Red 5's Pitch

(First off, special thanks go to Ryan Burkett who allowed me to use his digital camera to photograph these items.)

Last week I received a Fed-Ex package at my desk. All excited to get a package, (kind of like those people who win on the radio and say "I never win anything!!") I grabbed Ryan Burkett to open it with me. Inside there was a ~3"x~6"x~1" paper box that looked like some sort of puzzle. The box was orange and black with an artist's rendering of the birth of a planet. It carried a large white digit 1 in the lower left-hand corner. Small print above the 1 read:

R5L_001 TRACE
not the end
a beginning
a new beginning



One corner was cut out and a slightly smaller box was visible inside. I opened the first and pulled out the second. It was similar, with olive green instead of orange and a large 2 in the corner. It sported an illustration of a shard of molten rock (or perhaps the broken wing of a spacecraft?) and read:

R5L_002 TRACE
not a new world
but an old world
made new

So, I figured this is some kind of Matryoshka doll package. I pulled out the third box, sea-green, marked with a large white 3 and a primordial underwater scene.

R5L_003 TRACE
no change is peaceful
and through life struggles
it also thrives

Out came number four, peach-orange with a river of lava flowing through the gaping maw of a mountain pass.

R5L_004 TRACE
to forge a new path
through the darkness
to rise to the call of glory



And then finally number five, red with the image of a blue elf from Red 5's website and the text:

R5L_005 TRACE
not the end
a new beginning
with new eyes to greet it



The fifth opens like a book or a box of software and inside was an iPod Shuffle with my name engraved on it!





Now pausing for a moment, it occurred to me that everything about this is loaded with references that I don't think I fully understand. The images and text seem sort of Genesis with the days of creation and all, but that's six days, not five. So I'm not sure if that's the reference, but it seems an apt associaton with the creation of a new studio, a new game and the new changes of the people's lives who are coming to join Red 5.

So I power up the iPod and listen to track 1.

Paul, this is Mark Kern, President of Red 5 Studios and former team lead for World of Warcraft. I came across your blog on the net and was impressed with the depth of your inquisitiveness regarding game design, programming and mathematics. Your work at Tiburon is impressive and we'd love the chance to meet you. At Red 5 we're assembling a team of incredibly talented individuals dedicated to pushing the envelope in online entertainment. We're building a new type of game company and a new type of game. And we believe you're someone who just might fit into the Red 5 family. Log into red5studios.com and enter the code found engraved on this iPod. We'll tell you all about it.

So I pull up the site:

Who are we?

Red 5 is a creator-owned, newly formed studio driven to create new and orginal massively multiplayer online entertainment. We are world-builders, storytellers and game makers. We own what we make, and we have the financial backing to stand on our own.

So Here’s Why We’re Calling.

Red 5's CEO came across your blog and was impressed with the depth of your inquisitiveness regarding game design, programming, and mathematics. Your work at Tiburon is impressive, and we'd love the chance to meet you.

Because of this, you are one of one-hundred people in the industry we've invited to check out Red 5 Studios. We've played your games, and respect your skills.

Paul, we are hiring, so feel free to take a look at our open positions. We had a few in mind that might be a good fit, but we really believe in people and, specifically, your potential. If you don't see something that fits, we can talk about tailoring something to your specific talents.

Pretty impressive pitch, huh? Certainly very flattering!

Here's the original post.