TEN THINGS ABOUT ME
14 Things About Charles Huang, Guitar Hero Producer and Green Throttle Co-Founder
As the co-founder of RedOctane (later purchased and closed by Activision), Charles Huang helped oversee Guitar Hero’s release into stores and then living rooms worldwide. The plastic guitar controllers from that series were iconic for a time, but now Huang has moved on to something completely different. Along with two former Palm employees, he’s the co-founder of Green Throttle Games, which makes a handful of compatible Android games playable on the TV.
Below, Huang answers 14 of our questions:
Whom do you idolize?
Bruce Lee. Bruce almost single-handedly made Asian men tough in the eyes of the world. I think, even to this day, he may be the most recognizable Asian — either Bruce Lee or Chairman Mao.
Name one thing you will regret never having done (if you never do it).
Author and publish a book. At the risk of sounding old-school, I want a big, hardcover book, too, not an e-book. I love books and reading.
If you could meet any historical or fictional person, who would it be?
Sherlock Holmes (I don’t mean Robert Downey, Jr., although he’d be cool to meet). I’ve read every Sir Arthur Conan Doyle mystery novel on Sherlock Holmes.
What was your favorite TV show as a kid?
The cartoon “Starblazers.” And, for inexplicable reasons, I enjoyed “Dallas” in grade school.
What’s the single most important issue in the world today?
Child obesity. This generation of children may be the first where life expectancy is shorter than their parents. Most of this is due to diseases related to a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits.
What would you be doing if you were not in your current job?
I’d be a professor of Chinese history. That was my first career ambition.
What was your first computer?
My dad bought an IBM PCjr when I was in seventh grade. It cost $1,500, I recall, back in 1982. It came with a big floppy disk that booted WordPerfect. I thought that was amazing. I played my first videogame on that PCjr — a text-based game called Zyll.
iPhone, Android or BlackBerry?
Android. Google gave me a Nexus One by HTC when it first came out. I’ve been running Android ever since.
What site/app do you check first when you wake up?
I check Pulse for news while still in bed. Then WeChat to see what my friends are doing. As soon as I get to my PC, I check My Yahoo for all my financial news.
What was the last thing you fixed?
A cracked windshield on my wife’s car. I’m too cheap to hire someone, so I spent $12 on a DIY kit.
Do you have a dog or cat or other pet?
We have a dog and a hamster. They belong to my daughters, Charley and Kaylan.
What’s your favorite mode of transportation?
The most amazing thing I’ve ever been on is the maglev train in Shanghai. It peaked out at 400 kilometers per hour (more than 200 miles per hour). Cars on the freeway looked like they were standing still.
What was the last book you read?
“The 4-Hour Body,” by my friend, Tim Ferriss. I reread it whenever I need to lose five pounds. And it worked again!
Describe an ideal day.
Kickboxing workout after I wake up. A morning on a warm beach in Cabo with my family. Spend the afternoon with my wife, Lillian, watching our two daughters at their dance competitions. A big Chinese banquet dinner with my parents and relatives. A poker game with friends at night.