I have the classic story. I was a nerd growing up. I think I can blame the fact that my parents wanted a better life for me so they got me a set of encyclopedias. This lead me down a path of seeking knowledge. I was curious. I was REALLY curious when one day my mom brought home a Tele-Games Hockey Tennis II. A box I could plug into our TV that rendered three lines, two numbers and a ball. The two controllers let me move one bar on the left and right. I played more than most kids probably would have.
Years later I mock played Galaga at a Fosters Freeze burger joint. I would imagine playing because money was tight and if I had one quarter, I would wait to use it. I had more fun just thinking about playing than actually playing. By then I had a computer at home that my dad salvaged from a storage room at work. It was so old that his boss just let him take it. (A Televideo TS 803). It had a couple games and I wondered if I could use basic at home to make Galaga, so didn’t have to pay for it. It was great being a kid having all that free time eh? My mom told me “I don’t know mijo” and let it go at that.
Years later I played Final Fantasy II (USA) on my Super Nintendo and it taught me that games can make you feel. I felt the conflict between Cecil and Kain. I felt bad for Kain, I wanted to forgive him. I wanted to kill Cagnazzo for what he did to Palom and Porom. I loved how crazy this Cid guy was and how his solution to a problem is to jump from a flying airship with a bomb strapped to him. How bad I felt when a fight went very very badly. How quickly I jumped off the floor when a summoner clad in a green dress showed up to save my party a split moment later. It was the best adventure I had ever been on.
Games evolved from there. My journey to learning to make them was a long one. The one thing that kept me wanting to learn more was that feeling. Games married Art, Logic, Systems, Music, Sound, Writing, Design all into one living breathing thing that made me feel. Writing this post makes me remember my childhood and how much happiness games brought me. I wanted to do the same for others. I wanted to make games that made others feel, be happy, and have a great time.
This is why they are art. This is why they matter. They are the first medium that lets you talk to it and it talks back.
This is why they are important. This is why I make them.