Destiny Carter is a creative (a sketch artist and an actress) and a hard-core gamer. She鈥檚 also a senior and first-generation college student majoring in 补谤迟听with a minor in computer science who鈥檚 a little bored with what she calls a lack of innovation in the gaming industry.
She wants to see the design and user experience level up and plans to devote her career to just that.
This summer, she鈥檚 taking an art class and working at the Women鈥檚 Center聽as a member of 鈥淭he Squad,鈥� a close-knit group of students that plans events and outreach. She also serves on the e-board of the center鈥檚 Women鈥檚 History Month Committee.
We spoke with her about her college support system, what she does to tap into her creative side, and how she plans to change the gaming industry.
What inspired you to turn your passion for video games into a career?
I love video games, whether it’s single-player, person versus person, or RPG. I play tons of them and watch Twitch streamers. I want to be a part of building the next generation of video games in whatever way that I can. That’s why I was originally a computer science major with a focus on multimedia computing, but I decided that digital art was more of my path. People talk about the software engineers or the front-end or back-end people, but no one talks about the people who work on how you interact with a video game, website, or app. I鈥檓 integrating what I love and what I鈥檓 good at.
What do you want to change about video games?
I want to use design to make video games feel more seamless and intuitive to play in terms of navigating menus and customization. I want to make games feel better to click through and less frustrating. It鈥檚 all the same fonts, the same basic formula. As a designer, I would be bolder and lean into the concepts that we’re trying to portray and not the simple formula that everyone uses.
There鈥檚 not much innovation in video games right now at big companies鈥攖hey鈥檙e all just doing the same thing over and over again. I hope to someday work for an indie video game company or a start-up that鈥檚 not afraid to try something new. I don’t mind making a bit less than the designers at big companies if I get to do work that I’m proud of.
What is it like being a member of 鈥淭he Squad鈥� at the Women鈥檚 Center?
The Women’s Center has really helped me. At first, I was a bit shy, but everyone there made me feel so welcome. They鈥檙e very empathetic and have supported me through tough times鈥攁 support system is so important to be successful in college, especially if you don鈥檛 have a good support system at home. I鈥檓 the oldest child and have two younger sisters, but at the Women’s Center, it’s like I have a bunch of older sisters and sisters closer to my age.聽I help run events and outreach, which can impact someone who might not have had that resource before. I was once that student who had nowhere to go after class besides home. That鈥檚 why I love the Women’s Center so much.
You鈥檙e also a part of CUNYEdge.
I wish I had gotten involved in CUNY EDGE sooner. Monique Ngozi Nri [鈥�21], the CUNY EDGE director at 可乐视频, inspired me to apply for scholarships. I didn鈥檛 think I had anything interesting to write about in the essay, but Monique encouraged me to go for it. So I applied and I got it. I owe a lot of my personal growth to CUNY EDGE. Without it, and the Women鈥檚 Center, I think that I would鈥檝e dropped out of school. People pushed me and cheered me on, always helping me figure out what to do, who to talk to, and where to go. Before, I was kind of lost.
You鈥檙e taking a summer class. How is that going?
I鈥檓 taking ART 2210, which I鈥檝e had a lot of fun in. It has helped me develop my drawing skills. I decided that a summer course couldn鈥檛 hurt鈥攊t could only help me. I like the fast pace of summer classes because they鈥檙e not spread out throughout the whole semester. I like being active on campus in the nice weather.
You sound like a very creative person.
I鈥檝e always been a dreamer. One of my hobbies is acting. I love the rush of getting on stage. I did theater in high school, but now I mostly act in student films. I also read a lot of fantasy and fiction, listen to music, and write. I鈥檓 happier now that I鈥檝e leaned into the creative side of me.
