2013 Review

This year was full of many adventures and exciting times. I feel kind of like it was a ramp-up, and that 2014 might explode…but for good or for awesome? Only time will tell. Here’s a few memories from 2013.

 

Work

At work, we finally revealed the project that I’d been working on since Resistance 3 shipped, that being Sunset Overdrive. It felt great to be able to share the trailer with the world, and I worked on many things for the first half of the year, both exciting and challenging. However, during the summer, I made a transition to working on something else that was more of a process experiment. I will be able to talk about that in more detail, soon, but the second half of 2013 was incredibly refreshing and fulfilling, work-wise. I continue to be ever grateful for Insomniac and my job as a game designer. Meanwhile, I’ve turned up the networking knob a bit for 2013, partially under the encouragement of Nick, and have been more active in reaching out and connecting with my fellow game devs, through the internet or Game Dev Drinkups or whathaveyou.

 

Pets

Mr. Davis has had some ups and downs this year. He had to have some teeth pulled at the very beginning of the year, and then had a frightening bout with pancreatitis which has unfortunately turned into a chronic condition. However, in his normal day-to-day life he remains happy, and continues to be a valued source of unconditional love in my life.

 

Personal

Nick and I moved in together this year! So far it has been wonderful, and Mr. Davis is also happy about the arrangement. Meanwhile, I feel like I’ve had a lot of insights this year, and forged deeper bonds with friends and mentors. Whenever I review it in my mind I feel an overflowing of love and gratitude, and I’d like to take part of 2014 to express these feelings in a more overt way. Financially, I continue to plug away at the student loan, and if all goes as planned, it should be gone by the end of 2014! Hobby-wise, playing League of Legends and watching e-sports has only been on the rise. As far as games played, I’ll save my top 5 games of 2013 for another post.

 

Side Projects

I got involved in more out-of-work projects this year, including a few game jams and my first solo Ludum Dare. I also buckled down and participated in National Novel Writing Month, which is something I’d always meant to do but put off. Not only was I successful, but I opened some manner of portal in my brain and a giant story is trying to squeeze its way out. I have been honestly surprised at how consuming the experience has been. 2014 will see it out into the world. In other side projects, I made an effort to work more non-fiction into my reading rotation, and feel like I’ve absorbed all kinds of interesting new bits of knowledge as a result. Mentoring continues to be a part of my time, both through Game Mentor Online and through connecting directly with students via my various alma maters, as is photography at the animal shelter.

 

Health

This year I felt like I was more successful than ever with consistently riding my bike to work. Nick and I also established a frequent hiking habit which has been beneficial. And ever since moving into the new apartment, I have been walking a lot more on a regular basis. I feel really good about myself right now, but have an antsy urge to get harder/better/faster/stronger, just because. I think it is a desire to channel the blossoming of energy that I’ve felt grow inside of me this year, possibly as a result of all the side projects.

 

I have a sensation that 2014 is going to be full of creative energy and positive relationships, and I am excited and curious and wiggling with anticipation for whatever surprises it may have in store for me.

2012 Review

2013 is already ramping up, so I’d better get my wrap-up post under way! 2012 was a busy and exciting time at work, and though I can’t talk about specifics as my project is still super secret, I will say that I feel I’ve stretched out my feelers into new responsibilities, and thus learned lots of new and exciting things and brushed up on a few older skills that were lying dormant.

I also got more involved with the next generation of game developers in a couple of different ways. I started volunteering as a mentor for Game Mentor Online, and have had a wonderful experience with that. I also did some traveling and “educating the youth” visits throughout the year. I find I really do enjoy helping someone find their path and teaching them what I can, just in small sessions or with one person at a time :) This trend will likely continue – I’ve picked up a second mentee through GMO this year and am scheduled to talk to some girl scouts about working in games in February.

2012 Marked my 10th year of blogging, which boggled my mind somewhat! To celebrate, I started up my daily doodle blog, which I’m not sure counts since there is no writing involved and everything is scheduled months in advance. All the same, it was a thing. In spite of the anniversary year, my blog was pretty quiet in 2012, filled with recipes more than anything else. I’ll see if I can remedy that for 2013, and I’m also contemplating moving to Wordpress from Blogger. Still undecided.

Last year was also my start as a volunteer with Sante D’or, which is the shelter where I adopted Mr. Davis. I’d wanted to get involved in volunteering somewhere for awhile, and had been keeping up with the group on Facebook, so I dove right in and started visiting the shelter regularly to photograph the residents. The experience benefited me twofold – I love to help snuggle and care for all the shelter kitties, and I feel it’s also helped me improve my photography skills.

