What was your first memory of a videogame?

I had an Odyssey 2 growing up with some pretty awesome games. Showdown in 2100 A.D., U.F.O., and K.C.'s Crazy Chase, which was a well done Pac-Man knockoff. You had to chase the arse of a caterpillar enemy and eat it bit by bit. Good stuff.

There’s always something that makes you say: “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” What made you realize that?

In Zelda 3 there are some character interactions that are very somber and poignant. It made me realize that there's an opportunity in games to address emotional issues in a delicate and experiential fashion – you don't have to beat people over the head with it.

Demiurge has assisted many developers on different projects, but you’re mostly known for working on the PC version of Mass Effect (a game which incidentally was nominated for a GameFocus award for Best PC Game last year). What was the biggest challenge you faced as a small developer porting a high-profile game or working to release additional content for that same game?

Demiurge has lots of experience working with other developers, and Mass Effect really allowed us to take advantage of some of that built-up knowledge. Nailing the proper appearance and functionality of the HUD was a big challenge, as Bioware was iterating on the 360 version at the same time. We had to remain very flexible to stay true to their latest work.

If you had to create the ‘ultimate game,’ what would it be?

Something as simple and powerful as Tetris. That game will never die.

You’re leaving for a space trip and can bring only one video game and one video game character with you. They would be…

I actually don't think I can answer this question. It hurt my brain.

If you had one tip to give to someone who wants to start working in the industry, what would it be?

Get your hands dirty. Work on a mod, make levels for your favorite game, show me homebrew. Do something other than saying, “I love games and would be great at making them.”