If you'll forgive the cliche, I've loved games as long as I can remember. When my brother and I would play with G.I. Joes in the yard when we were little, I would create rules for how far a rifle could shoot, or how many tanks each of us could have. And then get frustrated when he just took his tank and ran over my guys. My cousin introduced me to the wonders of Basic on a Commodore 64, and I spend long nights working on my own RPGs. I grew up on the Nintendo and tabletop RPGs, with a healthy side of sports.

I specialize in mechanics and gameplay, because I think it's our job as Designers to help players live their own stories, not just the ones we want to tell them. My favorite games have always been those that -I- get lost in, not as some random character, but as the version of me that lives in that world. It's especially jarring when I want to do something, but a game won't let me, or tries to shoehorn me into playing the way the designer thinks I should, so I always try to enable as many play styles as possible when I make games.

I believe that balance is critical in games. Even players who don't care about the underlying numbers of a game can quickly feel out when something is unfair, and in games that pit one player against another (or more), dominant strategies or build-of-the-month-syndrome take away the value of letting a player make choices, as they quickly find they must use the winning tactics or be constantly defeated. I am driven to help create worlds where players can enjoy being themselves without feeling bullied by other players, and especially without feeling bullied by a set of computer-coded rules.

I've had amazing opportunities to work with different kinds of people at DigiPen. By associating with other designers, programmers, artists, producers, and our instructors, I've developed a healthy respect for the things that any person can bring to a team. I look forward to meeting and working with others who want to create the same type and quality of games I do, as well as helping me grow as a person.