Light at the end of the Tunnel

Well I'm still reeling from my experience at GDC, since then I can't help but be extremely optimistic. It helps that our production group is going so well, granted we still have things to get done and with Beta coming up next week it's a little nerve racking. Yet comparatively our group is in a pretty good state where we aren't scrambling to get a lot of things done last minute, and it makes me really happy that Lauren and I were able to plan this out so well. It's really cool when fellow classmates, whose original teams were cut and they were added to your group, say they feel lucky to have been put on our team.

I can't help but feel anxious for this next month, I still have a tremendous amount on my plate but I know I'll get it all done. Things are starting to fall together a little bit, and well things are good! I'm starting to have some great conversations with some people I've met from GDC and while nothing is definite yet, it's exciting to start some of these conversations.

Alright I'll admit most of the reason why I wanted to blog tonight was so that I could get some images up from our game =) So I'll leave it at that. Enjoy!

A sense of Belonging, GDC Post Mortem

Well I made it there and back again, and am still amazed that I had the opportunity to attend GDC. I know in the past when I've attended conferences I've tried to note every session and major thoughts about key note speakers, but right now I'm not really sure I can really go into adequate depth about GDC. It was an amazing experience on many levels, and I had the opportunity to meet some incredible people in the industry, and being able to put a face behind their games was just so cool.


I think what struck me the most was feeling so apart of everything that was going on at GDC, I didn't feel like I was an outside observer but a professional talking to other professionals about the industry that we're in. Without sounding too much like a poster boy from Champlain College, I really have to give a lot of credit to my education. A few years ago I would have just been another fan boy at a conference like this, even if I made it in to listen in on sessions I wouldn't have really understood what most speakers were talking about. Instead this experience was quite the opposite, it was like we were all speaking the same language... a language that I've learned in the past few years. It was truly exciting sitting in on sessions and actually understanding the art pipeline from games like Gears of War 2, and not be shocked or amazed in how they were doing it. It's not often that I'm surrounded by people that all speak the same sort of industry lingo, and to be in a place surrounded by others who not only speak the same lingo but also run into the same crunch times, frustrated feelings, and tensions with co-workers that we've all felt in a production cycle... and learned to laugh about later. I'm still in college, granted not for much longer, but to be able to understand and relate to these people is just amazing. Thank you Champlain, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't feel as prepared for the industry as I do now.


Although I'm keeping this post vague for now, with the intentions of trying to elaborate more on thing later I do have to mention that I was really inspired by a talk I had with a guy by the name of David Hellman. If you don't know who he is, he was the artist who worked on Braid. Since then I've been thinking a lot about some different areas of the industry that I might be interested in going into, that perhaps I wasn't before. Although I still don't have a clear idea of where exactly I'd love to end up, my goal is to get my foot in the door somewhere, or work on something substantial with someone, and from there I will figure things out. Although there are still many unknowns for me, I'm much more confident now about being able to find my place in this industry.

Sorry for the short post, I'll try to post some more detailed thoughts later... but for now I must really get back into school work!! AGH! One month left!!

(ps these guys weren't the same Army guys I worked with earlier, and I thought they were. It was sort of awkward at one point when I asked them if they had Canyon loaded up on this system and they didn't have a clue what I was talking about... haha)

So close to the end

I can't believe it, but graduation is getting SO close! I know I've been talking for a while about mixed feelings about graduating, and wanting to stick around a little... but really I've moved passed this and really I'm ready to graduate. It's so exciting to think that I'm so close to ending this chapter of my life. As scary as it is that I don't know what is in the next chapter, I can't help but be excited now... I'm not sure where I'll be, I don't know if I'll be in the gaming industry or somewhere else all together. I'm ok with that though, I've worked hard to get where I am today and believe that this will carry with me into whatever I decide to do. In any case I know whatever I'll do, I'll probably be working my ass off, but I'll enjoy it.

I'm still very hopeful of meeting some interesting people at this year's GDC next week. I still can't believe that I'm going, I remember anxiously awaiting to watch Tech TV after school to see what new things were announced at each year's GDC. I find that I've been extremely lucky these past four years, and still can't believe some of the things I've been able to be appart of. Yet I can't think that the ride is going to end, if anything it's just beginning, and if I've been able to do this much in four years in this part of my life... I can't imagine the experiences I will have as I continue on in life. I learned once that a person is merely made up of their experiences, and then on my goal has been to fill my life with experiences and allow them to shape me into the man I am today. That's right, I said "Man," being this close to graduation I can probably infer that I've earned that title by now I guess.

I still have a lot on my plate, and these last six weeks won't be any less busy... but I'll get through it... I'll graduate... and life will go on. One way or another.

Next time you hear from me I'll probably be blogging about GDC, either there or when I get back.

Later!!

Spring break!

Spring break hasn't exactly been what may be considered a typically college spring break. Instead of partying I've been spending my spring break trying to catch up on quite a bit of work, I can't really complain though... with "work" being mostly artsy stuff, I mean I can't imagine if I was freaking out right now trying to write term papers or something. Sometimes it's hard to explain to friends, "oh man I really just need to finish this painting" or "I gotta work on this model," and that's typically when people really get confused. All joking aside though I've been able to be pretty productive this break, yet as good as this feels I do kind of wish I had joined my family in a trip out to Arizonia. If you had guessed anything about my last couple of posts, I've been pretty stressed this semester and couldn't decisively say that I could go. As introverted as this break has been, it's been nice to have a little time to think about things... My college experience is coming to an end in merely two months... which I'm sure is going to go by fairly quickly. As scary as I find this, I'm also getting a little excited. No more school? Huh?!? Sure I could go to graduate school but I don't really see that in my future. At what point do we stop thinking of ourselves as kids? I still can't help it really.

As nervous, scared, and worried as I might get, I've come to an understanding that I really can't be. I don't know where I'll be in three months, but have I ever really known? Working hard and confidence has brought me this far, this ride isn't over yet. I've been able to really excell here, and although I can't say where I'll end up, I can't help but really think that I'll do well there too.
Well first things first, I hope to stay up in Burlington for at least the summer. After that? Who knows? Hopefully at that point I'll have at least an internship somewhere (hopefully vicarious visions hehe). For now I'm going to try to enjoy what I can of the last few months of college, as work filled as it's going to be.

I just heard a pretty good quote that I thought I'd share, "Maybe lost is where your meant to be, and just because your lost doesn't mean you lack direction." I thought it was pretty neat... G'night!

OH! yea I was on VPR recently talking about video games and it’s roles recently. Check it out