When I was a kid, I played video games.  I imagined every day that I would make games after I grew up.

I didn’t.

When I was in high school, I had a myriad of interests (from literature to sports), none of which seemed plausible as a career.  In my last year, I took a couple of classes in computer science; it intrigued me and I decided that it would be my major in college.  When I graduated in 2002, I had the opportunity to apply to colleges anywhere in the country.  Not to say I would have been accepted anywhere, but I had the option to try.

I didn’t.

I applied to the nearest university to my house, was accepted, and became a computer engineer for five years.  In my last year, I took a couple of courses in  filmmaking; it intrigued me and I decided to become a filmmaker after graduation.  On top of that, one of my professors gave me a reference to a graduate program run by a friend of his.  It happened to be at the GamePipe Labs at the University of Southern California, an LA college renowned for its film school.

I didn’t go.

After graduating in 2007, I took a year off to work on my own films, while also researching film schools on the West Coast.  The following year, my girlfriend and I both applied to the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, while I also applied to the film school at USC.  She was accepted to CCA and I was accepted to USC.  I could stay with her or leave.

I didn’t leave.

I took another year off, and began making stop-motion films, using the facilities at CCA.  Being in SF, I also began to take notice of events in the art community. Last year, several video games came out that began to be labeled as “art”; it intrigued me and I decided to pursue it.  For the third time, I applied to USC (specifically, in the Interactive Media program), and for the third time, I was accepted.

I can’t wait!

When I graduate in 2012, it’ll be at the end of another five-year span.  And I don’t imagine for a second that I’ll continue being a game designer afterward.