He Thinks He Can Design Things

GDC - the Game Developer's Conference is something that I have always dreamed of going to since seeing a Microsoft event online in my bedroom computer back in 2001. I mean this is the place where all of my idols assemble and discuss the state of the industry and I just got back from that very same event. Want to know how good my experience was? Read ON!

Zac and I successfully pitched my thesis game idea - Cellblock to the entire cohort and EAE faculty members! It went pretty well and we got awesome feedback on the concept and mechanics of the idea. Want to know what the pitch looks like? Read On!

I've decided to pitch my asymmetrical cooperative game about trust for the thesis project. Not only that, but I'm also pitching the game with another producer in the program - Zac Truscott. Zac and I have had some great conversations about this game and I believe the two of us can really make the idea sing in the 5 minutes we are being given to pitch. The pitch is in 2 days, expect it to be posted on here shortly.

Oh and I'm also being photographed for the University of Utah alumni magazine called Continuum. Apparently, I may have a two page spread in there. I feel so fancy.

-Andrew

The first week of the second semester is now over and boy do I have a busy week ahead of me. Trust me, you'll pity me a little bit. Read on!

Finally! All of the presents are bought, 2013 is here, the apocalypse didn't happen yet, and I'm hanging out on the couch playing some Portal 2 - not a bad way to relax for the next few days before heading back to SLC. I'm truly relaxing too! I've taken the next couple of days off to hang with friends and family before I return to working on my Ubisoft project. Not too much to update on that either. We may have a few bugs where the main character ends up flying in the air when they walk backwards but I'm confident we can tune our demo and finish our level design before I give the pitch to the panel on January 7th (so soon!).

In the meantime, I'm going to chillax with some GladOS potatoes and a side of Wheatley.

-Andrew

The end of this week marks the official end to my first semester as a master's student within the EAE program. What a crazy four months it has been! 

It's been an awesome week back home, seeing faces that I haven't in weeks since my expedition to Salt Lake City for a career in video games had begun. I used this time to rest my mind a bit and think deeply about what I had learned about games in the past 6 weeks in the Master Games Studio. Did I learn anything of profound use? Find out the true meaning of Christmas? Or did I meet Damon Lindelof's creative coherence? Read on folks!