March FableFriday: Owen Hey, Junior Developer

With his upbeat demeanor, signature smile, and twinkle in his eye when given the opportunity to build a new game, Junior Developer Owen Hey makes one thought come to mind – "O-wen will we learn more about him?" The answer is simple: right now.

FableVision scored a goal when the freelancer joined the company as a full-time staff member in July. His passion for games combined with his love of art, creativity, and overall aesthetics in programming help Owen build unique interactives that further FableVision’s mission in developing meaningful, educational projects.

“In college, studying both game design and computer science reaffirmed the feeling that I like the creative avenue of programming,” said Owen. “I understood the cybersecurity and low-level computing classes, but they didn't hold a candle to the cool games I was making.”

Owen brings not only his game development knowledge and desire to grow his coding skills, but also his positivity and ability to put everyone in a good mood, which brightens the studio. Read more to learn about Owen’s methods for finding the best feasible solution on a project, his original game Polygunners, his love of wizards, and the activity that brings him the most joy per minute. 

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What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
I knew I was interested in educational kids’ games after I worked with Eco Resilience Games in college to create a VR experience that helps kids learn about different eras of Earth. For example, they could look at Lake George in New York now, in the 1800s, in the Cretaceous period, and so on. With this organization, we play tested various games with kids at the science museum and it warmed my heart seeing them enjoying the games we worked so hard to make. I knew that I liked the children’s gaming industry, so FableVision appealed to me even more once I discovered it. 

After I graduated from Rensselaer (RPI) in December 2021, I went to GDC – the Game Developers Conference – with my resume, business cards, and a great smile on my face. I left with no job, but I met a connection who works as a programmer in educational media. We set up a call and he listed several companies in that industry on the east coast, telling me which ones he respects, which to avoid, and other information. He had great things to say about FableVision, and within two days of speaking to him, I applied for a freelance Unity developer position, spoke to Technical Director Jordan Bach, and was assigned to a FableVision project. 

What do you like about computer science?
Growing up, I really admired and looked up to my older brother, who’s five years older than me. He did computer science, so following in his footsteps was a no-brainer. Very quickly I learned to love it, and not just because of my brother. My high school offered an awesome Unity development course that sparked my interest in this field and really shaped my future. That class and my RPI courses made me realize that game development and creativity specifically were both aspects of computer science that I enjoyed and wanted to pursue. And it all started because of my brother.

What types of projects do you like to work on?
I definitely like games and interactives. I grew up playing lots of games, so it was always one of my goals to create them. It’s fun to work on projects that you have a lot of experience in, which for me is Unity, but I want to expand my palate to other frameworks, libraries, and game engines. 

I prefer working on smaller games because it’s always a new experience; you can learn from something you worked on in the past but also try something new. There’s quicker iteration with a cleaner process. On a bigger project, while the end-product may be more impressive, you get stuck with the code you wrote a while ago. I enjoy splitting the work into mini projects, like mini games within the larger game, so that each game is a breath of fresh air and I can create things from scratch.

How did your previous experience prepare you for your role at FableVision?
In RPI’s game design program, our projects were structured in small groups of four-to-five people, with a person from each field – designer, writer, programmer. From a programming standpoint, I worked on half a dozen projects with a similar group size and structure as FableVision. The biggest thing that was missing were the producers. At FableVision, they make the whole process so much easier and great, I love them! On my own time in college, one of my main hobbies was going into a game engine I was learning at the time and playing around. I worked on a lot of small projects to dive deep into a certain visual effect or style. 

My previous internships were closer to traditional software development, which helped reiterate that I want to be a game developer as opposed to a software engineer, but I also had an IT support position that taught me communication skills. The job was 20% knowing how to fix the problem and 80% being able to explain the solution to those who needed help. Growing my people skills was really beneficial, especially for a company like FableVision that values interpersonal relationships, and where I have to communicate with different members of a project.

Owen and his decade-long best friend Caleb.

Speaking of communicating with different folks, how do you work with producers, artists, and designers to create the best possible games and interactives?
Not everything can be built exactly the way people might want it, so there is some back and forth between the teams where we work to find the best feasible solution. To help with this, I’m good at giving these roles different options for what they can do. I prototype or mock up multiple variations and send them to the designers, artists, and producers to see what sticks. 

