I was part of the Total Annihilation community and a local LAN party scene with the Gamespy folks in 97-99, so got to meet some industry folks that way and lear

I was part of the Total Annihilation community and a local LAN party scene with the Gamespy folks in 97-99, so got to meet some industry folks that way and learn what was going on. The big in that I got was going to a local 3d animation meetup in 98 where I met two artists that would become the art leads at Pandemic Studios when it were founded a few months later. I don't remember the exact sources, I just hustled a lot during those times because I wanted to get in the industry and was bored of high school, and I was lucky to be near the action in LA. I eventually took a Softimage 3D animation course in summer 98 and I needed a computer that could handle it! I was only 16-17 at the time and looking back I think I had a pretty wild experience as a teenage game designer during a really cool time in the industry. Might write about it one day.