Alright! Time for an update. It's been a while, so let's catch up.
I just got back from Virginia Beach - I went on a vacation with my family. It was fun, but a bit hectic, and I'm glad to have a chance to unwind a bit from it.
I've been working hard on several projects. The Digital Game Book project is coming along great - as soon as I finish figuring out how to store an object reference into localStorage (a feat I'm certain is impossible) I'll be happy to host the code on my gaming blog for anyone to examine and change... though it is *my* project, so any final changes will have to be made by me so it remains my project. I can't claim someone else's work as my own as proof of my own skills! Run and Gun is on hold - I lost the project files when my Desktop decided it didn't like Windows 7 Service Pack 1 and blew it's MBR out (it's better now - reformatted, but better). I'll work more on it later.
I had an "interview" a few weeks ago with a potential employer (it was more a Q&A & Tour, honestly), but he asked me a question I had never really thought of; who do I look up to in my field? So, here's my answer now that I've had a chance to reflect on it:
* Anna Antrophy AKA Auntie Pixelante
* Konjak
* Paul Robertson
* Notch
* Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya
* Jason Rohrer
* Cactus
* Jason Remar
(I'll add links later to their personal pages.)
Each of these individuals has left their marks on indie games in their own ways, and I respect their individual abilities. They've been very inspiring to me, and I hope one day to be as well known as they are. But that won't happen overnight, and it definitely won't happen if I don't produce anything, so it's back to work!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Unicru, how I hate you.
So online applications suck. Mostly because of the test they force you to go through at the end of the process that "decides" whether or not you're potential employee material or not. But this attitude test is miserably broken and extremely impersonal.
First off, the test asks you to "Strongly Agree", "Agree", "Disagree", or "Strongly Disagree" to each question - and "Agree" and "Disagree" are automatically wrong. From there, it's simply a yes/no matter if you understand that there's no room for grey on their test. I approach everything I do honestly, so it's no wonder that I fail this dumb thing every time I take it - I read each question and ponder not what they want me to say, but what I feel is honestly my answer.
...but that's sort of the problem. On paper, I'm not very impressive; and on these tests, I usually end up in their "yellow areas", if not outright in the red. But once an employer actually sits down with me and takes the time to talk on a personal level, they usually see that I'm a great candidate. But web applications usually weed me out before that interview, and that feels very unfair to me (not that life's fair or anything - actually, it's unfair to that business 'cause it means they're losing one hell of a good employee by ignoring me).
I understand why they want to use this process - it means they don't have to deal with all the actual candidates; just the ones that seem like a good match. Saves time and they don't have to hire, train, and retain an HR person that only does hiring. Maybe this is a sign that I should stop applying to these places and start focusing more on career jobs - one where I don't have to ask if they want fries with their order.
First off, the test asks you to "Strongly Agree", "Agree", "Disagree", or "Strongly Disagree" to each question - and "Agree" and "Disagree" are automatically wrong. From there, it's simply a yes/no matter if you understand that there's no room for grey on their test. I approach everything I do honestly, so it's no wonder that I fail this dumb thing every time I take it - I read each question and ponder not what they want me to say, but what I feel is honestly my answer.
...but that's sort of the problem. On paper, I'm not very impressive; and on these tests, I usually end up in their "yellow areas", if not outright in the red. But once an employer actually sits down with me and takes the time to talk on a personal level, they usually see that I'm a great candidate. But web applications usually weed me out before that interview, and that feels very unfair to me (not that life's fair or anything - actually, it's unfair to that business 'cause it means they're losing one hell of a good employee by ignoring me).
I understand why they want to use this process - it means they don't have to deal with all the actual candidates; just the ones that seem like a good match. Saves time and they don't have to hire, train, and retain an HR person that only does hiring. Maybe this is a sign that I should stop applying to these places and start focusing more on career jobs - one where I don't have to ask if they want fries with their order.
FRIST POAST
Hello! And welcome to my own personal blog. I decided to make one of these things (finally) to help expand my web-presence. Oh, and I was told to too.
Anyways, the reason for this is to help people understand *me* better by sharing things that I like on here, as well as talk about non-gaming and non-programming related matters. If you want that blog, it's over here: erbarlow.blogspot.com
So, a bit about me. My name is Chris Wentzel, and I love video games, horror stories, animation, and lots of other stuff too. I'm 25 at the time of writing this, and I live near Dayton, Ohio. I enjoy cooking, bicycling, and lucid dreaming (or at least attempting to). I'm also unemployed and looking for work (hint hint) - I went to Shawnee State University for 8 years and earned my BA in Video Game and Simulation Engineering Technology this last spring. I typically explain this degree as a computer engineering degree without the hardware background; instead, it focuses on things like graphical systems, artificial intelligence, and physics-based simulations. All in all, I loved my time there, and I really miss my friends and professors. Given the chance I'd gladly go back, but living in the past is not conducive to my future - so I try my best to put those times behind me and keep marching forward.
And now with that out of the way, I shall be updating this on a fairly regular basis. I'll post links to articles, games, web-comics, and artist that I particularly enjoy, as well as my own ramblings on topics unrelated to my own game ideas - once again, I've already got a site dedicated to that. Ciao!
Anyways, the reason for this is to help people understand *me* better by sharing things that I like on here, as well as talk about non-gaming and non-programming related matters. If you want that blog, it's over here: erbarlow.blogspot.com
So, a bit about me. My name is Chris Wentzel, and I love video games, horror stories, animation, and lots of other stuff too. I'm 25 at the time of writing this, and I live near Dayton, Ohio. I enjoy cooking, bicycling, and lucid dreaming (or at least attempting to). I'm also unemployed and looking for work (hint hint) - I went to Shawnee State University for 8 years and earned my BA in Video Game and Simulation Engineering Technology this last spring. I typically explain this degree as a computer engineering degree without the hardware background; instead, it focuses on things like graphical systems, artificial intelligence, and physics-based simulations. All in all, I loved my time there, and I really miss my friends and professors. Given the chance I'd gladly go back, but living in the past is not conducive to my future - so I try my best to put those times behind me and keep marching forward.
And now with that out of the way, I shall be updating this on a fairly regular basis. I'll post links to articles, games, web-comics, and artist that I particularly enjoy, as well as my own ramblings on topics unrelated to my own game ideas - once again, I've already got a site dedicated to that. Ciao!
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