There are two sides to me. One of them regards my career as an interactive designer. It’s the side that enjoys things that work the way they’re supposed to. It’s the side that appreciates the subtle appropriateness of a typeface used in the perfect context, and attention to ergonomics of my toothbrush. It’s the side that loves the functional beauty of HTML 5, Japanese swords, and Apple.

The other side of me (of which my wife didn’t discover until after we were married) is a gamer—an elf-loving, sci-fi-nerding, experience points hoarding gamer. It’s the side that drew Zelda logos in my notebooks in school, and logged hundreds of hours staring at a nine-inch quarter of a TV playing split-screen Goldeneye matches in the “Facility”. It’s the side that still gets restless like a thirteen year old at Christmas on the eve of an anticipated launch.

And these sides of me, for most of my life, have been mutually exclusive. My education in art and design had no time for the distractions of death matches, and my game time had no desire to be subjected to the critique of form and function. These two loves were oil and water—work and play. And maybe it was necessary that way.

But later in life, I’m beginning to find an overlap seep its way into my professional field, and design sensibilities more often affecting my enjoyment of games. Through the evolution of technology, the advancement of how we look at user-experience and design, and a little desire for some quality in my play, the worlds of gaming and design have began to show me connections I wasn’t necessarily looking for.

More and more, my professional design career becomes a game. Websites are flashy portals into an alternate realm where products are perfect, prices are low, and customer service rocks. Social media and the desire to “go viral” turns word of mouth into a game of zombies, infecting users with brand buzz to spread to the masses. Web trends and analytics turn customers into Sim City. And this isn’t cynicism. In fact, with this outlook, achieving goals for another brand suddenly becomes my personal challenge. Cue Quest Marker over client’s head.

And in the same way, my outlook on gaming is becoming all the more affected by my design taste. It’s no longer enough for a game to look good, with solid mechanics and interesting challenges. Realism is no longer as alluring or desirable as good art direction and a unique voice/style. User interface and menu designs can no longer be an afterthought. And, for the love of Miyamoto, why are we still asked to Press Start to Begin before the main menu?

So, this, in a sense, is the purpose of this site. It’s an outlet where I will explore the marriage of design and games to satisfy my personal curiosity about my work and my play. I am no game designer or industry insider. This site will be more about asking questions and exploring connections than spouting dogma about what should and shouldn’t be considered good game design.

It’ll also be a steady stream of interesting elsewheres and miscellany regarding other disciplines as they align with gaming. Expect links to interesting articles, creations, and conversations that (hopefully) aren’t also linked on every other gaming site you follow.

Now, with the awkward ‘first post’ aside, lets Press Start to Begin.