It was 1996... I was a high school dropout working at what would now be considered a retro video game store called Underground Entertainment, where the guys from Rockstar Toronto (then GameTek) would frequent. Making games had been my dream since I slipped my first quarter into an arcade machine (it was Kung Fu Master at a bar if me memory servers). One of the testers (named Q) became a friend, even though he was a bit older than me. When the time came for them to need testing on their latest title (Quarantine II: Road Warrior), Q managed to get them to call me in. It was exactly what I had dreamed, from the Jolt cola cans to the epic Nerf battles. 😍 When the game shipped, I went to the boss and told him I wasn't leaving. I would get coffee or whatever they needed if I could stick around and learn from them. He agreed, and doubled my salary. In the next pitch meeting, I pitched an RTS game about Humans colonizing Mars, and having to battle Grey aliens who were also trying to the red planet for its resources and artifacts. That game became Dark Colony (pre-Star Craft). and the rest is history... I stayed there for about 6 years. My credits multiplied on each title. From sound design on GTA London 1969 (which won a BAFTA), to scenario and maps design (I built the entire London map for GTA), to writing and gameplay design. Feels like a lifetime ago, but my heart is still in it. Being able to not only live out my dreams, but to share them with others in full color, surround sound, 3D, virtual reality, is something that 17 year old kid couldn't even have imagined. I'm blessed in this life and thankful every day.🙏