NEWS! An Amazing Animator Agrees in Advance

More good news. 

I’ve just confirmed with Nate Walpole, Sr. Animator on a little game called Halo! Oh, you’ve heard of it. Well, wait to you hear what he’s working on next. Not only that, he’s going to tell you what you can do now to become an animation super-star like him.

Now that is something to look forward to! Dates to come shortly, but trust me, me don’t want to miss this guy.

Where I give the best advice I know.

I’ve been making games for a long time. 17 years to be exact. But let me start from the beginning, before I knew I was going to be gamer. Heck, before I even knew video games existed. 1978.

I love art. I always have.

One of my most vivid memories is of copying panels from Marshall Roger’s-Batman’s Detective Comics at my grandma’s apartment. She was having a nap and I snuck my comic book out (it was contraband for sure) and begin dreaming that one day I’d be a comic book artist. 

She woke up as I was in a drawing trance, (I was eight – did I mention that?) and she had a fit. Called the comic book and my drawings trash and made me throw them away. Then she made me wash my hands with bleach - seriously. To this day the smell of bleach makes me think of Marshall Rogers and Batman, not to mention my grandma’s bizarre reaction to something that I thought was amazing.

So, why start with such a dark memory. Well, it’s because later that day when I returned to my house, I pulled out a pad of paper and started drawing the panels again. Only this time without the aid of Roger’s comic in front of me. Guess what – it sparked. Not the drawing, it was probably horrible, but something inside me sparked that I could never turn off.  I drew until my hands were tired, then I moved on to the writing side of things. A bit backward now, but I remember doing it that way, and within a few days I had written and illustrated my first comic book. I showed it to my parents and they went bonkers. They praised me and told me it was wonderful. I went back to my room and hand drew a few more copies (This was 1978 BK – Before Kinkos) and I took them to school and passed them out. The three original copies of Batman and The Iron Fist soared around the 3^rd grade like wildfire and by the end of the week I was a celebrity.

Genesis is one of my favorite words. I means the beginning of something, usually something great. That week in my eight year old life was the genesis of me becoming who I am today. Oh, there were detours, major ones where I thought I’d be a lawyer or an accountant; great jobs, but I suck at math and I hate arguing.  But from that day on, I knew I would be a CREATIVE!

Here is what went right, and if I’m going to challenge you with anything it is this. It might be the most important advice I can give to anyone wanting to chase after a career in something crazy like games, or writing, or film.

Don’t give up.

NEWS! Ever hear of Retro Studios?

Yeah, that Retro Studios! They make classics like Donkey Kong Country Returns and the Metriod Prime games.

Well, Senior Software Engineer, Aaron Walker is going to stop by and chat. Talk about a great way to launch.  Just wait to you hear what this guy has done and he’s going to be talking with us about how he got started and how stinking amazing it is to be a video game engineer.

Thanks Aaron – I can hardly wait!

Work sucks! For realzies!

So. Your parents work. Your friends parents work.  Heck, you work.

In fact, if you’re like every other kid in the world, you probably bring home more homework than any adult you know. When was the last time you saw your mom or dad elbow deep in algebra homework. I know – right!

All you want to do is read a great book, play a video game, maybe even grab your Nerf gun and fire off  a few darts at the family dog – (not that I’m encouraging you to do that, but my dog has a Nerf Dart-Proof Vest).

Then it dawns on you. Flashes through your brilliant mind so fast you should get a brain ticket!

Somebody writes those books.

Someone makes your favorite video game.

Somewhere, some lucky guy is getting paid to design Nerf-Proof Jackets!

That should be you. Right?!

Well, I’m here to tell you that’s your right. It should be you and more importantly – it can be you.

My name is Dustin and I’m a 40 year old kid. I’ve been making video games, writing novels and working with toy companies for longer, well, longer then you’ve been alive. I love what I do, but I can’t do it forever. So, being the selfish guy I am, I’ve decided to share all my secrets and tap all my resources to help you become the next generation of writers, artist, toy makers and video game designers.

If I don’t, how do I know I’ll have something to do when I’m old and bald (okay, balder).

Hmm, I wonder if they sell Nerf Dart-Proof Vest in retirement homes. Better get on that one.