Not too shabby for my first year as a “for reals” adult (according to little kid Lisa, 30 was a grown-up). 2013 has many ambitions of its own, so onward!

2011 Review

- This year included a lot of adventuring around LA, what with my do-one-free-thing-in-LA-each month goal.  I definitely discovered some fantastic local festivals that I want to attend again, like the Kite festival and Shakespeare in Griffith Park.  It got me on the metro and around the city more, and I feel a little more informed about this place because of it.

- This was also like the year of e-sports for me.  Spurred on by my enthusiasm from last year’s Blizzcon, I got very involved in watching the NASL matches, staying up late with Nick to watch GSL finals, watching MLG events, and going to some tournaments (NASL finals for seasons 1 and 2, MLG Anaheim, and Blizzcon).  It has been great fun, if not incredibly nerdy.

- On the game development front, Resistance 3 shipped this year!  My first grown-up-game-designer cred!  Hooray!  I also started writing for Mike Acton’s blog, #AltDevBlogADay, which has been really fun and successful.  Indiecade this year was once again thwarted by sickness, alas!  But I did do a games-related podcast this year, and was a guest speaker via Google Hangout for a college game design club.

- I managed to go the entire year without a visit back to Kentucky until Christmastime, and I nearly went crazy from homesickness.  It’s amazing to me how recharging I find Kentucky.  As soon as I set foot outside the airport, I feel its energy rushing up through me, and I always leave feeling refreshed and renewed.  So, for my health, I’ll be making some extra visits in 2012.

- Unfortunately, 2011 is winding to a close on a very sickly note.  Poor Nick got terribly sick when he got to Kentucky, and since returning to LA I’ve been nursing him, so no extravagant New Year’s Eve party for us.  Eh, no matter, I’m in a low-key sort of mood anyway.

In general, 2011 has been very straightforward, “business as usual.”  Lots of cooking, cat-walking, starcraft-watching, game-making, and other such common day-to-day activities in my life.  It felt hearty, like I got a lot of sustained mental nutrition out of the year, if that makes any sense.  Anyway, I’m looking forward to what 2012 will bring, and hoping that one thing will be less sickly-times for my boyfriend.  Onward!

2010 Review

- 2010 was a very social year. Granted, a lot of it was geeky socializing (Venture Brothers marathon, D&D, board game night, frisbee golf, Magic the Gathering, craft fairs, crawfish festivals) but I was still probably more regularly socially active than I’ve ever been in my life.

- Goal 1 for 2010 was “Get a Cat,” and so I did! Mr. Davis has become a beloved member of my family and a huge part of my life. He is simultaneously the most affectionate cat I’ve ever had while also being the most headstrong, and I love him very much. I miss his snuggly face and can’t wait to get back to it!

- Goal 2 for 2010 was “Go to Japan,” and thanks to the generosity of host and friend, Scott Coffrin, I had another short but AMAZING trip to the country. I really do love that place.

- The biggest bonus for the year was starting my relationship with Nick, my awesome boyfriend. Last year’s review noted how I was putting off the attempts of dating, and it wasn’t long after that I found someone. Turns out all I had to do to find someone amazing was stop looking, and he came into my life :)

- I joined a CSA, which is a small note, but one which I’m proud of (both in that I’m supporting local farmers and doing more experimental cooking, and that I’m actually eating vegetables now).

- 2010 was a big year for me at work. My team was tasked with creating our level into a demo for Sony, and trying to get it to a polished state as a visual high bar for the rest of the game. If you’ve seen the recent stuff for Resistance 3 with the gameplay on the boat, that’s my level! It was a big challenge but a fun one, and my awesomesauce team really pulled together and made something great and fun. It was really exciting when we hit that milestone, and it’s even more exciting now that gameplay from my level is out and about in the world.

- I started playing Starcraft II, went to Blizzcon, and discovered I really like watching RTS games in a tournament setting.

- I visited home and educated the youth about game development, and then turned around and went to another fantastic Project Horseshoe.

- Didn’t get home for Thanksgiving, but had a really fun Orphan Thanksgiving Dinner in Burbank.

- Had a fantastic winter break! First of all, I am ever grateful to work for a company that is not in education and still has a Christmas Break! Second, it was really fun to bring Nick to Kentucky and show off my hometown and introduce him to my family and my most beloved of friends. Showing Louisville to someone who had never been made me look at it through the eyes of a newcomer, and it made the whole experience of being at home feel fresh.

