Gamers Who Give: Meet Jon
Today, we're thrilled to introduce you to Jon, the brilliant mind serving as both Tournament Director and Meta Game Designer for The Gauntlet.
As Tournament Director, Jon oversees the overall flow and structure of The Gauntlet, ensuring that everything runs smoothly from start to finish. But it's in his role as Meta Game Designer where Jon's creativity truly shines. He crafts intricate game mechanics and challenges that weave through the entire event, adding layers of strategy and excitement that keep participants engaged beyond just the individual games they're playing.
We chatted with Jon to learn more about his journey in the gaming world, his role in The Gauntlet, and his perspectives on using gaming as a force for good. Get ready to dive into the mind of the person who helps make The Gauntlet an unforgettable experience year after year!
Why do you keep coming back to the Gauntlet year after year?
There's no other event that brings the Seattle gaming community together in quite the same way! It's so much fun to see game developers and fans mingling and competing together for a good cause.
What's your favorite Gauntlet memory?
You can never predict how players will engage with a game, especially in such a unique environment like The Gauntlet. The first year I worked on the Gauntlet, we designed a game that we intended as a sneaky, cutthroat bluffing game. However, when we put it in front of players, they all just started collaborating to maximize the total amount of resources everyone received!
What do you love about the role you play as the Gauntlet tournament director?
The Gauntlet provides such a unique opportunity for exploring game designs that wouldn't really make sense anywhere else. Where else would I get the chance to build a giant magnetic game board designed to reflect the individual contributions of 64 individual players and 16 teams?
What game are you currently playing that you can't stop? Why?
I've been living in the past lately — In addition to trying to finally polish off both Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3, I've been playing through A Link to the Past and celebrating summer with the Japanese vacation simulator Boku no Natsuyasumi 2. For tabletop games... pretty much anything by Reiner Knizia is an instant classic for me!
If you were an in-game character - what game and what role would you play?
I've been described by friends as having "big Kermit energy". So I guess I'd be in the long forgotten Muppet kart racer Muppets Racemania!
Why are you a fan of Gamer's Engaged?
Game companies have such huge audiences, but rarely do they activate those audiences in the name of giving. I love that Gamer's Engaged is getting companies to both engage in charitable works directly and to encourage their audiences to do the same.
What's your alignment?
As a game designer, I love rules and systems, so I have to say Lawful Good!
Jon's dedication to The Gauntlet and his innovative approach to game design exemplify what Gamers Engaged is all about - harnessing the power of play to make a positive impact in the world.
Stay tuned for more stories in our "Gamers Who Give" series, and remember - whether you're designing games, participating in events, or simply enjoying your favorite titles, you too can use gaming as a force for good!
