It's Game Time: Command: Modern Air / Naval Operations

I was reading last night that Grand Theft Auto V cost around $250 million to make, and has exceeded over $1 billion in sales as of the first weekend. In 2013 a video game studio that designs a great video game can expect to exceed the first weekend earnings of any movie in Hollywood, and a voice actor in a video game can make more money than the same actor can acting in a Hollywood movie. I used to think my professional background in gaming was a stigma on my resume, but now I am starting to think I was simply ahead of the curve.

One of the very first games I ever played was Harpoon. No, not the computer game, the table top game. It's true, I did play video games on my Amiga, but for the most part I wasn't much of video game guy growing up despite owning multiple computers and platforms like the old Atari 800 (where I learned to program basic) and a Nintendo that my brothers played a lot, but as a kid I never got comfortable with input devices not named a keyboard or mouse.

In November of 1994 I bought my first legitimate video game when I purchased Harpoon II. Not long after playing through all the scenarios I went online to find other Harpoon II players to help me understand the advanced features of Harpoon - including the scenario designer, and it landed me in the old Harpoon HQ community of legitimately brilliant individuals whom I have kept in touch with over the last 18+ years.

Several years ago, four members of that Harpoon HQ community; Dimitris V. Dranidis, Ragnar Emsoy, Paul A. Bridge, and Michael Mykytyn; set out to design and build a naval warfare simulation for the next generation. On Tuesday their efforts are rewarded when Command: Modern Air Naval Operations is set to release. Everything I have heard so far suggests this is exactly the game all old Harpoon players have been waiting for.

Check out the interview with the Warfare Sims development staff. Matrix Games also added a developers note worth checking out on Facebook.

The Warfare Sims website has a lot more.

I would list the names of people who have been talking to me about this game for the last year, but I feel like I would be name dropping. Needless to say the range of people involved in beta testing range from an Admiral in the US Navy to professors at the US Naval War College to some distinguished Fellows of several think tanks. It has been a long time since I have played games on my computer, but I sense that is about to change.

Boston Mike, Ragnar, Dimitris... what you guys have done is incredible, I wish all of you great success.