- Meanwhile, I’m finishing off the break with a crazy relaxing time in Sarasota. Many a day I have slept in, and upon waking, reached for my laptop and spent hours WoWing in bed, which is like having breakfast in bed only way nerdier. We’ve had strolls on the beach and met up with Nick’s family and friends, and just mostly chilled. I feel very relaxed and ready to jump back into the swing of work next week.

Maybe it’s a little out of form to post my year review before 2011 has fully rung in, but I anticipate a relaxing evening, some socializing with Nick’s old friends, and then falling asleep in the laziest of fashions. I’m really excited about what the next year has in store!

Decade Photos

Here's a meme I just made up. Post a photo of yourself from each year of the past decade, with accompanying blurb. You only get to pick ONE for each year!


2000

From Lisa's Decade

I'm actually only 99% certain this is from 2000. As I recall, it was my last volunteer trip on my last summer as a volunteer for the Louisville Science Center, to the magical realm of COSI. If it's actually from 99, then some LSC person correct me. Either way, my brain says it's 2000, and what a magical unicycle ride on a tight rope it was!

2001

From Lisa's Decade

In February, I dressed up in a cupid-like fashion, ran around and shot people with my nerf crossbow, and then showered them in "hugs and kisses" (of the Hershey's variety).

2002

From Lisa's Decade

That's me in the booth! I was running the light board for A Day in the Death of Joe Egg at Centre. A fabulous performance, if I do recall. Lookit how long my hair is!

2003

From Lisa's Decade

This is me at the Berkshire Theatre Festival, whacking a machete against a rock. Ah, the tasks one does in props!

2004

From Lisa's Decade

While scavenging the Long Island Sound, I found this horseshoe crab! A good portion of 2004 was spent living in Connecticut.

2005

From Lisa's Decade

This was the year I went to Japan. Here I am eating my first meal in the country with Andrew.

2006

From Lisa's Decade

This is my favorite photo ever of me with my cousins. Hooray for family!

2007

From Lisa's Decade

The year of the ETC! Here we are as bright and ambitious young first-years, at the Chihuly exhibit at the Phipp's.

2008

From Lisa's Decade

OMG you guys remember when it snowed a bunch and we made that gigantic snow monster? TEAMWORK! No one was crushed by the giant snowball we pushed up onto the other giant snowball by using a ramp made of snow.

2009

From Lisa's Decade

Ah, graduation. Don't I look all Dr. Professional?

2010

From Lisa's Decade

One of the first photos of the New Year! Me with Tracy Brown (no relation) at the New Year's Eve feast.

Decade in Review

I've seen lots of these go around, and in spite of being a year short, they seem fun and insightful. It's certainly a nice way to scope one's accomplishments in the long term.

So, Lisa's Accomplishments in the Past Decade...

1) Graduated from High School

2) Ran the longest (and probably most enjoyable) D&D campaign I've ever been involved in

3) Went to and graduated from Centre College, stuffing my brain 4 years full of liberal arts experience and knowledge

4) Learned to paint with oils, painting many pieces therewith

5) Became a glassblower, and spent several years in the intense artistry of working with hot glass, making many pieces in the process

6) Took a computer science class on a whim, having no prior programming experience, and ended up double majoring in it

7) Ate sushi for the first time

8) Started my Livejournal

9) Immersed myself in the world of theater tech, ultimately becoming a props and puppet designer

10) Went to England and saw 30 plays in 3 and a half weeks, all over the country

11) Built a glass furnace from the ground up

12) Sold my first art

13) Used Napster

14) Won an award for the comic I drew for the college newspaper.

15) Got a job in regional theater building props

16) Ate my first lobster

17) Quit the theater

18) Had my first romantic relationship

19) Began keeping betta fish

20) Became a web developer

21) Got a job at the high school from which I graduated

22) Got my first apartment and spent 2 awesome years living there with Scott

23) Helped out on a number of independent animation projects, as producer and occasional animator

24) Started playing World of Warcraft

25) Went to Japan

26) Started a video game club for the students at an all-girls high school

27) Applied to, was accepted to, and eventually graduated from Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center with a Masters Degree

28) Found my calling as a game designer

29) Started a career

30) Lived in and visited cities all across the United States, including Louisville, Danville, KY, Stockbridge, MA, Westbrook and New Haven, CT, Pittsburgh, New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Austin, TX, Orlando, and probably a few others that I'm inevitably forgetting.

Phew! I did a lot in 10 years!

2009 Review

On my birthday last year, I made the mental note that 27 was going to be a good year, and it turned out to be true! I feel like I have grown leaps and bounds in just one year, and I'm very grateful for everything that has happened thus far. Let's sum up 2009...

