Daniel Solis

Next Wednesday I'm speaking at the Wade Edwards Foundation and Learning Lab (WELL) to a group of high schoolers about my career in game design and a bit about my previous career in advertising/marketing. In other words, I have no idea what to tell these kids. This opportunity comes at an interesting time, since I'll be about nine months into my first year without the safety net of a full-time salary and benefits. So here are some loose notes that I might touch on: A Little Personal History Early Years : I was first exposed to game design while playing with my step dad. I couldn't figure out how to beat him, so instead I made up my own pieces that moved in their own ways. Sometimes changing mid-game, if I saw I was losing. He was very patient. High School: I nearly dropped out of high school in senior year. I was living in a very chaotic situation throughout my childhood and I wanted to escape as quickly as possible. I thought I could get by with a GED and my food s...

Come join Steve Segedy, Jason Morningstar, Mur Lafferty, Rich Dansky and me for a panel discussion about games, narrative, and how they interact. We'll cover everything from storytelling in video games to tabletop to, like, books and stuff. Here are the details. Date : 8/5/2013 Start Time : 7:00 PM End Time : 8:30 PM Description :  Whether we’re gathered around a table or squinting at a screen, we have always used games to create and share stories. Join local game designers and authors for a panel discussion on stories, literacy, and games (both on, and off, the screen). Library : Main Library - Durham County Library Location : Auditorium:1st Floor Contact : John Davis Contact Number : 919-560-0125 It's a public event, so come on by!

Head's up! I've been invited to participate in a lightning talk at a Creative Commons ten-year celebration on Red Hat's campus. woot! Very exciting. Hope I can see you there! Triangle Creative Commons 10-year celebration Red Hat 1801 Varsity Drive Centennial Campus, NC State Raleigh, NC 27606 Wednesday, December 12, 2012 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM (EST) I'll be talking about how games can live on for a long, long, long time thanks to the Creative Commons license. I'll touch on a little bit of ancient game history, the state of the current market, the Thousand-Year Game Design Challenge and the difficulties in preserving digital games. You can preview my slides and speaking notes here !

I'm happy to be an Industry Insider Guest of Honor at GenCon 2011. This means I'll speak on a variety of panels and seminars with topics ranging from cover design to crowdfunding to game design. Here's my schedule. The No-No's of Game Design - SEM1128758 Matt Forbeck, Jonathan Tweet, Jeff Neil Bellinger, Stan!, Daniel Solis Designing games is as much about what NOT to do, as it is what you should do. Our Industry Insider panelist Stan!, Jeff Neil Bellinger, Matt Forbeck, Daniel Solis and Jonathan Tweet will review different mistakes new (and experienced) game designers make. Thur 12pm - 1 Hr - ICC 212 Patronage & Kickstarter: How to Get Paid Up Front - SEM1128827 Gary M. Sarli, Wolfgang Baur, Daniel Solis, Greg Stolze Insights from Industry Insider Guests of Honor Wolfgang Baur, Gary M. Sarli, Daniel Solis and Greg Stolze on how they funded projects by convincing patrons to donate early in exchange for exclusive access, rewards, and even input into the pro...