Making games is easy. Belonging is hard. #1ReasonToBe

The past few weeks I have been honored to be producer and ‘professional extrovert’ to my good friend, Deirdra “Squinky” Kiai’s IGF nominated work “Dominique Pamplemousse“.

There’s a lot I have to process in the experience which I will share later. But now I need to point the microphone to Squinky on a very important speech. The following link is the transcript to their talk at the #1ReasonToBe panel. Sitting in the audience, I cried as my dear friend had the courage to publicly share such a raw experience. I am extremely proud of them and honored to work alongside them.

Making games is easy. Belonging is hard. #1ReasonToBe

Late-night Thoughts on GDC 2011

Four years ago, I came to GDC for a second time. After all of the years I put in trying to make interactive media as the source of income, I saw that trip as my last chance to get a foot in the door. That year, 2007, I broke a GDC rule. I got a job with my top choice in a studio.

This GDC, I talked to a super majority of non-art entry level and students that came to GDC. The Telltale jobs booth is one of the most attended job booths at the convention. I took great pains to be kind and give career counseling to people who are working the right direction but don’t have a fit to what my employer is seeking. I hope I gave the right kind of direction to help them grow. The kind of advice I wish I had when I was in their shoes.

When people see my business card, there’s a wide eye reaction that the met someone from Telltale. It is humbling to me that I have earned such respect with my work to incite this kind of reaction. I hope that I impress on them an openness and kindness when they meet me. I hope that I live up to and surpass the expectation from the work my fellow artists and I have created. I hope that the impression I left with the people I met at GDC this year

I hope that the impression I left with the people I met at GDC this year is that kindness and hard work do indeed lead to great things. I can not live in a world in which my success came exclusively by luck alone and that hard work and adaptiveness lead me to where I am today. That is why I will do what I can to give the kind of support to the people who came to the other side of my table the past few days. Four years ago this week, I was one of them.

Appearance on Boing Boing Video

I will be on Boing Boing Video’s Live coverage of the Game Developer’s Conference tomorrow (Wens March 25) at 1:00pm PDT (-7 GMT). It’s a live stream and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get a clip of it for later. You’ll be able to view everything at the BoingBoing site:

Boing Boing Video + Offworld @ GDC
Direct UStream Link

I should also note that I will be at GDC as well, sans the time when I appear on Boing Boing.