- I opened the year in the most restful of ways: a self-imposed 2 week sleep experiment, wherein I slept as much as I wanted and when I wanted. I not only caught up on much needed rest, but learned a good deal about myself and my biological needs, enough to no longer feel guilty about sleeping too much. In a way, it was a means of forgiving myself. I have since become much more accepting of myself and my peculiar lack of energy and rest needs. It's amazing how simply not feeling guilty about something can change so much!

- I finished off my last semester at the ETC with a game design internship at Schell Games, working on unannounced projects and doing design work on the Disney Fairies MMO. My time at Schell was amazing and full of fun and good learning. I think my favorite thing about the company is the commraderie of its employees, the quality of which I haven't run into any place else. Schell Trek, our some-months-long lunch time Star Trek marathon, complete with trivia quizzes and pez dispenser prizes, was probably the best illustration of this. Not a lunch went by where the Schell Games lounge wasn't packed full of studio devs, anxious to watch that day's specially chosen episode. It was a fanatastic close to the spring. I love you Schell Games!

- The spring of 2009 also saw a lot of my time spent volunteering at Animal Friends, an animal shelter local to Pittsburgh. The relationships I developed with the animals there greatly improve my quality of life. I am anxious to get back to shelter volunteering now that I'm in LA, but when I moved out here, all the volunteer orientations for the local shelters were full. I'll have to wait until later this January to get back into the swing of it. Volunteering in some capacity, I think, is an important part of my life that I am often prone to neglect.

- 2009 also saw my feeble attempt at internet dating. Spurred on by the recommendations and success stories of friends, I gave OKCupid a try, figuring a little social education couldn't hurt. I talked with a variety of folks, went on a smattering of dates, but it all confirmed that, while it works wonders for others, internet dating is NOT for me. I eventually identified it as a major stressor in my life, so I isolated and DESTROYED it (i.e. deleted my profile) and I am happier because of it. Dating still sounds like a chore to me right now, so I'm putting it off for a more appropriate time.

- The biggest event of my life this year (besides graduating and getting my Masters degree) was my accepting the game designer position at Insomniac and moving across the country to Burbank. Some people are all about following their dreams and all that, but if you'd have asked me even 5 years ago if I expected to be working in video game development and living in Los Angeles, you would have received the blankest of stares. People have frequently exclaimed at my good fortune that I am "living my dream," but while that seems to fit the perception of others, it's not really true for me in the sense that this was never really a childhood dream of mine. I just happened to stumble into it, and realize that I'd finally found the thing to make me happy! Regardless of the route, the destination was the same: I LOVE what I'm doing, and I'm grateful every day for the position I have found myself in. I hope to be making games for a long time to come!

- As I have done every few years, I have been watching through Fullmetal Alchemist again, this time with Josh. FMA is by far my favorite anime of all time, and I love to share it with people who have never seen it. I hear from Scott that Brotherhood is fantastic, and hope to pick it up after I finish my run through of the original. Hulu, you bring us such wonders!

- I closed off 2009, as I have in the past, with wonderful, restful times spent with family and friends. Ballermas in Louisville (which I consider to have spanned all the days of my visit) was full of delicious food and fun games and happy puppies and wonderful friends. My dearest Louisville friends, I always keep you close in my heart! It was so good to see all of you! Similarly, I rung in the New Year in Pittsburgh with the ETCers, and did a lot of crazy, cross-cultural New Years traditions, including running across the street and back with luggage in one hand and cash in the other. Let's hope it brings me prosperity and safe travels! I also spent a huge portion of time backseat gaming while Andy played Assassin's Creed II, but that is a post in and of itself.

Anyway, I hope that 2010 brings adventure and opportunity to everyone! Happy New Year!

2008 Review

The first thing I learned when looking back on 2008 was that I forgot to do a year review for 2007. Doh! Oh well, such is life!

08 was a good year for me. I think I have changed into something different by the end of it, but something for the better.

- The ETC West Coast Trip: adventure and fun and education! I went to Disneyland for the first time and sniffed out more companies than I had any right to see. It was a fantastic opportunity, and I'm so excited to see this year's first-years head off on the same trip. Wee!

- I was lucky enough to land a sweet deal for my first project course at the ETC. Bandology was amazing, and I was so grateful to be on a team with such awesome people. I feel like it was a first step in boosting my confidence, and convincing me that yes, I could be a designer.

- speaking of which, GDC '08 was a pretty big turning point for me. That was when I figured out that I should be looking for a design internship, not a production one. For some reason, I'd held the role of game designer in my head as something that I couldn't do, reserved for people more awesome than me. At GDC I reached up and plucked it out and held it right there in my hand. It was some kind of magic.

