My guest is David Fox, one of the founding members, first game designer, and project leader at Lucas film Games / Lucas Arts in 1982. David worked in designing and scripting many of the graphic adventures of the 1980s. From 2007-2011, he worked with Disney as an Interactive consultant. He is currently Lead Programmer for the game, Return To Monkey Island, and adapting "Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game" to XR.

For those of you who are not game programers, XR stands for Extended Reality, a technology that is combination of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). David’s specialties are Producer and Game designer, iOS and Android app development with Unity 3D and Corona, iBook creation, Location Based Entertainment design, and Virtual Reality and Location Based VR.

He says the overall theme in everything he does is “Finding ways to use technology to enrich people's lives, and using humor and entertainment to empower change.”

When I reached out to David, I explained that I like to encourage and inspire people to do the thing they’d like to do. If you are a student or someone dreaming of a job as a designer or programmer in the gaming industry, I hope my conversation with David supports and inspires you to do the thing you want to do. David provides guidance into the paths you might choose to focus on, and what to expect when embarking on a career in the game industry.

In this conversation we talk about:

• How he got started in the gaming business.
• Career paths
• Technical skills crucial for a video game designer or programmer
• Industry Insights and trends shaping the future of game industry
• What a typical day at work is like
• How students can gain practical experience while in school
• Internships - how important they are and how to find and secure one.
• What projects and side activities a student should do to build their skill set and resume
• How important is it to have a portfolio and what should and should not contain.
• Networking and job hunting - How students can effectively network before they get out of college.
• What he looks for when hiring a new designer or programmer.
• The process of applying for a job.
• The best companies to work for.
• His experience working with start-ups, and why they may or may not be a good choice for you.
• Starting your own game company

SHOW NOTES

Connect with David Fox

LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/davidbfox

Website: ElectricEggplant.com (His Company)

Email: david@electriceggplant.com