Carter Wolf

         Throughout my life, I haven’t really been super involved in ‘giving back to the community’ in the most straightforward of ways. I know I did some volunteering here and there in high school, but ever since I graduated my involvement has declined. The volunteering I did do was some foodbank/food drives, animal shelters, tutoring in my high school animation/3Dmodeing class and there was this one time I helped out at a digital technology-focused summer camp but I wasn’t there for too long as something personal came up and had to cut my time at the camp short. There was also some time when I worked at my father’s jewelry business I helped plan and organize charity events/sponsorships he’d hold at his store, but even then my role and involvement were nothing short of being too important to worth mentioning.  

 

         The common factor between all of what I’ve done though has something to do with kids in some form or shape and I want to keep it that way going further into my life and career. When I’m in a position to do so, I want to take advantage of that. Kids and young adults are the future and can see and think of things so unique and creative most adults can’t I have to take advantage of this. I know this and can say this from personal experience that all of my ideas I came up with as a kid when I was unknowingly designing paper maps and GDD's, one after another for these crazy games and levels I would think up and the drafts/drawings I have still are actually really good. I see a lot of potential for future projects, portfolio pieces, and pitches in the old ideas I had as a kid. Now, attending UAT and learning more about the industry, I can take what I have learned to make these ideas better and more polished.

 

         I know there is potential in our youth and I know how much of a struggle it is and will be for them to get a job in the industry after they graduate high school and college, which is where I want to give back. Not by using my time volunteering, but by setting up programs, camps, fundraisers, etc. to give back to these kids to help them get a better and solid footing in this industry as many don’t have the opportunity as others to do so such as the students at UAT are given from the game jams, production studio, and the right to own, publish and share your created work, designs, and projects to others and include in your portfolio. It’s a shame those who attend other schools with similar degrees offered own their work, even in high school it is the same set of policies that really limit the creative expressiveness many of these students struggle with overcoming or finding alternatives. 

​

         So in my mind, once my business and game studio is a success and I have a solid team of employees and coworkers making unique and interactive games, I want to partner with high schools and colleges or maybe just set up a separate company/business that takes in kids fresh out of high school and college and give them a place to design games freely with the help of my self and my team overlooking their work guiding them on their way into the industry. It will be a middle step between college and the industry if they want to continue designing games with others. It will act as an internship for those who struggle and can’t afford the resources to get an internship at the big named, triple-A studios. I will give them basically what UAT offers through production studio and the provost challenge on top of portfolio reviews, maybe guest speakers, and have them critique the kid's work. There will be different parts/groups. One for college kids and one for high school kids. The college one with be more internship based, while the high school group will work as more of a summer camp. Through this, I want to hold fundraisers and sponsorships to help raise money for these kids to go to GDC if they can’t afford it.