- Ah, the summer. Pre-Insomniac Lisa and post-Insomniac Lisa were two completely different Lisas. Oh, Insomniac, you will forever be the incubator that hatched a new phase of Lisadom.

- Dorky though it may be, '08 was the year where I did some semblance of end-game content in WoW. Rather, it was the Year of the Tank. Confidence boosts come in more forms than one would guess, you guys.

- Imagine my luck when my second ETC project team was also awesome! Get In Line harnessed a freshly hatched new Lisa and drove her to new levels.

- I got to go to Project Horseshoe! What an awesome experience. I met cool people and stretched my brain in cool new ways and learned a thing or two about myself in the process.

- Which brings us to the most recent: ringing in the holiday season with the Tuesday Night Ballers. It was as though we'd all gone off on our own adventures, then came back to enrich one another with all that we had learned. Such wonderful friends, I am lucky!

I am extremely excited about 2009. A little scared, sure, but who isn't? It's going to be some kind of adventure, I can tell already.

2004 Review

-January of 2004 started out with Centre term and The Yellow Boat. It was an amazing experience, and made me think that I might want to do props as a job. The show itself was a joy to work on, and the end product was so powerful.

 -Also in January, my need for companionship drove me to acquire Fish, my first betta. He's still going strong--moved all the way up to a 10 gallon tank--and he provided many things for me through that spring term of senior year (namely company, and someone to care for--sometimes at my own expense).

 -Spring of 2004 was a flurry of busy times in my memory. I recall a lot of pain and sweat. It culminated towards the end, where it all paid off at the conclusion of my senior art exhibition, in which I was informed that I had acquired a job for the next year. The sensation of relief and excitement afterwards was amazing.

 -I made the best of my last summer ever. It was an outpouring of pent up creative juices into various forms of art, spending time with good friends, and having Carleton nearby. I made it a point to never be bored, and milked the time for everything I could.

 -The fall was the start of the changes. Moving up here, starting my job, having various intimidating grown-up things tossed at me from all around--it was all rather overwhelming. I've learned so much working at Long Wharf, both good and bad. I've acquired all kinds of exciting new skills, and all kinds of unpleasant new knowledge.

 -Winter rolls around, and it is time for change. It is strange, I love the things I get to do, I love to be able to create. But at the same time, I am not happy here. To put it bluntly, working in theater sucks balls. It is not worth it. People say that to work in theater you have to "really love it," more and more that's starting to sound like a cop-out, something people say to reassure themselves. I remember hearing about when Laura Beth Adams gave up theater to move to Arizona and teach aerobics, or something like that. Everyone seemed so shocked, and even outraged, but I think I can empathize now. I don't know what to do now. I took this internship to find out if I really wanted to do this as a job, and the answer is a resounding No. Would quitting be along the lines of abandoning these people or this obligation? Or would it be the right thing to do, the braver thing? More than this has taught me that being brave is terrifying and painful.

2003 Year-end review

Hooray for 2004! Time for the 2003 year-end review...

-2003 rolled in with winter term, rebuilding the furnace, and blissful blissful free time. Sitting quietly and watching D Flo, Brendan, Eric, and others play Gauntlet for 12-18 hours each day was like heaven. Heaven I tell you!

-Spring term was quiet front-loaded, and I remember most of the beginning was spent preparing for SETC, which was a great and fun experience. I'm really glad I went, and hope to go again this year.

-Getting the job at Berkshire was a great relief in the spring, because it meant I had no foreboding worries about the summer. It was also helpful that my scheduling for school worked out perfectly, and that I was able to get my first choice in campus housing for the next year. That spring term really was apologizing for all the hard stuff I'd had to do before, I think.

-The summer and The Berkshire Theatre Festival. I'm so glad i took that internship; I learned so much, had tons of fun, and that's where I met and developed my initial friendship with Carleton.

-Fall came around and school was tough, but I started dating Carleton, which was a big deal for me. Like, it goes down in the "Notable events of Lisa's Life" section.

-New Year's Eve. Hanging out with Brendan and Maria. Playing video games. I always have a rough time at New Year's parties, because I don't drink, and many of my friends who do would rather do that than sit and play video games. This year I decided to have fun, and I feel bad for not seeing Darren or Will, but I will see them again, and I actually had fun this year! Woohoo!

2004 is looking out to be scary and exciting, as graduation and for-really-real life is right on the horizon. I'm ready for it, though, i think. Hope everyone has a great year!