Letter from the Guy Who Made Monsters Inc

Pete Docter was a pretty good artist in middle and high school, and then became an animator. He has been at Pixar for 20 years. He also became a director for the films Up and Monsters Inc.

Here are two amazing letters he wrote to middle school classes:

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/07/whatever-you-like-doing-do-it.html

Making Games and Making Change

The interview excerpted below is with a student in 7th grade who takes a game design class at his middle school in East Austin. The class, called Globaloria, is required of all students, and this is his second year. He is describing the game he worked on for the class.  The link to his game is within the interview and here. Play the game

My game is about Teen Drug abuse – teens getting addicted to drugs. Throughout my life I have had experiences..... so I decided to do that.

I researched one of the most popular drugs that teens use, and what different drugs do to the body, to make obstacles for characters to get away from drugs- (levels- facts, different levels- it tells what it does to their body)- kind of like a maze Play the game here

Do you like to play any games?

I kind of don’t play games anymore. Like last year I used to play games- I used to play all kinds of war games, like Xbox 360 and Playstation, or what the other company is.

I’m too old, I feel like, I’m too old to play games.

Do you think that is related to knowing how to make them, or is it just a coincidence?

I think that …..games, making games, is..... I like it,  because making games is hard and difficult. But playing games is kinda easy. I feel like that’s for little kids,  kids [who] like games. And Globaloria is for me. Because I like creating games, and all the code, which would be difficult for a kid to do.