Dan Glover

CartoonDan

CartoonDan is an entertainment website with online games and story books. It was started in 1999 by Dan Glover.



Dan Glover

Hello, my name is Dan Glover. I am a game designer, artist, javascript programmer and web designer.

I started CartoonDan because I love to make games. All of the games on this site are ones I have made (graphics, programing and game design). My work is known for it's fun colorful graphics with a lighthearted sense of humor.

I have Bachelor of Science in Art with emphasis in Illustration from Biola University and have worked many years in the casual games and educational software industry.

If you are interested in seeing some of the projects I have worked on, check out my portfolio and resume.



Games

What makes a good game? A good game should enhance the players day by providing:

  • Opportunity for Success
  • Stimulation of the Brain
  • Surprise and Delight
  • Escape from Reality

Opportunity for Success: Every body wants to succeed. It feels great to be good at something. I make sure to reward even small victories with visual and audio feedback. Tracking the players' actions and rewarding them on a level complete screen is also a good way to show they that what they did matters.

What about game difficulty? If a game is too easy, it becomes boring and any value in being good at it is taken away from the player. I try to balance the difficulty by making the challenge slowly increase as you play.

Stimulation of the Brain: Exercising your brain is important for keeping a healthy mind. Each level of a game should be filled with ideas and little puzzles to solve. I believe the best games are the ones you invest your mind and heart into.

Surprise and Delight: I like to inject my games with as much personality as I can. Little details and animations can really make a game come to life. The player should always be surprised at what comes next.

Escape from Reality: Sometimes you need to take a pause from life's worries and catch your breath. This is why I try to make clean light hearted games. Games can provide an escape and allow you to be transported to a world much different from ours. In games you can get rich on the stock market, become a gold miner or climb a ladder all the way to outer space.

Now its time to, Play Some Fun!