What advice do you have for aspiring game developers?
Something that I’ve found to be invaluable is separating what is good from what is easy – you don’t want to create something only because you know how to build it. Instead, focus on the design and what is right for the experience, even if it’s challenging. You will create a better game and learn new techniques, which will help you build new games in the future. You don’t want to get stuck and do the same thing over and over again. It’s also valuable to be very clear with what is doable, especially in the time and budget parameters that you’re given.

Tell us more about Polygunners!
In college, I worked on many small, narrative, puzzle-based games, but I wanted to create something closer to the type of games I personally enjoy playing. I also hoped to expand my skill set and develop a project by myself. For about six months, I worked on Polygunners, a cooperative action game where players fight evil shapes. I was really, really passionate about it and it eventually turned into my capstone project.

I did the game design, art, programming, and sound creation, which was a lot of fun, sitting in my bedroom, recording “pew, pew, pew!” I paid a friend to create the music and trailer. It’s called Polygunners because everything in the game is composed of basic geometric shapes, including the evil, scary Polyqueen. I published it on Steam, and while it’s not the most popular game, over 40,000 people have played it! It’s definitely the project that I’m most proud of making.

It seems like soccer is a huge part of your life.
Soccer is really important to me. Growing up, I played it like every kid plays a sport, but in middle and high school, I became very serious about it, traveling every weekend to play in tournaments. At one point, I was on the “Maine team” as part of the Olympic Development Program. I took a step back in my junior year of high school after a severe back injury, but I continued to play intramural in college. To this day, I watch a lot of professional soccer and play in intramural leagues throughout Boston. It’s my favorite thing to do – definitely my highest fun had per minute.

You also love drawing?
Even though I’m a developer, I’ve always liked the visual parts of game development, like graphics programming and procedural animation – it’s all about making stuff look pretty. I like doing artsy, creative things in code, which extends to drawing, because I see that as the most pure form of creativity. You can make something look cool in code or you can just draw it. I’m not very good at it yet, but I’m getting there, and I’m having lots of fun, especially drawing wizards and clouds. 

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More About Owen

Favorite game: Starcraft II.

Favorite wizard: Septimus Sylvaria – he’s my D&D character, a 12-year-old boy who thinks he’s the best, greatest wizard that ever lived. My red wizard hat is his hat, that unfortunately for him got burnt, so now it’s black.

Favorite movie: Game Night.

Favorite sports player: Marco Asensio. And my favorite soccer team is Tottenham Hotspur.

Favorite snack: Oreos! 

Favorite place you’ve traveled: Perú – Machu Picchu, Lima, Cusco.

An Owen fun fact that most people don’t know: As an 8-year-old kid, I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland in a flat and I went to school in a castle!

May FableFriday: Erik Laats, Junior Developer

Erik Laats’ keen eye for design and game-building background provide him with the perfect combination of skills to develop FableVision’s projects. After working for a startup in Boston and an advertising agency across the globe in Sydney, he came back to the east coast with revived gusto to pursue his passion of creating games and interactives. Erik approaches his projects with accessibility in mind, to ensure that all users have a fun experience. 

“Everyone has a unique perspective, and I love designing and developing to accommodate ranging technical backgrounds, generational differences, and cognitive and physical disabilities,” says Erik. “The best designed experiences are ones that transcend these divisions.”

Read on to learn more about Erik’s typical day as a junior developer, his TikTok-famous pet, and his range of active and calming hobbies.

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What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
I have long been interested in animation and illustration and I was immediately drawn to FableVision’s clear affinity for beautiful, hand-drawn artwork during my senior year at UC Davis. Digging deeper, I was thrilled to find the company primarily built games and interactives with an educational bent – another interest of mine.

After a few months of email badgering, former Technical Director Brian Grossman agreed to speak with me. While I had an interest in developing games and websites, my experience was primarily in design, so FableVision decided to go with Nathan Wentworth, and I was left to continue my job search.

With a little luck, I found myself as the designer in a tiny software startup (then SYRG, now HourWork) in Boston. At such a small company, I had plenty of opportunities to help the developer team, so I pitched in whenever I could. Between these moments and a few personal game projects, I grew my confidence in technical work.

