7 years ago: what where you doing?

r13

In honor of the birthday, i thought i'd start up another sharing thread. What were you doing 7 years ago?

Me... i was still an architect living in Indianapolis, messing around with Team Fortress 1 levels as a hobby and trying to figure out this new Quake2 thing. Apprently you could stick your own player models into it....

Redlemons

I'd just moved into my old childhood house again after two years overseas, I'd been at a new school for a few weeks and was playing Thief!

Irritant

Seven years ago, I had just completed my first year as a CAD developer, and was finally getting my feet under me.

I had just left a signed band to form another.

Didn't have a girlfriend, or any prospects, except for this girl at work who flirted with me alot, but was off limits because I refused to date anyone I worked with.

I was heavily into Quake II, and really just started to learn modeling, using (gasp) Breeze Designer.

I was living in a rented house in Balti..err..Bodymore, with a roomate who was a drunken asshole. Hmm...I was a bit of one of those too.

Mostly though, what I remember about that time was being utterly depressed, having no sense of direction. In fact the only thing that kept me going was playing music and gaming. Probably my only reason to live at that point.

MoP

I was 13... I think I had just started playing Quake, and looking for ways to modify the graphics... I made all of the Quake guy's death animations really extreme, with backflips and flying through walls and stuff, vertex animation in Meddle... Also writing text RPG games in QBasic with my brother, and a random character/monster/quest generator for Warhammer Quest... I wish I still had that, it worked really well!

bearkub

7 years ago, I was standing over r13's shoulder, highly intoxicated, starting this mess. =]

Kevin Johnstone

I'd just relocated to Newcastle England to work at Reflections on Steam, I had no idea yet that it would be canned and I would be drafted on to 9months of crunch on Driver.

I was so badly paid that I survived by having a hotdog at the cinema nearby my apartment on the nights I didnt work late and get a free dinner.

I was loving my tiny little apartment there in tower house until the water pipe in the ceiling burst at 4am one thursday.

Those were great days, they are some of the best memories I have because I was full of excitement and optimism about being a part of the games industry and in the big city rather than the seaside fishing village I'd moved from.

Oh and I was playing a lot of Q2 on the office Lan because none of them would play me at Q1

JonMurphy

I'm guessing I was either crunching the university computer to get my final animation piece finished, rushing around the country interview videogame company MDs for my dissertation, or trying to make ends meet by working in the local industrial laundry.

Oh, and downloading Q2 models from q2pmp a couple of weeks later

AstroZombie

I was married, was living in a tiny apartment and working as a salesman for an electrical parts wholesaler (Platt Electric Supply). I was completely miserable at my job. I had a Playstation but did not own a computer and had never even touched a mouse

I am definitely much happier today than I was 7 years ago

cholden

19, doing the college thing, living with the parents and heavily modding Quake 2 with TCs and lots of player models. Preparing for my first games, Zaero (Quake 2 add-on pack), and Quake 2: Extremities for Red Rover.

Oh, and looking up to Rorshach as my god.

monster

16, in high school. Benching 315 lbs, which is a good 90lbs more then I can do now. I got my first computer that year. Quake and Unreal had a big impact on me deciding to become a game developer.

Daz

Im not mentioning my age you bastards. I was beavering away making 100 polygon character models for Dungeon Keeper2, at Bullfrog in Guildford, England, and living with my GF in London. Good times, definitely good times.

Nerd Groupie

15 and in high school, thinking I had the greatest boyfriend ever. *Sigh*, crazy youth.

But this was also the semester in which I had Multimedia and discovered Photoshop. Bittersweet.

Justin Meisse

Finishing my senior year at highschool, working my first tech job and going to community college at night... and I somehow found time to make skins! crazy!

danr

exactly seven years ago to the day, i was swearing violently and kicking obscenely at anything that was nearby. The uni department server had just died, taking about a years worth of work with it - several people including myself lost everything except stuff we'd managed to backup on these wacky new "zip" disks.

I know its 7 years to the day, cos we were convinced it was an April Fools joke.

turned out okay though. I fucked the computers off and picked up a video camera instead.

