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Rafael Diaz

Rafael Diaz '09
Hometown: Westchester, NY
Major: Game Design
Got inspiration for a video game by reading Machiavelli

To Rafael "Rafi" Diaz, creating a video game involves much more than learning the technical processes of programming, design and animation.


A game designer needs to find inspiration, sometimes from unlikely places.

"I was reading Machiavelli's The Prince, and what he had to say gave me an idea for a game," says Rafi. "The best games are made when you step outside of yourself. You have to step beyond your ordinary perspective if you want to succeed."

This sort of "outside-the-box" thinking is exactly what attracted Rafi, a die-hard video game enthusiast, to check out Champlain's game design major.

He gives serious props to his professors, such as Joe Buck, whose lessons bring "way more" to the classroom than what any book can. Gaming students like Rafi know that their professors have the highest expectations, and will often let them know if an assignment isn't up to par.

"I have two feelings when I submit an assignment: fear and hope," Rafi says. "Fear that my game will get ripped apart, and hope that I actually made something viable. You're encouraged to pick up from there, and that's exactly the kind of inspiration that Champlain offers."

This summer Rafi will be hard at work at Champlain's Emergent Media Center. He's helping to create an educational game about informational literacy; using a James Bond-type character as the protagonist.

Other summer projects for Rafi include creating his own video game, and designing a web forum for other serious gamers.

Summer won't be all work, though. Rafi will spend time playing tabletop games with his roommates (he lives in an eight person suite in Spinner Place) and hanging out with friends in downtown Burlington.

Rafael Diaz

Among his favorite places to grab a bite in Burlington? KKD (or the Kountry Kart Deli). "They have such a wide variety. I eat there a lot, and I still haven't been through the menu."

While video games are clearly Rafi's passion, he's got bigger plans after graduation, including ideas for books, t-shirts and even feature films. "I'm going to make a documentary film about geeks. I'll go on a cross country tour, talking with geeks everywhere. I want to get a wide spectrum on the definition of the word 'geek'."

Is he himself a geek? "Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, I love to go see concerts and hang out with friends downtown. But I'm definitely a geek at heart."

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