Growing up on a diet of Dragonlance, Dragonball and Harvest Moon 64 may have not been particularly helpful when it comes to playing tennis or learning piano, but man if it didn’t pave the way for a life steeped in the cultures of nerddom: things like creating in those spaces, dissecting the way shows subvert of play straight the various tools of the trade, theory-crafting the ideal way to play a hand of Magic the Gathering or arranging a viable mental stack in a fighting game.

It all stems from a childhood filled with dragons, power levels, and casual farming simulators. I love it so much that it has been described as “nerdy”, but it is because of my love for these things that I turn my attention to opening the field for others to partake in those cultures. That may mean designing, testing, and iterating on gameplay accessibility. It may mean designing narrative spaces that allow others to safely explore other cultures and media. Maybe even designing characters, card sets, or games that cater to under-served populations.