Hello, my name is Kristian Skistad. It’s not a name that you’ll find in any history books, or echoing throughout the industry. What it is, is a name that carries over thirteen years of programming experience. It’s a name that you’ll find in the Staff Choice section of the Game Maker Community Forums. It’s a name you can find on two GDC Narrative Review awards lists. It’s a name that, come May, will be on three bachelor's degrees. Most of all, it’s a name that you’ll be proud to know.
Much of what drove me to programming and game design is my passion to create. In a virtual environment I am given much more freedom to explore and expand upon new ideas. Being a very logic driven person, programming just seemed to fit me like a glove. I also have an affinity for figuring out how things work, so my curiosity naturally lead me to the world of computers. Most of all: I simply enjoy sharing the experiences I craft with others.
I am always interested in how things work, including the machines all of our software runs on. This was what led me to initially pursue electronics, to gain a better understanding of the machines I am always working with. It’s also why I enjoy recreating many features that are pre-built into popular game engines to figure out how they function and what compromises they had to make. Most importantly, it has pushed my creative problem solving skills further with each project, allowing me to bridge the gap between design and implementation.
In my spare time my favorite thing to do is work on projects, both for fun and to challenge myself. You’ll always find my face either buried in code or a new scholarly article. Throughout my eight years of Game Maker I produced many small scale games, as well as plenty of proofs of concept. Often times I try new things just to see if they are feasible and how I would implement them, even if I didn’t have an application for them in mind. This is how I taught myself programming before my formal education, by simply asking and answering the simple question: “How?”
When I was young I loved building things. Whether it be with legos, nuts and bolts, or any other materials I could get my hands on, I just loved crafting new worlds, characters, and stories. Eventually I ran into a problem though: Scale. My worlds would become so large that I ran out of Legos. The machines I wanted to build became too complex for my nine year old mind to understand. Materials weren’t cheap and I didn’t have any money. That’s when I discovered programming. I picked up an HTML book from my school library and started making adventure games. They were simple, utilizing nothing but text and hyperlinks, but I was no longer bound to physical materials. It was a world where my imagination was the only limit. Anything was possible as long as I put the work into it, and I never wanted to stop pushing myself further.
At twelve I began experimenting with Game Maker 5.1. Though I started with drag and drop, I soon found that it wasn’t powerful enough for the projects I wanted to build. That’s when I started teaching myself Game Maker Language, the scripting language of Game Maker. I would make all sorts of small projects, both for the community and as gifts to friends and family. I was very active on the Game Maker Forums, and to help new users I would build tools for them. That's how I landed my platforming engine, the SparkEngine, into the staff choice section of the Game Maker Community Forums. With the support of my family, and eight years of design and coding experience under my belt, I made the decision to turn my hobby and passion into a career.
Game design is more than a career choice, it’s at the very core of who I am as a person. Where some see falling snow, I see particle systems. Where others see work and pay, I see mechanics and incentive. I view the world through the lense of game design, and I strive to capture and create new experiences. It’s the spark of creation, the spark of imagination, and the spark of life that makes game design so special to me. Nothing in this world could come closer to magic in my eyes.
What a long strange trip it’s been. When I was nine I could have never dreamed of being where I am today, but it was my passion and determination that kept driving me forward. I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. In fact, I don’t think I could live without it. I’ve always desired understanding, and craved comprehension. Over the years I’ve gained many new skills, both technical and social, and I don’t intend to stop there. I’ll ride this drive to create as far as it can take me, and use the skills I’ve obtained over these years to guide my path. To always grow, to never stagnate, to open my mind to new experiences, and to push myself as far as I can go, this is who I am.
So what’s in a name? This is my name, and this is my story. I am Kristian Skistad, and I’ll never be anything less.