Hello!
My name is Tom Sterkenburg.
I am a student at Ferris State University studying to get my BA in Digital Animation and Game Design with a focus in the area of
programming. Although I can model and sculpt fairly well, my primary goal in my career is to be a
software engineer. My dream job would be to work for a company that develops video games, but since programmers are needed in almost every industry, I am prepared to "pay my dues" to get to that dream job. Another dream goal of mine would be to write my own music. However, due to financial and time constraints, this is a secondary goal that is not currently being worked towards.
I Love music,
books, video games, movies, and puzzles. What I look for most in video games is a great atmosphere, which is a culmination of many different things including story, music, environment, and music. My philosophy in gaming is that, in the last 20 years, I've played every type of game there is to play. With few exceptions (like multiplayer games), I cannot get as unique an experience in gameplay alone as i would if the game were focused on story or
atmosphere. When we play games, we don't remember how we pressed a few buttons and shot some guy's head off, we remember the feelings and experiences the games gave us. So, with that in mind, I look for games that will give me that new experience, through either music, story, environment, visuals, atmosphere, or a combination of all of those. My love for books and music is probably the main influence behind this. If I had to live without all but one of the things I listed, I would definitely choose to keep music.
My Skills
- C#/Java
- 3dsMax
- Zbrush
- Photoshop
- Visual Studio
- Dreamweaver
- Premier
My Mission is to create experiences and emotions for people all over the world with video games and to solve real world problems with programming.
My Strengths I am a problem solver. I can view most situations and come to some sort of conclusion regarding it, even if that conclusion is "I don't know". I seek to always put myself in other's shoes before i make judgments. I am slow to anger and will often make light of any situation. I like to make people laugh and I am good at it, but I always recognize the appropriate time for jokes. I am always thinking about ways to make people laugh, or at the very least, to make myself laugh.
My Weaknesses None! Just kidding, one of my biggest weakness is my apathy. While it has its strengths regarding emotion (the slow to anger thing), it also has its obvious downsides. Sometimes I just don't get excited about things on the outside, even if i am on the inside. My natural tendency is to be introverted and quiet. I much prefer to sit with my thoughts most days. In the last 5 years or so, I've sought to challenge my instincts and become a more friendly outgoing person. For me, It's always a conscious effort to be nice and to consider other's feelings, but sometimes it can slip my mind and i may not respond to something or say the right thing.
