Video Game Map Designer wanted for interview

[Anthony Gill]

My sister-in-law works for the Tampa Bay History Center and is working with a team to create an exhibition on maps. She'd like to interview a "video game map designer" to find out about what they do and ultimately put together a kid-friendly job description of a map designer.

"It would be ideal for us to feature someone who designs city-building games, or something with a strong map/geography/terrain component."

If anyone is a professional level designer and would be willing to provide an interview for part of the exhibit, please contact me and I'll put you in touch with her. She's under a short time-line, so please reply by Monday if possible. A full transcript of the exhibit is below.

Thanks everyone!
- Anthony


In Sept. 2013, the Tampa Bay History Center will debut an exhibition of 150 historic Florida maps dating from the 16th century to present. In conjunction with the show, we are developing a Newspaper in Education (NIE) curriculum insert through the Tampa Bay Times (NIE | tbtimes | Supplements: Teaching with the Times) which will be distributed to all 8th grade students and U.S. History teachers in our local school district. It will also be included as a special insert in the Sunday, Sept. 22 edition of the Times, reaching approx. 120,000 readers. This publication will use maps to tell the story of Florida’s exploration and development—and the evolution of mapping—over the past 500 years. We are looking for some modern-day “cartographers” who are mapping different realms—not only land and sea, but also space, the human body, and imagined worlds (in the form of computer gaming). We would like to feature these professionals to let students know about different and unexpected map-related career options.

[Schwarzkreuz]

Hi Anthony,

My Name is J.T. Vandel, I have an academic Background with a M.A. of Fine Arts and M.A. of Communication Arts and a Postgraduate Thesis on the Conception of fictional Worlds within western Media of the Past 500 years. In relation to the topic of map-related career options, I do work as a conceptartist for computer games, exebit my works in international art institutions and museums and write as an artcritic about contempory art in arthistorian publications. I would be interested to give insight in the academical/artistic career path that I choosed and contribute to the education program of the TBTimes.

Regards,
T.J. Vandel

[Sapiento]

Sounds interesting.
I have done several maps for PC games.
Examples of my maps can be found in my portfolios - links are in my signature.

[Anthony Gill]

Hi Anthony,

My Name is J.T. Vandel, I have an academic Background with a M.A. of Fine Arts and M.A. of Communication Arts and a Postgraduate Thesis on the Conception of fictional Worlds within western Media of the Past 500 years. In relation to the topic of map-related career options, I do work as a conceptartist for computer games, exebit my works in international art institutions and museums and write as an artcritic about contempory art in arthistorian publications. I would be interested to give insight in the academical/artistic career path that I choosed and contribute to the education program of the TBTimes.

Regards,
T.J. Vandel

Hi T.J,

Thanks for replying! I'd love to pass along your information. I checked your portfolio and didn't see an email address, but if you want to contact me privately, I'll introduce the two of you.

- Anthony

[Anthony Gill]

Sounds interesting.
I have done several maps for PC games.
Examples of my maps can be found in my portfolios - links are in my signature.

Hi Sapiento,

Thanks as well! I'll pass your portfolio along to her and she may be in touch early next week. BTW - I might contact you as well; I like your dungeon floor plans.

[Sapiento]

Hi Sapiento,

Thanks as well! I'll pass your portfolio along to her and she may be in touch early next week. BTW - I might contact you as well; I like your dungeon floor plans.

Hi Anthony,

Ok! My contact info is available on my portfolios - as you surely have already seen.

I'm looking forward to hear from you!