It all started with a summer spent playing Mario Kart.
At first, it was just a hobby; three months gathered around a television, mashing buttons and directing the joystick of a Nintendo 64 controller while screaming in laughter with friends.
Several years later, while shooting aliens on an Xbox 360, that hobby turned into a passion.
Chris Boling, senior in software engineering, grew up playing video games and now aspires to design them for a living.
"One day when I was playing Halo 3, I just sat there with my friends wondering how it was made," Boling said. "I wanted to know what it took, so I just decided to look into it. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, and it is."
During his past four years at Auburn, Boling said he's taken advantage of the game design opportunities available to him.
As a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and the Auburn University Computer Gaming Club, Boling has met fellow gamers and programmers who helped him design two games over the past four years.
One game Boling designed, "Hectics," is available on Windows for download through the Windows Store.
"If you love gaming and have an idea, then you have the potential to create anything," Boling said. "Anyone can download the free programming software, Unity, and see for themselves."
Boling said his training through Auburn's software engineering program has been invaluable, but the hands-on experience is what has taught him the most.
"You can only get so much about the programming world from sitting inside a classroom," Boling said. "The best thing to do is just to Google things, research and do it for yourself, but more than anything, just go for it."
Daniel Justice, senior in physical activity and health, is president of the Auburn University Computer Gaming Club.
Justice grew up playing video games and still enjoys the hobby as an adult.
"It starts as a passion, and it turns into a hobby," Justice said. "After years of practice and time, it turns back into a passion, and that's where members of these gaming organizations are."
Justice said some of his favorite gaming experiences came from being a game tester.
"Game testing is really casual now," Justice said. "It used to be formal about 10 to 15 years ago, where designers would pay people to test out every little thing, but now everything is digital. Anyone can be a tester. You just sign up and get randomly selected to try out the game."
While becoming a tester isn't as selective as it used to be, Justice said it's a great way to contribute to the gaming world without being a designer.
"It's great to feel like you made an impact," Justice said. "Even so, it's important to make your suggestions constructive and not discouraging. Developers receive a lot of flak, and I wish fellow gamers understood the time and trouble they go through."
Though his major isn't related to gaming, Justice said it's still a passion of his, and he encourages other students to embrace their passions, too.
Justice said he wants to change people's misconceptions of gamers as a whole.
"When most people hear 'game designer,' they automatically stereotype them when they shouldn't," Justice said. "We're not antisocial nerds. We work hard, and our organizations revolve around that. Sure, we play games, but chances are, we socialize even more than you do. You go out to bars for a good time while we stay home and game with our friends."
Charles Palmer, associate professor of interactive media at Harrisburg University who said he has helped students find jobs as game developers, said the gaming industry has evolved in positive ways over the last decade.
"When you told someone you were going into making games 15 years ago, it evoked visions of living in mom's garage for the rest of your life," Palmer said. "In 2013, mobile, console and PC games made $15.4 billion in sales. There's more money made in gaming than in film, and that means there are jobs for just about anyone in the industry. That's nothing to judge."
Palmer said gaming's social stigma persists, but with time, he hopes people's eyes will be opened to the possibilities of the industry.
"Like Facebook, game play is a social activity," Palmer said. "It's a different way to form relationships, but they're still meaningful."
To get involved in game design, Palmer advised students to discover what they're good at.
"Find your passion, and then combine it with your passion for gaming," Palmer said. "Find out what you're interested in, and then become the best at it. That's how you'll get the job you've always wanted."
Boling said he aspires to work for Valve, a video game development company. In order to do that, Boling said he needs to expand his knowledge as a designer and push his boundaries as a programmer.
"When I look at a game and say, 'I made this,' it makes me keep going," Boling said. "When you make something yourself, it just ignites something inside you. It's the greatest feeling knowing that I grew up gaming, but now I'm contributing to the industry I know and love."
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