@CleitonEldorn - @Aalasteir (Q) - Index

Q: What fascinates you about engineering? What is engineering, and what type of engineering do you like to do?

A: Engineering is basically creating technologies to solve real problems in the material world. It is where science becomes technique. I actually really like mechanical and electrical engineering, for now as an interest. But in the near future, I want to pursue a superior-level college course in one of those areas.

Q: How would you describe your experiences with robotics?

A: I have a simple chip based on Arduino, and I have already coded some cool experiments using it and some components I have. It's pretty cool, but I am still learning.

Q: What is it like being a theater actor and singer?

A: I am a very timid and awkward person; speaking in public and interacting with new people is extremely hard for me. These activities let me express myself by following a script, so in some ways they make interacting with others a little easier.

Q: You have seen a lot of weird things happen. From your experiences growing up in a small village on the far side of Brazil, what were some of the weird shenanigans? How would you say they have changed your perspective on life?

A: Unfortunately, many of those experiences were somewhat sad and traumatic; I will not elaborate, but I encountered death very early in my life, and that profoundly changed my perspective on life. Also, living in a poor and somewhat forgotten village certainly changes the way you view the world. But there were also a lot of cool moments—I loved taking my bike and exploring the woods, discovering some weird new plant, animal, mushroom, river, or an old abandoned cemetery. There were many adventures in my youth.

- Videogames

I have loved video games since I was a baby. Where I lived, new technologies took a long time to arrive; for example, I got a Super Nintendo when the rest of the world was already waiting for the launch of the PS2 for a long time. I first played Zelda: A Link to the Past when I was 9, and since then, I knew I had to make games for a living. Before that, I wanted to be a paleontologist (what 90s kid wouldn't like that, right?).

Q: Why did you want to be a paleontologist?

A: In the nineties, at least here in Brazil, dinosaurs were everywhere. We had magazines about dinosaurs, movies like Jurassic Park and The Land Before Time, and we even had a cool chocolate called "Surpresa" (surprise in English) with dinosaur collectible cards and stuff like that. I have a lot of books and magazines about dinosaurs—they were so awesome. So, before discovering Zelda, dinosaurs were more than just a passion for me.

Q: Where did you learn to make games? How was your learning process? If you could start over with learning to make games, how would you do it? What would be the best way to go about learning?

A: I wanted to make games since I was 9, but I only got my first PC at 15. So, I bought one of those CD magazines that were all the rage at the time; it featured a new software called RPG Maker 2003, and the cover said that this piece of software would let me make my own games with ease. I started with RPG Maker, then I used Game Maker, followed by XNA, and then Unity. In college, I discovered Construct, which allowed me to make games with a speed and ease I had never seen before. Today, I use Godot and Construct 3 for my projects. My learning process was slow; in the beginning, it seemed almost impossible to create the game that was in my mind. If I were to start over today, I would actually begin with Construct, because it lets you focus on the logic and takes care of the boilerplate stuff. I loved tools like XNA when I was a teenager because they required a lot of heavy lifting, but I believe that focusing on the mechanics themselves is a better way to learn.

Q: Why do you like to implement controller support in your games?

A: Well, I always played video games on consoles. I got my first PC at 15, and even on PC, I always played with a controller. For me, it is the most natural and "videogamey" way to play.

Q: Your advice for what makes a good game

A: A good game is one that the creator feels should exist and then makes it real. Some people make games just to earn money, so they simply follow trends and what is popular at the moment. I would rather make games that I would love to play but that still don't exist. I believe that always produces the best games. They may not be the best for everyone, but they are for me.

Q: What were Media the resonated with you and why?

A: When I was a kid, I loved Nintendo games. Mario, Metroid, and Zelda were the peak of gaming for me growing up. Then Valkyrie Profile and Castlevania really made a mark on my teenage years. And as an adult, my favorite games today are Sekiro and Celeste. I also like books, comic books, music, series, and such. My favorite book is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, and the first author I became a huge fan of was Jules Verne. I loved Back to the Future, and Verne was mentioned in the third one, so I had to read his work—even Doc Brown was a fan, you know? Then I got Journey to the Center of the Earth from my school library and became hooked on it. I always liked comic books; in Brazil, everyone reads a huge series called "Mônica's Gang," and I was no different, but I also love Marvel, DC, manga, and indie comics. In music, I really enjoy rock and heavy metal, but I also listen to a lot of other genres.

Q: Your favorite food and drinks

A: I love to cook and make my own food. My favorite dishes are my versions of the foods that my late grandmothers used to make. My grandmother on my father's side made a pasta Bolognese that was just perfect; I make a version of that which is amazing. And my grandmother on my mother's side cooked potatoes that were different from anything else I'd ever had, and she said that mine were the only ones that resembled hers. As for drinks, I am a very simple guy: my hometown produces some very good wine, so I feel somewhat obligated to like wine. In recent years, I also became a beer guy. And grape juice is the best juice — even better than lime juice.

Q: Your view on inspiration

A: Inspiration is a mixture of things that are important to you—things that leave a mark on your life—and things that you want to express to the world. My advice is to do things that you believe should exist and that you would love to play, watch, or hear. If you do what's best for you, it will touch someone just as art touched you in the past.