Name: Miguel Morales
Hometown: Hialeah, FL
Year: Senior
Major: Computer Science
Relationship Status: In a relationship
Her Campus (HC): Why did you pick computer science as a major?
Miguel Morales (MM): All of high school, I always played a lot of video games. When it came time to decide what to study in college, I started talking to my friends about actual video game development. I could always easily find flaws in a video game and I had a lot of ideas on how I could make the actual gameplay better. So the idea came to me that the only way I could make my vision possible was to study computer science and become a programmer.
(HC): So what type of video games do you want to create?
(MM): Anything from role playing games (RPG) such as Skyrim and World of Warcraft, to first person shooter games such as Call of Duty and Battlefield.
(HC): What improvements do you hope to see in and to be a part of in the video game industry?
(MM): Making the environment of a video game as realistic as possible is something I think is very important when creating video games. The experience that gamers want to feel is playing a game so realistic that they forget they are sitting on their couch and playing an actual game versus actually experiencing it. This is the biggest goal that I want to [achieve to] help improve future video games. Virtual reality is the biggest improvement that is happening now in video game technology with developments like the Oculus Rift.
(HC): Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
(MM): Steve Jobs. He was someone revolutionary, and he never took no for an answer. He never gave up on his vision and he knew he could not have a boss, so he created his own company. No matter what happened, he persevered. He inspires me in knowing that anything is possible. On the days where I just want to stop programming, the thought that someone like him made it to the top keeps me going.
(HC): When you aren’t programming, where do you find yourself during your down time?
(MM): I always like to say that I am a simple man living in a complicated time. I don’t really like studying (no one likes to be stressed), so when I have the opportunity to experience things like fishing or kayaking, I find my peace. I like going to the beach, exploring, and learning new things.
(HC): What’s your ideal five year plan?
(MM): I want to get my master’s in video game programming. I want at least three years of experience in the industry until I finally branch off and create a video game company of my own.
(HC): Favorite movie?
(MM): That’s hard… I would have to say Avatar. It’s just like the video games I want to create that allows you to get lost in the beauty of a new world. The whole message behind the movie is awesome. Being reborn into an avatar who sees nature for what it truly is, after coming from a society who just cares about money, is something that we can all take from to be better people.
(HC): Favorite quote?
(MM): “Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.”
(HC): OK last question…What’s something random on your bucket list that you want to do in life?
(MM): *stays quiet for a while* … I want to stand at the top of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and just throw money off of the building while screaming, “FUN COUPONS!”