Here's the short version: |
About Me
It all started when I was born. Then some events transpired. Eventually, I found myself in middle school, taking classes about how to make games on weekends, and messing around with Game Maker in my spare time. I made all the art myself, and eventually learned how to use the GML scripting system.
Fast forward to college. I applied as an engineering major, but, after about two weeks, changed my mind and decided I was going to take the plunge as a game developer. I eventually managed to get my major switched over, and added a computer science dual. I consider myself mainly a programmer nowadays, though I have many other, more artistic backgrounds. In high school, I was a TA for a pottery class at the same college where I learned game design during my middle school days. Occasionally, I'll pull out a piece of paper and either draw on it or fold it into an animal of some kind. I'm no stranger to the stage, and have even been in a musical production, as well as a few other shows. I sing often, and have experience playing the baritone horn and trombone, though I'm a tad bit rusty as of late. |
My Philosophy
To me, game design is a way to express all of the facets of my personality and combine my various passions into one. Every aspect of game design appeals to me, and, though I've decided to specialize as a programmer, I consider every part of the game to be just as important as an organized code base. A game, like the team that creates it, is a well-oiled machine--all the parts need to be working in tandem for it to succeed.
All seriousness aside, though, I just like to have fun. It's very common to find me laughing like an idiot at the shenanigans that sometimes occur when the code breaks. Generally, I think the most important part of making a game is to craft an enjoyable experience (preferably without those bugs, if it can be helped), so having fun and staying positive is the key to success in that regard. No one wants to play a game that the devs don't even think is worth playing.
All seriousness aside, though, I just like to have fun. It's very common to find me laughing like an idiot at the shenanigans that sometimes occur when the code breaks. Generally, I think the most important part of making a game is to craft an enjoyable experience (preferably without those bugs, if it can be helped), so having fun and staying positive is the key to success in that regard. No one wants to play a game that the devs don't even think is worth playing.
Part of a Team
Even though I do appreciate trying my hand at every part of game design, the reality of the situation is: the days of making an entire game by myself are behind me. Games take time. Good games take even more time. And great games take exponentially more time than that. I wouldn't be as successful as I am today without the help of the great team members who have worked with me previously. They've arguably taught me more than even college professors have.
When you're working on a team, there's always something to learn from someone else. Likewise, there's always something to teach. This give-and-take is a staple of my experience working in groups. The success of any individual team member is the success of the entire team, so there's no reason not to help each other out. Most of the code I find myself writing lately is designed specifically to facilitate integration with other members' work. I've even written code for teams I wasn't technically a part of, just because.
When you're working on a team, there's always something to learn from someone else. Likewise, there's always something to teach. This give-and-take is a staple of my experience working in groups. The success of any individual team member is the success of the entire team, so there's no reason not to help each other out. Most of the code I find myself writing lately is designed specifically to facilitate integration with other members' work. I've even written code for teams I wasn't technically a part of, just because.
TL;DR
When it comes down to it, I just love making games, seeing everything come together, and watching a collective vision come to fruition.