Ever since I was really young I've had a fascination with video games, I have always enjoyed them and used video games as an escape, a break from everything going on around me. After I gained my interest and proficiency in art, I began to enjoy the art of video games as well. Once I began to use an artistic eye for games, I began to truly see the beauty in them. As I like to say ; video games are like my books. I play them for their stories, their characters and relationships, everything that makes the world its own, I became infatuated with the strengths that video games have within. Looking past the graphics and gameplay, I want to see what they truly are, and that's art. And that inspired me to start my current major, Animation with a Concentration in Concept Design for Video Games. After playing many video games throughout my life, I certainly gain new perspectives and lessons from them as well. For example, an indie game I played sometime ago; SpiritFarer, was certainly a beautiful experience. The art for the game is so satisfying and creates a cute atmosphere and environment that makes it feel like a story book, and it allows the characters and places one visits to be memorable and lovable. And on the same topic of characters, the point of the game is to help them move on into the afterlife. When I finished it, I walked away sad yet very appreciative, the game tackles situations like Alzheimer's, cancer, abuse and neglect, and you watch these characters, or "spirits", remember their past and how they died. You see them begin to be afflicted by what made them past, and you help them as best as you can and it fills your heart when you see the connections you make with the spirits and how they treat you and act when it's their time to move on. It's heartbreaking because the player gets attached, but so fulfilling to see them finally move on. Lastly for a recent release example, a game recently came out by the Japanese company ATLUS called Metaphor: ReFantazio. This game is so interesting to me due to the influence art history has on some parts of the game. Specifically the enemy designs. The enemies are based off of Hieronymus Bosch's paintings of demons in Hell that re seen throughout many of his artworks. And this was so incredible and amazing to see ATLUS do. Using art history to create the enemies of the game, and then deciding to call them "Humans" when they're based off of demons is such an interesting choice, yet it feels so incredible for them to make such a move and create those implications within their story, for the world to see. Just the fact that they used art history as a base is awe-inspiring, as it makes me exciting knowing that art history can be included into video games so seamlessly, giving me the inspiration to include it into my work and draw my own inspiration from art history into my concepts, as I am also a big art history nerd.

I have bad Mental Health, and I’m trying to fix that everyday. I can’t, and won’t, give up I can safely say that I am happy. Everyday can be a fight, everyday can be a struggle. Yet I look around at all the good surrounding me, all the good embracing me. I see all of those people who walk past me, who walk beside me, and I see the good they have in their eyes. I look at the love they share for me and for others, and I begin to think. I think about how lucky I am to be here. At how lucky I am to have people like these being with me. With their smiles and laughs, with their energy, I feel empowered. I feel empowered not to just be happy with them, but to genuinely be happy at all times. Why? because I also see their sadness and I know they also see mine. I see them at their lowest, and they’ve seen me at mine. I’ve seen them scream their hearts out at the sky, into space, asking the universe why things are the way they are. And they’ve done the same. Therefore, within my empathetic heart, I yearn to help them all. And for one to do that, they themselves must be happy. I have to work on myself and better myself everyday so I know that I can be there for them, I can be their shoulder to cry on, I can be their crutch when times get rough. I hope one day to be more than a crutch, I wish to be a pillar. I want to be strong, strong enough to bare the weight of their pain on my shoulders. I wish to be strong enough that I can be a support, a support that they can trust and believe in, one they find comfort and love in. I want to be loving and kind so they can know that I understand them and that I can be their first choice when it comes to being their for them. I care for my friends, I care for my family, and I care for my people. That’s why I want to be better, so I can be my best self that I can be. And in doing so, allow others to be the best selves that they can be. I fight every day, so that the challenges we face in daily life, in school or other things, I want to win this fight, even if it’s a small victory.