Brett Morris wants to contribute his all to the gaming industry. He dreams of expanding the boundaries of gaming potential and reach ever-higher levels of story-telling — all while inspiring other game developers to be bold and explore the possibilities games offer.
GSN Games likes that idea. They recently awarded Morris their first Game Innovators Scholarship — $2,500 to pursue a degree that will help him in his gaming career.
64-Bit Memories
Morris’ earliest gaming memories involve a Nintendo 64 his grandfather bought him and his brothers. “I have many fond memories of playing games, with graphics that pale in comparison to today’s games, on that console with my brothers and loving every second of it,” he says.
While Morris loves games, it’s hard to pinpoint when exactly he decided to pursue a career in video game development, saying it was “more of a gradual realization” that occurred during his last two years of high school. “I have loved art and drawing, so for a good while I wanted to be an animator, making 2D and 3D shows and movies,” Morris recalls. “Then I took an Intro to Programming class in high school and got hooked. I was drawn to the logic and mindset around solving problems, and the sense of achievement when I got the computer to do something I wanted … After that, I gradually started to think about somehow combining animation and computer science … becoming more and more convinced that game design, making games like those I loved to play in my spare time, (was) the perfect fit for me.”
As Morris delves into the development world, he has discovered many developers that he admires, but one particularly stands out in his mind: Valve. “They have a really great mindset and approach to development that leads to their developers making games that they are really passionate about — which shows. As a company, they seem very down to earth and have a great sense of humor in and about their games.”
Scholarly Pursuit
Morris first found out about GSN’s Game Innovators Scholarship from his dad, who thought he would be a shoe-in for it. When he heard about it, Morris thought “Why not? You never know if you don’t try” and applied. His father turned out to be right. When Morris found out he had received the scholarship, he was “extremely excited.”
“I’m honored to have been chosen to receive the scholarship. It’s encouraging to know that my thoughts on the game industry and how I plan to partake in it have struck a chord with the people at GSN Games, and that they want to support me in my endeavor!”
Now and Next
Morris is currently working with a group of friends on an independent study project — a 2D open-world, puzzle-based platformer, called Radix. In the game, you play as a pixelated, blue-haired boy with a magical staff, which grants a wide range of abilities used to navigate “fun and challenging” puzzles and uncover the mystery of what happened to the worlds around you. “I’ve learned quite a bit from this project, especially how to work on a team on a continuous project,” he says. “We’ve been at it for almost a year now — contributing to ideas and the work to bring this collective creation to life!”
With the scholarship firmly in hand, Morris plans to continue his studies. “I plan to … learn as much as I can, and dive into the game design industry, making as big a splash as I can! Hopefully, even make ripples that could forever change the course of this (dynamic) industry for the better.”
To learn more about Morris’ game or follow its development, check out NewFort Studios on Facebook.
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