In 2019, my partner and I moved to Australia, and I found a position as a “creative technologist” at a trendy advertising agency in Sydney. It was the perfect hybrid of technical and creative work, providing me with a great chance to expand my technical abilities with my design background.

Upon returning to the United States once the pandemic began, Brian put me in touch with Jordan Bach, our current technical director, who was looking for new freelancers. After freelancing for about six months, I joined FableVision as a full-time junior developer!

What’s a typical day like for a junior developer?
I like to start the day by taking the cat for a walk and doing The Mini Crossword. Once that’s taken care of, I’ll dive right in on my current project. I am usually scheduled for one or two projects over the course of a week, so I’ll spend my morning crunching through new features or handling thoughtful client feedback.

Most days are broken up by a few client meetings, which are a nice break from the code editor. I’ll work closely with the producer or other team members to make a development plan to accommodate client requests. In the quiet moments, I like to investigate new technologies and fiddle with prototypes. If I can, I try to sneak any interesting things I’ve learned into current projects.

How does your experience in design help you create projects at FableVision?
Design and development form a symbiotic circle – one cannot exist without the other. While designing, it is useful to consider the limitations of the technology you’ll be using so you can make informed decisions. Conversely, when developing based on a design, it’s common to stumble across an edge case or some design question that wasn’t caught in the design phase. I do my best to solve these problems on my own, keep the development moving forward, and ensure the project stays on track.

Screenshot from Michael’s Flowers, a game created by Erik.

How have you approached accessibility in games and why is doing so important?
While technical accessibility – which includes things like screen reader and keyboard usability – is super important, I am also interested in exploring accessibility in a broader sense. Is this generally easy to use? Is it easy to find? Will someone with no prior knowledge be able to enjoy and understand this? I try to keep different perspectives in mind to create the most effective experiences.

What have been some of your favorite FableVision projects?
I loved working on Keenville, created in partnership with the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) and Georgia Center for Assessment, because it was exciting to be on a team with developers for a large, technical project. Keenville closely embodies why I was drawn to FableVision – beyond the technical challenge, it strives to build its own imaginative universe, complete with a comprehensive world, dozens of games, and a sense of agency. I would love to see this package expand.

I also like the GASHA GO! World games from Georgia Public Broadcasting. I worked on Claw Control, which was a perfectly sized project that allowed me to take ownership of it. The huge emphasis on art and creative design led to clever interfaces that joined them together successfully in the program.

What do you hope to work on in the future at the studio?
I would love to work on a larger-scale, narrative-driven Unity game, with an emphasis on storytelling and relevant player decisions. I find these types of games very compelling, and I enjoy the challenge of building a game that accounts for player agency. These are fun to create from both a development and design perspective, especially if the game needs to be educational, too. The last FableVision project like this that comes to mind is Wanderlight.

You enjoy creating your own games and comics! What’s a side project you’re currently working on and from where do you draw your inspiration?
In my college days, one of my biggest hobbies was playing Super Smash Bros. Melee competitively. My school had a big tournament scene and people met weekly to host brackets, watch events, and hang out. It was amazing to be a part of a passionate community and inspiring to see the positive effect an old video game could have on people. While I still play for fun and go to the occasional tournament, Melee is more on the back burner these days. It will always be important to me and a foundational part of why I love making games. 

Recently, I've been drawing inspiration from my cat, Winston. He’s so ridiculous that it’s hard not to imagine him as a silly protagonist in a comic or a game. Since he loves cinnamon, in my latest project, players use their fingers to draw lines of cinnamon in the sky. Winston follows those lines on a skateboard and the goal is to reunite him with his three best friends – cow, ham bone, and donut (his favorite toys). It’s a prototype right now, but someday I hope to finish it. A while back, I made an idle game where Winston fishes and then stops to play his Nintendo Switch. The player has to tell him to fish again.

As a present for my partner, I wrote a dozen or so comics about Winston. They depict some key moments, including his adoption, our daily interactions, and when he gets too hot.

Speaking of Winston – tell us more about him!
When we adopted him from a shelter in 2020, he was a skinny and scrawny 6-month-old kitten with a biting problem. He’s since filled out nicely into a full-grown adult menace! Like all cats, he’s got some quirks, and my partner built a big following on TikTok around his love for cinnamon. I don’t want to out Winston, but he’ll snuggle anything… although cinnamon is definitely his favorite! 

