In my opinion, there is no greater purpose in life than bringing joy to others. With game design as my tool of choice, I'd love to spread this joy and impact as many people as possible.

Video games have intersected with many aspects of my life, helping me through tough times. So, I know firsthand the mark they can leave on a person. Game design is an art form that I've dedicated myself to mastering, with my focus being on programming. I love bringing creative visions to life.

My experience with the Bachelor of Innovation program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs has helped me push my limits in game design. The program offered a wide range of classes, from 3D modeling to Level Design. However, my favorite set of classes, the team-based game design classes, have prepared me for the future the most. I've not only improved my programming abilities, but I've also learned how to work with others.

The best lesson I learned from the team-based game design classes is the value of branching out and being flexible. Our team had only 14 developers, and with all of us being students, we had to learn many things on the spot. Each week came with a new challenge, and it was always fun figuring out how to do each task to ensure we released our game on time.

My time with my innovation and entrepreneurship classes at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs has also been instrumental in preparing me as an innovator. UCCS's definition of innovation is the transformation of ideas into impact. Through these courses, I have learned the value of being an innovator in my chosen career path. They have not only prepared me professionally but have given me hands-on experience with real clients and real-world problems.

In my Innovation and Team-Based game design classes, I learned the valuable lesson of pivoting. Sometimes it is instrumental to the success of a project to veer off from a plan. Especially in game design, sometimes what you had envisioned just wasn't fun or was too expensive for the team. Our game, Penguin Noir, had a lot of pivots, but being at the early stages of development taught us that those pivots are okay, and that they are a natural part of the flow of game design.

My goal coming out of college is to work at a AAA game design company. I want to continue being surrounded by people who are as passionate about game design as I am. I'd love to change the status quo plaguing the game design industry, the issue of crunch time. I don't think developers should be stuck doing 80-hour weeks just because of a company's lack of planning. It is all too common to see developers getting burned out from being overworked, and that is not something I want for myself.

I realize AAA companies are probably driven by promises, budgets, investors, and higher-ups, but a change I'd love to see in the industry is proper planning and better flexibility. My time working on Penguin Noir taught me that it's better to cut features than to crunch, and I plan on going into the game design industry with this mentality. They say you should be the change you want to see in the world, and the only way I can impact the industry is from within.

Overall, my experience with the Bachelor of Innovation at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs has improved my game design abilities and strengthened my conviction that nothing in life is more important than spreading joy. I'll try to spread this joy and have a positive impact on as many lives as I can as I walk along my chosen path. I now have the technical abilities I require, along with the flexibility and capacity to pivot, thanks to the program's varied curriculum. I will advocate for better, healthier practices and a better work-life balance within the game design industry and leverage my expertise with innovation to have a long-lasting impact.