Golden Joes and the Suggins Gang: Providing Opportunities for Investors, Bloggers, Gamers, and Developers

I grew up playing in arcades during the eighties.  If I couldn’t make it to an arcade, then I’d walk to the local Laundromat; or sometimes the corner 7-11.  With just a few quarters, I could spend hours entertaining myself in any venue with a video game.  Arcade games as I recall were either collaborative, 2 players with the same goal, or competitive, i.e., player versus player.  The early eighties were highlighted by collaborative type arcade games such as Mario Bros, 1942, and Galaga.  With Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong, two friends could trade play with each subsequent “level” on one game, or compete on challenge mode after each player “died” attempting to reach the farthest level or highest score.

    

Part of this epic experience for me was not only watching older (and better) players beat and set new high scores, but also getting a chance to play against them.  Size or athletic ability didn’t matter.  If you could reach the joystick and had enough quarters and time on your hand, anyone could become a Kung-Fu Master.  Gaming at home was also a pastime of mine.  It started with Atari.  My favorite Atari game was Frogger.  I spent countless hours trying to get that frog to the other side of the road.  Many people believed that Nintendo’s game system would kill the arcade.  And to an extent it did.  Why go feed quarters into the Super Mario Bros when you could put in a code and have unlimited “lives” at home, using your own cartridge game system?  My parents bought my Nintendo at K-Mart via layaway.  I had to wait several months before I could take that puppy home.  Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt were included with the purchase of the system.  Thank god for that!

The Internet has brought the arcade back!  Virtual arcades, of course.  With an X-box, a Playstation, or a computer, you can play against people you can’t even see.  They’re out there somewhere, on the other side of a connection, attempting to outsmart you, outplay you, and out earn you.  Out earn you?  Yes.  Online gaming, or iGaming as it is better known, is a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide!  Only for men, you say?  Wrong!  Check out the article: Women Play Video Games. Can We Cut The Sexist Crap Now?

Here’s the problem with online gaming as Wes Smith, Founder of Golden Joes & the Suggins Gang and creator of several table top and online games, sees it:

“Because much of online gaming activity involves actual gambling, most people are being put-off by it.  States also have got their hands in the establishment of these online gambling platforms, seeing that there could be a lot of money from taxable revenue.  What I have in mind (with the Golden Joes Competitive Gaming Lobby and Room SDK) is letting people enjoy gaming once again, playing games of skill that are Fun, Friendly, and for the Family.” 

Want to know more about Wes Smith?  See: Wes Smith Makes Real Estate Investing Fun and Badgers, Monkeys, Golden Joes & the Suggins Gang.

Wes has recently launched his latest venture, the Golden Joes Competitive Gaming Lobby and Room SDK (Software Development Kit) for Web and Mobile Players.

For Gamers:  

Imagine playing at the arcade again, but instead of just a few games to choose from on the floor, there are no limits because it’s online.  And instead of simply having the self-satisfaction of “beating the game” or of earning the “high-score” you would end tournament play with a tangible, valuable prize for winning it all.  Sound interesting so far?  Players also get to earn credits, virtual currency.  I got this explained to me by Wes in an email.  He wrote:

“Part of our system allows for players to play free games, and even with games they pay an entry fee for, they would receive ‘in game gold.’

Think of this like a pinball machine (for us old enough to remember pinball machines).  For others, think of it as loyalty points at Walgreens. 

Daily prizes and achievements in a game will reward a player with ‘in game gold.’ 

For every 5000 of in game gold, you get 1 ‘Joebloon.’  Joebloons are valued at 50 cents = real money.  There will be times when we will ping our players and inform them that the price of a Joebloon has gone down, e.g., to 4,000 of in game gold.
 

Joebloons are used to enter contests.  Each contest will have its own ID # that’s needed to enter. 

To play for a 32-inch T.V., the entry fee would be like 5 Joebloons, e.g., or $2.50 real world money.  Prizes get better as each tournament game gets bigger, i.e., more players involved.  You could win a house to rehab and flip by winning at Homevesting!

