I took a walk one afternoon on August 5th, 2010, going past the football field as part of my route. Behind the press box, while it was still under construction, there was a folded $20 bill lying on the ground. I could tell, from when I first laid eye on it, that there was more than what I bargained for. So with that, I unfolded the bill and discovered four more $20 bills inside. Thinking out-loud, I said to myself, “Oh my gosh! $100! I better take this to the city building!” And that’s exactly what I did. Upon arrival, I reported the money to the woman working the front desk and handed it over to her afterwards. The money was safely placed in an envelope while the woman wrote down the date and location it was found at, let alone my name and phone number. The money was given over to the police department and, the rest is history. True story!!! Or I never would have written this blog. The $100 was never claimed in the long-run, but I’m cool with it! Money isn’t everything. Sure, we have bills to pay and all, but we shouldn’t let greed get the best of us. I don’t know about any of you out there, but I personally think $100 is too much money to be lost like that. And it really should be returned to its rightful owner at all costs.
Saturday, April 4, 2020
My Journey to Video Game Development
One evening, back in April 2005, my older brother, Matthew, called me into his room. Upon entering, I saw that he was playing a game on our computer. It wasn’t just any game...it was a game he made himself! It featured me as Power Micah, an alter ego of mine in my series “The Adventures of Micah”, and Trekker, the antagonist. We were fighting one another in the same format as most old school fighting video games. Very impressed, I asked Matthew about it, who then proceeded to tell me how it was done. It was revealed he had a program installed on our computer that allows you to make video games. It was called “Game Maker” (pretty self-explanatory, right?). The very next day, I decided to give it a try with my first ever video game. Everything was hard at first, as I did not have a clue on what to do and how to do it. It was all new to me. I didn’t know how to create score-keeping, health, items, etc. But hey, there’s a first for everything. Am I right? And to add to all this, I was 15 years old and still in my freshman year of high school at the time. Despite these challenges, I didn’t give up. And eventually, everything began coming together. I was making more games and adding more content. My projects weren’t the greatest at first, but they got bigger and better as the days went by. And before you even knew it, I was making games like a pro (well, sort of). Skipping ahead four years, I signed up for a class in college called “Game Development Essentials”. On the day I picked up my textbook, I skimmed through it and noticed that the class was going to teach me how to make games using, believe it or not...Game Maker! And I already had four years of experience under my belt! Then comes the first day of class. My professor got to talking about what we were going to do and everything. During her talk, she brings up Game Maker. At that very moment, I raised my hand. She calls on me and I say to her, “I’ve been using Game Maker for four years”. I, unfortunately, do not remember her response right off the bat. But afterwards, I add in “But I’ve been doing it as a hobby and not for school.” My professor then says to me in a goofy tone, “Well now you’ll be doing it for school.” The class, however, was harder than I expected. Mainly because I always had a hard time getting inspired to learn and staying focused in school. Things just didn’t click for me, my mind always wanted to wander, and to top it all off, I was being taught things I never knew in Game Maker. I was also working with the latest version of Game Maker, which was 7 at the time. And I had been using version 5.3A. So of course version 7 has features that 5.3A doesn’t. And to think that being four years ahead, I would have gotten this in the bag. I’m telling you, it can be quite difficult working at a lower level when you have this much experience. Oh well. It’s in the past. I’ve already graduated from college and am now well on my way to living my life as I please. So that pretty much sums up my experience with making video games. Even after taking Game Development Essentials and similar classes, I’ve learned many new things with Game Maker and getting certain things to work a particular way. And I’m still learning to this day. Afterall, nobody’s perfect. So I don’t know everything about making video games, and I never will. In conclusion, I’ve learned some aspects of making video games in college. But for the most part, I’m self-taught...in all areas and not just one! It can be tough being a one-man video game developer, but if I ever teach it to somebody, I certainly will have a lot to offer. Things like this take time. You’re not going to get experienced overnight. I’ve had my fair share of hardships throughout the years, but I didn’t let that stop me. You will face challenges along the way. It’s just part of life. Just keep a stiff upper lip and let nothing stand in your way. Remember this saying: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!”
My Dance Origin
It all started back one evening during September 1999. I was 9 years old and had just entered 4th grade. I was at a wedding on this particular day, but unfortunately, I don’t remember who was getting married. Anyway, this couple held a dance as part of their reception, where I really began busting some moves. Fast forward a couple of years, I attended my very first school dance on a night during November 2001. I was in 6th grade, which was the very first year of middle school at the time, 11 years old, and, just like the wedding reception, I showed off my moves to a lot of classmates. You wouldn’t believe how fast I became known for my dancing the moment I began doing it! And I don’t even do anything specific. There are some dance crazes I know how to do, like the moonwalk, floss, Cotton Eye Joe, etc. But other than that, I just make things up as I go. It’s been like this ever since! All it takes is one quick glance from just one person.