He’s not the brightest bulb, but he loves to play and go on walks and nature hikes. It’s hard to get him out of the door sometimes, but he’s great at coming home to the food – he’ll run all the way back with his ears down. 

What are some of your hobbies?
When I started working, I took up rock climbing to combat sitting in an office. It’s fun to risk life and limb, jumping from rock to rock, feeling alive! I’m unable to think about anything else at that time, so I have no choice but to stop worrying and being stressed out. It’s a fun escape.

Since the pandemic, I’ve also started paying more attention to birds. While birding may have a lame reputation, it’s a useful way to stay present. No matter where you are, you can step outside and listen to the birds. I’ve slowly learned how different birds look and sound, and it is so satisfying when something flies by that you recognize. 

More About Erik

A picture of a cardinal taken by Erik.

Favorite game? Super Smash Bros. Melee – I’ve been playing it since I was six. A close second would be Undertale. 

Favorite Pokémon? That’s tough. The child in me says Lugia, but I also like Surskit, he’s a cutie.

Favorite bird? The green heron. They don’t look like your typical herons – they’re still hunters, they hide in the weeds, and wait for hours. It’s my goal this summer to get a nice picture of one.

An Erik fun fact that most people don’t know? When I was 10 years old, I jumped off the swing and “obliterated both of my arms at once,” as my doctor said. That was a defining moment for me and it took me about a year to recover. I had to serve spaghetti at a school fundraiser with my two enormous casts.

November FableFriday: Esther Tzau, Junior Developer

While most people tend to be right- or left-brained, Esther Tzau’s got it all. Her computer science degree and coding experience speak volumes about her left-brain logic and STEM mind, ensuring that she’s an excellent junior developer at FableVision. Meanwhile, her art portfolio consists of original designs, animations, and her own children’s book, continuously improving her right-brain creativity and storytelling.

“My interdisciplinary education pushed me to find connections and lean into those in-between spaces, and showed me how we can use technology to educate and tell stories in engaging and affirming ways,” says Esther.

When Esther works on FableVision tech projects, she brings more to the table than her coding abilities. She can look at the work through a critical and creative lens, leveraging the experience from her personal storytelling projects.

Read more to learn about Esther’s path to FableVision, unique projects outside of the studio, and the one game that she always wins.

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What’s your “journey to FableVision” story?
I first heard about FableVision in high school, when my graphic design teacher encouraged me to apply for FableVision’s internship program (thanks, Ms.Ciccolo!). When we learned that the internship was only open to college students, I put the application in my back pocket as I prepared for my first semester of college. Afterwards, this small but mighty studio mysteriously began to pop up in different conversations and circles over the next few years.

In 2018, I worked for an after school coding program for elementary school students and co-taught a class with former FableVision production artist and animator Taryn Johnson. She was the coolest—she had the best purple hair and was the best person to work with—and I was intrigued by her experiences as an artist at FableVision. Pursuing a career in animation and games? In Boston? I had no idea that my city was home to a thriving animation and gaming community.

FableVision spring 2020 interns

In 2019, after interviewing for the marketing internship, I asked Brian Grossman, FableVision’s technical director at the time, if I could shadow him and the developer team at FableVision. To my surprise, he said yes! I joined the spring 2020 intern cohort as a technical intern and developed Shared with 3 Others: a thoughtfully written, cleverly designed, and visually stunning game, alongside my talented fellow interns. As we developed this game and met other FableVisionaries, I confirmed that the role of “educational game and web developer” existed and that it was a possible path for me. 

The following summer, I was thrilled to work alongside the FableVision team as a freelancer. After graduating from Tufts University in 2020, Jordan Bach, FableVision’s current technical director, invited me to return full-time as a junior developer at the studio. It’s funny, now I’m the one telling people to intern at FableVision!

You majored in computer science and American studies! How did your educational background prepare you for this role?
I knew I wanted to study computer science after my summer with Girls Who Code, where I felt empowered to program creative educational experiences. For my final project, our team developed a prototype for a web app that helps immigrant kids practice reading English. The goal of that project was similar to the Spanish language updates I implemented for Project Here Games, my first full-time project with FableVision. Project Here promotes nonviolent communication skills and healthy decision making through social emotional learning. 