JDinges

I was 16, doin the jock thing in highschool. I wanted to be a cop, I hadn't even considered doing computer art at that time.

skankerzero

Just moved to Dallas to attend the Art Institute. Got the job that would help me get through the time that I dropped out of the AI and my first industry job.

Malekyth

Holy shit, it has been that long!

Seven years ago I was living in my mom's attic, happily unemployed, writing punk songs and hanging out with my likewise unemployed friend Chris, and learning to do what I've been doing professionally for almost six years now. Wow, for such an embarassing time of my life, those are some good memories.

b1ll

I was dancing with the DEVIL!


b1ll

Dukester

7 years ago I was 35 I was working at the same place I am working now and have been for the last 19 years

Playing Quake 2 and hanging around on Mplayer talking shit

(I miss Mplayer) Seven years? Seems more like 7 minutes!

Scott Ruggels

seven years ago. I was 33, I was about one year away from losing my rented digs in Santa Clara. I was working at 3Do and had been for 4 years at that point, so That would have me working on Armymen II for the PC, and deathmatching Quake I and II A LOT at lunch and after hours, basically wo kill time until the traffic had lessened enough for me to go home. I knew about the Quake 1 reskinning, but would not have discovered the Q2PMP until I think it was May or June. Congrats and happy birthday to this site. And thank you for all the hard work, Rogue and Bearkub.

Scott

sundance

back in 1998 i was at college doing the second year of studying media studies, lusting after three different girls, getting nowhere with them and not owning my own PC...

The3DGuy

i was 15 and... well thats about it. can't remember shit

ElysiumGX

I was 15 and a freshman in high school getting my ass kicked daily by all the seniors in gym class, riding a bus home with seats too small for me to fit in, and hoping to find my first girlfriend, and a car..with a backseat. My parents couldn't decide whether they should divorce or not, and half the time I didn't know where to call home. I was working in a factory deburring 25,000 engine parts a day cut from machinery and dipping them in acid. Back then my dreams were to become a rock guitarist and make millions, or a martial arts instructor. I really didn't have any realistic plans for my future. I was also taking a poor excuse for an art class which eventually killed my lifelong interest in art. I honestly don't enjoy looking back at that time in my life.

I didn't get my hands on my first computer for another 4 years, and then rediscovered art with photoshop, computer games, and polycount.

KDR_11k

I was in School, dreaming of someday making my own computer games and a whole lot happier than I am now.

Slayerjerman

18, bout to grad HS. Foolishly signing loan forms for the Art Institute and yelling at my Playstation1 for breaking when I had just bought FF7 finally.

Im a different person today then I was back then. Scary.

Thegodzero

I was 15 and had just gotten my first real job. I worked as a drone not thinking just working. I took pride at the fact that i could sleep and work at the same time. I Never had heard of the concept of moding games nore even thought that people made games for a living. It would be 4 years untill i learned of modding and that people made games for livings. 5 years untill i would first see polycount and open a 3d package.

HarlequiN

7 years ago... So, 24. I think I was dealing with depression at the time. I had no PC, no job, no money and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have known a skin if it bit me on the arse. I think I was wondering why the fuck I bothered going to university, as so far it didn't seem to have done anything for me bar run up a nice debt, My girlfriend had just dumped me (I thought the world of her) and I'm also pretty sure I was planning to spend what small amount of cash I had going out and getting drunk because it's my Dad's birthday tomorrow. He'd been dead 5 years at that point.

Life sucked 7 years ago (Rather ironically I was probably at my peak in terms of health). If only I'd known that somewhere a crazy scientist called R13 and his cute Igore called Bearkub were sowing the seeds that would not only end up with me having a good career, but a wonderful wife too, I'd probably have been a lot happier

oXYnary

I was X years old.. Again whats with the ages?

Just back in College for my junior year after being out for 2.5 years because of a nervous breakdown. So I was pumped up to learn. I had begun switching my major over to Sculpture, though kept Vis Comm as another major just so I could get access to the computer courses (PS/Illustrator) because only Vis Comm was allowed to take them.

I had saved a good amount for a decent computer during the 2.5 years out, and just purchased my own system. I think the first game I played on it was Baulder's Gate, then Quake, then Mechwarrior 3. The first graphic software I got was Photoshop, and then I saw trueSpace. And fell in love.

