Introductions

On a brisk Saturday morning in Manhattan, Kansas, nearly 52,000 people gathered in attendance with the collective spirit to beat the living hell out of their in-state rivals in a game of American football. A battle between cats and birds, a tale as old as time, or Tom (I don’t actually know where the origins of this animal rivalry come from but anyway.) These fans take time out of their busy schedules, and money out of their pockets to come support an institution and team that has some sort of significance in their lives. Whether they be students, or alumni, or family members of the players, everyone there has a reason to take part in such a spectacle. Yet, I believe there are many in the audience who are simply there to escape the realities of our world. A world where jobs are few and far between, prices continue to rise, and the world's temperature grows even higher. A landscape in much need for art and human expression more than ever. Therefore they choose to go to sporting events, or play video games, or read a book. It is my intention to bring some form of meaning to audiences seeking this escapism through the content I make for games, or through the experiences I am able to weave into a story.

My name is Peter Kaufman, I am a Narrative Designer from Wichita, Kansas, currently in Omaha, Nebraska. I hope to write a blog post, like this one, by-weekly, if not monthly to improve my aspirations of working as a narrative designer in the games industry. These posts, along with accompanying videos on YouTube will give you a glimpse into the design processes of the projects I work on and be an outlet for whatever is on my mind for that given time period. I look to creators such as Matt Rhodes and David Gray Holderman for inspiration on ways I can get my work out there to audiences and recruiters alike. So, if you are a recruiter, welcome. You can find my work and resume on the "Home" page of this website, or on my Itch.io page, with ways to contact me on either platform. If you are an audience member and/or creative like me, welcome as well. I hope you'll find something meaningful in my work or simply some entertainment for your evening. With introductions out of the way, I want to tell you a little bit about what I'm working on currently.

There's a few reasons I started this post with the imagery of a football game. One is obviously the escapism point, but another, is the current game I am working on. While it is very much in its infancy and therefore subject to change, the idea is a sports game, not unlike Fifa or NBA 2k, but placed within a medieval fantasy world. I've taken inspirations from games such as Pyre by Supergiant Games, Quidditch Champions by Unbroken Studios, and Unreal Tournament by Epic Games. Its a melding of a number of my favorite interests, sports, fantasy, competition, and obviously, video games. Allowing the player to experience the thrill of an action sports game, while also the whimsy and intrigue of a fantasy setting. There is much more I'd like to tell you about the project, but with it being in such early stages, I'll leave the introduction at that. For now, lets just call it "Project: Drumfire". Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you soon. I'll leave you with a recent quote I heard by author John Green.

"...make art. I don't care if your art is sweaters or home cooked meals, but, take the raw materials of the earth, [and] transform them into something better than they need to be."