My love of video games dates back to my earliest memories of childhood. Most people’s first game was Super Mario 64 or Duck Hunt — but mine was Elmo’s Letter Adventure. That game, although intended for the tiniest of gamers, was the spark for my biggest aspirations: The hope that one day, I could make a game that inspires others to fall in love with the medium of video games.
Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I lived on the outskirts of a trailer park home. Although it wasn’t the coziest neighborhood, my siblings and I could always escape inside our favorite video games. We had big imaginations, making home movies, coming up with stories and I always dreamed that one day I could apply those creative distractions into my adulthood. After attending Bishop Kelley High School, I was awarded my bachelor’s degree in Computer Simulation & Gaming (Design Track) from the University of Tulsa. It was not long after I was hired at Lockheed Martin: Missiles & Fire Control.
Working at Lockheed Martin and earning the trust of the team there was an accomplishment in and of itself. I was the company’s first hire with a game design background, and I proved to the team that a game design mindset would help their efforts in digital transformation. From 2020 to present day, I’ve utilized the Unreal and Unity game engines to complement proposal plans for customers. Using game engines, I animated hardware tooling, bake hyper-realistic worlds with high-definition lighting, and professional level design given by our 2D schematics.
Loving video games has helped me to thrive at Lockheed Martin. In one way, when I struggled with the adjustment of leaving home, I turned to games like The Last of Us, Rainbow Six: Siege and God of War, to find comfort and inspiration. After hitting my stride, I’ve found that these games have become inspiration for the creative aspects of my work.
The work at Lockheed Martin has been a tremendous experience, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities they have given. Now, as I move forward with my career, I think of that little boy who found his passion inside Elmo’s Letter Adventure, and I’m ready to make my dreams of working in the gaming industry a reality. I can’t wait to start using my skills to create worlds for a new generation of gamers to enjoy.
“Rather than making a game that many people will like, maybe it would be better to make a game that a few people will love.” – Mark Brown
Alexander King 