Community Statement

When I was in high school, I had a pretty rough year. I ended up feeling so alone, empty and lost that I had some thoughts I hope no one ever does… And when I thought there was nothing that could really give me any hope, I came across a little RPGMaker horror game called Blank Dream. I played it, and it changed my whole life, and set me on the path I’m on today. It taught me valuable lessons about the world and made me want to make games, so I could try and make something like it. I wanted to be able to make something that had an impact on people’s lives that needed it. 
Blank Dream was and continues to be the driving force behind my goal. Never have I experienced something that changed me so much in a positive way. During high school, aside from falling into a pretty depressive state for a year, I also had the fear of not knowing what to do afterwards. Blank Dream was a shining light in my dark world that year, and showed me that things are not always as they seem and that things can get better. The story was such an inspiration for me to keep moving. It also put the thought in my head that creating games could be a possible future, and as if to guide me along that path further, West-Mec introduced a new coding program and it was being offered right on time for me to join it my junior year. I joined it, and immediately fell in love with programming, and so now I’m at UAT, closer to my goal from years ago.
My biggest goal upon entering the industry is to release at least a version of my idea, Empty Waves. It’s the game I’ve wanted to make for years, and it’s slowly becoming a reality. With the story and characters, I want to make a huge impact on players. I want to give them characters they can relate to as themselves, characters they can project themselves onto. And then with these characters, it’ll be imperative to make them go through growth and acceptance so that players that may be in these situations can find comfort for their future, instead of thinking they’re in a bleak world that will never be kind to them. After Empty Waves, I hope to either keep lifting up the world of indie developing, or join a larger project that is crafting a game with a special narrative as well. My goal is to always be crafting these special stories. 
In conclusion, I am here at UAT to pursue my goal that was set by a single, very small game. I want to make something that special for others, and every day I see that goal get more and more real. I really want to make my first contribution to the world of indie games a big one, and thanks to my time at UAT, I feel like I’m more ready than I thought I ever would be.