Phew! It has been one intense week. I have been extremely busy so I sadly didn’t get that much time to work on my newest project (I really need to come up with a name for it… even if it is a working title). I instead was showcasing different aspects of game development and game design to a wide variety of people, both young and old.
Inclusive Game Development
I was invited to speak on a panel about Inclusive Game Development. For those that don’t know what that is, it is designing and developing a game with the community and the players in mind, first and foremost. How is everyone in the game represented? Are you conforming to stereotypes? Does it paint a group of people unfairly? Basically, have you considered more perspectives and backgrounds other than just your own? This isn’t just racial or gender based, it also includes thinking about those with disabilities.
I had a wonderful time speaking on the panel alongside Nic VanMeerten and Ed Downs. Lots of interesting questions and perspectives on the topic. On top of that I was also interviewed by the local Fox21 news station in Duluth! It’s an honor to not only be included in the discussion but be the central focus of the panel. I hope that I was able to at least get people a bit more interested in the subject.
Showcasing to Middle Schools
Less than 12 hours later I was on a bus to go showcase Game Development and other Computer Science related projects to a TON of middle schools. I mean A TON… like over 1000 students. It got insane extremely quickly.
I was there on behalf of the University of Minnesota Duluth. We were showcasing multiple projects from Virtual Reality experiences on the Gear VR to learning how to code a Lego alligator! I also showcased anti|piracy to the students. Not only that I gave the kids a behind the scenes look at how the game is run in Unity. It was a hit! A lot of the kids came back checking out all of the experiences we had to offer. It also didn’t hurt to have video games for them to play and pumping my tunes I have made for Glitch in the System, Fingeance, anti|piracy, and Neon Ritual.
Getting Back to Normal
Overall I had a blast this past week but I didn’t have a chance to really sit down and work on my current project (man… I need a name for that). But I plan on working full steam on it this week now that my schedule is a bit less chaotic. If you want to follow my development up to the minute, follow me on Twitter @DarkaysTG. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to Tweet at me or leave a comment below!