Start of the Semester Inspiration

“When I talk to young designers, and I talk to people who want to be designers, I tell them, “Here is the truth: The truth is, you are never going to make your dream game, so get over it. Okay? You are going to work really, really hard, you are going to go to school, you are going to spend time learning, you are going to write papers, you are going to intern someplace where you work very hard, and when you finally get your first job, it’s going to be designing levels for Hello Kitty.” And what I look for, when I am interviewing designers, I want a designer who can look at that and say, “Yeah, I don’t play Hello Kitty myself personally, but I am going to make this the best darn Hello Kitty game those twelve-year-old girls have ever seen, and I am going to take pride in that design.” That’s a true designer, and that’s what I look for.”
Interview with Sheri Graner Ray, longtime game designer, In Kafai, Heeter, Denner and Sun (eds.) (2008) Beyond Barbie and Mortal Kombat: New Perspectives on Gender and Gaming. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.