A Glimpse Inside the World of Video Games

Meher School alumnus Colin MacKie knows video games inside out – literally.

He’s been designing them for nearly 25 years and has worked on some of the most popular titles.

Colin visited our fifth grade Friday, giving the rapt students a behind-the-scenes look at how games are designed. In the photo above, he’s showing the class what the design of a game level looks like and explaining some of the details that go into planning and designing a game.

While working for Sledgehammer Games from 2009 to 2016, Colin was part of teams that developed two Call of Duty games, including the most popular title in the series, Modern Warfare 3. Call of Duty is the best-selling series in its category and the most successful video game franchise created in the U.S.

After that, he worked at Industrial Light and Magic, where he was design director on the Emmy-finalist Vader Immortal virtual reality series. Earlier in his career, he was a lead designer with Insomniac Games, where he worked on the award-winning Ratchet and Crank series. One of his first jobs was with LucasArts.

Today Colin is CEO of Lila, Inc., where, his LinkedIn profile explains, he leads a team of “video game experts, talent directors, and master storytellers in defining the next revolution in emotionally engaging social entertainment.”

Colin attended Meher School through third grade, when his family moved to the East Coast. He has a niece in our third grade.

After-School “Collapse”

JOYFUL AFTER-SCHOOL REUNIONS are difficult when a child gets angry because they have to leave an activity or they fall apart in the car about something minor. Parents frequently comment, “I look forward to seeing my child, but it’s hard when her mood seems to get worse when she sees me. I don’t understand.”

Actually, it’s not uncommon for children to do okay all day at school, then whine or throw a tantrum as soon as they’re in a parent’s company. The technical name for this is “after-school restraint collapse.”

It’s important to connect after being apart all day, and one of the keys lies in a parent’s ability to see beyond disappointing behavior to its underlying cause. At any age, this is called attunement. Although these tough pick-ups can feel like rejection, in actuality they signal how relieved children are to see their parents, because they can finally let down their guard after a day of continually being asked to exercise self-restraint.

Here are some ways to make after-school reconnecting more rewarding:

• Allow time for transition. A child who is immersed in an activity shouldn’t have to drop it immediately when a parent comes. That shouldn’t mean having to substantially delay your departure. Rather than saying “I’m here, let’s go!” it’s helpful to acknowledge that switching from one activity to another takes a few minutes.

• Create space. Allow children to be alone with their thoughts. Refrain from asking questions about the day on the way home. When adults arrive from work, they don’t want to immediately start rehashing their day. We all want a nurturing zone after the day’s stresses.

• Avoid running on to another activity.

• Make up a ritual like eating a snack together or listening favorite music on the way home.

Celebrating the Contributions of Meher Schools Women

They’re the mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and a nanny of Meher Schools students. They work in health care, social services, education, business, law, technology, and other fields. What they have in common is that they all contribute to the community in unique ways – which they shared in short videos in a Women’s History Month project of the Equity & Inclusion Committee celebrating the contributions of Meher Schools women.

The project was spearheaded by third grade mom Jen Tompkins. Working through each class’s designated “room parent,” she invited families to participate, using her own contribution (she’s a prosecutor) as an example. Videos submitted by mothers and others were compiled by classroom by kindergarten mom Marcela Privat-Gilman (a Spanish teacher).

Marcella added a short introduction by Jen at the beginning of each video and sent each room’s compiled videos to that room’s teachers last weekend, inviting them to share them with their classes.

A few screenshots fro, these inspirational videos are shown below. Thank you amazing Meher Schools Women!