Origin Stories

It was summer of 2009, and little first grade me was definitely excited to have some time off of school. Time off meant I could watch more TV or play outside with my brother throughout the whole day for three months straight. In the middle of June, about two weeks into summer, my mom received a box from her friend in Alaska. Among various soaps or whatever it is moms send each other, was a small box with “For the Boys” written on it. My brothers and I opened it to find out it was a Nintendo DS with a handful of games included. At this point video games were a foreign topic to us so it was more confusing than exciting at first, however we soon found ourselves happy exploring the Mushroom Kingdom, the Kanto region, or taking care of virtual dogs.

That day began my love for video games, across many genres and platforms. I want to give someone the same feeling I felt playing Mario for the first time through something I create. That is what is inspiring me to pursue a career in game design.