MiDAS Spotlight: Diana DaSilva
Undergraduate Degree: Digital Arts and Sciences
Three words that best describe you: Passionate, Enthusiastic, and Imaginative
What brought you to the MiDAS program?
After studying DAS during undergrad, I just found so much respect for the professors and wanted to keep working with and learning from them. The program is also very convenient, it’s only one year and it’s super informative, like a bootcamp in digital arts. This program has really helped me take my skills from undergrad to the next level.
What was your lightbulb moment that took you down this career path?
The huge library of games I played growing up definitely motivated me to go into this field. For example, ‘What Remains of Edith Finch’ was one of the games that got me interested in the art of storytelling, while the art in ‘Hyper Light Drifter’ inspired me to become a pixel artist.
What interactive experience are you looking forward to creating in the near future?
I’m really looking forward to the capstone project. I’ve gotten to know my cohorts really quickly and I can already see such a wealth of potential within them. Even though I don’t yet know who I’ll be working with, I’m excited to get started.
What is your favorite class you’ve taken in your program?
I haven’t taken the course yet, but I’m really looking forward to the Spring interdisciplinary studies course, where professors come together and teach various modules on an array of subjects.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Everything that I do stems from storytelling, in every area that I touch I want to make a story about it. I’ve definitely been inspired to do this by the story centric games I played growing up.
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
In five years, I would love to be working for a small indie studio, with a tight knit team where we all work and collaborate together. I’ve had a lot of exposure to indie games growing up, so I would love to see the dynamic of an indie studio. I was born and raised in Portugal, so in ten years I would love to go back and work in a studio in Europe. There are a lot of studios in Europe I really respect, so I would love the opportunity to work with them and have an exciting change of environment.
Favorite place you’ve visited?
Most definitely Rome. I’m a huge foodie and the food in Rome was absolutely amazing, especially the fish. One of my favorite things about traveling to new places is trying their distinct cuisine.