Thursday, April 2, 2020
My Autism
Judging by the title of this blog, I’m sure you have an idea on what I’m about to talk about here. Yes, I have autism. I, however, am high-functioning, which just means I function at a higher level than some of the other autistic people out there. Before I dive right in, I’d like to briefly share that some people confuse high-functioning autism with “Asperger’s Syndrome”, which is a form of the disability. Because the characteristics are different from the two, I am NOT diagnosed with Asperger’s. About my life, interacting and building relationships with others was (and still is) a challenge for me, which is what we autistic people struggle with the most. I also have difficulty reading body language, facial expressions, and voice tones, and as a result, have difficulty reading humor and sarcasm. I take things to face value because of this. It is also difficult for me to know and understand what others are thinking or feeling, and I do not know how they’re going to react to something I say or do because of this. There are some people where I have a good feeling they will react kindly to me, but I still give the benefit of the doubt as some minds and/or outlooks change as that person ages. Throughout my childhood, there was no knowledge, awareness, or programs that assisted those with autism or any other disability, and because of this, society was insensitive and discouraging towards me and toyed with my emotions. People have also broken promises they’ve made to me, only saying what I wanted to hear, and whenever I said or did something they didn’t like, they would punish me immediately when they really should have taken the time to investigate what led up to the event. This angers me big time, and in some cases, hurts my feelings, which has also gotten me into trouble every now and then. I have feelings, too. I struggle with confidence and positivity because of this, leading me to feel like I have to be like everyone else. I feel like I have to like what everyone else likes, eat what everyone else eats, and so on. There were also times where I was forced to agree with someone, favor something (food, movie, etc.), and have an opinion on things. There’s even times where I’m not sure what to think or feel about someone or something. I try really hard to be genuine and honest with my responses, but unfortunately, some people force me to say what they want to hear. I don’t like doing that. I want people to listen to me. I too have a say in things, as stated by the First Amendment: The Right to Free Speech. Not everybody knows about or understands my autism, which is ok, but it doesn’t give them any right to scold me for any reason whatsoever. I’m not perfect. Nobody is, and we never will be. As long as we live, we’re just going to keep making mistakes. It’s the only way we’re going to learn. Yes, bad things happen, but what difference does it make for somebody with autism or any other disability making mistakes than someone without a disability? Just because I have autism doesn’t mean I’m bad, ignorant, or lazy. I just need assistance in certain areas, which is everybody if you think about, despite whether or not they have a disability. All I ask is to be an equal and valued member of society. Another way of putting it, I want to be seen and treated like a human being and not like some sort of animal, criminal, or nuisance. I’m not asking for sympathy here. I just want people to put themselves in my shoes, as well as the shoes of others. Not all my actions and words manifest what I think or feel. If you don’t know or understand something…ask! Don’t just assume things. Don’t judge me until you’ve gotten to know me, and I’m not just saying this for myself. There’s more to the story than meets the eye. Having autism isn’t bad at all. It’s a very good thing if you have the right mindset. I do have a video talking about my experiences, which can be checked out at the following address:
https://youtu.be/mvEtDX93v7I?si=U4JJCSOUHa4QQQcp
There’s also an article about me, which was published one month after this blog was posted. It’s still available at this address:
https://www.dailyadvocate.com/2020/05/27/arcanum-man-lives-life-to-fullest
Here are two radio stations that I've spoken on about my experiences:
https://youtu.be/yeaWhEH0Aeo?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/0K4hjw56Hpw?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/x23ZudBvznE?si=LenjpRc_DwKlPrJm
Here are the audio versions of the radio interviews:
https://www.thekaydengordonshow.com/interviews?wix-music-track-id=7213990068803337&wix-music-comp-id=comp-l7tp51ki
https://www.thekaydengordonshow.com/listen (File name is “Hour 2 - The Kayden Gordon Show - Today's Best Country Mix - 2-3-2024” with interview coming in at timestamp 0:43)
https://kboo.fm/media/124397-lets-talk-holiday-stories-featuring-call-ins-120624 (I come in at timestamp -28:33 or 33:28)
The organization "Autism Speaks" featured me on their Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DF1Fk7npaq7/?igsh=X2lhTlpjdEVT
#NationalAutismAwarenessMonth #WorldAutismAwarenessDay