an innovative online word game.

Nothing.

What could anyone possibly do with a word game—aside from guessing the game word? Everything has been pretty much cut-and-dried for this genre.

Game developers have chosen to copy each other’s games to a point where people no longer expect innovation and excellence.

My friends and business partners, lawyer Leny Mendoza and businessman Johnny Tamayo, were expecting—in less than an hour—THE groundbreaking computer game concept that I promised to present to them.

We all agreed that our Internet word game should break the mold or we wouldn’t do it at all. 

Portals offer video games by being Wal-Mart; we choose the Brand of One path.

The notion that innovation spells the difference between a leader and a follower has brought us together to choose a different approach…

“We should go for a non-violent family-oriented video game that would create a niche in the educational genre while making a broader appeal to the general casual gamers.” Hey, always anticipate Johnny to up the ante.

“For copyright purposes, there should be nothing quite like it out there.” Leny wanted a unique built-from-scratch engine for the game. “And our game should be fun and compelling enough to stand alone as a brand.”

Challenging partners? Man, you should sit in on one of our meetings.   

Or eavesdrop on my creative huddle with “the boys” of the Palmagick team…

You’ll discover that our Creative Directors Jd Dimanarig and Christian Sigua, Lead Programmers Roy Sanchez and Rafael Hingco, and even our Chief Web Designer Fred Timajo Jr. can hold their own against the best in the world.

You’ll agree that our VP for Production Joni Raso and Art Director Jeff Mendoza are really on top of their game. 

They constantly strive for excellence and treat each project like it’s the last thing they’ll ever do.

“Let’s make the “awesomest” word game!” It was the clear consensus among the boys. (Of course, we would change it to “coolest” later.) 

And you don’t present a pedestrian concept to the Palmagick team—even if you’re the company’s CEO.

They have already shot down every lameass (please pardon the industry term) word game idea I tossed at them.       

Luckily, I have already done my homework and prepared a business plan based on what I learned about the video game industry…

• According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, it is expected to grow from $42 billion in 2007 to more than $68 billion in 2012, a growth rate 10.3 percent better than all other media sectors.
• The biggest category, console games, will get bigger by 7 percent annually from 2007 global sales of about $25 billion to about $35 billion in 2012.
•  Internet and wireless gaming will lead the way. Online games will shoot up 17 percent from $6.6 billion to $14.4 billion. Wireless games will jump from $5.6 billion to 13.5 billion.  

Several industry studies on the sales, demographics, and usage data for the computer and video game industry also indicate similar phenomenal growth, with 50% of the revenue coming from Asia.

The video game industry is even bigger than Hollywood!

However, it is the information I discovered about the new breed of gamers that is more interesting…

• 65% of households play computer and video games
• 63% of parents are convinced that video games are a positive part of their children’s lives
• the average game player is 35 years old and has been playing for 13 years
• 26% of gamers are over the age of 50
• 44% of gamers are women. In fact, there are more female gamers age 18 or older of 18 (33%) than boys age 17 or younger (18%)
• the average playing time of PC gamers is 18.5 hours per week

Video gaming is no longer just for kids. The industry is really redefining next generation entertainment.

Nice. But…

None of the above would be of any particular use to me in our meeting.

Forty-five minutes before the meeting, I still got nothing for Leny and Johnny. Not even a game name.

Should I just throw in the creative towel and present an animation project instead?

My superhero pack, the TaeKwonDoggs, has been waiting for me for quite sometime.

And the boys have been aching to do it, too.

Yeah, cop out.

But that would mean turning my back on a lifelong dream—ever since I played Pacman—of making my own video game. A dream rekindled by hours of online Text Twist. Fanned into flame by Snake on my mobile phone. Set ablaze by Starcraft.

No!

It has never been my habit to give up. I was not about to start.

I prayed for guidance.

That was when I realized that distracted by my sheer exuberance, I’ve been foolishly trying too hard to beat my personal deadline, losing my balance between work and rest.

I became too preoccupied with creating the great game concept that I unwittingly prioritized productivity more than prayer, forgetting to work INDNJC.

How could I be so arrogant to do it on my own?

The solution was staring at me all along…

Prayork.

No, no, no, it’s not a typo. It’s a portmanteau word from pray and work that I coined to describe work as a form of prayer.

To me, prayorking is working in partnership with God for His greater honor and glory. Everything else is secondary.

Admitting in all humility that apart from God there is nothing I can do.

It is all about depending on God’s mighty power within me to help me do better than my best.

Here’s my ABC of prayork:

• Accepting that work is a gift from God.
• Believing that work is our gift to God.
• Contributing time, talent, and treasure in a manner worthy of God.

And here’s the secret only my soul knows…

I do it all INDNJC.

Latin abbreviation for In Nomine Domini Nostri Jesu Christi.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Relying not in what I do for Christ, but in what Christ does for me.

Prayorking INDNJC.

I knew then that I got my game.

About thirty minutes before my meeting, prayork kicked in and the concept came to me like a long lost memory.

Like I already had it all in me in the past and I only had to remember it…

Like watching the re-run of an old movie…

I saw myself playing Pacman, Text Twist, and Snake once again—only this time they’re all in my own game—

Amazing! Familiar, yet dissimilar.

—and I knew what Wordtrotter would be like.

Two thumbs up from the Palmagick team.

In moments of grace like these, it’s difficult not to find tears running down your cheeks in gratitude.

What an awesome God!

I arrived at the meeting five minutes ahead of Johnny. Leny turned up right on time. And in so many words they said: “We have our game.”

I was smiling to myself.

I had the game the moment I started prayorking.

INDNJC.