About a year ago now I returned to the United States. I was living in Europe (mostly in Amsterdam) for the last 30+ years. Like many expats, I found myself locked down, without the ability to travel and see my family in the States. It became clear that the freedom of movement, which I had enjoyed most of my life traveling from country to country, was disappearing. It was time to return to my homeland, while I still could. It has been one of the best decisions of my life.
It wasn't easy giving up my life in Europe. A life I had spent 30+ years building. From the great friends that I have there, a great job teaching in college, my cozy apartment in my favourite hood in Amsterdam; it was a lot to leave behind.
Now it has been about a year I've been back in the United States. There are things I miss and don't miss about Europe. And of course things I missed and didn't miss about the States. All the strikes and gutterballs aside, the main factor for me now is that I'm close to my family. Being back for my first Thanks Giving in 20 years. Going to my cousin's wedding. Helping my dad after his leg surgery. These are all things I would have missed.
Leaving everything behind, I find myself starting over. No apartment, No job, Single, Friends Far Away. A Midlife-Reset. So what do I do now?
No Apartment?
Well I've moved in with my family. As a teenager it was difficult living with family, we all know that. Now as an adult, it is FANTASTIC! After living on my own for so long, it is soooo nice to live with my family again. I don't have to cook all the time, I don't have to clean all the time, and there is actually someone around that can help patch up some of my hard to get clumsy wounds. It has been great to be back, hanging out with my family, and telling them stories of my travels, helping them out with projects, and just catching up really.
My last weekend in Europe. A few best friends were brave enough to join me at The Blues Barn, despite the possible fines for ‘meeting with more than 1 person’ during lockdowns.
Missing friends?
"Its' not what you know it's who you know". In Europe I knew a lot of folks. I couldn't walk through a city like Amsterdam, Munich or Madrid without running into someone I knew. Back here in the states, I have a couple of friends from when I was 6, I.m still in contact with, but not much. I do however, have a LARGE FAMILY. My mom, for instance, is UBER connected into the community. She is working on all kinds of charities, doing fundraisers, talking with legislators, etc. Anyone who knows my mom knows, "She is a Force of Nature" (direct quote from one of my former teachers.) So I've been helping out with her events, making videos and hauling gear for events, etc. So, I've been getting involved with the community, and meeting lots of amazing new folks. My knowledge and travel experience gives me a very different perspective to the issues and problems people are facing in my hometown. Being abroad I have seen similar problems, and alternative solutions, that many have overlooked, or never new existed. It's time to show the world that unique perspective.
No Job?
Besides being a professional working on Games and Films for many years, I have always been teaching since I left College, 20+ years ago. The last 10 years, teaching has been my primary focus. I have taught at a number of colleges. Usually only for a few years, until management had enough of me. My students know that I am a bit of a disruptor, I prefer innovator. I've had a few "Oh Captain My Captain!" moments which is enough for me to know I doing something right. Recently, yet again, my views and values were not aligning with the school's plans, and so I was "let go".
So what now Dude?
I've found myself here before. The way through it is to see it as another opportunity. For the last 2 years, I was teaching all my college students online. The number of tools and platforms that have become available for e-learning in that time is staggering! I was able to hold all my classes, from the other side of the planet. So why do I need the school? Why deal with the headache of dealing with outdated academic management? Why deal with schools when they are mandating students and staff to draconian measures? It's time I started my own school.
The Game Beyond School is Live!
That's right, I've launched my own online school. I'm taking all the courses I have developed from Europe and translating them into English to take online. From Serious Game Design, to Presentation and Public Speaking, Film & Animation, Media Design Thinking, The Secret to Marketing and more are in production. Currently, my Game Design Basics course is already live. If you want to learn how to "Harness The Power of Play", this is the course to get your started. More advanced Game Design Courses are in the pipeline, which are all the courses I've used in my college Master's programs. Make sure to sign up for the first course, and get your early bird spot for the upcoming courses.
Please, Join My LIVESTREAMS!
On Thursdays I'll be doing a new livestream show to support The Game Beyond School. The problem with most online courses is that there is no real feedback or engagement moment with the teacher or other students. The Game Beyond Livestream solves that problem. The show will have quizzes, Q&A's, student work feedback, interviews with professionals, case studies, games and more. Make sure to Subscribe to The Game Beyond Live!
On Mondays I used to play games with my friend The Case to help him through a rough time. We called it GMVR (GaMe oVeR), and did it for a few years. That was until my computer crashed and burned on me. My friend was also doing much better, and the need was less urgent. So GMVR went on hold for a while. Until now. I had to give up all my classic game consoles, (they don't work well on US voltage and monitors). However, through some hand me downs and some flee market hunting, I've managed to get my gaming platform inventory back up to a respectable level. Thanks to the bitcoin bump, I was able to get a new mac for the streams. So, it's time to start GMVR back up again, this time, we're going LIVE! Make sure to Subscribe to our GMVR Livestreams on Mondays. We will be playing a wide variety of games, classic and new, that you may or may not have seen.
2022 will have a lot of challenges for us all. Join me in turning those problems into games, so that we can play our way towards solutions. Play On!
Gabe Mac