My Background
- Hometown: Rogue Valley, Oregon
- Professional Experience: Jim has held positions in software development companies ranging from Game Designer, Developer, Product Marketing Manager, Producer, to CEO. He has been involved in several startups and has extensive knowledge of technology, Media entertainment and various go-to-market strategies and marketing. Jim started designing commercial games in 1980 with his first start up “Horizon Simulations” with their offering of “Shadow Hawk One”. Since that time, and several companies later, Jim has won dozens of national and international awards for his game designs including in 2005 the Academy of Adventure Players Choice award for his 1990 development of Legends. In addition to entertainment software, Jim has extensive experience in B2B software, having worked with Symantec, Merant, Aggiro and Corrigo for over 10 years in a variety of management roles. Jim arrived from Portland Oregon in August of 2009 to lead the Interactive Media Program here at Muskegon Community College. Since arriving Jim and Dr. Tim Trainor have established Gwythdarian LLC, a consulting company dedicated to establishing West Michigan as a hub of Interactive Media Entertainment. Their first project is a web-based, persistent multiplayer game entitled StariumXCV due to be released in 2016.
- Academic Degrees: B.S. Computer Science - Southern Oregon University, B.S. Psychology - Southern Oregon University,
- Classes Taught: CIS 120 Computer Information Systems CIS124 Introduction to Video Game Design CIS244 Game Scripting CIS 284 Interactive Media and Game Design
More About Me
- “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. ” – Aristotle
- From Portland and Ashland Oregon (The Real West Coast)
- “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. ” – Arthur C Clarke
- “When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. ” – Arthur C Clarke
- “If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run – and often in the short one – the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative. ” – Arthur C Clarke