Hand Waving Visionary

This morning it seems I am creating animations.  We need a few more for our game demo and I’ll be putting them together.  I play an interesting role on the project, one of many hats.  I am an animator, a lead programmer, and I believe most critical, hand waving visionary.

What is a “Hand Waving Visionary?”  It’s the person that keeps life and the project exciting and on track within the context of the game.  It’s not something that you learn to be.  I think it is just something I am.  I can take a small thing, and hype it up and make it important and likable.

Why do you need that?  Game development is hard, it is not the glamorous thing you thought of as a kid.  You need the small things to seem grand and impressive to keep going at times.  It really is about creating a team that feels every part of the process is fun, energetic, and lovable.  So I wave my hands, talk about warm fuzzy things, and watch in amazement as my teammates and I put together an amazing interactive world.

Why Am I a Game Developer?

Why am I a game developer?  I am not sure if I’ve ever asked myself that question.  Why is anyone a game developer?  Let me take a stab at it.  Why did we fly to the moon?  Why do people climb a mountain?  Why would people cross the ocean to find a new land?  I think we are game developers for the same reason people do all those things.

It’s not easy, it’s a road less traveled, and it is dang cool to do.  Very few truly get a game done and attempt to bring it to the world, just like very few have ever stood on the Moon.  There are some people who just want to go to places very few have made it to.  Some people just like a challenge.  Some people, like us, are just enough of a mess that we think we can entertain the masses with our coding, story, creativity, and passion.

No matter why we are game developers, the true great thing is, there are game developers, but very few people prove it.