An Interview with Jordan Schuetz

I catch up with the man behind Ninja Pig Studios and Draw & Guess Online

Jordan Schuetz is a talented young programmer who has been wielding PubNub to make some awesome applications. He recently launched a Nook app called Draw & Guess Online which has been extremely successful, ranking in the top 25 in the Nook App store. I had the opportunity to ask him some questions.

You’re a young guy, having just graduated high school. How did you get into programming so young? What was the first thing you ever coded?

My earliest experience with programming started in the 7th grade when I began coding websites in HTML. In junior high, one of my classes was assigned a required project in which we were allowed flexibility in the final presentation. I wanted to create something unique which would stand out, so I decided to turn my project into a website. The process was really enjoyable to me, so after the project was complete, I continued reading documentation on the internet and created a personal website.

Why did you start Ninja Pig Studios? Is it a one-man shop? How did you pick the name?

My parents bought a smart phone for me as a reward for getting good grades my freshman year of high school. I spent every minute I could that summer learning about the components of the phone, as well as downloading various applications. When I expressed interest in app development to my parents, they encouraged me to give it a try. For the most part, the android user community was very supportive, and gave me the encouragement to continue developing and creating. Ninja Pig Studios is presently a “one-man shop”. However I feel it is important to emphasize that programmers often share information and code, which helps push past errors and enhance products. The programming community has been incredibly resourceful, and assisted me in areas which I would have otherwise been stuck.

As part of an art class in junior high, I drew a picture of a Ninja Pig. My dad loved the picture so much; he kept it, and hung it up next to his computer which is where I would play pc games. Many of the online games required me to create a gamer tag. Since the picture of my Ninja Pig was next to the computer, I utilized the name Ninja Pig as my gamer tag, which eventually transitioned to become part of my company name as well.

What made you want to make Draw & Guess Online?

After creating some basic single player games, I wanted to attempt the creation of a multi player game. My younger brother heard about a drawing game which was available on the pc, and asked my parents if we could log on and play as a family. We were each participating on different computers within out home, and experienced difficulty when utilizing the mouse to draw. My parents also did not like the fact that other users within the game were using inappropriate language and comments in the chat. My mom said she liked the premise of the game, but wished it could have some type of a filter. That gave me the idea to create a chat filtered drawing game to allow younger users the opportunity to play, and not be exposed to crude language.

How do you find Nook app development? How’s the community?

Nook app development is amazing! The community is professional and always willing to assist in any way possible. Barnes & Noble has a top notch customer relations team, they always respond promptly to questions and inquiries.

What part does PubNub play in your app?

PubNub plays an integral role in Draw & Guess Online! It allows people to communicate via text chat, and also allows players to see what the other person is drawing in real time. This fact is verified by a plethora of 5 out of 5 star rating reviews on Nook. Players frequently comment in their reviews that the real time capability is what makes Draw & Guess stand out above the rest. PubNub’s “Real Time, Real Easy” capability is an essential and necessary component of Draw & Guess.

Are you planning to bring it to other devices? iOS, Android, Blackberry, etc.

I am planning on bringing Draw & Guess Online to the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Apple iPad.

What’s your favorite programming language?

After experimenting with a variety of languages, Lua is currently my language of preference. Not only is it easy to understand, but I feel it is very powerful and diverse. I will be entering college to study for a computer engineering degree in 2012. My curriculum requires learning C++ and Assembly as a freshman. I am excited about expanding my programming knowledge in college.

Editor of choice: Vim, Emacs, TextMate, or none of the above?

Sublime Text 2 for the win!

Who is your programming hero?

Roberto Ierusalimschy since he created my Lua, which is my favorite language. I had the opportunity to meet Roberto in person when he visited the Bay Area during the spring of 2012.