FourLegged

I imagine a couple of game developers, despondent after completely failing to create the Next Big Outdoor Game, sitting around their local pub.

Bill: "I can't believe that Bob's project was such a big success. I mean really, who could have predicted that throwing horseshoes would be an international hit? When my grandfather's horse threw a shoe, Grandpa took him out back of the barn and shot him."

Jerry: "Forget Bob. What we need is an outdoor game that has all the excitement of darts."

Bill: "How about lawn bowling?"

Jerry: "Bowling on grass? It'll never work. Besides, it would be too difficult to keep the pins from falling over."

Bill: "Fine, fine. What about this? What if we took the dart board outside? We could make the darts longer. And hey, if we include some form of delivery system, like a modified slingshot, there would be more equipment to sell."

Jerry: "No. That's just archery. We need something original. I like the bigger dart idea though."

Bill: "Actually I said longer but if you like bigger..."

Jerry: "What did you say?"

Bill: "Oh what? I didn’t say anything. Bigger darts, right."

Jerry: "But if you make the darts bigger, wouldn't they knock the board down?"

Bill: "Right, I didn't think of that. What if we placed the board on the ground to begin with?

Or better yet, Take a few of those samba rings and use them to make targets in the grass."

Jerry: "Samba rings?"

Bill: "Yeah, those plastic rings that kids spin around their waists."

Jerry: "Moron. It's called a hula hoop. And what is your thing with lawns?"

Bill: "Most of Middle America has lawns and if we include the word lawn in the product name, it might sell better."

Jerry: "But wouldn’t it be dangerous? Children and drunken adults throwing large pointy darts in the air sounds like trouble. Kids could put their eyes out, people could skewer their feet, out their pets!"

Jerry: "I don’t care. I’m drunk, it’s late, and besides, it’ll all be fixed in testing."

The rest is history. Several years later, the game is pulled from the shelves.




Unfortunately, no idea truly dies.


A few weeks ago, I found a product and I flashed back to Bill and Jerry in the pub.

Bill: "I can’t believe that we're retiring."

Jerry: "Don’t you normally get a gold watch when you retire instead of these pink slips?"

Bill: "Shut up Jerry."

Jerry: "I’m just saying…"

Bill: "The Board gave us one last chance to save our legacy. We need to come up with a way to make Lawn Darts popular again."

Jerry: "But they’ve been banned. Not just pulled from the shelves. Banned!"

Bill: "We just need to rethink the nature of the game. The targets are safe we just need to make the darts safer."

Jerry: "Do the darts need to be made of metal? How about dense foam?"

Bill: "Foam?

Jerry: "Yeah foam, like those pool toys. Here, I’ll draw you what it would look like."



Bill: "But doesn’t look very heavy. How could you throw it with any accuracy?"

Jerry: "You could weight one end."



Bill: "Ummm… it looks… well…"

Jerry: "And we could add stripes down the sides or better yet, fins!"



Bill: "...

Jerry: "And put a rubber band in its tip so that children can shoot them towards the targets!"



Bill: "Is it getting warm in here?"

Jerry: "What do you think?"

Bill: "Do you want to go back to my place?"

Jerry: "I thought you’d never ask."

Once again the rest is history.

A few weeks ago, I found the product of Bill and Jerry’s endeavors. I kid you not.