Just the Start

So, this is the beginning of my 4th and final year here at Champlain. It will certainly be an interesting one by the looks of it. I am taking 5 classes 3 of which of which will require somewhere in the area of 10 hours a week including class time. I am doing 40 hours of community service this semester (not sure where yet but if you have suggestions I'm open to them). Plus 2 projects for the EMC both requiring somewhere in the range of 10 hours a week. I am totally excited for all of it but I feel like my social needs are going to take a bit of a hit because of this. Level Design is going to be an incredible class where I will get to learn a little bit more about a ton of different engines (my first class is tomorrow). Senior Team Project is exciting because it will give me a chance to really push myself with my partner and make something that is finally something I would actually want to show a potential employer. Finally Advanced Seminar will be exciting because I get to explore some of the crazier ideas I have had for game concepts and get more experience with rapid prototyping. Some of my ideas for that one are a game that is meant to be played by feel or that is designed specifically for the blind (this one I am pumped about but will probably be the most challenging) and another idea I had that was inspired by Orson Scott Card's books Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide, I love his Sci-Fi theories on the soul and connections and wanted to play with those ideas in a mechanic. So to say the least I am feeling the pressure already.

Aside from all of that, the Emergent Media Center (EMC) projects I have been working on have taken a bit of a break for this week but it is very much needed. Last week was my trip to Africa for the UNFPA project and my mind has been swirling ever since the day we landed. We saw so many things and learned so much it is hard to put into words. It was a very draining trip emotionally, physically, mentally, etc. So I am grateful to have this week to try and collect my thoughts (many of which are scrawled randomly in a journal). The Information Literacy project I haven't heard much of (because of my trip) and I have a feeling that it will be a struggle to get a finished product on time. Everything is there it just needs to be put together and that seems to be out of my hands for now (though I am trying my best to do what I can still). I will be working on both throughout the semester and hopefully I can keep posting my thoughts on the projects as they progress.

Thanks for reading.