Chunkey

I would have been 17 years old at the time

Had no education, was badly obese compared to the average brit, and had been playing around with various ways of getting into the games industry, including trying to start up my own net based dev team- even managed to get the owner of Amiga to stick an ad on their main site :P

Never got anywhere though, but I did start doing textures for F1GP 2 cars, which prepared me for when I bought Quake 2 later in the year... or I might have already got Q2- everything from the age of 13 to 18 seems like one long year lol

Ryno

I was dumping gangsters on their heads. Seriously. I was working in Sacramento at the maximum security units of juvenile hall. Technically I was a counselor, but in reality I was the front line muscle to break up gang fights. No mace, no baton, and definitely no guns. Just me and my fellow counselors, and a few pairs of handcuffs.

At this point I was actually getting serious about a career change, and was taking Photoshop classes, and doing lots of drawing. Was looking into short term animation programs.

Was engaged, which ended up being a very good thing. Was about 25 pounds lighter too.

PaK

7 years ago would be 1998 i guess.

I was at UVic doing comp Sci and History, tryna find a niche. I would come home and make quake stuff for hours, and release stuff on tye internet and do free skins and what-not. Soon I was skipping school and it became clear what I should do, so I dropped out, went to Art school and the rest is history.

-R

spacemonkey

I was took an extra year to do A'Levels at college, I was hanging out with a big gang of friends all the time, smoking dope and getting pish'd. I worked at a night club part time and then in the summer took a job at a local theme park ;D
By the end of the summer I had quit my job at the theme park and decided to go back to college to study an HND in Media production.. because I wanted to write/direct films. Hah !!
I didnt own a computer and I had no idea how games where made.

If you had asked me what I would be doing in 7 years time I would never have guessed I'd be working as an artist for a game company.

KMan

7 years ago. Hmmm.. I would have just graduated from High School. The closest thing to modding I was doing was making Doom maps and replacement textures and sprites. Made some Zelda themed stuff, as well as Mega Man, junk. Nothing of that time has survived other than 3 star wars themed textures made for the original Quake. I hated that 256 color palette.

Not to long after that I found backissues of some magazines at my local used bookstore. It was called Game Developer.

snemmy

march 98 i was in my senior year of highschool. still used Windows 3.1 on the family pc. i had barely heard of this 'internet' thing and had on a whim a few months earlier decided to go to college taken the ACT and been accepted. only ever seen real 3d stuff on the movie screen. spent countless hours playing PlayStation, (N64, was it out?), SNES and AD&D with my brother and cousins.

EarthQuake

I was 13, just getting into modeling in lightwave and uv mapping in q2 modeler and making some HORRIBLE dragon ball z models IIRC and posting them on the q2ppm boards. Good times.

kleinluka

I was still in Germany going to school and wouldnt start doing game art until a year later 8-) So in 1998 I was pretty much just going to school and playing lots of computer games...

Mishra

7 years ago i was 9 i was probably playing pokemon or something

TomDunne

I have no recollection of 1998. I think perhaps I slept a lot that year.

CheapAlert

I was still into Quake1 then. I was working on "KillDay" and "Firemod" at the time, which are unreleased mods of mine. I wasn't into modeling then at all so my skill in that was pretty much null. If I did then my gargoyles tc would've been complete ages ago

Quake2 was meh on me then again I only had a PowerVR PCX2 when that came out

poopinmymouth

7 Years ago I was 16, and a Sophomore in High school. I had just downloaded a copy of Maya 2.0 in 3.3 mb chunks off of tripod free webpages on my 28.8 modem, but only at night mind you, we only had one line. I had already taught myself RayDream 3d in the 7th grade, but Maya was when I started to learn some basics about modeling. It wouldn't be till 4 years later I actually made anything substantial, but that's neither here nor there.

I'd built my 2nd computer by then, a 166 mhz pentium 1 with 64 mb of ram. I had paint shop pro, internet access, an aiptek tablet (don't ask me why, I never used it) and maya, yet I never played quake or doom (still haven't) and I didn't know anything about q2pmp or polycount. I was playing trespasser and I believe total annihilation. I do remember being amped up about the graphics in video games, but I don't remember ever thinking I could make a living doing them, nor was I even interested.

