What if the next thing we create is a place people come back to? In this short video, I talk about moving beyond posting on someone else’s platform and learning to build our own games, apps and communities.
For me, that idea connects directly to JANK and 5TH QUARTER. JANK brings slang and cultural knowledge into a word game. 5TH QUARTER began with my student Mason Garrett’s HBCU marching-band game concept; we’re developing it together. Mason brought the original vision, and I bring production resources, development support and a shared creative process.
The opportunity I’m exploring is bigger than a single round of play. It’s about giving people reasons to connect around their schools, their language and their culture—and learning what it takes to make those experiences work. This is a reflection on that creative direction, not a launch announcement.
Read the video transcript
Lightly edited for readability.
You have these platforms like TikTok and Instagram, YouTube. But now maybe it becomes the creators who create their own platforms and not become so platform-dependent.
I feel now you have to take it a step further and create the ecosystems that include, like, several forms of media. So of course you’re going to build apps. You’re going to build software.
I created a game with my student Mason, 5TH QUARTER, HBCU game. HBCU meets Guitar Hero. I created JANK. It’s a word game, but you can use slang.
Even though you can play these games individually, they have community features, right? You can play other schools. You can play other areas. But I think it’s a perfect time to take advantage of learning how to create these things.
[Music continues. Closing credit: Music by @FKAMATT.]