I typed in my first lines of code on that machine and I was hooked. I read the manuals, I entered programs from books and magazines and I watched as the graphics flew across the screen and listened as the audio emitted from the sound chip. I couldn't get enough. Regrettably, I wouldn't find out until much later how truly fabulous the C64 was. I had already moved on to the Commodore Amiga and beyond by then.

Throughout school, I focused on computer programming, all the while ensuring that games remained a big priority for me. I often visited the local arcades and I purchased many game consoles and handhelds shortly within their release. After graduating, doors opened up for me and I quickly started my own consulting business. My skills were in high demand and I was fairly successful, travelling often to work at client sites in Canada and within the US. Unfortunately, this work was not in the game development sector, but I was very good at it. Still, I continued to dabble in game development on my spare time.

These days, I am fortunate enough to devote a little more than half of my time to game development in an attempt to become self sufficient creating games on multiple platforms. I've learned several tools of the trade, my favourite of which is GameMaker Studio 2. I took a 10-month game design course to help supplement my engineering skills. I've also amassed many contacts in the industry including concept artists, pixel artists, composers, audio engineers and game designers, both indie and AAA. I've also published one small game (Memroid) to understand the pipeline from beginning to end. Everything is going splendidly.

Unsurprisingly, my game development efforts are focused on retro and retro-inspired games as well as remakes of classic games. Perhaps it's because I feel some regret at never having professionally worked on games during the 8- and 16-bit bit gaming generations. Whatever the reason, I am elated that retro-gaming is still alive and well today. And I am immersing myself in it.

Which leads me to the next section…