Harley Baldwin is the vice president of design for Schell Games. Harley is responsible for mentoring, managing and cultivating the design culture, collaborating with clients and guiding the vision for exciting, pioneering experiences for players and guests.

How did you start your path to getting a job in the video game industry?

I went to University of New Mexico and when I was starting my senior year, I discovered that there were people making video games for a living. I decided that’s what I wanted to do. Keep in mind that this was over 25 years ago, and there was no such thing as a degree in video game design or anything like that, so I had to make it up as I went along.

You mentioned you had a couple of jobs before college and prior to your start in game design. What kind of jobs did you have?

One summer, I washed dogs for a living, so every day I would come home just soaked, and smelling of dogs.The job is more intense than you’d think. The washer has to find and pick the ticks off the dog, and…things like that. It gave me appreciation for people who take on the less pleasant parts of life.

While I was in college, I worked in the library as a shelver. When I was supposed to be shelving books, I’d find and read books that were interesting to me in a corner somewhere. It was very luxurious and naughty.

Very cool.

Yes! I also worked retail for a long time, mostly as a cashier. I was good at the money aspect of retail, not so much the stacking and the folding.

Out of those experiences, were there any takeaways or lessons learned that still affect you today?

Sure, I can immediately think of two. I am one of the few people I know who can properly bathe a cat. You’re laughing, but it is a lot harder than it sounds. I can do it in a way that both the cat and the person stay safe. But that’s not really what you asked…



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