Imagination flows through his brain. A whirlwind of thoughts and ideas envelop him. A variety of different video game scenarios inspire him to dig deeper into the background of how video games function. His curiosity prompts his desire to learn more and more about it.

Junior, Braiden Brown, wants to go to college and study video games. He plans to first get his basics finished at Texarkana College before heading to the University of Dallas to live out his dream and study what he’s always been interested in.

“I’ve played video games for most of my life, and I’ve always wanted to know how they work,” Brown said. “If I learn to design or even code a little bit of a game, I feel like I’ll be able to know how games work and have a better understanding of what I’m playing.”

When Brown was in his earlier two years of high school, his interest in the functionality of video games started to become apparent.

“I started taking more computer classes,” Brown said. “Taking my video game design class really strengthened my interest for pursuing the career.”

Even when Brown was a child, there was curiosity brewing.

“When I played certain games, I always wondered how you could play a game that was so objective-based but still allowed you to do whatever you wanted without your actions affecting the main story,” Brown said. “I’ve wanted to know how the game knew when cars were going down the road, when somebody dies, when they’re shot or what determines how much money someone drops.”

Brown hopes to impact others and provide entertainment as well as to make personal improvements.

“I hope to accomplish making games that I’m proud of and ones that will entertain others for a long time, or at least improve on my game-making skills and my art skills,” Brown said. “That would kind of be my secondary purpose for this, to be able to broaden my horizon and design an art.”