Due to random circumstances, twice in the last month I had the opportunity to sit down with a younger person (think 18-21) who had interest in the gaming industry and answer their questions in a 1 on 1 setting. Hopefully it was helpful to them, and inspired them to keep going.

When I was growing up, the two jobs I wanted to be growing up was either a video game designer, or a math teacher like my grandpa. So now that I’m getting to be almost as old as Robinsongz, I find myself wanting to share and teach where I can. Finding other designers at Riot who are newer and helping them out and teaching them some of the lessons I have learned over the years is always very satisfying.

The challenge has always been trying to do so at scale. I’m pretty good in smaller 1 on 1 settings, but how do you share and teach on a wider scale? Even on a design team of 20-30, it can be tough to find the time to give to everyone that needs it while also still doing your own responsibilities. I can usually manage a few helpful sessions, but it never feels like enough and I want to help more.

It’s the same for these 1 on 1 sessions with aspiring game devs. I want to find ways to help at scale, which is why I do things like the streams or these posts…but it still never feels like enough. It’s nice to see other people having success in this area though! Lots of good resources on Twitch or Youtube if you’re looking to learn.

I’ll end this with a funny realization. I realized driving home yesterday that video games are my career and teaching is my hobby. That seems backwards from normal, which kind of made me laugh lol. Anyway, that’s it for today. Hopefully people have been having fun with the new patch. I’ll probably talk about where the artifacts landed tomorrow. Until then, take it easy 🙂