Philanthropy

At Dust Productions, we care about more than just making awesome software.  This is why we spend our time and money giving back to the community and to the world.

Our Projects

Teaching Kids to Make Games

I have done everything from give talks and feedback to local students to helping Alachua County design curriculum across all of their schools.  I visited Lakeview Middle School during the annual Florida Teach-In to let the students know how the things they are learning in middle school directly help me as a game developer.  I gave free classes at a conference in Orlando called Otronicon where I taught kids (and parents) how to make awesome puzzles of all kinds.  I frequently visit Loften High School where they have a magnet program for digital media to advise the students on their projects, tell them what it's like to work in the game industry and what employers are looking for, etc.  I was invited to give a lecture at my former masters program in which I discussed similar topics (albeit at a much more in depth level).  This is what I spend most of my donated time doing, because I feel like we don't spend enough time in school talking about things like art and creativity and how we can use hard skills like math and science together with art and creativity to create experiences that can change the world.

Carbon Reduction and Offset

We are committed to creating minimal carbon emissions by riding bicycles to meetings, turning off things that use electricity when we aren't using them, and taking advantage of nice weather (when we can!).  For all the things we do that create emissions, we donate to our favorite carbon offset nonprofit COTAP.  This charity isn't the cheapest way to offset carbon emissions, but they are also helping to fight poverty by paying workers in the poorest places of the world to plant trees.

Cleaning the Streets

I donate my time with a nearby company to clean a local street several times per year.  Although this isn't the most impactful thing I do in the grand scheme of things, it provides a demonstrable improvement to the neighborhoods that need it most.

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Created to better humanity by Dust Productions LLC