Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Rappoport.
Hi Robert, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I think it’s important to begin this story by framing it, and myself. I have clinical depression and I have my entire life. It has plagued me, my thoughts, my dreams, and my relationships, for as long as I’ve been alive. So, when I tell you how I started, how I arrived here in LA, keep in mind, especially if you’re struggling yourself, that there are people who love you. There are people who want to help you and even if you don’t believe it, you can succeed. You can make it to tomorrow.
So, to begin with, I think it’s only appropriate to start with my folks. My mom and dad are both designers in their own right: they run an interior design firm that’s made restaurants from the Hard Rock Cafe to Mars 2112 to Rainforest Cafe. All these incredible, imaginative spaces that my parents not only wove together and brought into existence but also made me feel like I was a part of the process. They took me on business trips, they brought me to construction sites, and they always asked and respected my opinion. They were just as frequently adamant though when I said I wanted to go into architecture or interior design like them: that it was NOT an industry that they thought was good for anyone, let alone their child. So, like a sensible person, instead of choosing architecture, I decided to go the safe route and become an actor.
I’ve performed on stage since I was a kid, went to London for training and learned from the best. Had a wonderful time too! I’ve met some of my best friends through the theater and learned incredible and valuable lessons there. The world and the people within it are so beautiful when looked at through the lens of a performer: everyone has their own story. It was a magical time and my longing for the stage was matched only by my stubbornness… but despite all my insistence on going to a theater school for university, I ended up going to Sarah Lawrence. Why did I go there instead of a school like NYU or USC? Well, for one I didn’t get in. But more importantly, I realized that after dozens of auditions, tears, and long nights, that I was more in love with knowing than with performing. I’ve always been curious and theater was a great outlet for my curiosity… but Sarah Lawrence gave me the chance to explore art, history, film, all that the world had to offer. And while I still loved the stage, I loved learning more.
Still, I was stubborn. So, after I graduated and started auditioning (and bartending to make ends meet) I ignored the keening in my mind that told me that this wasn’t for me. I ignored it for five years… and then, eventually, after a particularly disastrous film shoot that left me frustrated and miserable, I decided to look for work elsewhere. I thought I was giving up on my dream but, in fact, I was just discovering it.
I started work at a company that makes restaurants. If you’ve ever been in an airport and seen a well-maintained restaurant with tablets on each table, well, then you’ve eaten at a restaurant I’ve worked at. With these tablets I saw an opportunity: I had always loved games and I knew that other companies like Olive Garden and Applebees had games on their table tablets, why not ours? The CEO wasn’t convinced at first but… again, I was stubborn and eventually convinced them.
After a few years of working there (and teaching myself to code during those years), I made my first video games. They were designed to keep customers in their seats as long as possible and they did a good job… but they weren’t satisfying to me. They didn’t have that spark of imagination and story that I craved in art. It didn’t help people connect to others. So, after a very meaningful and wise discussion with my mentor at that company… I left. I got into the NYU Game Center through a lot of work, incredible tutelage, and many many cans of Monster, I received my MFA in Game Design. Then, with no industry experience, I started making games and applying for work.
I won’t pretend it wasn’t a struggle. It reminded me a lot of my time auditioning, doing all of these design tests, and remaking rock paper scissors again and again but… there was always something more to learn. Something new to explore, so I was happy even when I continued to receive rejections. Eventually, while volunteering at GDC (an activity I recommend with the highest acclaim), I signed up for a brief talk with a hiring manager at Santa Monica Studio. We talked of art, games, learning, film, and D&D. I was incredibly nervous, but after that discussion, there came others, and still more, until eventually I was on a plane ride to LA for the on-site interview and then ultimately… I got the job! Since then, I’ve been an Encounter Designer for the God of War franchise and helped bring God of War Ragnarök to life. I’m still learning every single day, still playing D&D, and still so so lucky to have incredible, beautiful people who support me whenever I feel down. Those days never go away, no matter what I’ve done or accomplished. But, at least now, they’re a little easier.
Now I’m here, and I couldn’t be happier!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think any artist’s path is without its twists and turns. For me, it has always been about the road itself and so I’ve been delighted to walk on it. But yes, there have been struggles. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve had to deal with severe depression my entire life and it has colored a great deal of my experiences. I’ve been bullied, teased, and misrepresented, even in my adult life. But I am here to tell you that it can and does get better. Please believe me, even if you’re in a deep, dark, black place and there is no light to be found: the dawn does come. I know it sounds cheesy, and I know it probably won’t help right now, but please don’t give up.
Emotional baggage aside, I think my greatest challenge in being a game designer has been that I didn’t go to school to be one! I had to teach myself code and relearn trigonometry; I’m still learning linear algebra and vector calculus. It was, and continues to be, a challenge. I am not a math guy! That being said, the thrilling exaltation of code compiling properly after hours of struggle is as powerful as any applause I ever received on stage. So, is it hard to learn to program in your twenties? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes.
I can’t forget this: I had to learn to DRIVE. I’ve lived in New York and London most of my life, and learning to drive was absolutely never a priority. It was something I never thought I’d ever have to do but… sadly, when I got my job and was destined to move to Los Angeles, I somehow managed to pass my driver’s test right before I left. It has been a struggle, but I am slowly learning to love the road.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As I mentioned, I work as an Encounter Designer for Santa Monica Studio. To briefly explain what that means: if you’ve ever played a tabletop roleplaying game like Dungeons and Dragons, or Fate, or Burning Wheel, or Triangle Agency, all of those games have a Game Master. Someone who manages the world outside of the players and, more importantly to this metaphor, manages the fights that the players get into. Designing encounters, interesting combat challenges, where enemies will arrive from and under what circumstances that’s the bulk of my day-to-day. I like to tell people that I’ve somehow managed to turn a lifelong passion for D&D into a job and, honestly, that’s not too far off!
Encounter Design is a narrow field to begin with, but I believe that where I excel is that I approach each fight holistically and through the lens of the player’s journey. It’s paramount that when you create a challenge for a player, you set it up with an awareness of where the player has been and where they’re going; both literally and figuratively. What resources might they have available to them, what story beats have they just had occur? Keeping all of this in mind on the macro scale while then creating a small tale of combat on the micro-scale is what makes, in my opinion, a good encounter.
When I design an encounter, I use all of my skills: my stage positioning knowledge from theater, my combat strategy from D&D, my camera awareness from film, and my creature and mythological knowledge from my studies of folklore. The game industry takes all kinds, and I’m glad that it has accepted a learner such as myself with such a wide spread of esoteric knowledge.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
As cheesy as it is, I think my favorite childhood memory is reading books with my mom. We would go to the Borders bookstore near our home in Philadelphia and my mom would buy me whatever book I liked. I usually picked some high fantasy novel or a surreal science fiction story (hilarious the present me, I was terrified of horror!) Then, we would walk across the street into McNally’s Tavern (a local place that I cannot recommend enough!) with my new prized possession and I would read for hours there, book in one hand and greasy roast beef sandwich in another. Those days of reading with my mom, lost in a book, in the darkened light of the tavern’s interiors are still special to me today for two reasons. Firstly, they’re very likely why my eyesight is so bad! I was reading thousands of pages in mood lighting. And secondly, because my mom encouraged my curiosity, my love of reading. My parents and I might disagree, we might argue, but I am undoubtedly who I am because of moments like this. Moments where my mother and father encouraged me to learn, to read, and to be fascinated by something new. To dive into a rabbit hole and see where it goes.
Contact Info:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRappoport
- Website: https://
robertrappoport.com/
Image Credits
God of War Ragnarok is owned by SIE
