Howard Phillips has the job kids dream about: He plays video games for a living-literally.
Phillips is Nintendo`s game master.
The 32-year-old started working in a Nintendo warehouse and slowly worked his way up to game master, or officially, director of games creative.
Every video game that Nintendo puts out goes across Phillip`s desk for approval.
He also doubles as senior editor of Nintendo Power magazine, a publication dedicated solely to Nintendo games and how to play them.
Phillips` job has made him one of the world`s top video game players, but he attributes his talent to more than just physical skill.
”It`s partially based on skill,” Phillips said. ”But it`s not so much finger speed as it is planning a strategy and problem solving. Patience and persistence pay off. When I sit down to play a game, I know that I`m going to whip it.”
An average day for Phillips includes six hours of playing video games-Nintendo`s and the competition`s.
”Nintendo has over 300 games,” said the University of Washington graduate. ”And with that huge amount, not every game is for everyone. I just make sure they are fun and easy to play. We don`t want to have games geared to young kids that are difficult to play, because they`ll get frustrated. I don`t really concentrate on what`s wrong with a game, but how to improve it. Video games seem to have an unlimited amount of ideas.
”The opportunity to be creative is a real jewel in the workplace. I still have fun playing video games. Every two or three months I get a new load of games to check out and it`s like opening presents at Christmas-time.
”We can`t forget about development. When we stop entertaining and just start making games, we lose the battle.”
