As a proud member of the only generation that remembers blowing on game cartridges, having that one friend who owned a Sega Saturn, a time when games came in cardboard boxes, and actually using a toy gun to shoot ducks from the sky so they could be eaten by a dog--it is safe to say that gaming has and always will be in my veins.
Every group of friends always had that one kid who, when it was their turn to play, took way too long by just running around and looking at the world--and that kid was me. I knew early on that whoever took the time to create the digital landscape that I was wasting time in did so after years and years of paying attention to the minutest of details, and I wanted to respect that.
I may have started out on a different path--as a chef who owned his own catering company for 10 years before Covid-19 hit--but making the decision to shift in the direction of video game Level Designer has been more rewarding than I can imagine. Not only do I get to relive those moments of sitting on the edge of the bed, mouth agape, lost in the magic if it all, but now I get to play the role of inspiring new generations to never give that controller back...only now I know how to make better snacks!