Name:
Jeb Havens

Current Job Title:
Lead Designer

Current Employer:
1st Playable Productions

Credits:
Video Games -- Playboy: The Mansion (PC, XBOX, PS2), Playboy: Private Party (PC), 2 Serious Training Simulation Games (PC), Marvel Trading Card Game (DS).

Board Games -- Mother Sheep (to be released Feb 07)

Puzzles -- Point System (GAMES Magazine, 10/06)

Current Project:
Unannounced title for the DS.

GDC Geek Summary:
"Jeb is a fun, funky and very thoughtful guy. A surprisingly good dancer and my Guitar Hero." - Peter Leahy, Gamasutra

Why did you get into the Industry?
Because I've created and played games my whole life, and have an unhealthful obsession with the way humans interact with and understand systems. Also, I thought most of the other careers I could pursue at the time were either boring or morally questionable.

Favorite Game of all Time?
M.U.L.E. -- with The Incredible Machine and its descendents (Armadillo Run, etc.) at a close second.

Why do you attend GDC?:
At least once a year, to be forced to pick my head up and find out what the rest of the Industry is doing. Plus it's the best way to keep in touch with busy ex-co-workers.

How many GDC's ( & what years) have you attended?
2005, 2006, and this year will be my 3rd

What are you most looking forward to at GDC 2007?
I'm excited to run the LGBT developers roundtable again this year. Last year was the first year the GDC had anything like it, and it went really well, and I think this year we'll really be able to start looking at how we can form a meaningful community that will serve a useful role in the Industry.

Top nugget of wisdom to share with other attendees of GDC?
Talk to other developers about the intangibles -- trade stories of process, work environments, proven and unproven hunches and ideas. You'll learn a lot. Since our Industry doesn't have a lot of knowledge-sharing about certain things, I'm always fascinated by how much everyone's going about things very differently.

What's the most interesting thing that ever happened to you at GDC?
Getting completely lost on the streets of San Jose only to then find out that the place I was trying to get to was only a block away. But in the process, asking a random person for directions and finding out I'd been exchanging emails with him for over a year.

Favorite GDC Session, Topic or Speaker?
Clint Hocking. His lecture last year on Intentionality and Emergent Behavior was outstanding and I can't wait to hear his talk this year on Exploration. I'm really glad there are people like him within the industry giving some real thought and attention to these fundamental design concepts that many people are too quick to brush off as impractical. I always love the sessions that get at the deeper (often more academic) concepts, since I think those are what will take game design to the next level of artistry.