My name is Steven Witz, and I am the creator of Dice Roller V.  Allow me to describe my story and how this fast-action game came to be.

Some fifty years ago I was born a poor but content child in the central African country of Rwanda.  By a twist of fate I became lost from my human parents and was saved and ultimately raised in rugged hilly territory by a family of Mountain Gorillas.

My mother was an intense and nurturing caretaker showing a constant stream of compassion and a tender loving touch that only a 450 -pound matriarch can provide.  My father was the silverback enforcer of our band of gorillas in the greatest of mountain regions. Weighing 600 lbs, he possessed an unbelievable strength and when upset he would throw huge objects or snap large tree branches with his bare hands.

Dearest Dad

Click here for Off The Hook Poker website

The days of my youth were spent climbing trees, swinging from vines, and frolicking in the forest.  The undulating forest became ripe for youthful ape games.  As my body grew stronger my mind did as well.  The games I played with my gorilla buddies helped cultivate my desire to compete and only filled me with greater aspirations to make up my own games. 

When my gorilla family was captured and shipped to the United States to be part of the monkey and ape exhibit at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago I rolled the dice and was able to escape.

Back among humans I was free to pursue the dreams I had as a kid about creating games.  I terribly missed my gorilla family though and continually wondered about their safety.  To keep my mind occupied I found myself immersed in nearly any type of game needing players whether it was friendly or ultra competitive in nature.  Also, I became proficient in the art of maze, word search, and puzzle architecture.
   
   
Gaming and inventing games quickly became a passion and I evolved from hand-drawn one dimensional games to more imaginative computer designs with creative rules using stricter specifications.

This all led to the formation of my gaming business called Listerik Products (a title that combines the names of my three children: Lindsay, Stephanie, and Erik).  This enterprise develops and markets challenging and entertaining gaming products for retail sales.

Games such as Off The Hook Poker and The Great 8STR8 are products that Listerik has developed along with Dice Roller V, a Las Vegas inspired casino and internet game that is geared toward social interaction. 

The Great 8STR8 is still in development
   

Steve Witz

Dice Roller V began with an extreme burst of imagination, scribbled ideas, and shaped concepts.  After two years of refinements, followed by another year establishing vital relationships in licensing, patenting, marketing, programming and design Listerik Products had fast-tracked the innovative product – Dice Roller V.

Marketing campaigns, imaginative writing and free thinking comes easy for me, since attaining my college degree in business marketing.  I am really fascinated by human and social behavior, and marketing is a practiced discipline in understanding and interacting with this behavior.  My business career has always included high levels of procurement, communication and marketing.  This comfort in thinking “outside the box” has led me to produce more than 50 printed profiles and brochures as well as animated web sites, CD’s and Eblasts. As Vice President of Continental Electrical Construction Company; this immaculate company has been the recipient of most of this collateral.

I’m not thumping my chest, but the early days of swinging from vines gave me extreme balance.  My steadiness at extreme heights allowed me to perform tricky maneuvers on snow skis, trampoline, and diving board (I was a spring board diver, but have also done some back-flip cliff diving from as high as 60’).  The diverse and physical upbringings that I had helped develop my enjoyment of competitive sports such as football, basketball, softball, ultimate Frisbee, and golf.

I also like the adrenaline rush from zip lining, bungee jumping, sky diving, snow skiing, water skiing, biking, running, hiking, rafting, camping, scuba diving, and motorcycling.  My hobbies include historic collectibles, sports memorabilia, coin and note collecting.

As a gamer I enjoy a lot of games such as Hearts, Gin Rummy, Scrabble, Risk, Chess, Yahtzee, Backgammon, Sudoku, and Kakuro.  And of course there is my love of casino games including, Craps, Blackjack, Roulette and Poker.

As I guide Listerik through the rapidly advancing 21st century my goal is to master the old games of chance and to develop the most entertaining and thought provoking gaming the world has ever enjoyed.  But, as I go forward I have never forgotten my past and how my gorilla upbringing fostered my ambitious and competitive nature.  I visit my family at the zoo every chance that I get and I am a staunch supporter of the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund.
   

   
You too can make a difference in primatology research and gorilla wellbeing by giving to the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund at www.saveagorilla.org

 

   
Please consider a donation or taking part in the efforts so that gorillas have a chance to sit at the table in the game of life.