The idea of chasing your dreams and following your passions have been synonymous to professional happiness since the first time I thought about what I wanted to be "when I grow up". I loved the idea of digging fossils and imagining how dinosaurs actually behaved, so palaeontology seemed like a possible career path. I also loved video games and hoped to create something that challenged and inspired players, but those dreams were ultimately tempered by the pressure of finding a "stable job".
Through an unorthodox degree from SFU's School of Interactive Arts and Technology, I ended up landing in User Experience design which I really enjoy. Creating gratifying software experiences is great and the rush of finding clarity in complexity is awesome, but ultimately not fulfilling. I was recently given the opportunity to reflect on why I wasn't fulfilled in my career and realized that I had left behind something that deeply inspired me: Play.
This is where this blog comes in. I'm not about to change from a career I find interesting, but I do want to pull from what deeply inspires me. I plan to write about video games in particular and what we could learn from them to enrich and improve our user experience design practices. This is my first foray into the world of blogging so I'll be making lots of mistakes, but with your help, we'll get to something that inspires all of us.
So, here's to starting something new and scary. Hold onto your butts.