We've got something a little different today: An interview with one of our own, Jake Morris. Read on to find out what Jake does at Jumala, how he got here and which games he loves.
What do you do at Jumala?
At Jumala I'm a game systems designer. So I basically get to think all day about how we can make Jumala better while trying to keep all the pieces of the big picture together. Much of my job involves writing up documents and plans for what we're going to do so that the rest of the team can get on board and get things done, so it's a good thing I love to write.
What did you do before Jumala?
Before coming to Jumala I was a college student at Stanford. I finished two years of a CS degree that wanted to be an English degree, but after having an internship here at Jumala, I just couldn't leave the project. I'm here to do whatever I can to make Jumala the best it can be before I return to school.
What are some of your favorite video games (besides Jumala)?
Oh man, I hate picking favorites. My video game tastes are kind of all over the place. As evidenced by my tattoo, the Legend of Zelda series is one of my all time favorites. I love an in depth story, and pretty much any game that uses the medium to its fullest extent to tell a story is high up on my list. One example I usually fall back to is Braid, which combines art, music, story, and game play to convey one unified theme. That's something I haven't seen often. Currently I'm playing Assassin's Creed, Puzzle Quest, and Mario Kart, but I'm always up for a match of Halo. As long as it's not a sport game, I'll try it at least once.
What are some of your favorite movies?
Argh, again with the favorites. I have a soft spot for The Princess Bride (my middle name is Wesley). It's hard to say what my favorites really are though.
What are some of your favorite TV shows?
Now I can actually list some of my favorite TV shows. I love comedies like How I Met Your Mother, Castle, and Futurama, but I'm a sucker for shows that have a story to tell like Dragon Ball Z, Battlestar Galactica, Cowboy Bebop, and - my definite favorite - Firefly.
If you could be any superhero for a day, which one would you choose, and what would you do with your powers?
I would be Batman because he doesn't have any powers; he's just a bad ass. I would definitely do what Batman does, and then I would pull off some kind of romantic superhero gesture for my girlfriend because that'd be a story to tell forever.
What is your favorite item in the Jumala marketplace?
I really like taking any of the interactive items and trying to use them in a way that hasn't been thought of yet. I guess my favorite is some kind of collectible because you can do almost anything with collectibles and gated actions.
What's your favorite staff-created Jumala game?
Definitely The Core. It's so pretty and always provides some challenge.
What's your favorite user-created Jumala game?
Island Treasure Hunt by jhyatt has been one of my top-picks since it was published. There are some really creative uses of props to set the scene, and I have yet to beat the game, so there's always a reason to go back and look at the well put together environment.
