It has begun!!

My Twitter followers already know this, but I just started school on Tuesday in the Video Game Design program at Full Sail University Online! I've already done a few assignments, which have mostly been about getting used to taking classes online, and becoming more familiar with the MacBook Pro that I am typing this blog post on. I've got a lot of fun looking projects and assignments coming up, and I have decided to share what I am going through with you, my loyal readers! This will also (maybe) help me be a little more consistant in the frequency of these posts.

So, for this first school-related post, I am going to share with you what I wrote for my first discussion board assignment for my first class, Digital Literacy. Here were the instructions for this assignment:

Respond to the following prompts to start a dialogue and connection with your peers. 

Share your story:

• What brought you to Full Sail and your particular program?

• What are your career goals?

• We all have something or someone that we admire or that inspires us; who or what inspires you? This could be a concept, topic, someone you know, an individual or company in the industry.

• What specifically inspires you about this person or concept?

• What motivates you to succeed?

And now, dear reader, is my response:

My story of coming to Full Sail and the Game Design program can be rather long, so I will try to be as concise as possible. I have known since high school that I want to work in the video game industry. However, at that time, I convinced myself that I couldn't since I am not much of a drawer and didn't start learning to program when I was 6. Now, after a different bachelor's degree, 7 years in retail, and 2 in e-commerce support, I have finally realized that my preconceived ideas of what it would take to create video games have been wrong all this time. I have the passion, the drive, the creativity, and am here now for the education. As far as specific career goals, I would ultimately like to own and run my own game development studio after working my way through several game design positions.

The biggest source of inspiration in my life is my wife, Uriah. She is the one who has helped me realize that I can do anything that I put my heart, mind, and effort into, including pursuing the career of my dreams. I once mentioned to her that I could go back to school and become an accountant. She told me that I could, but would be selling myself short and that I wouldn't be happy if I was doing anything besides making games. She is also very supportive of my passion for video games, even going so far as to pick up the controller and play with me sometimes.

My motivation to succeed is a combination of how much my wife believes in me and my own desire to realize my potential. I have lived too much of my life and worked too many jobs without challenging myself, and I am ready and fully prepared to change that.

There you have it, true believer! My first assignment towards becoming a video game designer is complete, and you are in on the ground floor! Stay tuned for more assignments and projects as I continue my education, and feel free to let me know what you think of my work! You can either post comments here, or connect with me on Twitter @NinjaPatBeck. Thanks again for reading!