As you may already know, I LOVE video games. One of my favorite things when I was younger was our Philips CD-i, my first introduction to the gaming world. Since then, I’ve raced Mario and his friends, fought the Alliance, killed dragons in Tamriel, earned my stripes as an N7 Spectre, and traversed the Capital Wasteland.

And if you can’t tell by now, there are some folks here at Real Art who also love games. I mean, we created the world’s largest claw game, after all! Besides, games aren’t just for fun anymore. They can actually teach a lot of great lessons. Games nowadays teach perseverance and strategy; they require you to cooperate with other gamers, promoting teamwork. Studies show video games can even improve hand-eye coordination and visual information processing. All of these lessons apply quite well to a career in…you guessed it! Interactive design. I can’t express how many times a game has influenced the usability of a project I’ve worked on. I’ve even used the design of games like Starcraft and Mass Effect for inspiration. Talk about fun research!

All right, so why is this all important? This week, I’ll be putting all those aforementioned years of button-mashing to use in a different way—I’ll be participating in my second (annual) Extra-Life event. You are probably thinking: “what is this Extra-Life you speak of?!”

Well, it’s fairly simple: as soon as I wake up on Saturday, October 20th at 8am, I’ll join my teammates in an epic gaming marathon, all for charity. We will have friends and family pledging to donate an amount of money for every hour we play, up to 24 hours. Each of us has chosen our local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital to donate to. These kids are facing scary stuff like cancer, cystic fibrosis, and severe injuries from accidents; circumstances much tougher and scarier than any raid boss I’ve ever faced. Last year, Extra-Life raised more than 1.2 million dollars towards their effort to save kids and improve their quality of life. And we’re hoping to do even better this year.

Intrigued? Here’s where you can help:

Love Gaming? Join Our Team:
We’ve started a team called The Rogues Gallery. The more people that sign up “under our banner,” the more money we raise as a whole, and thus the more we get to help those sick kiddies. Plus, what Rogues Gallery is complete without a whole crazed motley crew? You even get to choose your own villainous moniker; just message me (Poison Ivy) to secure your name in our efforts.
Join Our Team

Back a Team Member with a donation:
Can’t commit to the event, but would still like to help us out? You can donate! Below is a link to my personal fundraising page. You can donate one lump sum, or pledge by the hour for the whole wide-eyed marathon!
Donate!

Share the Love:
So maybe you have prior engagements on Saturday, but you love what Extra-Life is all about? Share this post and help me tell the world about Extra-Life.
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter

For 15 years, the Dayton Business Journal has been honoring 40 individuals under the age of 40 who possess inspiring business and community leadership skills. The 40 Under 40 awards is always a popular one, but 2012 has been especially competitive—the DBJ received its highest number of nominations this year.

In its history, the 40 Under 40 program has awarded some of Real Art’s finest, including Mark Kargl in 2009 and Chris Wire in 1999. But we won’t stop with those two! This year, we are proud to announce that our very own Director of Art and Technology, Pat Murray, has been chosen to join the ranks of Dayton’s most “outstanding young professionals.”

Pat has been with Real Art for over 10 years, doing everything from design, to programming, to building some of our interactive machines. He’s worked on some of our most ambitious projects like The Santa Claw in Gizmodo Gallery, 7-Eleven’s Dip-A-Drip, and MARV for Welcome to College.

In addition to his day job, he is also an adjunct professor at the University of Dayton. He has taught their interactive/multimedia design courses for seven years. “Between these two jobs, I believe I have learned how to be a leader as well knowing the importance of staying ahead of the curve,” he says.

But Pat doesn’t just save his creativity and leadership for work hours. Recently, Real Art has added a rooftop garden that everyone can help care for throughout the summer. This, of course, was Pat’s brilliant idea. “The roof top garden really just evolved from the combination of a lackluster set of planting beds and the desire to grow delicious vegetables,” claims Pat. “It really doesn’t make sense not to have a rooftop garden. I’m looking forward the results!”

Moreover, the fun isn’t just out in the sun. Real Art has been participating in what we’ve come to know as “design lunches.” Every so often, members of the Real Art team gather during lunch to share and discuss their ideas, inspirations, and knowledge. “The concept of a collaborative and sharing environment is nothing new to Real Art,” insists Pat, “I believe I have been a big proponent of the translation of ideas and knowledge. So, the culmination of design lunches was just a natural progression that I took on merely to make sure it continued to happen.” He continues, “It is a great thing when people of all backgrounds and skills can share in an open forum. We can learn a lot from each other, especially across different areas of expertise.”

