The Background
During the CGC, a student-run conference at UTD that I have helped to organize, Randy Pitchford spoke. During his speech he selected one individual from all the aspiring game developers to be his shadow for a week, shocking the crowd. Randy asked anyone who was interested in following him for a week to stand up. He proceeded to eliminate participants with statements such as "If you're not graduating this year, sit down". By the end, the heat was on and the questions were very tough, like, "What is more important - being on time or being on budget?" (which was a trick question). At the very end, Ray was the only man left standing, and this week is his chance to see the inside of Gearbox Software - an unprecedented event here. This series of blogs is his story, giving an inside look to the community.
I first asked him to write a blog about how he got here, his thoughts on getting to watch a top decision-maker for a week, and what he expected.
Ray's Blog: Pre-Gearbox
I attended the Computer Game Conference at University of Texas at Dallas from April 7 to April 9. I was looking forward to a fun and interesting weekend, a weekend full of events and very informative. I knew some of the students who were involved in the background, providing planning and support. It was to be a huge affair, and I was not disappointed.
What I did not know was that after the conference, I would be the unbelievable recipient of a phenomenal moment in time; I had somehow won a week with Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox. During his presentation, Randy announced that at the end he would hold an event from which he would select someone to spend a week with him, basically to shadow him during this time and observe not just the inner workings which any tour guide can provide, but to see the inside from the very top down. Naturally, everyone was hyped, including me. But, since I have always been notoriously unlucky at contests, my confidence ended there. I simply wished the lucky sap, whoever that may be, my best regards.
Needless to say I wound up wishing those regards to myself! I do not know for sure what it was that I said during his question and answer session that convinced Randy to choose me, but as they say, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
So this amazing week begins. Randy has demonstrated that he is a risk taker and a visionary, by giving an average Joe an opportunity like this. I expect to meet some of the most talented and cool people in the industry. They will probably share with me their dreams and what they plan to do at the company to make it even more successful. They will share that most precious nugget of information of all, "how I got here", the sacred treasure that those of us pursuing a career in this industry lusts after. I know that there will be cool technology that will cause the drool to flow freely - better take a bib. I will divulge everything to the fans that I can.
To say that I am excited and nervous is not to do true justice to how I feel. No gamer can give value to a moment like this. This is the legendary invite to Mount Olympus that mortals live a lifetime hoping to receive. I know Randy and everyone at Gearbox love their fans and work super hard to provide game entertainment that is unparalleled. I hope that I can convey that excitement this week to all of the fans of Gearbox. I hope that this will be an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the game industry and somehow demystify it even a little for people on the outside. I am not a member of the press, or a possessor the inside track, I am just an average Joe, and so I stand up for all Jane's and Joe's when I say, "Olympus awaits!"
