Why are you studying games?
Because most video games are awful.
Describe your favorite project made by a classmate.
Ben Sironko makes these hyper-formalist vector games often in a visual style reminiscent of golden era arcade games specifically asteroids. He has explained to me that this style is more related to minimalism rather than golden era nostalgia and I believe him because vector art is attune to formalism and precision and in his simple geometric style, the furthest thing from representation. He also sometimes, as a flair for his love of "random", puts a flickering random color on the lines. The one I enjoyed the most was a kind of minimalist recreation of the lucky section of the game described in the book Lucky Wander Boy. What a nerdy thing to make a game about while not being nerdy in the sense of making a game based on Captain America: Civil War which is a type of nerdy I detest.
Describe your most embarrassing playtesting moment.
One time I got peanut butter all over my keyboard and I made people play the game anyways.
What's your secret weapon?
Multimedia Fusion 2.
Describe one memorable lecture, assignment, or exercise you've had at the Game Center.
Eric said making a formalized version of subway surfing was like "putting a banana on a plate".
How has the Game Center changed your thinking about games?
I've become 20% more formalist.
What do you hope to accomplish after school?
Make a Sonic the Hedgehog game.
What's the last great game you played and what's great about it?
Putting a banana on a plate.
What's your favorite New York City spot?
Taqueria Tepango at 568 Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205. The atmosphere was better when they had Sonic the Hedgehog and Regular Show fan art everywhere made by the owner's teenage daughter, but their vegetarian torta is still the best I've had. It has fried plantains (part of the banana family), avocado, peppers, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo with the option of jalapeños. I've been getting it without mayo, onion, or jalapeños just for diet reasons. It's amazing. Sometimes I go there twice a week. I just got a subscription to Soylent, but I can see myself going there pretty frequently still.
