Creator/Artist
360Prophecy

by Jay Acevedo (AnodaJay)

What started as something very trivial with two and three persons has become very popular among our friends in the gaming industry. With our "Up Close with..." interview concept, we want to show the readers that the gaming industry is filled with passionate people and that we can interview someone about something else than sales, firings, competitions and flaming subjects.

This week’s "Up Close with" interview features Jeff "Sinnix" Jenkins, creator/artist of 360Prophecy, a comic published by Microsoft Canada on Inside Xbox and Xbox.ca

Enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What was your first memory of a videogame?

Wow, this is going to strain the ol' brain muscle. I must have been around five or six years old, I'm sitting on the floor playing Pac Man on an Atari 2600. The memory is very brief but, interestingly enough, it's one of my earliest memories of anything - video games or otherwise!

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?

Honestly, I think I disagree with that statement. I never *decided* that this is what I was going to do, I just kind of fell into it. I also have zero expectations that I'm going to be doing the same thing for my whole life. Right now I'm a freelance cartoonist and a professional designer, but in the future maybe I'll be a painter or head of my own studio... who knows! I keep a very fluid outlook on life because there are always so many things that can change. I'm only just 31 now, I think that's too young to say, "I'm going to do this until I die."

If you had to create “the ultimate game” what would it be?

Well, I don't create games so I hope I'm never put in the position where I *have* to create a game or they'll shoot a puppy or something! Oh no! In all seriousness though, I'm still waiting for a good FPS MMO. Could someone get on that please?

You’re leaving for a space trip and you have to bring only one game and one video game character with you, it would be…

Roger Wilco from the Space Quest series. Oh, the fun we could have! The brooms we could lose!

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

Be ridiculously talented, be extremely personable, get along well with others, be open to working very hard to the determent of your health and sanity. Does that sound about right? A lot of people seem to think that this industry is hard to break into, honestly that's a big myth. If you want to be an engine designer go learn how to program and then in your spare time build a game engine. If you want to be a game artist go learn 3D studio and in your spare time model in game characters. Build an awesome portfolio and then just apply for the job. The only "secret" is that you need to be good at whatever it is you do. Better than good, you need to be awesome. Lots of practice will get you there!

One silly personal factoid about you?

I am completely obsessed with Order of the Stick. It's my favourite comic, I own three of his books AND the board game. If he made a kitchen sink I'd buy that too.

What are you playing now?

I'm currently playing Fallout 3 (PC), Gears of War 2 (360), Shadow Complex (360), Runes of Magic (PC), and Ghostbusters (360)