Monday, 15 October 2012

About me


My mother was always very fond of video-games; she effectively brought me up on them. She held the top score on the local Pacman arcade machine in her hometown of Daule, Ecuador, and her battle to maintain this glory for four consecutive years instilled her with a passion for the games in general. I'll tell you more about that some other time. This fascination was passed on to me on the day that I received my Nintendo 64. I would say it was a day I'd never forget- but I've forgotten it, so I won't. What I do remember, however, is the two following years spent playing Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and feeling a little bit lost once that journey was over. I've never been more involved in something in all my life. When I was nine, my worries were very small- this left me able to appreciate and obsess myself with Zelda entirely. Maybe its a little limited but I'm not going to lie. Although I have enjoyed many video games in my life, Zelda is the reason they're my favorite medium.

When I was younger I spent a lot of my time creating things. Usually this manifested itself in the form of artwork- it seemed like a quick and powerful way to convey what I was thinking to my friends. I also wrote (very bad) stories and pretended to hunt trolls in the woods near my home in North Yorkshire- there is no richer sustenance for the imagination than living in a very beautiful part of the world devoid with people. As I grew older, my little hobbies grew into ventures; I began to sell my art, write short stories and act in stage productions, but ultimately I just really enjoyed creating things. I'm not particularly interesting and so a chance to define myself through something I've made was always a goal for me. But the one thing that I couldn't create was a video game. I'm not very mathematically minded and I struggle with interfaces, so I'm terrible at coding- I could never bring anything to fruition. Its something I'll always regret.

To lend whatever skills I have into creating an experience would be fantastic. To be a part of the production of a game is something I wouldn't pass up- but in an ideal world, I think I'd like to start an independent studio, to direct something creatively. I'm not nearly learned enough to make an accurate observation, but it seems that indie developers are growing stronger than ever. I've been told that its easier than ever to put something together, and that gives me a little hope. One day I really hope to get something out there. If it flops, if people hate it, then the studio will crumble and I'll regret everything I've ever done and then I'll die. But people will have defined me by my creation. If my creation brings a hand-full of people a fragment of the happiness and inspiration that Zelda: Ocarina of Time brought to me, then I'll die happy. Poor, but happy.

2 comments:

  1. Awesome entry Tom, very fun to read. :)

    You forgot to mention Spanner though.

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  2. I didn't think there was enough... room... for Spanner.

    *badum-tsh*

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