At a Glance: Fire Hose Games

Fire Hose Games makes video games. Specifically, they make video games that are exciting and different. Video games that encourage social play. Video games that push the limits of how people play games. Oh, and video games that are FUN.

Located in ever-sunny Cambridge, MA, Fire Hose Games has worked on titles like Dance Central, Rock Band Blitz, and Ms. Splosion Man! They released their first game, Slam Bolt Scrappers  in March 2011. Since then they released their second game on PC and the iPad, Go Home Dinosaurs! They are currently working on two new games, Let’s Quip, and Chris Chung’s Catlateral Damage - the first in Fire Hose’s brand new Accelerator Program - Chris Chung’s first person destructive cat simulator – Catlateral Damage. Catlateral Damage is coming for PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam later in 2014 but you can play the demo now entirely for free.

http://www.firehosegames.co...

Let’s Quip!
Have you ever seen yourself as a crafty and talented debater, with an almost unreal ability to sway opinion? Have you ever wanted to be a comedian, making the stinking masses laugh? Have you ever wanted to prove once and for all that you’re funnier than your friends? Fire Hose Games made Let’s Quip for you! Their brand new debate simulator currently begins with a match with a friend. Each of you is given a random word from our list of over 2000 things. This will result in matches like Nic Cage vs Bees, TARDIS vs Cthulu, Sobriety vs Cloning, almost 4 million different matches! You then craft a 140 character argument stating why your random thing is better than your opponent’s.
 
Hope your answer was funny because once both players have submitted their argument the match is voted on by all the other players to decide who was the wittiest, the most clever, the most worthwhile.

http://www.firehosegames.co...

Play on: Play the Beta now on FaceBook! https://apps.facebook.com/l...
Coming to Android and iOS

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Mini Q&A

Why do you make games?
I actually got into games by accident! I was doing biotech back in '04, and in '05 I was looking for a biotech job in DC. A friend pointed me to a non-profit that was looking for a programmer to help them make a game about immunology, and given my background I thought it would be a fun little project to distract me for a while before my next "real" job. Turned out I loved it though and I switched careers entirely! 

Moral of the story? If you want to make video games you should do something entirely different and then wait for it to fall into your lap completely by chance! I'm pretty sure that's the best strategy.
 
Why should people play your games?
Playing our games will make you more attractive, smarter, and generally more successful in life. Cute animals will flock to you and strangers will comment on what a snappy dresser you are. If you aren't dating anyone our games will help you find a date, and if you are dating or married our games will spice up your relationship. Want to win a raffle or lottery? Play our games and then buy a ticket, you're guaranteed to win. 

Also our games are pretty fun. Slam Bolt Scrappers is an innovative mash up of building and brawling, kind of like Smash Bros meets Tetris. Go Home Dinosaurs is the most technologically advanced BBQ defense simulator out there, and is a terrific family friendly tower defense game with a fun mechanics twist and beautiful graphics.
 
What element of game design do you hold above all others?
Trailblaze, innovate, and take risks. I think it's important to do something new in games and to add to our vocabulary of what games can do. I'm not really interested in playing a really pretty version of a game that I've played a million times before (sorry, I'll pass on Call of Duty 19 and Madden 48) but I'm extremely interested in games that give me a new experience like Portal or Papers Please. 

Today’s Stories:
Giveaway: Amazon Gift Cards - and enter to win a PS4!: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Interview with Sean Baptiste: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Interview with Eitan Glinert: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Some Words for Fire Hose Games: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...

Day 6 | Fire Hose Games

[Carib]

"Chance is the best strategy" is pretty lousy advice (even if it's true)

[Cat]

He's being (very) facetious :)

[randomass171]

Whew! That's good to know! XD

[rambi80]

"Fire Hose"? I'm guessing its a euphemism. Well done naming your company after your anatomy.

[LQ_Sean]

Oddly enough it isn't! Early Fire Hose was made up of three MIT students - the unofficial motto of MIT is that getting education there is like "drinking from the Fire Hose." So that's where our name comes from!

[randomass171]

MIT students? Now that's just downright cool. It seems like everywhere I go there's some MIT graduate with an awesome job.