I encountered American studies during my first semester at Tufts, when I took a class on Asian America. American studies critically examines race, colonialism, and diaspora. It was a sort of therapy for me, as it gave me the language and space to process silenced histories and lived experiences within such a compassionate and active community. As I learned more about our broken education system, I became especially interested in different pedagogies and how learning can happen in and outside of the traditional classroom.

At Tufts, I also spent a lot of time in the Film and Media Studies Department (FMS), the School of Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), and our student magazine’s multimedia team (check out Tufts Observer). My projects in those spaces helped me merge computer science and American studies in unexpected ways. For example, I took a web programming class, experimented with the Unity game engine and Maya 3D modeling in my game design class, and applied what I learned to the Observer’s multimedia projects as we explored interactive journalism. 

Boston Asian American Film Festival volunteering (photo with Princess Punzalan from Yellow Rose)

How do you work with the other creative teams at the studio to ensure that your work resonates with the audience?
I work closely with producers, designers, and artists, and I’m inspired by how the studio prioritizes accessibility at every stage of the development process. Our UI/UX designers intentionally design accessible experiences for users with different abilities, artists create assets with guidelines (like color contrast) in mind, and producers inform me about what technical accessibility standards need to be implemented. Making sure that our games and interactives can be experienced by as many people as possible, regardless of their abilities, is very important to us.

I enjoy being at the end of the pipeline, pulling together the great ideas generated by clients and team members. Since I get to do final screenings and build the finished product, I’ve found opportunities to speak up if I notice that members of our audience have been overlooked unintentionally, or lost in the margins, and I bring any suggestions to the production team.

What’s a typical day like for a junior developer?
It’s common to work on multiple projects at a time, so I check the weekly schedule to see which project I’m on that day. Then I spend most of the day debugging code, developing online interactives based on design documents, and researching new tools. 

Throughout the week, I’ll check in with the producer(s) on a project, join a meeting with a client to gather feedback and share progress, and meet with fellow developers. During developer meetings and code reviews, the developers share challenges and helpful tools, bring questions, and discuss possible solutions. I’m truly blessed to learn and laugh with this development team. The developers are comedians and it always amazes me how their brains can store so much information.

You grew up in the Boston area! What do you like to do around here?
Eat, mostly. Whether I’m picnicking at Castle Island with friends, stuffing myself with a 10-course meal at a Chinese banquet with my church community, or hitting up all-you-can-eat restaurants with my family, you can probably find me eating somewhere with people I love. My favorite dessert spot is YoCha in Quincy!

We heard that you wrote and illustrated your own children’s book! Can you tell us more about that?
Coming soon to a library near you! At least, that’s the dream. This book is dedicated to my niece, my mom, and my Po Po (grandma in Cantonese).

Here’s a blurb: Mui Mui’s best friend and role model is her Po Po, but since she doesn’t have the language to ask, she knows nothing of her past. One day, during a visit with her grandmother, they bond, and she imagines all of the great things Po Po possibly could have done as a young woman. In a moment of magical realism, she learns the truth, and realizes how she inherited this gift of radical imagination from her Po Po. 

Stay tuned! I’ll let you know when it’s out.

Sneak peek of Esther’s book

What advice would you give to young people who are interested in pursuing a job as a developer? 
Computer science can feel isolating sometimes, so seek out community! It’s easy to get discouraged and frustrated, and experience imposter syndrome. Get comfortable with asking for help, whether from professors, teaching assistants, online forums, peers, or coworkers. Even if the person you ask is also stuck, it’s a lot more fun to problem solve (and/or commiserate) with another human being. 

Don’t let computer science turn you into a robot. Eat, sleep, rest, and take care of yourself. At school, it sometimes feels like everyone is pursuing a software development role at some Big Tech company, but if that’s not what you want, remember that programmers are needed in every field. Hold on tightly to your interests and don’t be afraid to make unconventional decisions.

Lastly, reach out to folks doing the kind of stuff that interests you. As you can tell from this FableFriday, people love to talk about themselves! You’ll learn so much from them and their connections. The worst that could happen is they say “no.” Once you get used to rejection, that's not so bad. :)

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Esther’s Favorites:

Favorite book: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. I love graphic novels and memoirs, and this one is really special.

Favorite artists: Shout out to my talented friends: @tanjoreenie, @camoot.journal,@maxinearts, and @mariafongtastic. Check out their work on Instagram!

