By Virtual Design

Sometime in my teen years I began to notice that I possessed a rather peculiar talent. A group project would show up in one of my high school classes, and the teacher would state that a presentation was to be given. As the class started to look around the room in search of potential project mates, some people began eyeing me for a few particular reasons.

1. I actually did the necessary research and work.
2. I could write a killer paper and/or speech if necessary.
3. If we used digital visuals (e.g.: PowerPoint), I knew how to make our work stand out from everyone else's.
4. Our work (combined with the results from reason 3) netted us nothing but "A's."

In short: I made things look good. (I just wish I could say the same about myself. =P)

Yeah, I know - such a talent isn't of any particular use in the real world. Sure, you have some people go into some kind of job with the generic title of "{blank} Designer." In the end, most of them are (unfairly) ridiculed for not possessing an "actual" job like "other people." What makes these people stand out is the fact that the people with this kind of talent are usually proud of it - with some of them going to great lengths to show their skill (or "skill" - some do suck) to the world.

In my case, I use it in video games. In games with some kind of character creation (be it an MMO or a fighting game), you can count on me to make a character who fits my aesthetic designs. These have ranged from the exceptionally beautiful to the plain everyman to the horribly disfigured. (In one particular case, I took someone beautiful and had her scarred. It happened in her storyline, so it would make sense for me to do that.) In games where I'm given free reign to construct objects (such as Minecraft), I've set up various buildings - from the practically-designed to the kinds that demand that you look at them.

Just what lies beyond the door of this rather large building?

So what happens when I apply this skill in a social simulation game like Animal Crossing: New Leaf? Well, allow me to show you... if you're willing to keep reading on. Prepare to be amazed (at how dorky I can be)!