This quarter, I finally did it. I got a job working as a UX and Game Production Contractor for an actual game studio. This has been a major turning point in my journey because it marks the first time I am working in a professional game studio setting and translating the skills I have developed over years of study and experimentation into real-world production. In this role, I debug games, conduct playtesting, prepare assets to be production-ready, and contribute to UX design, all while collaborating with experienced designers and developers. Being part of a functioning studio has given me insight into the quick pace and communication required to work on games at a professional level, and it has challenged me to refine both my technical and creative skills in ways that no classroom or internship alone could.

This experience is the final artifact in this portfolio, symbolizing the point where all the exploration, layering, coloring, and refinement from my college career converge. I went from sketching initial ideas of exploring design to working for a real game studio, and I am incredibly surprised, but also satisfied with where this journey has taken me. The work excites me not just because of what I do, but because of its potential: this knowledge is teaching me to create games at a professional level, and I will hopefully use it to educate and engage players around social and environmental justice through game design.

Being at Card Advantage Games has helped me feel confident that pursuing this path is exactly what I was meant to do, and it validates the years of stumbling down paths documented throughout this portfolio. Most importantly, it gives me faith in my ability to move forward after college.