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Question and Answer

• Do you have a favorite "life lesson” quote or best piece of advice? How has this been relevant in your life?
  One of my favorite life lessons came from Shigero Miyamoto while I was working at Retro Studios.  We had just finished presenting a detailed narrative and theme for a proposed new franchise (Ravenblade, an unreleased Gamecube title) when he asked, 'What does the A button do?' While this seems like it may be a non-sequitur, it really got me thinking about the core game design and has helped me be a better designer/developer/teacher ever since. There’s a reason Nintendo consistently makes great games, and they don’t start with a detailed theme or narrative, they start with an engaging core gameplay experience. If the core experience is great, and you interweave it with a good story and theme, odds are you’ll have a great game. I’ve found this extends to life in much the same way—if you make sure you prioritize the core elements in your daily life (family, health, relationships), it can give you a solid foundation for the all of the challenges on your journey through life. Extending this into work and other responsibilities, if you can identify and prioritize the core elements you need to find long-term success, it can help you deal with what can otherwise seem like insurmountable challenges.
  
  
• Can you share the backstory behind what brought you to a career path in game development?
  When I started in the game industry (1995), there weren’t any schools that taught you how to get into games or be a game developer. As has been the story for many early game developers, I loved games and loved technology and computers, but at the time, game development wasn’t really seen as “real” job.  So in 1994-1995, I tried to take my love of technology and start my own Sales/IT business. As I struggled to get through the first year of new business, I reached a point where I realized I needed to try something different. I was living in Austin, Texas, at the time and saw a position advertisement for a Quality Assurance/Customer Service Representative at Origin Systems. Many of my favorite game franchises (Ultima, Wing Commander) were made by Origin, so I was thrilled to explore the chance to be a part of the company that made them. I donned my three-piece suit and went down to interview for the position. I remember being very nervous, especially because I was overdressed; the people interviewing me were in the classic sweats and t-shirts worn throughout the game industry. Yet, I managed to land the job, and the rest is history. Turns out, game development is not only a viable career, but a rewarding one as well.