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.
Categories: games as art
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