Not only is James Thrush a hardcore gamer, but he also gets to run his video game company. It may sound like a dream scenario, but he has some startling news: "I haven't really played much lately," Thrush says.

Wait, what?

"I spend very little time actually playing games anymore," he tells me. "There's one game I've been playing a lot, Mutant Storm for Xbox 360. That's one of my recent favourites, but other than that, I'm not really playing much."

Thrush is owner of Super X Studios in Seattle, which is part of the problem. Running your own independent game developer has it perks, of course, but it can also your time and energy. In Thrush's case, one game sucked up nearly four years worth of time and energy. That game, Wild Earth, has been a labour of love for Thrush. A wild life simulator, the game takes place in Africa's Serengeti plains, where players roam the wilderness as a photojournalist looking for prize shots of big game animals.

The game was previewed at the 2003 Independent Games Festival (IGF) in San Jose, and Wild Earth took home three awards: Innovation in Visual Art, Innovation in Game Design, and the Seamus McNally Grand Prize. A few months later, Super X Studios struck a deal with Entertainment Technology Corp. to produce a motion simulator ride based on Wild Earth, which can be found in zoos and amusement parks such as the San Diego Zoo. It appeared that Thrush's labour of love was poised was success.

Fast forward to 2006, however, and Super X Studios is still seeking a publisher for its award-winning game. It's a familiar feeling for Thrush, who has watched a series of challenges and obstacles sidetrack his projects. He's also learned that the gaming industry can be as fierce a jungle as the one portrayed in Wild Earth.