WHO AM I

      My name is Paul Finley and I’m not just the average video game freak. Well, I am, but that’s not all that I am. My mission is to incorporate my values of spiritual awareness, fun, responsibility, staying teachable, and investing in the personal growth of others through the design of video games.  I have been a gamer all my life and as a full time student pursuing a Bachelor degree in Video Game Design at Full Sail University I’ve learned this industry is unflinching.  The hardware and software tools being used make for a great time to dive into the designing aspect of one of the most diverse (and challenging) forms of art and entertainment.

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 ORIGINS

     My humble beginning in gaming starts way back to a mere six years of age.  My uncle plugged a magical box into the back of his TV that produced a crystal clear image I had never seen before.  The normal fuzzy snowfield produced was replaced with distinct sharp lines of two paddles, a centerline, and a mysterious reappearing “ball” that was meticulous in its efforts to escape the pounding it was subjected to.  This incredible machine also had amazingly precise controls and a way to keep score in order for players to know who won.  My brother and I spent two hours of hard-nosed competition before we were torn away by a concerned mother.  Needless to say I was hooked.

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     The next stage in this journey was a few years later when that same mother (with a few concerns shared by her husband) bought us an Atari 2600 for Christmas.  With games like Combat, Night Driver, Warlords, and Race (the Sears version of Indy 500) I was mesmerized with how much control this newer system had over the now outdated PONG.  The same uncle mentioned above also owned the game Adventure which introduced me to how menacing a pixelated dragon can be.  The ability to manipulate the images on the screen in almost any way I wanted, and the many gameplay settings for each cartridge, kept me coming back for more.  This was also the motivator for me to earn my own money being my parents would only sometimes pay half for a game we wanted.  My brother and I would split most of the games, with the only disappointment coming at the hands of Pac-Man.  It wasn’t until we bought Pitfall in 1983 that my passion for gaming really took off.  The game had a new look and “better graphics” than anything I had seen prior.  It also had a different feel than other games with a non-stop flow of changing environments.

     Since those early happenings I have had the privilege of living through the growth of the gaming industry and playing, if not owning, every system as it has been released (barring the Jaguar, thankfully).  I have gone through the continual battle of crashes, power outages, upgrades, corrupted files, broken controllers, thumb and webbing sores, no saves to quicksaves, AAA to independent, as well as mega hits to mega flops. I have loved every moment of it.  There is something to be learned with every example and I am more excited with the direction of the gaming industry now more than ever.

WHO CARES

     This is what brings me to where I am and why I work so hard to be an asset to this industry – which is where you might come in.  I have played around with minor programming and design for the last ten years, but without formal training it was not making sense.  As a result, I was only able to get past a few basic tutorials without my mind melting.  When I came across specific schools that taught the fundamentals, I was interested but could not afford the tuition. It wasn’t until the beginning of 2014 that I was able to put the resources together and enroll at Full Sail University later in the year, and have not regretted it. 

     With the foundational knowledge I have already gained, I have the potential to be a solid contributor in designing, building and developing your next games.  Courses utilize the Unity engine and C# scripting to build game objects and environments.  They also build the interpersonal communication and fundamentals needed to excel in a working environment.  Through this, I have and will continue to dedicate myself to the constant growth necessary to stay on the forefront of the industry.

WHAT MAKES ME TICK

     My beliefs revolve around these core values which are not just regurgitating words.

• Teamwork  - Individual efforts are important to the success of a project. If those efforts are not focused together, the project will fail. 

• Communication – Understanding those around me in order to promote a positive work environment.

• Full out – Whatever task given to me must be done with everything I have.

• Flexibility – Change is something that pushes our industry.  Do not get caught in a rut.

• Growth of Others – The weakest link(s) should be reinforced and strengthened.

I’M EAGER TO GET STARTED

Enough said.  Let’s kill this.