How did you hear about Games For Love and what interests you in working with them?

I heard about Games For Love by a friend who was an intern and I joined 6 months after graduation. Luckily, Nathan Blair (CEO and founder of Games For Love) was building new teams to start a VR project, and I was interested to be part of it since it was for kids. I have never worked on VR before, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to have this experience.

What is one of your most memorable experiences volunteering/working with Games For Love?

It was when I became a team lead, cause I started to see everything from a different perspective. I needed to know everything about the scene we are working on and go back to the GDD (Game Design Document) for all the details. Also, it improved my communication skills with artists and programmers and was able to motivate them for better work.

What are your current favorite video games?

Need for Speed Payback. This game piqued my interest because it offers the player off-road racing experience which is different than most racing games. I haven’t played a car racing game since Need for Speed Underground 2, and I was impressed when I played it after all those years. As a player, I seek games that offer different experiences. 

What continues to interest you about games?

I like to feel the progress through any game, like getting rewards for solving a puzzle. We all enjoy the satisfaction of leveling up. That makes the player continue playing. Positive feedback is always important for the player to feel that he is on the right track, otherwise he will be bored and will stop playing. Also, the reward should be equal to the progress otherwise it will affect the balance of the game. So with that in mind as a designer, I continue to strive to create a competitive experience for the player.

If you could live in any video-game world, what would it be?

Channel Surfing+, Squad X Scene. As a team, we worked on this particular scene from scratch; although I didn’t try to play it using VR set because I don’t have one yet. Everybody who tested that scene admitted that it was a fun experience. So, for me, if I choose to live in a video game world, I would choose that scene; maybe because it’s my first official project after graduation.

Where do you see Games For Love growing in the next year?

As long as we all work hard as a team and support each other, we will gain more experience and make better games so Games For Love will keep growing. Teamwork makes the dream work. For myself, I enjoy working with our team and always ask about their opinions and give each member the space to add his own touch. Tiffany Nguyen and I started working together in a 2-member team and now we have more than 17 active members. I believe our team is a small example of Games For Love success, and that’s why I am so excited to be part of future projects.

Ahmed’s Website