Those of us who get into game development, game art, and the various schools of making video games are pretty typically split into two different categories: those who want to make video games because video games are cool, and those who want to make video games to share an experience with others, to challenge ourselves and others, or in other words, for all of those nuanced reasons that have nothing to do with video games being cool. Today, I learned that a fellow classmate from Westwood College, and someone I most certainly would put into the latter category, is no longer with us. Ben Henderson was such a friendly spirit, someone who could bring a smile to your face even if you had just cussed out your computer for crashing the tenth time while you were working on a final project. He had a fierce sense of humor, and appreciated that in others as well. But most importantly, he was such a positive classmate, always ready with a critique that would underscore your need for improvement with an encouragement to strive for something better. He was always curious, always filled with questions, eager to learn. The last time I saw Ben was in the halls of Westwood, and he was enthusiastically sharing his plans to get into EA Sports down in Florida. All I can think of today is that he would have been such an asset to the industry. Everything else aside, the gaming industry thrives off of team players who bolster each other up, who look at a challenge and tackle it headlong, ready for anything... Ben was definitely that kind of guy. Today I find myself in disbelief that he is gone, unwilling to accept that I will never again shake his hand or hear his friendly call down the hallway, excited to see someone he considered a friend. Days like this, it is hard to be comforted by memories alone. Rest well, Ben. I am certain I am not alone in saying that you will be dearly, sorely missed.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 22:43:00 +0000
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