I didn't have my drivers license or a car, rode my bicycle everywhere (I didn't get my license till I turned 21)

MoP

Poop: Hah! Total Annihilation... I still have that. One of my favourite games, it's still a lot of fun. Me and my brother used to have 3-4 hour multiplayer games on that, back in the day...

And it seems a lot of people round here owe their initial interest in game art to Quake! Hooray for id software

Neo_God

I was 11, I was merely fascinated with computer art, only dabbleing in it with software demos like Infini-D and Virtus VR. Never anything serious, I think it wasn't until '99 that I started to get into the modeling aspect more.

I was playing a lot of games, mostly Lucas Arts and Sierra titles, and of course I was still playing things like Doom and Marathon. Oh, and I cannot forget Warcraft!

Oh, and I had read about people createing custom "skins" for quake 2 in a PC Gamer magazine, and even though I had no idea what they were really referring to, it still fascinated me.

Weiser_Cain

I was in college probably, time is meaningless.

TNSLB

Hurm...7 years ago...I think I had left Pillsbury at that point and was contracting to a company that was converting from Warp to NT or 95 or some other version of Winblows. A part of me died every time I installed it, until I became the bitter woman you have now. Living with my brother and 2 other roomates in a house, dating too many people at the same time. My one roomate, Adrian the Canadrian, ended up being a nutjob and stealing my panties and fav high heels. Which is why I'm not a big fan of Quebec. Vote Oui!

hawken

interesting thread!

I was 20, living in Cornwall, desperately trying to get out and move to London. I had practically all but dropped out of collage (I was taking a part-time adult course in multimedia and blew the teacher out of the water with my animations rendered in "imagine", I think I took my TEFL that year also) and taken a job as a website designer and technical support guy for a local internet caf

rawkstar

7 years ago I was 13, I lived in Perm Russia (thats in the Ural mountains, about a days ride on the train from Moscow heading east) I had no idea my family would move to US a year later, I had a 286 computer played wolfenstein and keen, I played for the top hockey team in my city, we were 3rd in the nation that year. I was really athletic, I was the best sprinter in the district and every single chick in the school had a crush on me I was in the 7th grade. I think thats about the time I started skipping practices to go play video games with friends at computer/console game clubs, I think it pretty much went downhill from there.

The friends I knew there still can't believe i'm an artist now... hehe they all thought I was gonna go to the NHL or something.

r13

excellant I love hearing all this. It's my main motivation for continuing to keep this site going is that its had such a positive effect on so many people's lives. Any time i start to get depressed or frustrated, I remember all this. it gives me the motivation to brush off whatever was annoying me and strap myself back in.

milla

Seven years ago today I was 26 and about to start a masters degree in science, majoring in criminal psychology. I had spent the prior six months researching a novel, which I only ever got 27,000 words into, and I was playing Discworld on my Compaq Contura Aero 486/33 notebook.

Seven years ago from this year as a whole I played Quakeworld for the first time, picked up my first Wacom tablet, started learning HTML, and was dabbling with Photoshop. I lost ground in the aforementioned masters programme due to a serious health scare, and ended up dropping out, preferring not to have a masters degree if the GPA was going to suck. My entire life got owned by gaming, and I really haven't stopped to consider what my life might be like if that hadn't happened until now. I like the way things are going

Mister Sentient

Hmm... I had just finished school and had started studying part time for a computer science diploma between feeling sorry for myself and generally not having any direction in life. I was also taking a Japanese language course at the time. The whole computer science thing kind of lost its appeal for me later on and although I finished my diploma and am still using my programming skills to earn a living it is 2D and 3D art that are my real passions.

EmAr

7 years ago... I had just picked up the guitar and that year I broke mummy's guitar apart(accident!)and I was in secondary school which was pretty stupid. Around that time I also discovered 3d Studio Max. I wish I knew about Polycount earlier(earlier than 2002):(

Rick Stirling

I was 7 years younger. I was just starting my final exams, but I hand't been studying because I had been modding Quake 2. I was getting ready to make the jump into the real world, and 5 monthd later I got my first job, running databses and Unix systems for the NHS, after blagging it (my databses exam was a resounding success with a 41% mark).

Skinning101 didn't start for another 6 months.