Little Big Planet turned huge; Guest Blogger: Jason Ioffe

Today's Tip – Little Big Planet turned huge; Guest Blogger: Jason Ioffe (Freelance programmer and graphic artist. Specializing in C++, Java and Adobe Suite) www.Foofles.blogspot.com

For over 10 years, my hands shaped countless maelstroms of computer code into manifestations of digital elegance. Suffice it to say, I'm a freelance programmer and graphic designer. I contracted my services to numerous small and local businesses, offering solutions ranging from e-commerce to video games. Although none of my clients were particularly high profile, I did hone my skills and talents from those years of work. Like most who grew up to the sweet sounds of 8-bit orchestras, my dream was to work on upscale video game projects. In between other projects, I've always worked on computer games; either purely for sport, as a learning experience, or for minor commercial projects.

Of course, I enjoyed playing video games as much as working on them. Naturally, LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation 3 immediately caught my interest. The game's style is endearing, with plush characters and cardboard sets that really help tap into the proverbial inner-child. Most importantly, the game revolves around user-generated content. With LittleBigPlanet's vast toolset, players can create and share their own characters, levels, and even entire games. Finally, all those years of working with Adobe Photoshop and 3D Studio Max would come to some use: I'd get to make levels in LittleBigPlanet to run around in with sack puppets!

Initially, my published works didn't gain much attention, but my efforts would soon pay off. Out of nowhere I was contacted by a 3rd Party liaison for Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe. Not only did they see my work, but they were so impressed that they contracted me to produce bonus content for the special edition of LittleBigPlanet. Needless to say, I was overjoyed to accept the offer and put everything I had into the project. For the better part of the year, I worked hard, under a strict non-disclosure agreement, to perfect my contribution to the game. I couldn't wait to see the final product and be able to share my experiences with all my friends.

That marked my first “big” project. Hopefully, it won't be my last. After working on that, I made several contacts and friends within game studios and hope to work with them again in the future. If that experience taught me anything, it's that you should never stop doing what you're good at. Personal talent can take a life-time to discover, so if you're fortunate to have unraveled that part of your life's puzzle then you should put everything you have towards it. You never know when the right people will see your skills in action. Sometimes the medium might seem unorthodox, but if the world is never exposed to your work, then it will never be recognized.

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