Game On: Local Creates Video Game for Xbox System

Jason Redeker and Patrick Ecker have logged more than 600 hours over the last three years creating a video game for the Xbox.

And now their time investment is paying dividends: The game, called "Beware of the Penguins," has struck a chord with video game enthusiasts.

Redeker, an Inver Grove Heights resident who works full-time as a programmer and has a degree in programming and game development, recently put the finishing touches on the game, which is now currently downloadable and for sale on the Xbox Marketplace.

The game, Redeker said, is a first person shooter challenge game where players take turns to see who can kill the most penguins before the penguins kill you. Ecker, Redeker's friend and classmate, calls it a competitive game where friends can get together and try outdo each other to achieve the high score. Redeker created the game with Ecker, who he met while attending Globe University Minnesota School of Business in the mid 2000’s.

"It's a relief to get it done and out there," Redeker said. "We went through a lot of revisions and I'm satisfied with everything. You always want to try and do more, but it's a good feeling to have it complete and available for people to play."

The idea behind the game started back in 2003, when Redeker created a penguin-themed game for a class project. In recent years, he and Ecker revisited the project, but completely revised the code and graphics while updating the game and programming language.

Redeker said they chose to create the game for the Xbox platform because all of the tools associated with the development of the game were free, either through Xbox or Microsoft, among others. Their only out-of-pocket expense was the $100 annual fee to place it on the Xbox marketplace. A free, eight-minute trial of the game is available. The full version also available for purchase for $1.

The game was released on August 11, and 701 people have purchased it, while 7,460 more have downloaded the trial version. "Beware of the Penguins" currently has an average rating of 3.5 stars (out of five) from 121 people who have rated the game. The game is promoted through online gaming communities and through Facebook and Twitter.

Redeker is pretty reserved in his excitement about completing the project, but Ecker said as he watched the number of trial downloads and purchases grow in just a few weeks, it really hit him.

"At first I wasn't sure what to expect because this was our first game," said Ecker. "Then once we passed 500 purchases a light bulb went off and I thought 'We're doing it. I can't believe we're doing it.’ I started jumping up and down with excitement and thought this is really taking off. Then I started thinking about the next projects we can do and it really reinvigorated me."

Ecker continued: “I think it's great to see the numbers of downloads and sales increase, but at the heart of all  of this is the fact that Jason and I are gamers. We had a vision and turned it into reality."

Redeker and Ecker aren’t done. They’re currently working on three different new games that they hope to have available in the near future.

"There is so much more we want to do," said Redeker. "This is just a start."

For more information on "Beware of the Penguins," click here.