Getting into the games industry…
After graduating, I fled an oppressive home environment by lying about getting a job in San Francisco. In truth I’d gone to live in someone’s basement with my girlfriend, and had just a few months of savings with no plan afterwards. I got my break by sending the owner of S2 Games with a fully realized PowerPoint plan on how they (creators of Heroes of Newerth, one of the first commercial MOBAs) could tackle the newly announced behemoth that was Valve’s Dota 2. He hired me on the spot over AOL Instant Messenger (2010 lol), and I started the following Monday. In those times I worked for minimum wage with a 2 hour commute each way and actually lost money after rent, gas, and tolls. But I’d found my passion.
It’s a bit different now.
Over a decade later, my outlook has changed. In the wake of all the industry scandals, COVID-19, and my own evolving taste in games experiences, I’ve been looking for something more meaningful to help people connect. Toxic environments and people are a big no for me; good vibes are everything. I ended up finally admitting to my family that I work with games almost 4 years after I started, and they still don’t understand or approve—no dad, I’m not going to get an MBA. They’re insistent that games are detrimental to society; I’m insistent on proving otherwise.
What’s it like working with me?
I’m an introverted, introspective individual, so if I open my mouth, I try to make my words count. I’m a perfectionist driven by user empathy, so I tend to pore through every little detail and use case. My design specs are structured and filled with diagrams, and I make sure to standardize terminology. I’m empathetic in working with others so I have a keen awareness of how to give constructive feedback and encouragement—and that congratulations are in order when things go well. In short, I build relationships based on trust and transparency, but ensure that this honesty doesn’t come at the cost of hurt feelings. If a mentee confides a weakness to me, they do so knowing that we will seek to improve it, and it won’t come at the detriment to their career. This is why many of my mentees have sought to retain monthly career 1-on-1’s even after they’ve moved onto different companies.
So who am I outside of work?
I’m extremely passionate about animal rescue. I’m just extremely tickled by the idea that you can pick a forever love off the street.
Pictured are my pomeranian Coco (❤️ ‘04-’23 ❤️), rescued from a breeder, and domestic shorthair Kittly, found as kitten freezing under a car. On the weekends I’m either with them or donating time at the local shelter and rescue. Yes, they’re the site’s namesake… and because I’m awful at coming up with names (Kittly is named after Bit.ly, which PlayDots used to share an office building with), also my online handle in video games.
Outside of that, I’m an amateur weightlifter chasing a bigger supertotal, so my joints are constantly aching and I’ve developed an aversion to eating chicken. Seeing numbers go up is nice though, it’s like an IRL RPG! Current numbers @ 158lb bodyweight:
315 bench
385 squat
415 deadlift 😬
225 clean & jerk
170 snatch