Aaron Marroquin
TGN: When did you get started in the game industry?
AM: I got into the entertainment business in 99’, doing CG animation. There was a company called Big Idea that did Veggie Tales, they were in Chicago, that was the biggest 3D studio in Chicago, and I was into Veggie Tales, I was like “Hey I want to work there”. Their head Head Director left Big Idea and he started a new studio called Motion Picture Studios, I was his first animator. That’s how I got in. The first video game gig I had was at Inland. (Inland Productions).
Inland was porting a game called Arctic Thunder, a snowmobile game, they hired me to create some tracks, to make some art for tracks.
TGN: Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
AM: Houston.
TGN: Looking back, what was your favorite video game from your childhood?
AM: F-ZERO, That’s the best video game ever made.
TGN: Who was the first person in the game industry that you met, that you were starstruck at meeting them?
AM: Tim Coman who was at Inland. He worked at Midway, and he worked on Smash TV, the arcade game. When he told me he worked on that it was very influential, It made the game industry more reachable.
TGN: Who is on the top of your list of people in the game industry who you would most like to meet?
AM: Nolan North
TGN: Is there a game or game series that you were not involved in making, that you wish you could have been involved in the making of?
AM: The Resident Evil series.
TGN: You have worked a lot of different jobs within the game industry, what would be your favorite, and least favorite jobs you have worked in the industry?
AM: My favorite thing to do, which is purely on talent, would be Voice Acting. My least favorite, which is where I have learned talent in, or skill, would be animation. That has become my least favorite. It is very very hard work. It is unbelievably difficult, I think it is the hardest discipline in development, it’s not easy doing it right.
TGN: Final question: Since you are also in the playing card industry, what is your favorite brand of playing card (Other than your own)?
AM: Bicycle
TGN: I want to thank Aaron for the great interview. Be sure to check my LINKS section [top right] and check out The Fourth Curtain, Look North World, and his playing card company diggo decks!
Disclosure: this interview took place via video call, and was translated into a text interview afterwards. Answers were written as similar to his spoken answers as possible.
TheGameNarrative 