Favorite movie: Hmm, I can’t choose just one, so Coco, Get Out, and Ip Man 4. The iconic Ip Man navigates the cultural appropriation of martial arts and racial violence in his fourth movie. I’m a big fan of the anti-villain Chairman Wan, who is fiercely protective of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Some of the acting is so bad, but that only serves to let our Asian actors and actresses shine, so I’m here for it.

Favorite game: The game that’s been a staple in my family and in all of my communities—Bananagrams! Try to beat me, I dare you.

Favorite museum: MOCA—The Museum of Chinese in America in New York City. Next time you’re in New York, go support this important collection of artifacts and oral histories! I promise you will learn so much.

Favorite place to travel: Portugal had a huge impact on me. Beyond the tasty seafood, majestic ocean and mountain views, lovely hospitable tour guides, and fond memories with my family, this was the first trip when I was hyper-aware of what it means to be a tourist in someone else’s home. I wore a critical historical lens everywhere I went.

June FableFriday: Andrew Start, Developer

FableVision developer Andrew Start is certainly not a newcomer to building educational games and interactives. With a background in programming and years working in the industry, Andrew brings a breadth of knowledge and experience not only to the projects he tackles at the studio, but also to the teams he works with.

“My favorite types of projects are ones where I can build tools that enable others to make awesome things,” says Andrew Start. “I am always happy to discuss needs, capabilities, and limitations in order to come out with the best possible product. At FableVision, I’m able to do that while working on a range of projects.”

An avid fan of games and an experienced learning games developer, Andrew “starts” his FableVision career bringing his knowledge and passion to help designers and artists build amazing games and interactives. His collaborative mindset, a key trait of FableVisionaries, ensures that FableVision doesn’t lose sight of designers’ creativity while building innovative projects for our clients. And the structures that he creates allow producers and designers to convert the clients’ visions into tangible products. 

Read more to learn about Andrew’s love for games, approach to learning, and favorite llama factoid!

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You’re a new FableVisionary. Welcome to the team! What is your “journey to FableVision” story?
I’ve always loved games, and I realized that I could enter the learning games industry to create games that also teach. I developed educational web games for years at CloudKid and continued that at Jibo, a social robotics company. After Jibo shut down, I focused on freelancing projects, which is how I discovered FableVision. After learning more about the studio development team, and overall culture, I accepted a full-time position here.

What does a typical day in the life of a FableVision developer look like? 
The vast majority of my time is spent head-down building out code structure or fixing bugs. Each day has its own tasks and fixes needed, so no two are the same, but overall there’s a lot of staring at computer screens and pondering involved. I’ll also spend time talking with producers and artists to keep abreast of known bugs and assets that are ready to be integrated, so collaboration and creative problem-solving play a large role in my daily routine.

What is your favorite part of being a developer, and how does FableVision differ from other studios? 
FableVision has a large range of clients and products, which keeps my daily work interesting. I like working on new challenges, whether I’m creating a game for a big-name client, an interactive for a museum, or a website for a small non-profit. FableVision’s varied clients and projects help me learn something new every day.

Technology has changed a lot in the years that you’ve been a programmer. How do you adapt to stay on top of current trends? 
I keep track of the tools that I use and then expand my knowledge to technology and situations adjacent to those tools. I also learn a lot about current trends and resources from helping out with open source projects and chatting with other developers.

What was your favorite game growing up, and how has your love of games impacted your career path? 
I don’t know that I had a single favorite game growing up, but the ones that I played multiple times were Golden Sun, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, and Pokémon Gold. Beyond the puzzles honing my analytical skills, the hours lost in the games fostered a lifelong love of video games, and that pushed me toward majoring in Electronic Game Programming in college. 

As someone who works in educational media, you also love to learn! Where do you go to learn new things, and what is your favorite random factoid that you’ve picked up?
I tend to learn from a variety of YouTube videos and Wikipedia rabbit holes. Most of that information gets packed deeply away, only to come out unbidden when tangentially related to whatever topic I am discussing. A fun fact that I can bring to mind, though, is the herding behavior of llamas: a single llama will form a herd with non-llama animals and aggressively defend them from threats, but two or more llamas will form a herd with each other and ignore other farm animals.

