Update - August 20, 2005

So like, I collect full sized arcade video game machines, ya know? :-D I used to maintain a webpage regarding this hobby of mine, over on RetroFX.com, but as of today I have moved the page over here. Maybe one day I'll have time to make it a proper section... In the meantime, here is Ray B's Arcade Game Collection!

Update - May 6, 2004

Amazing. Just amazing. Time is so fleeting. That's all I can say. It's especially worse when you have so many ambitions. So much to create. Well, since it's almost been two years since I updated this page, let me summarize what I've been up to: I've been busy running my interactive media company, Spore Productions. We have been busy providing interactive entertainment to a number of clients. We've built and licensed out several games for Claire's Boutiques, as well as animating over 150 cartoons for Office Politics. We licensed custom games to Kisko, Fido, Monopoly, and many more. And privately, I was involved in building a pretty major Flash website (which I can't name publicly, but I can tell ya by email).

So it's been a rather busy and successful two years. LilGames.com is still consistently increasing in popularity, and I hope to achieve similar success with the recently launched PlaySomeGames.com.

Update - June 24, 2002

Added a cool 3D wallpaper that you can all download and use on your desktop! It can be found in the 3D section of the my portoflio. You can also view some of my work on a 3D golf game, and other stuff circa 2000 - 2002.

Update - June 23, 2002

I'm still debating whether to use a content management system for the upcoming new site design, or whether to stick to custom coded one. All I need in terms of text content management is a "blog". Otherwise, I guess I can stick to custom HTML...

More importantly, I have new media up now. They are new and old real-time 3D demos done in Virtools. First is a proof of concept demo for the Employment Safety Association of Ontario, created by Martin Best and I, for Poptronik. Marty did much of the scripting and helped with art, while I did much of the art, and helped with scripting. Next is a demo of two 3D models (hands tying knots). I did the scripting and art on that one.

Update - June 10, 2002

Finally, this site has its own domain! The plan here is to completely redesign the now 6 years old design, and also make this a Blog page with daily or weekly updates. For the moment, visit the old site (my art and graphics portfolios) by clicking here.

Update - June 5, 2002

Updated the C64 pixel graphics gallery with titles, year, and number of colors used in each image. I also have updated and posted my Resume.

Update - May 30, 2002

Going back to the future... The market for games for PDAs and cell phones is HOT, and I want a piece of it! I have just posted some rather ancient but relevant graphics to a new page. That page is old Commodore 64 graphics I created in the late 80's. (wow!--memmmoriiiiees!) They all average between 10 and 13 colors each (tiny filesize!) and are PIXEL BASED graphics. That means every single pixel was painstakingly placed (at first using a joystick!--I didn't get a mouse until 1988). There were further color restrictions based on proximity and a grid, but I won't go into detail right now. Just enjoy the nostalgia, and if you are looking for a Palm Pilot or cell phone artist... I'm your man!

Update - February 25, 2002

This online portfolio is aging... Every day that passes I cringe at its obsolecence. This portfolio was originally thrown up quickly in 1997. It never changed because of time. TIME! Time that was better spent playing games or working. Every now and then when my life reaches a crossroads, I have managed to add a few of the latest works to it, but this site has NEVER been what I want it to be.

Another of these times is upon us, and once again I feel in a rush to get my work on here so I can seek out potential jobs. As always, I seek those jobs from the game industry, and if anything is sure in this industry, it's that times change. Since my last serious update to this site, we went from having an obsession with 3D rendering, to doing it in real time 3D . I cut my teeth on creating tileable graphics for 2D game engines ages ago, and here we are right back to tiling 2D images again in the form of texture maps. Albeit, in my opinion it's easier work. No more cutting tiles up in 8x8 squares. No more drawing with pixels using 16 pre-selected colors. I'm not saying real time 3D is easy. There's always the need for more polygons, but what I'm saying is that for me, I understand it and it doesn't slow me down. Limitations are what game development is all about.

Browse the portfolio, and explore the links (the ones that still work), and all the while keep in mind, I have experience with real time 3D games, low-poly modelling, and textures. Recently I built a mini-game with a partner, for a client to use as a marketing tool. You can view it online HERE (username CLIENT, password GAME). We crammed 160 work hours into about 10 days. The game isn't brilliant. The art isn't award-winning. But damn, we built that sucker in 10 days and people actually enjoy playing it! You can view the textures created for that, in the 2D section.

Some of my recent experience can best be summarized HERE

Bio Summary: Rene "Ray B" Boutin is a game designer, an artist, a problem solver, an entrepreneur, and a hobbyist programmer. He owns and operates LilGames.com, his online game site, and SporeProductions.com, his game & graphics services company. The first game Ray ever played was a black and white TV Tennis game. He hasn't played his last.