[Disagree]

oh wait this game already exists, its called the n4g comment section. #Kappa

[Robochobo]

I laughed harder than I should have.

+Bubble for you.

[ichizon]

Well, certainly if the goal of the game was to write whatever the hivemind wanted. We wouldn't want anyone to have a different opinion than our own, would we?

I wonder whether most people vote for the arguments or the subjects.

[randomass171]

HA! Bubble up. Wonder if it could be used for decent debate training. XD

[majiebeast]

Such a strange game.

[SpeedDemon]

"Playing our games will make you more attractive"
That's a down side to me, I already have to hit women with a broom to get in and out of my house.

[Derekvinyard13]

Glad some devs still focus on the fun factor

[rdgneoz3]

The devs are pretty cool. Met them when they were doing beta testing for SBS.

[dota2champion]

Don't every game developer put gameplay first before anything else?

[grashopper]

Some are a bit more story driven like Quantic Dream.

Anyway really liked Rock Band Blitz!. Shame that ya don't seem to get much credit when you put in the work. Had no idea anyone other than Harmonix touched it.

[XtraTrstrL]

If it's fun, I'll play it.

[dictionary]

Sounds fun, following it.

[shadowvisa]

cool

[Abdoma3rouf]

Sounds fun.

[beepbopadoobop]

This could be pretty interesting!

[Juliussmith12]

Sounds really great can't wait.

[StephaneD]

So many different games, I doubt anybody wouldn't find the one that matches one's tastes.

[OtakuDome]

Interesting name to say the least.

[BiggCMan]

I gotta try this haha, sounds fun.

[randomass171]

You and me both lol. Could be very interesting if handled well.

[ldurham]

I'm not sure it is the greatest game ever made but it is the most original game in a long time.

[gaffyh]

Love hearing why people get into making games.

[MrxDeath]

this is the first time i hear about Fire Hose Games , but the game looks good !

[nunley33]

would make a good psn port, that hopefully comes later. I enjoyed SBS on PS3.

[FITgamer]

Interesting. I'd probably be terrible at this one though.

[gobluesamg]

Very bizarre game idea.

[Virtua_Awesome]

A debate game? I've never heard of anything like that; Pretty cool idea. I could see this being very popular :)

[dota2champion]

If I can easily win a debate with internet people, then it'll be fun

[randomass171]

You're objectively incorrect and here's wh-- Oh wait, this isn't the game...

[RexDD]

Pretty original idea, a debate game. Seems interesting.

[LukeFair]

I agree with the part that games need innovation nowadays. Totally true!

[coolbeans]

"Moral of the story? If you want to make video games you should do something entirely different and then wait for it to fall into your lap completely by chance! I'm pretty sure that's the best strategy."

Sounds like the route taking less effort so I'm in! :P

[MasterofMagnetism]

Really strange and unique game.

[MYDEATH21]

This game looks pretty cool. It seems like it would be a good brain exercise.

[Nexfero]

This is something new.

[YodaCracker]

Sounds very interesting.

[TheDivine]

I heard there would be cake. Where's the cake?

[Darklurkr23]

I think it looks kind of stupid honestly. It's like Worldwide Cards Against Humanity

[yoshiroaka]

Such a simple idea but this is very creative.

If this gets an aggressive player base early then this can really take off.
Even if im no good at it i can see myself checking in daily reading for some laughs.

[Zepher109]

A very unique game indeed.

[TuxedoMoon]

This is something strange, though I kinda wish it looked like Pheonix Wright or something to be more visually appealing. Place your picture in on 3d bodies or something.

Interesting concept, probably won't actually play it sadly.

[oasdada]

Attractive by playing game? Fittness game?

[yhaby05]

cool :D

[mydyingparadiselost]

I wanna debate Fire Hose.

[C3rB3ruS]

strange but interesting game.

[pyrocloud7]

A debate simulator is such an odd idea for a game, I don't know if it's my particular cup of tea, but I absolutely love the creativity, thanks for branching away and making something new.

[LloydW]

Sounds pretty interesting