So, sorry for deeply neglecting this journal. Life has been a bit mad. All my creative juice has been eaten up as of late by my video game designs, both for work and my own private designs.
We finally announced the game i've been working on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1bQSw7FOUQ It's a really good game & i'm lucky to be working on it. So far, the critical reception has been really good, but we'll have to see what happens upon release.
In addition, I just got promoted to Lead Systems Designer. I now am "management", as I have my own department that's fairly critical to the project.
Reaching "lead" within video game systems design is basically a very solid & rewarding career for life, especially considering i've worked on and am working on very prestigious games. It's something i'm also proud of because I got there in such a short period of time. Most designers work 7-10 years before they make lead, if ever.
The thing that makes me most happy is that i'll be in a position to really execute my creative vision for my features. I've got license to be creative and really own my work. The title means less to me than the ability to really bring to life my ideas and design aesthetic. Especially since i'm not even 30...it'll give me time to really develop a body of work I can look back on once my creative energies flame out and i'm just collecting checks.
Life is good. Lots of people have told me in the last few days,"You're living the dream." It certainly feels that way right now.