Matthew Hodge is a Career Technical Educator in his 8th year of teaching Interactive Game Design. He holds a Masters Degree in Applied Computer Science, as well as a Bachelors in Computer Science and Associates in Digital Animation.
Game design has been almost a lifelong passion for Hodge. As a child, he was the odd-man out with a Sega Master System, and because of the limited availability for titles stateside, he took it upon himself to imagine the possibilities. Armed with little more than pen and paper, he took to writing letters to game publishers, including detailed ideas for game play and concept art; To this day, he claims to be personally responsible for the dumpster fire that is Back to the Future III on Master System, though there is no concrete evidence to back this up. His very first attempt with creating a PC game came with the DOS release of ZZT; The creators of this game provided a digital toy box full of goodies, allowing users to mod the game and make it their own. It was at this point Hodge released his destiny in games.
As an adult, the passion for game continued, and he strived to grow his knowledge base. While most would take the practical approach to create games by using existing engines and recycling assets, he was determined to understand every aspect in intimate detail, opting to create his own game engine. He knew the idea behind creating his own game engine wasn’t to out-do the existing options, the point was to become a better programmer! You can only imagine the pride he felt when a game he created using his own game engine was able to be played on the Nintendo 3DS- such a triumph!- and the frustration of finding out shortly thereafter Nintendo was ending their relationship with Unity. During these highs and lows, the goal has always been consistent, “Release something awesome by 40.”
With nearly two decades of experience behind him, he’s at a point where he can offer sage advice to those interested in creating games. His words of wisdom are, “Don’t think outside the box, but create the box you are thinking inside.” Hodge, we hope your excitement, passion, and vision continues to inspire all those you encounter.
