– The Game Designer & Developer
“ISKL has been a great environment for my interest in game design to flourish. Games are my favorite storytelling medium, as allowing the audience to interact with the world increases the depth of immersion by such a large amount.”
Meet Luca P. (’24), a Grade 12 student who became part of the ISKL community in 2020. Luca was born in New Hampshire, USA, and lived in Taiwan before moving to Malaysia. He has a great passion for game design and development, which has been his area of interest for a long time.
Here is Luca’s story:
Do tell us more about yourself.
My name is Luca – I wear glasses and have a penchant for unique headwear, and I’m one of two fraternal twins.
I was born and raised in New Hampshire, USA, then moved to Taiwan when I was about 9 – I loved it there. In Grade 9, I moved to Malaysia and started attending ISKL.
Describe your first days at ISKL.
I joined ISKL right at the start of the pandemic, which was not the optimal timing however, I was struck by how welcoming people were here. Several strangers treated me like their friends and helped show me around. It made me feel comfortable and accepted, and I welcome other new students similarly.
Do you participate in any other co-curricular activities at ISKL?
In Grade 10, I started Extemporaneous Speaking, which was a lot of fun. It helped me become informed about geopolitical issues without feeling overly stressed, and it has a much more collaborative atmosphere than other public speaking clubs.
My main extracurricular is Pride Club, which I joined in Grade 9 and am now an executive of. I love the community of open-minded, empathetic, and funny people formed around the club, and I enjoy supporting meaningful positive change.
Do you have any plans for after you graduate from ISKL – What would you like to do?
I’m planning on going to university in the US for game design and development, but if I decide against that, I’ll try out some software development internships, as I’ve had positive experiences with internships in the past.
Can you tell us more about your other hobbies and interests?
I have a really strong passion for the field of game design and development. Games are my favorite storytelling medium, as allowing the audience to interact with the world increases the depth of immersion by such a large amount. I also enjoy coding, especially game design; making many design decisions about complex, interlocking systems is interesting and connects to many other fields.
Overall, ISKL has been a great environment for my interest in game design to flourish: I’m building a video game for my Pursuits Project right now, and in the past, I’ve taken a Global Online Academy (GOA) course in Game Design. I also interned in Augmented Reality (AR) development for my Pursuits Practicum.
Do you have any thoughts on your career pathway?
I’m pretty nervous about my career pathway, as I can’t fathom the world outside of high school — the idea of college and actual employment are both incredibly foreign and quite daunting. I believe I will learn as I go.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I hope to do game design professionally and produce a game that other people can enjoy. That said, the future is wildly unpredictable, so I want to find happiness and fulfillment and surround myself with loved ones.
I also hope to live in Asia again someday; I’ve absolutely loved living in Taiwan and Malaysia and don’t want to give that up forever.
Who or what inspires you or has influenced you?
I’ve mainly been inspired and influenced by my parents. They’re both wonderful people, and I’ve adopted much of their humor and love of helping others. My dad was the one who originally introduced me to programming, so he’s the primary reason for my interest in creative technology.
Most memorable moment at ISKL?
I know it’s cliche, but it’s probably my Junior prom. It genuinely felt like a magical night; I felt this deep sense of unity with my whole class, which was truly special.
I also really loved my GAP trip to Laos – it was somewhat scary, but in the end, it was eye-opening and a lot of fun, and I’m very thankful I had the opportunity.
What does “Know yourself, care for all and create a better world” “mean to you?
I like that “know yourself” comes first. I’ve struggled with anxiety a lot over the past few years, and one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that you need to be in a healthy place before you can begin to help others. I think “know yourself” also speaks to the importance of self-reflection and introspection, which are probably the two things that have improved my quality of life the most over the past two years. “Care for all” speaks to the importance of empathy, equity, and generosity, while “create a better world” is the ultimate goal of all humanity.
Do you know of any student, teacher, parent, or staff who always have an anecdote to tell, love to share some insights into their passions and interest, or simply is a Panther through and through? Nominate them to be featured in our Panthers of ISKL stories by sending in your submissions here.
