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The Evolution of a Game Designer

4/6/2017

12 Comments

 
Four years ago this month I became Google’s Chief Game Designer.  It seemed an auspicious time to be able to make games at a company known for its world-spanning technology.  Unfortunately, the opportunity to actually build the big, consequential games that I had been hired to help create failed to materialize, even as the world market for games has continued to grow in size, diversity, and geographic reach.  Accordingly, I’ve decided to leave Google, and today, April 6, was my last day.


Google is a tremendous company and I know I will miss the perks, the excitement, and most of all, my colleagues there.  But with 37 years as a professional game developer, making games is in my blood.  I’m not ready to give up on it, certainly not when there are exciting new fields just opening up.  I’m particularly energized by the confluence of games, neuroscience, and VR.  Before I came to Google I had the pleasure of working on a number of health and neuroscience game titles, and that field is now maturing, and I think about to come into its own both in terms of its benefits to humanity, and feasibility as a business.  Related to that, I think the emotional connections possible in VR, most prominently shown in the empathy evoked by a sense of physical proximity and eye contact that no previous technology can match, is going to open up an entire new merging of movies, interaction, and games that may need a new name.  I don’t know what’s next, and that’s part of what attracts me.  The only way that I or my long-term colleagues stay fresh in an industry that is constantly changing is to evolve to meet that adapting environment.

Whether neurogaming, interactive VR films, or some other yet undreamt-of territory will be my next challenge, I’m eager to begin exploring!
12 Comments
William D. Volk link
4/6/2017 09:52:18 pm

I think you are so right about VR. Best of luck!

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Fahad
4/7/2017 11:55:46 am

Can't wait to see what you do next!

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Frankie K
4/7/2017 12:10:06 pm

Best of luck in your next adventure. Looking forward to seeing (and playing!) your next great idea. Cheers.

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Tim Ryan link
4/7/2017 02:06:14 pm

I am heartened by your return to the bleeding edge and I look forward to playing your next game. Keep pushing the reality-boundary!

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Daniel Fuller link
4/7/2017 02:25:22 pm

You're a true pioneer. Glad to see somebody like you so enthusiastic about the future of video games as a medium.

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Steve Lomas link
4/7/2017 07:24:04 pm

Noah, to paraphrase TS Garp, "You really only grow when you come to the end of one thing and begin something new." Best wishes!

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Darren
4/7/2017 08:07:39 pm

Best of luck

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Judy Luck
4/7/2017 09:37:14 pm

I think this is fantastic and exciting. Being a nurse practitioner, I feel the combination of the science/health and gaming can help in many areas including coping skills and training the mind to learn alternate ways of thinking and creating. I look forward to hearing what you develop.

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Jimmy Ahyari link
4/8/2017 12:36:12 am

Ideology.. This is what my father said.. grab your dream.. can't wait to see your creativity, sir.. Good luck :)

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Shanming Loh
4/8/2017 09:31:47 pm

Sad but happy, and definitely excited about what you might be doing next, Noah!
You are correct, there is a lot out there that seems to be just on the cusp of coming into the mainstream of gaming. And part of what's needed to make that happen is great game design. :)

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james.b
4/9/2017 12:03:51 pm

Godspeed in your momentum forward Mr Falstein...as my new disability warrants now, i'm undertaking some significant transition myself...games & VR/AR content development is where it's at moving forward and adapting myself....i welcome the opp to speak directly with you Mr Falstein, please reach out ... be well

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Douglas Kryder
4/10/2017 02:29:21 pm

it is so easy to become very comfortable at a place like google that one risks the possibility of being stagnant. i wish you the best of luck going forward from what may have been a difficult decision.

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