Great blog, Sean.

I made a little comment in response to it.;)

Thanks for sharing.

Wow, coincidence.

Music and gaming are the dual focuses of almost everything I do outside of school and work. And what's so bad about that? Music is, in my opinion, the best form of creative expression; as much as I enjoy reading, a good piece of music has a lot more "replayability" than a good book. Gaming, of course, is m-m-m-m-my generation's preferred form of entertainment, an immersive experience paralleled by no other, and it's only going to get more interesting with each passing year.

I've wanted to work in the music gaming industry since about 2001-2002 - when I was 13 years old. The instant that DWI and Stepmania gave DDR players the option to create their own songs, I was all over it. I developed a great passion for music gaming, one that hasn't died down in 6 years of hardcore Bemani and Harmonix playing. And the desire to work professionally with music games hasn't gone anywhere either.

It's been hard, as a college student, watching Harmonix hire these huge numbers of people. Music gaming is what I want to do, and to me, Harmonix is music gaming right now. But I can't abandon my half-complete technology degree, as I'm sure Harmonix (and every other company) would rather see me have the degree when coming in. My biggest fear? That when 2010 rolls around, Harmonix won't be hiring.

But as painful as it is to sit here and not be able to be part of the industry, music gaming is music gaming, and I know I'll be able to make an impression whether I'm able to work at Harmonix or not. While they're my first choice, their greatest work (as Sean said) isn't a specific game, but is nothing less than the establishment of the entire rhythm genre to the American market. My dream is to keep this genre new and exciting, innovating what we've already seen into fresh and exciting ideas for the generation after mine. I'd like to do this with Harmonix, but who knows? I'm sure the market will be thirsty for competition even in 2010.

Oh, man, this post is cheesy, isn't it.

Anyway, I'm attending the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco this year. Passing out some resumes, shaking some hands, making some friends, and hopefully securing some internships. The first step of a few thousand - but hey, a first step nonetheless. Thanks, Sean, for your story; it gives me so much more confidence that I can keep going with mine.

sorry if this had been discussed previously, but reading that blog i have to ask.......

what did Harmonix work on for EPCOT?

i'm a Disney fan. long story, not so much the movies, but more of the company, their management, their culture, etc. i did an economics paper on Disney years back, and that's what got me hooked.

anyway.........dying to know.

thanks.

my comment from the blog:

I am a drummer and a dancer (this IS going somewhere that relates the two, I swear, lol) and the reason I do these two things on a video game platform is because of the people who make up the companies behind them. The arcade dance game Pump It Up has been a huge part of my life for years now. I’ve made more friends around the world than I can even begin to think of because of it and had more amazing experiences around the world than is probably fair for someone at my stage in life. But the reason I’ve stuck with it is because the people behind the game have a passion for it. They are musicians, dancers, and lovers of music/rhythm games. I’ve traveled to their offices across the globe and geeked out over a new stepchart being made for the next mix or new music that is perfect for a freestyle routine; I’ve enjoyed nights of bottomless soju (Korean alcohol beverage) with them, karaoke craziness, and so many other amazing times…all because of the passion we share. If I had met these people and wasn’t able to share with others about their passion for the game they make, I wouldn’t be playing it. It’s the same with RockBand for me personally. A big part of the reason I enjoy the game so much is because of you all, HMX. I’m really glad that I’ve been a part of this community since the start because I’ve been able to see what influences you all to take your projects in the direction they eventually go. And those influences always trace back to your passion for music and spreading the musical experience to as many people as possible. Might I still play RockBand if I couldn’t say that about you all? Perhaps but I surely wouldn’t support the company like I do and spread the word in conversations that pop up about music games. With RockBand I can enjoy my passion for drumming to the extent that I do because I know that the minds of the people behind it are making it for the same passion that I have, to share music and the experiences one can have through playing it - just as I enjoy my passion for dancing through Pump It Up, because of the people behind it wanting to share that experience with others.

This only confirms what I what I already knew. If you guys weren't making the games, you would be playing them. It is why there isn't really a choice for me. I said as much in another thread. GH has become about slick marketing deals and the love of the sale.

Dude! What happened? It used to be about the music. Oh wait, at HMX is still is about the music.

Oh sean...i dont know whats worse...how awesomely cool you are, or how irrisestably sexy you are.

Hetero-male attraction FTW.

Seriously. I love what you guys do, and im pumped about everything you are doing. Keep it up.

I will say to you, and the rest of the HMX staff, only 3 words, which happen to be the most beautiful, and the scariest (at the same time)words you can ever hear:

I LOVE YOU! :o

Well said Sean! I've been as hooked on music gaming as anyone from the first moment I played GH1. It's definitely an exciting time for the genre and I hope everyone involved keeps turning up the awesome. I know you guys are doing your part and it really seems like everyone else wants to play for real too. Personally I know what that means for me....pure win.

I'll always be a Harmonix fanboy though...it's the culture more than the games themselves, although the culture's impact on those games is readily apparent and practically narcotic to me.