Dear Diary... that's not how you start this sort of thing, is it. I'm new to the blogging game, but I'm one of the millions with something to say that may or may not be of interest to anyone else. As a father of 4 (soon 5) and student/intern of computer programming, I always considered myself too busy, until I saw the movie "Motherhood" in which an overly-stressed and under-appreciated Uma Thurman still manages to blog about parenting at least once a day.
So who am I? An avid gamer for one thing. I started playing Dungeons & Dragons in 1992 and never left the world it opened to me. My RPG collection took up a good-sized portion of my living room and to this day I can't pass up a cool-looking die without bringing it home. Video games were a big part of growing up for me, I collected gaming systems like others collected stamps. In the early days I had everything from the NES and SEGA Mastersystem to the Turbografix16 and NeoGeo. Mario, Link and Roger Wilco were childhood friends. As a kid I always dreamed of growing up to be the 3rd Guy from Andromeda at Sierra On-Line (back in those days without the "On-Line"). Games that were considered unbeatable at my school were presented to me to be conquered, I sometimes felt a little like Fred Savage in "The Wizard".
Today I am in school to learn computer programming and applying for internships with various Gaming companies in my little pocket of Germany. I'm unbelievably excited about this, I'm meeting game programmers from the local game community and stare wide-eyed like a fat kid in front of a confectionery store when I get a glimpse of upcoming games I have a chance to be a part of. As I write this I am anxiously awaiting the results of the entrance exam I did for Ubisoft. It's amazing to speak personally and on a professional level with people who have worked on games that I have enjoyed over the years. Like the time I was introduced to tabletop role-playing as a teenager, I feel like I'm coming home to a new world. I'm very much looking forward to working on future game projects.
Choosing which company that has opened it's doors to me is a tough one. I wish I could do my internship at all of them. Since I am not Jamie Madrox and can only be in one place at one time, I am forced to weigh the pros and cons. Among other things, I have to remind myself why I do this. I have a wonderful wife and 4 sons, and my daughter Brieanna Danielle is due to arrive in November. It is our career that defines us in society, but it is our family that lays the foundation for that very definition. A family that acts as a hindrance will surely affect how your career or job defines you just as much as a family that is actively supportive. I plan to go far in this business, and if I want my family to support me, then I have to include them as an active part of my goals. Becoming a father never gets old, every child is an enrichment of your life, and never does this enrichment diminish with the growing number of children. I want to see my children grow up, take their first steps, go on their first dates. Some career-men might assure you that you have to sacrifice many of these things to go get the bigger office or pay for that new sportscar. But who am I doing this for if not my family? What good is a sportscar when I can't fit my army of offspring into it? You can be a great father and husband and at the same time be successful doing what you love.
Don't believe me? Just keep your eyes on me in the coming year and I might change your mind.
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