Some of you may recall that last year I applied for the great designer search.  Despite my reservations about one of the answers (which I will describe in a future post), I was fascinated by how much the situation mirrored my situation during the first great designer search.  Here’s a little comparison.

2006 2010
In the first year of a graduate program. In the first year of a graduate program.
Made it past the first round. Made it past the first round.
Washed out by the written exam in the second round. Washed out by the written exam in the second round.

The only thing that was missing was a certain “Tribute.”

As I discussed a little while ago, I tend to play music into the ground.  This lets me time-stamp each piece to a certain time in my life, and go back to that time years later if I feel like tapping into the nostalgia.

During the first Great Designer Search, the song I was listening to was Tenacious D’s Tribute.  Check it out.

During the days of the GDS, I had that song on a constant repeat, and as a result I will always associate that song with Magic: the Gathering.

Last year I found myself struggling with the essay test, right up until I started listening to “Tribute” again.  Strangely, once I heard that tune, my mind was back in 2006 and I was in the zone.  The words just flowed, and I was able to make it to the second round.

The important thing to take away from this is the nostalgia that music can create.  Remember this if you are designing a game: the tunes and songs you put into your games are investments for the years to come.  Years from now; you will be able to enhance your games by tapping into that nostalgia.