When I tell people that a movie promotion changed the course of my life, I am not surprised when they look at me as if I have lost my mind. I understand their concern and I would probably think the same thing. Yet, looking back, it makes sense and fits with who I am.

I can't remember a time in my life where I wasn't fascinated by games and puzzles. When I was a kid, my house was the place to be on days when it was too cold or rainy to be outside. I had gathered quite the collection of board games and, if we were bored with those, could make one up on the fly. In art class, while we were mastering landscape and still-life, I was busy integrating mazes into my work. By the time that I was a teenager, my parties were known for their scavenger hunts. When we all started getting jobs at the local mall, my friends gravitated towards the clothing stores while I headed to the educational toy store. I wasn't a "gamer" but games were always a part of who I was.

I favor the social sciences, though my educational strengths are in the math and sciences. I look at politics as a maze and at social problems as a puzzle to be solved. I have always been very socially active and the idealist in me desires to find a way to use technology to create social change and awareness. In completing my undergraduate degree in Sociology, I was engaged in a study of online communities and technology. Towards the end of that study, I was referred to a large collaborative group working on a web promotion, now known as "the Beast", for the movie A.I. I was fascinated.

Shortly after I joined that group, a number of people decided to create their own game. Planning on going to graduate school, I looked at it as an opportunity to see the process from both sides, development and play. I though that it would make for a fascinating study or, at the least, provide me additional insight into collaborative online groups. I had no intention of participating in the development, just observing it. Within weeks, I was one of the primary developers and by the conclusion I was one of only six that had remained. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. I had found my passion.

Four years have passed. I've created more games, watching as the genre of Alternate Reality Gaming was born and took its first steps. I've spent hours dreaming of the possibilites, researching the game designs and architectures, observing and supporting the audience. To further my own research and development, I've returned for a Master's Degree in Information Design & Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I envision a great future for the genre and, as we move towards more pervasive broadband entertainment, know that I will be an integral part of it.

So, yes, a movie promotion changed the course of my life. But I have not lost my mind and I have never been more satisfied.