Happy Friday, everyone! We’re nearing the end of our Who’s Who category and we’ve saved some of the best for last. This week we’re going to get to know our Game Development manager: Chris Burton! You might also know him as Braithwhite on the forums and elsewhere around the internet. Game development fits right in with his love of problem solving as each game provides a unique set of challenges to overcome. There’s games that are only a bare bones idea, some that need very little tweaking, and everything in between! He also manages our teams of playtesters working on a variety of titles. As the Game Development Manager, he’s likely had a hand in any game that we’ve come out with in the past few years. Legends of Sleepy Hollow, Sentinels of the Multiverse: Definitive Edition, Homebrewers, different writing and characters for the Sentinel Comics: Roleplaying Game and anything else you can think of! Let’s get to know him a little better, together!
What’s one of your favorite things about working in your department?
CB: Making prototypes. It’s a silly thing, but I really look forward to the days when I’ve got a print and play to make and get to spend hours cutting and sleeving cards, scavenging components, and putting stickers on dice. It’s very meditative.
What’s your favorite way to unwind after a busy day?
CB: I recently acquired a set of throwing knives (and hatchets). I’ve set up a target in the creepy murder room in my basement (I wish I was joking, when I got the house it came with a room in the basement that had “Knock First” written on the door in permanent marker), and I like to listen to music and throw knives (and hatchets).
What’s one thing you wish people knew or understood about working in your department?
CB: I’d love to have infinite time and resources to iron out every issue and explore every possibility in a game I’m working on… but every project has limitations. Sometimes a week’s testing to explore a possible loophole can equate to a project’s release being pushed back a year! It’s a case where doing a really good job means that no one notices, and every mistake gets magnified a thousandfold.
You’ve been given an elephant. You can’t give it away or sell it. What would you do with the elephant?
CB: I’d ride it around spreading pamphlets on the benefits of riding around on an elephant spreading pamphlets. I want to leave people deeply confused.
What’s the best way to spend time with family and friends?
CB: Drinking tiki drinks, eating good food, and kibbitzing while watching a movie.
If you could only teach one thing to the whole world, what would it be?
CB: I was going to make a joke, but honestly? Mental health awareness. I’ve had to deal with depression all my life, and it’s had an enormous impact on my life and work (and an inordinate amount of awkward conversations with people who want to “help”). I’d recommend that everyone read Allie Brosh’s Solutions and other Problems (and Hyperbole and a Half, her earlier book) because she manages to explain depression in a way that is intensely personal and extremely funny.
If you could own any mythical creature, which one would it be and why?
CB: This… is surprisingly tricky. Quite a few mythical creatures have nasty sides, limitations, or very specific dietary requirements. Like, I don’t want to end up getting on the wrong side of a Domovoi, my house isn’t big enough for Jormungandr the world serpent, and a manananggal is right out. I’ll go with a Caladrius, because a bird that heals all injuries means that I never have to worry about screwing up my back.
What’s the (working) title of your memoir?
CB: Musings of Another Middle-Age Cis White Guy: Seriously, Go Read Something Else.
Thank you so much, Chris! Without him, so many games would just take that much longer. Have you seen Jason Perez’s articles for Hispanic Heritage month? You can find both of them here and here. Oh, and don’t forget to go read about your favorite GTG writer, yours truly, here. See you next time!