Hashtag Why Not Change The World?

People often ask me what I go to school for, and when I tell them "game design" I get a lot of mixed reactions. Now, I get it. Video games rot kids' minds, and all that. I can vent about all the ways that I disagree with that opinion some other time. Right now, I just want to talk about why I do what I do.

It all seems pretty simple--games are fun. I've been playing games since my parents showed me the old Intellivision machine they had down in the basement. We played Frog Bog and Burger Time, and it was a lot of fun. Then they brought out the Sega Genesis, and I learned about Sonic the Hedgehog. I played the god-awful multiplayer mode of Sonic 2 with my dad. And then I got my first Nintendo console from my cousin Rick. The N64. A hand-me-down, yes, but a glorious machine all the same. I learned about Zelda and Mario, and I was hooked.

So, naturally, when my mom told me that they offered game design classes at Hofstra on Saturdays (I'd actually already been going there for cartooning classes), I jumped right on the opportunity. Me? Making games? Sounded like a life-changing experience, and a hell of a good time. I was a natural at it, blowing through the tutorial packets and adding my own mechanics to the games. I took game design at Hofstra for a few years, and I eventually got too advanced for even the most advanced class. The teacher offered for me to be his TA at one point, even though I was probably too young to actually get paid for it. And then, just like that, they stopped offering it.

Well, I was heartbroken, but I had to continue on at home. For most of middle school, my nights consisted of what I now consider to be some pretty basic programming. They say your first dozen games are terrible. Lucky for me, I got them out of the way back then. Now I can focus on the real stuff.

I wish that I had designed more games in high school, now that I look back on it. After middle school, my game design kind of petered out, and I thought I wanted to become an engineer. Then I realized that was dumb and that I should stick to my passions. I forcibly worked my way into the GSAS (Games, Simulation Arts and Sciences) major at RPI, and now I make and play games for class. What a life.

But that's just my backstory. Those are the facts of how I got to this point. When people ask me "Why did you choose game design?" though, I have more to say. Yes, I've been doing it for a while, and yes, I think I'm pretty good at it--I'd say I have to be if my portfolio was enough to get me into the major at a prestigious school like RPI. But what's the underlying reason? Why do I love to make games--sometimes even more than I like to play them? Why did I put so much effort into working my way into the GSAS major?

It's honestly a pretty simple answer: I just like to make people happy. Through all of middle school, even when my games were terrible, my friends still had fun playing them (and breaking them). Once I got to college, I was good enough to get a decent percentage of my floor playing my game all at once--everyone trying to beat each others' high scores. It was a lot of fun, and bringing that much joy and competitive spirit to my friends felt good. So why stop there? If I got into the major, and eventually the work force, I could create fun experiences for even more people.

That's what I thought for most of my college career so far, and it still applies today; however, there's even more to my ambitions nowadays. I started watching Extra Credits on YouTube last year--maybe you've heard of them, maybe you haven't. Basically, they talk about what games are, what they were, and what they could be--definitely an interesting show for someone like me. They got me thinking that I could do more than just letting people have fun with my games, and working as a camp counselor has made me realize it even further--games are capable of teaching skills that are applicable in the real world, if used correctly.

When I play Magic with my campers, I watch their skills grow. The decisions they make change the more they learn the game, and I find that to be an amazing phenomenon. I've resolved to try and help each one of my campers better themselves in some way, and gaming seems to be a good method to do so--they don't even realize they're learning because they're having fun, which makes it ideal for the ones who are harder to motivate. I've already seen improvements in regards to strategy and critical thinking with the campers I play with--and more of them get interested in the game every day.

Unfortunately, though, the camp has a policy about playing card games during the day--a policy I was aware of before; but I thought it would be okay to play on the playground, seeing as we had no other structured activities during that period. Turns out, it isn't. That won't stop me from teaching my campers, though. I've got so many other games in my arsenal--ones that don't require any peripheral equipment. I plan to teach my campers how to do freeze improv, as well as several word games that I play occasionally at school in the dining hall.

It would obviously be ideal to use Magic: the Gathering as a tool to teach my campers strategy, but I'm still deciding whether or not I want to fight that battle, seeing as we only have two weeks left, anyway. I might get a starter deck for one of my campers who's really into the game, but I'll likely have to ask permission from his mother first. If he has cards of his own, he'll find others who play, or introduce them to the game so he has people to play against and hone his skills. He says he's considering becoming a game designer as well. Who would I be if I didn't try to nurture that dream?