“I found out about this program through a Richland College counselor when I was looking for electives. I like video games and I’d like to get a lot more hands-on in their design. I’ve gotten a good perspective on what kind of jobs are out there in the gaming industry and what a hungry business it is.

“I enjoy the creativity of this program and the fact that no idea is shunned. You can speak your mind, and everybody gets a turn to say what they want to. It’s a great feeling to get an idea out on paper, then translate it into computer graphics.

“My ultimate job would be to test games, to be able to give helpful suggestions about a finished product. As a gamer, I only use cheat codes after I’ve already beaten the game in normal mode, to find glitches and to explore.

“In creating good design for a video game, good game play is number one. If a game looks good but isn’t solid, nobody will want to play it. Good graphics are a requirement, because you’ve got to keep your audience captivated. But you still have to make it relatable — if the game play rocks and the graphics look good, but nobody can relate to or understand what it’s about, you’ve lost the point altogether.”

A graduate of Naaman Forest High School in Garland, Carmelo Giminez works as a barista at Starbucks while he waits for his big break in the gaming industry.