Regular Spotlight: Braden
For the first of many regular spotlights, it seemed fit to approach of one of the most interesting people you can find in the room on any particular Thursday:
Cipher Prime’s newest protégé, Braden.
If you’ve been to Dev Night over the past several months, you’ve probably heard Braden showing off a piece of music during show and tell. He keeps other regulars twice his age on their toes, and always seems to be working on something new with glowing enthusiasm. So we asked him a few questions!
What kind of work do you make? Can we see/hear it?
Braden: “I do lots of music related things, although I only discovered what I could do in garageband about a few months ago. To me, its just really fun and I definitely have a habit of staying up until 1AM trying to work on a new project or loop every week.
Check out some of my first projects!”
https://soundcloud.com/decksson
Who are your musical influences?
Braden: “Well, my dad for one. He used to create music for other groups and I kind of take from that and do the same thing in garageband. I also listen to other old school music and also try to pay attention to new music—the chord patterns especially. I try to incorporate what I hear into my projects with my own twist on it. I also appreciate the Philly Game Forge because they inspire me to make music creation a habit, because I always want to show them something new every week. It’s a great motivator when you find a place where you can feel appreciated for what you do and enjoy. It’s a great community!”
Where are you from?
Braden: “I’m from Broomall (Woo, represent!). I have lived there for around eight years after my first house caught fire and we moved out. Most of the stuff I do is in the Philly area, so I’m used to (and actually prefer) being in the city.”
What brought you to Dev Night?
Braden: “I first heard about it from my mom, when we were looking for cool places to do stuff around the city and it popped up. I’ve always loved games, so when I heard “Game Forge”, I was like, ‘Mom, do we have gas in the car?'”
Why do you keep coming back?
Braden: “I keep coming back because it’s a great place to be and the people are awesome. The show-and-tell on Thursdays drives me to show something every week, and I also really like watching what other people show off.”
What’s your favorite game?
Braden: “I’d say my favorite game by default is Spiral Knights–and this is simply because I’ve put so much time into it that it’s required that I say it’s the best.
Other than that, I’d say my next favorite game would be either Terraria or Towerfall, because I enjoy pixel games a lot, and even more when the look is simplistic but there’s more to it than a game like Flappy Bird.”
Braden recently started an internship with the guys at Cipher Prime. He recently showed off an original song that samples Dev Knight Jake O’Brien‘s name. He also just came up with a new, materials-free analog game that he’s been eager to play test with folks at the forge! Be sure to say hi the next time you stop by.