Players will also use Joebloons for in-app and in-game purchases, power-ups, skips, etc.

Players can also buy pieces of,

Ape

Golden Monkeys 

10 Golden Monkeys 

Each of these is a larger denomination of Joebloons:

Joebloons = cents 

Apes = single dollars 

Monkeys = $5s

10 Golden Monkeys = $50s”

Wes has an entire currency system developed for his gaming lobby!

For Bloggers, & Investors:

Now imagine yourself being not just a player, but the owner of the virtual arcade.  That’s right, the owner!  A franchise owner to be more precise.  As the virtual arcade “owner” you can play games with players that come to your arcade (make sure to let them win), or simply start a tournament and let “your players” have at it once they pay an entry fee.  Best part, a portion of the entry fee goes to you!  Your players want to play at another virtual arcade?  Not a problem, you would still make money from their entry fees playing at some other “owner’s” virtual arcade.  Wes has dubbed these virtual arcade owner/affiliates, “Brokers.”  And he’s making the Broker’s club exclusive, selling only 5,000 Broker Apps (like there only being 5,000 franchisee licenses for a Chipotle or a Starbucks, e.g.) to interested parties.  What this does is make the Broker App like a commodity that gains value as more people join.  Pay-up for the Broker App now and you can hold and flip-it later, give it away as a gift, or if you’re great at recruiting people, add to or replace your monthly work income!  Imagine setting up tournament online games for a living?  It’s possible!

You wouldn’t have to worry about ordering or shipping any winning prize.  Golden Joes takes care of all the mechanics.  You wouldn’t have to worry about there not being enough money to start a game, either.  Golden Joes holds all entry fees until there is enough to cover the prize value.  About the only downside to buying a Broker’s App is the monthly membership fee: $50.  However, when you buy the Broker App ($499) you get 6 months of free membership, plus a slew of other perks that will defray part of your expenses and help you entice gamers to play.  Have enough players with your Broker ID under you and this $50 will be peanuts in comparison to your take!

For Indie Game Developers:

Okay, so maybe you’re one of those types that likes tech and are quite comfortable developing things like apps or games of your own.  One of the biggest challenges indie game developers have is focus.  They focus on the technical aspect of making the perfect game but don’t draw their sights away to see the big picture: marketing the game!  How will you get your perfectly obsessive, money-making online game in front of a large audience if you wait until the end when it is done?  What about getting feedback during the prototype process?  Is that something you’d want from a person like Wes Smith who has actually developed several games, or would you rather have your little brother give it to ya straight?  Sure there are plenty of studios out there you can submit to.  But what kind of hoops will you have to jump through with them?  This is Wes’s guarantee:

3. We will encourage entrepreneurs to place their games with us, generating revenue for those who cannot afford to do it independently.

6. The Golden Joes system allows for a developer to create just a few simple screens and client/server message handlers. This minimal effort puts the game quickly on the road to being a successful skill-based competitive game for the Broker App platform.

I got more info on the money an indie developer would stand to gain from partnering with Golden Joes.  Wes said,

“If they bring their own game, Table top and Point app, then we will split 65%, 35% Developer/Golden Joe. If we have to build the app or help finance the Table top game, then the split reverses.  Not bad for the indie guy, if they have no money for development.”

So as you can see, all you really need is an idea, and Golden Joes will be able to help you with the rest.

Conclusion:

There is a lot to digest, I know.  Luckily this blog post will stay right here for you to come back to it as needed.  I would also suggest that if you are truly interested in having a side-hustle, or even turning something as fun as online gaming into a lucrative day job replacement, that you read every word, including reviewing each of the provided linked documents.  Review the credentials of the Golden Joes team.  Google each name if you have to.  Email Wes: goldenjoesgang@gmail.com.  Do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable enough (your due diligence) to be part of this one-of-a-kind opportunity.

Thanks for reading!