So what does Pat have to say about all of the 40 Under 40 brouhaha? What does he think about being nominated? He admits he was a bit surprised. “I really wasn’t expecting to be nominated, let alone win. I was very honored. I can only hope that it’s because I have had a positive impact on people’s lives and on the community at large.”

Well, Pat, you have definitely impacted the lives of us here at Real Art, and we are so proud to call you ours!

Pat and the rest of the 40 Under 40 class of 2012 will be inducted on May 17 at 5:30 p.m., at the Schuster Performing Arts Center.

Hello there! My name is Shelby White and I’m very excited to be back. I was an extern here at Real Art this past winter, but I was only here for three weeks. Thankfully, the folks here at Real Art welcomed me back with open arms, only this time I’m an official Intern! I’ll be hanging around here on the interactive floor for the next three months.

For those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself!

• I’ve lived in Kettering, Ohio since kindergarten. I graduated from Kettering Fairmont High School with honors, and I just graduated from the School of Advertising Art this May, also with honors. I never hated school like most people I know, and I’m very proud of what I’ve accomplished academically. I look forward to one day going back to school and learning more about web development, computer science and psychology.
• I giggle a lot and I tend to laugh really loud. I also like to sing really, really loud in my car.
• I’m an only child, and I’m a lefty. Did you know that only 13% of the world is left-handed?
• I am unconditionally in love with Zombies (books, movies, theories, etc…)
• I will be a cat lady when I’m old. Scratch that, I AM a cat lady! However, this does not mean that I like Cat Woman. The best femme Batman villain is definitely Poison Ivy.
• I’m sure you can tell what my favorite color is. Examine the color of my car, my hair, my clothes, my bags, and even some of my miscellaneous office supplies: they’re all some form of pink!

When I’m not at work, I’m usually:

• On the Computer or Xbox. I’m a pretty big geek. I love playing video games. Nowadays, you’ll see me on Dead Island or Gears of War 3. My favorite game of all time is Fallout 3.
• Jammin’ out. I listen to all types of music, but The Blood Brothers is my all-time favorite band. My other top choices range from hardcore music to the indie-est of indie. Add a little hip-hop to the mix, and you’ve got my iTunes! I also thoroughly enjoy musicals and soundtracks.
• Being a couch potato. I watch a lot of movies and TV. I’m a movie buff, or so I’m told. I won’t tell you my favorite movies, though, because I could go on forever. Just assume that if it’s horror or sci-fi, I’ll enjoy it. As far as television goes, Criminal Minds tops my list of faves. Bones, Fringe, House, Castle, and Firefly are also up there, along with White Collar. Can you say, “one-word crime series?”

I’m Shelby White and I’m the new interactive extern for Real Art :}

What exactly is an extern you ask?

I’m basically an intern but I get school credit instead of money, which I’m totally fine with. I’ll be here at Real Art for three weeks, until December 16th. In fact, I get to celebrate my birthday here!

I’m currently attending the School of Advertising Art in Kettering and I love it! I’m at the top of my class and have no intentions of slowing down; being at Real Art will definitely be a test but I’m ready to give it my all.

_____________

All right, I admit I’m going to copy some stuff from Joe from his post a month ago, so here I go with some “fun” facts:

• I’ve lived in Kettering, OH most of my life.
• I graduated from Kettering Fairmont HS with honors.
• I’m an only child.
• I’m left handed.
• I’m a huge nerd. I absolutely love video games and I love anything Marvel or DC. I’m also quite tech-savvy. Yes, that’s my Fallout 3 lunch box in the Cafe.
• I listen to all types of music, but The Blood Brothers, ADTR, and Katy Perry are my all-time favourites.
• I spell things with ‘U’s.
• I find myself watching more and more television. Criminal Minds is the best show ever (gotta love Dr. Spencer Reid), followed by: BONES, FRINGE, House, Castle, and White Collar.
• My alternative job would have been a Forensic Artist, but you have to go to police school for that.
• I’m a crazy cat lady.
• I was in Color/Winter guard for 3 years and I miss it like crazy.
• My favourite colour is pinkpinkpink.
• Alex Pardee and Kathie Olivas are among my favourite artists, as well as the great Salvador Dali.
• Feed me macaroni and cheese or a chimichanga and I’ll love you for life.

Well, I think that’s plenty of information about me. I’m so excited to have this opportunity and I can’t wait to start on some real art!