While researching my last post about video games, I had a startling moment where I realized that Daniel actually works in the game industry. Obviously, I knew this, but I didn’t think much about it. When I thought about Daniel working at game companies, I mentally categorized this the same way I think of Urn working at Xbox Live, or Annie’s cousin working at Microsoft. They work there, but they’re just regular employees in huge companies and don’t make an impact that’s visible from the outside. (No offense, guys.)

I knew that Daniel worked as a producer on Myst III, and was heavily involved in the production of Whacked!, to the point where he was writing dialogue, but it never really clicked that he wasn’t just involved in those games, he was actually pretty high up and making real decisions and influencing the final game.

The thing that made me realize this is pathetic, but as I was looking up information on another game, I stumbled across an interview with Daniel about Dungeon Siege II on GameSpot. That’s what made it real for me. A quick google search for his name later, and I found another interview about Myst III on GameSpy, his profile at Gas Powered Games, and his developer diary on the Dungeon Siege II site. Hell, he’s even been translated into Russian.

The GPG profile is really funny. There’s a team photo right above that where it’s nearly impossible to find him, like a Where’s Waldo book, plus his profile itself is hilarious.

“Well adjusted?” I chortled. “Sophisticated?” I howled. Who wrote this? Is this really the same guy who put up a Green Goblin fanpage and was a member of the Princeton marching band? The guy who told tales of glory about tying for eighth place in the annual Princeton Band White Castle Meat Product Tolerance Marathon? (That’s a cheap shot, actually, he never bragged about taking eighth, he just regaled me with tales of this most glorious of eating competitions). And shouldn’t there be something about juggling in there?

Confusingly, he’s listed as Lead Designer on the profile page, but only as a designer on the DSII page. Even so, it’s pretty funny for me to realize that my old friend who lived a block away from my parents’ house is dispensing official information about games that he makes major contributions to.