Back in 2002, shortly after GTA3 was released for PC, I started getting involved in its then-fledgling modding community. I created a really basic map mod early

Back in 2002, shortly after GTA3 was released for PC, I started getting involved in its then-fledgling modding community. I created a really basic map mod early on, and then a bit later, I worked on a couple of slightly more advanced things, including a sort of modding tutorial. As the community grew, my stuff started popping up everywhere[1], and a little blurb in some issue of PC Gamer even named me as one of the "pioneers" of GTA3 modding. Fast forward four or five years, and GTA3 related results still dominated Google searches for my name. I was just about to go to college, and I had an initial phone interview for a part time sysadmin job at a small company close to campus. During the call, the owner of the company happened to google me and suddenly went silent. After a few very long seconds, I piped up: "...hello?" "...uh, yeah. So, what's all this about grand theft auto? Were you charged?" It took me a moment to realize what he was seeing, but once I did, I cracked up. I did my best to explain that it referred to a computer game, not a felony. I even tried to turn it into a selling point, using it as an example of how long I'd been hacking, tweaking, etc. I'm not still not sure he was entirely convinced, but nevertheless, he ended up calling me in for a second interview. Today, the top results for my name are a bit more professional: my portfolio site, LinkedIn, Facebook, and so on. However, down near the bottom of the first page, you can still find a reference to my stint as a professional carjacker—uh, I mean as a GTA3 modder. [1] I won't link to them here directly, but if you're curious, it wouldn't take much digging to find my full name and check it out yourself.