About Me:
Hello there! My name is Carmen Kennedy, but I prefer to go by Christopher. I am a video game designer and a full-time college student. My current endeavor is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing. Before that, I earned an Associate’s Degree in Game Design & Development and created 3 games with different teams of people. Two were video games and one was a board game.
My history with gaming started when I was a kid and received my first game, Pokémon Diamond for the Nintendo DS. It was truly magical. Throughout my life I would get to experience tons of different gaming experiences, ranging from Minecraft on the Xbox 360 to Rainbow Six Siege on the PS4, to Destiny 2 on PC, and everywhere in-between. Video games were, and continue to be, a core pillar throughout my entire life.
Why Project Management?
The reason behind why management roles seem to speak to me the loudest when it comes to game development is probably the feeling of wonder that I experience when all the different disciplines of game development come together to create a cohesive vision that can only be described as a work of art. I feel wonder whenever I have the opportunity to coordinate all these extremely talented people from all different disciplines into crafting a piece of art. The culmination of all that effort creates a wholly unique experience via the medium of a video game. Playable orchestras of art. All the different types of arts, ranging from visuals to music to design to storytelling and much more, come together to create a symphony that outlasts its composers. Every time I’m lucky enough to be tasked as the conductor, I’m euphoric to be able to lead such talented groups of people towards a common goal. Everyone playing their different instruments in harmony results in the most beautiful pieces of video game history being created. I firmly believe that video games are the ultimate expression and culmination of art itself.
Why Game Design?
As for how I approach my game design tasks, I am the type of game designer who thinks carefully about every single painstaking detail and how every decision ripple effects towards shaping the player experience. I really enjoy pitching my creative visions to the people I work with and often found myself doing things like physically acting out combat moves or narrative sequences in meetings for Edge of Hell. I’m no stranger to 8-hour-long late-night meetings trying to get a build done in time for the deadline, or manning booths at in-person events to market game demos to strangers-turned-playtesters. I dedicate my all to whatever game I’m working on.
Why Game Development?
My passion has led me to wear multiple different hats, such as Game Designer, Level Designer, and multiple different positions under the umbrella of Project Management. Games are complex pieces of art that take many pairs of hands and many skilled people to complete them, and whenever a game I’ve worked on needed me to fill in for a role I wasn’t assigned, I never hesitated to jump in and do my best.
My favorite part of game development is, without a doubt, creating stories for people to enjoy. That can take shape through designing mechanics that foster emergent gameplay, using environmental storytelling throughout my levels to tell quiet but strong narratives, or directly immersing the player through fun gameplay moments. Designing fun and memorable experiences is what drives my game development process. In the future, I also want to focus on the development of social and multiplayer design because I think that video games are the best way for people to connect and make new lifelong friends. Things like Destiny 2’s social features and Rainbow Six Siege’s in-game communication options helped me to meet some really awesome people throughout the years. I hope to design more ways for people to bond through the video games I’m a part of.
Why Marketing?
I chose to pursue a degree in marketing because, put simply, everything in life is marketing. Want people to check out your game you developed? Need marketing for it. Trying to get funding for your game’s kickstarter? Need marketing for it. You want to get hired by that AAA studio, but perhaps your resume just isn’t conveying your value enough? Need marketing for yourself. Marketing is everywhere and learning how the marketing game gets played is the fastest way for me to advance my career in this value-based world where you have to convey value efficiently and expertly.
How I Spend My Free Time:
In my free time, I enjoy chipping away at developing my Unannounced Tactical FPS game built with Unreal Engine 5. Taking long walks to clear my mind, learning more about game design on YouTube, studying Japanese, and enjoying various games I’ve got sitting in my backlog take up the rest of my time! I’m also working towards a certification to teach English in foreign countries.
Games with thought-provoking components and collecting mechanics often grab my interest, so I find myself playing Siege, Valorant, Destiny 2, Pokemon, Overwatch, and various singleplayer experiences. Recently, I’ve been getting into the world of Kingdom Come Deliverance 2! Their blacksmithing mechanics are out of this world!
Thanks for reading!
Make sure to check out the rest of my portfolio while you’re here, and if you have any questions you’d like to ask me, feel free to reach out!