Why Game Design?
About Me
I am currently a third year Computer Science Game Design student at the University of California Santa Cruz, but I wasn't always sure designing games
is what I wanted to do. In fact it took a game developer to actually get me to settle on Game Design as my major of choice. After I graduated high school
I attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo and began to try various games. While waiting in line to try Uncharted 3 Among Thieves I began to speak with some
of the developers from Naughty Dog, and in the end that's really all it took for me to go down this path. I wish I remembered the name of that developer because I want
to thank him for leading me down this path. It has changed my life forever and I cant imagine it any other way.
"The Right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world."
- Half Life 2
Entertainment is one of the oldest standing things in the world. Every civilization that has existed on the face of this Earth has possessed some sort of entertainment business. In our world today the biggest and most recognized entertainment form is the Movie industry, but I feel that it's beginning to change. Video Games are the newest form of entertainment on the block, and as a result they don't receive the recognition they deserve. The emotional journeys that game players can take with the characters from the games can last from anywhere between 6-200 hours depending on the game. Who could forget their first adventure with Link as they explored Hyrule and attempted to stop Ganon. Games can create emotional adventures with the players that can provide players with memories that last forever. That's why I want to keep making games. I want to take people on emotional journeys that they will never forget.
A Little Bit About My Past
Education is the Greatest Equalizer
I was born on October 4th, 1992 in beautiful Hollywood, California to my parents Javier and Valerie. I spent most of my life growing up in the town Covina, California.
I lived with my parents, Grandmother and eventually my younger sister. From kindergarten through 8th grade I attended a small Catholic school called Sacred Heart School.
For my entire life my father preached the importance of education as he would always say, "Education is the greatest equalizer." As a result I was pushed to obtain a straight A's
for every report card I ever received. These lessons went on through High School as I attended Loyola High School, which was the most prestigious high school in the city. Through
High School I eventually achieved a cumulative GPA of around 4.3. Ultimately this ideal drove me to who I am today, a hard working, driven individual determined to excel in everything
I do.
I Am Pissed Off For Greatness
Throughout my past I have realized that in order to get people to pay attention, in order to be noticed, you have to make an impact. Throughout my lifetime people have never really expected much from me. Teachers, coaches, teammates, classmates, and so on have all never really expected much from me and I absolutely loved to prove them all wrong. Consequently, I have an unyielding desire to make a huge impact on this world in order to show everyone how capable I really am. I believe that mediocrity is reserved for lazy people who have no drive or ambition to push themselves further in life. Greatness can be achieved by all those who are willing to put in the work in order to make an impact. I want everything I work on to have a lasting impression on everyone that plays that particular game or uses that particular product, and I am willing to put in the work to make sure that happens.