Eiji Aonuma

Eiji Aonuma (The Guardian (Sarah Lee Guardian))

Ever since my childhood, I've loved to explore imaginary worlds, through books and games. Every day after school, I would come home and lose myself in tales of adventure, battle and quests. When I discovered The Legend of Zelda, a video game centered on solving puzzles, I was utterly captivated in its spellbinding tales and characters, and I decided that I, too, wanted to create a game that players can cherish so dearly. The Legend of Zelda was my inspiration to strive to become a video game developer, so when faced with choosing a career hero, my mind immediately went to the series that inspired my dream. Eiji Aonuma is one of the masterminds behind the Zelda series, and is one of the main influences of the characters, art, and gameplay. He is able to collaborate with others to create a stunning product that millions of people around the world hold dear to their hearts. It is my ultimate desire to influence people's' hopes and ambitions, by creating something as influential as this series, which influenced my life greatly.

Zelda for Wii U (Wikipedia ())

Eiji Aonuma works as a software developer for the company Nintendo. Software developers create games for consumers to purchase and can sometimes head a team developing a certain game. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or other device. Others develop the underlying systems that run the devices or control networks." Meaning, that software developers are directly involved with the creation of games, and work in all aspects of the graphics, music, and plot for the game they are developing. The average salary for a software developer was $96,260 in May 2012, higher than most other technology jobs. Similar jobs include software engineer, computer programmer, computer systems analyst, computer hardware engineers, and web developers. All these jobs work with computers, designing and creating code to meet an end result. This end result can vary, from video games to movies, to web sites, to even creating operating systems for computers. Required education includes a Bachelor's degree in software engineering or computer science.

Eiji Aonuma was born in 1963, in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. He attended "Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music where he majored in design, working on moving mechanical figures." (Wikipedia). He graduated in 1988. It was his ingenuity and creativity displayed by these figures that awarded him a job at Nintendo, and he began to work on his first title, 1996's Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajim. A few years after this, he was invited to join the development team for the Zelda series, and began work on three Zelda titles, all released consecutively: Ocarina of Time (1998), Majora's Mask (2000), and Wind Waker (2002). Currently, he is producing the newest Zelda title, which is not yet named, to be released in 2015. Aonuma is attempting to create a new style of gaming with this title, having "stated on numerous occasions during the development of the game about the idea of "rethinking the conventions of Zelda", an idea that originally drove the change of Zelda's gameplay style from a linear set path and storyline to non-linear, open world." (Wikipedia.) For players, this game is highly anticipated, as it contains a new way to explore the world of Zelda they already love so much.

A battle in Ocarina Of Time (Gospel herald ())

With the release of Ocarina of Time (1998), Zelda amassed a record-breaking fanbase, as well as overwhelming popularity. Since then, countless titles have been released that inspire and amaze players, as well as other software developers Aonuma collaborates with. As stated on Zelda.com, "The Legend of Zelda series is the best-selling role playing, puzzle and action franchise for Nintendo systems." It is my ultimate desire to influence people's' hopes and ambitions, by creating something as influential as this series. I am positive that I am not alone in this feeling, as Zelda is renowned for its mystical and inspiring characters, plot, and adventures. It is a series that truly turns dreams into reality.

In my mission to become a software developer, I plan to take several courses offered both at my high school and the local community college to prepare myself for college and beyond. These courses include programming, 3D modeling, as well as a course on animation. I hope to be accepted to UCI to earn my bachelor's degree. I have yet to learn more than basic programming, and it is a main priority of mine to hone and further develop my skills, so I can be prepared to hold the position of software developer later in my life.