We hear that you’re a big fan of science fiction and fantasy. What are your favorite franchises, and what about those genres appeals to you? 
Star Wars got its hooks into me at a young age and has stuck with me ever since. My favorite part of fantasy and sci-fi media is the world-building—I have admittedly low standards for quality of dialogue and characters, but really value an expansive and coherently crafted universe that I can spend hours (or years) exploring in my imagination.

More About Andrew

Favorite video game: I think I’ll go with my soft spot for the first Company of Heroes game, whose cover mechanics ruined other RTS games for me.

Most challenging board game you’ve ever played: Diplomacy—it’s always a challenge to come out on top of six other players who are looking to betray you (or have already been betrayed by you).

Spring or summer: Trick question—winter is best, with hot cocoa, cozy fires, and no mosquitos.

A new skill you’d like to learn: I’d like to experiment with 3D printers.

Favorite outdoor activity: Ultimate frisbee.

Three people, dead or alive, you’d invite to a dinner party: A random assortment of the game-related YouTubers that I subscribe to—the conversation should be interesting, or we could just retire to the living room for some good gaming action.

June FableFriday: Jordan Bach, Technical Director

FableVision Technical Director Jordan Bach is definitely not new to the edtech game. A member of the FableVision team for almost 10 years, Jordan has decades of experience in developing educational games and media with a focus on accessible technology and innovations in tech. He’s also just a really nice guy.

Jordan first joined the team as a developer and now, in the role of Technical Director, oversees the technical department, contributes to planning and budgeting proposals and projects, and continues serving as lead developer on a number of the studio’s large game projects. Working with tools such as Unity and HTML5 to merge physical and digital play, Jordan is an expert in all things AR and VR. And through the advancements and innovations in technology over the years, Jordan has also consistently been the go-to person on staff for questions about accessibility, designing and leading projects to support people with learning disabilities and different educational needs to provide a safe and engaging space to learn.

“Accessibility means so much more than making a game compatible with a screen reader,” Jordan tells us. “It means that many people experience learning games differently and we need to communicate with as many of them as we can.”

Using his vast skills in design and developmental technology, Jordan has adapted to the many changes that have happened to the edtech and media fields over the past decade and helped FableVision to stay on top of and actively respond to growing trends in the industry. Working closely with other members of FableVision staff, freelancers, and clients over the years, he approaches his dedication to his work with endless patience, a calm demeanor, and a creative eye—actively looking for the best ways to help others and making possibilities realities. Continue reading to learn more about Jordan’s journey to FableVision, how he approaches projects in his role as Technical Director, and what advice he has for developers at the start of their careers!

How did you first hear about FableVision, and what initially drew you to the studio?
I first heard about FableVision through friends and former colleagues who loved working here, so I connected with Brian Grossman, the former Technical Director. During my first visit and first interview at the studio, the mission and the creative spirit were so clearly visible in everyone I met and in the physical space that the decision was already made from my perspective.

What does a typical day look like for you?
My day-to-day schedule has changed a lot since I’ve become the Technical Director! Every day I’m trying to do two things: first, I’m contributing to current, upcoming, and potential projects. This includes offering support to the developers, participating in planning, and completing budget estimates for proposals.

And second, I’m reserving a little time to continue being a developer, which is something I love. Most recently I’ve been helping set up the architecture of a new project, and then sharing it with the developer who will take it through the rest of development and over the finish line!

You’ve been at the studio for ten years! How has the technology the studio uses changed, and how do you stay on top of edtech trends?
Ten years ago, Flash was the most common way to develop highly interactive applications for the web browser, and mobile apps were still relatively new to the world. Unity has emerged as a go-to tool for building cross-platform mobile apps, and we’re also using various web frameworks to speed along complex browser-based development projects. We’re more used to change than we were then! 

The best way to stay on top of trends is to ask questions. When someone mentions something and I don’t know what it is, I just ask. And then go look it up if I need more information. There’s so much to know and sometimes there’s pressure to pretend like you know everything. As a mission-based company, FableVision is all about learning, so I just ask.

How do you approach each project from a technical perspective? How does the process differ depending on the scope of a project or the medium (game-based app, Augmented Reality experience, website, etc.)
Determining the technical approach for a project goes hand-in-hand with the creative design. After we have started the creative brainstorming, we think about what technology might make sense to help us with the project. The scope, medium, audience, and platform all feed into this thinking process. We focus on HTML5 and Unity, but also work with other technologies. Then the strengths of the chosen development platform can further inform the creative definition of the project. 

