Bio - in Brief
I am a designer by trade – games, stories, characters, worlds. I employ ideas and examples from history, folklore and mythology from around the world, as well as my own original creations; my methods are to first know the rules, then know how to bend or break them. As a result, I have studied the history, culture and religions of cultures, past and present, from around the world, which I apply to the process of creating the world which my game concepts live. I study sociology and cultural dynamics, then apply them to creating the nations and peoples of my worlds. Psychology and philosophy are essential to my character creation process, as is understanding of the dynamics of personality and the effects upon it by the culture one moves within.
I have been staff on a MUD (online text-based roleplaying game) for five years – from this, I have learned direct skills in plot design, world design and game design. The MUD’s focus on roleplaying taught me valuable lessons in character interaction, consistency of presentation and depth of personality; my work on the mechanical side taught me the fundamental theories of programming, user interface and game balance.
Five years of stage acting, focusing on Shakespeare and Improv Performance, has taught me about body language, expression, nuance of voice and physical movement; the movement skills I learned aid my character animation, while the experience in understanding why a character says what they do, and why they choose the words they do, based on the script, allow me to create both major and minor members of the cast of a game which are full personalities, rather than cardboard cutouts delivering lines.
Beyond these specifics, I have a wide range of other knowledges and skills, all of which I strive to apply whenever appropriate. I play piano and guitar, and have seven years experience in classical music and theory, and three in jazz improvisation. I have been a Boy Scout, and served the troop in many roles, often at the same time. I have studied martial arts, as well as fencing and various Western combat techniques, and am familiar with a reasonable range of traditional melee weapons. Similarly, my knowledge of firearms aids in more modern concepts. Finally, my interest in science and scientific theory adds directly to my futuristic concepts.
Simply put, I believe that the more you know, the more interesting, complete and engaging the designs you create will be, and I aim to design the best concepts possible.