Once the design and technology are set, we'll pick what’s hard, what hasn’t been done before, and start there. 

What is a FableVision project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of?
I feel particularly proud of the projects we’ve done that are used in research studies. The Zoombinis remake and the Reach Every Reader apps for the Harvard Graduate School of Education are examples of apps that are not only fun to use, but also move educational research forward. It’s definitely rewarding to be a part of such important projects such as those.

Here at FableVision, we’re dedicated to making sure our work follows accessibility standards. What do you have to keep in mind when making sure our projects are accessible? 
When we create accessible media, we need to think beyond the platform it's housed on and what features we can add to accommodate certain disabilities. Many of our users have different experiences and use our games, interactives, and other media in different ways, so we have to design for as many different learning contexts as possible.

Right now we’re making a game that is “born accessible,” meaning we’re designing it to be accessible to many from the start, instead of retrofitting an existing game for a more diverse audience. We’ve learned that an important tool is customization: for example, if a player struggles with focus, we can expose a setting to turn off distracting background imagery. If someone has low vision, we can expose a setting to turn on audio descriptions. On the other hand, there are some elements of a game we can make accessible to many without the need for customization. For example, we can design artwork to be easily distinguishable by people with the most common forms of color blindness.

You have a background in music! How does music continue to impact your life, and how has your degree influenced your work at FableVision?
In college, I got degrees in both math and cello performance. Doing both was a great opportunity to see all the connections (and differences) between the two. It was also a great opportunity to understand the similarities between learning each. When working on an abstract math proof, you start with what you know and build from there. When learning a difficult passage in music, you break it down to the smallest pieces you can play and start stringing them together. And now, when starting a new project at work, I approach it with the same mindset: what do I know, and how can I start putting it together to get somewhere I’ve never been before?

You’re currently a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Technology, Innovation, and Education program. What’s rewarding about your role, and what has teaching taught you?
I was involved in a course called Advanced Design Studio this past semester. In the first half of the semester, I taught Unity development in the lab sessions; together with the class, we made one of the puzzles from Zoombinis (“Cap’n Cajun’s Ferryboat”). During the second half of the semester, I coached groups of students as they developed their own designs into prototypes. It’s exciting to see the students coming up with great concepts. After 20 years working in this space, I saw ideas I hadn’t seen before. And the students all wanted to participate in learning; they didn’t just want to be fed information. This encouraged me to think about what I needed to provide to facilitate learning without getting in the way of it.

What advice do you have for students and professionals starting out in the technology field? What skill is important for a programmer to develop early on in their career?
Consider also focusing on a non-programming skill or interest. Programming is a tool; it also helps to have experience in education, games, some kind of production, or something else that you love. Beyond that, well-rounded programmers think big (code architecture and efficiency) and small (detail-oriented, predicting every way a user might interact with the application). I’ve found that most people are usually naturally good at one of those ways of thinking and need to focus on improving the other. (Also, see above: asking questions!)

You made an amazing quilt for Creative Juices last year! Are you currently working on any new projects?
I’m working on an underwater-themed quilt for my niece. It’s somewhat improvised, which is new for me, so I don’t know what it’s going to look like yet!

Quick questions

Recipe you haven’t tried but would like to: Anything from Pastry Week on the Great British Bake Off.

TV show you’re currently binging: I, Claudius, while listening to the I, Podius podcast. I’d never seen it before, but I vividly remember the “Me Claudius” spoof on Monsterpiece Theater when I was young.

Best consolation of Staying at Home: curbside pickup to support small restaurants. Vietnamese Fresh Roll Friday is now a thing!

Game you love to recommend: Carcassonne, as a board game or as an app. I just gave it to my nieces and they love it.

Top two tips you give to new gardeners: 1) A plant in the wrong place will never be happy. Pay attention to the sun/shade requirements! 2) If you’ve only ever planted annuals, try a perennial. It’s magical to see them come back from nothing in the early spring. It’s my favorite part of gardening.

A book you love to reread: Lizard Music by Daniel Pinkwater, a favorite from elementary school. A weird story for a weird kid.