Persona

          I am thou...

                           thou art I...

We all come into things in our own time and in our own way.

As long as I can remember I've had an affinity for cards. When I was a kid I collected playing card decks and pretended I could tell fortunes with them (Some people can, I cannot). It seems like a natural progression that I should discover Tarot in my late teens, but it was actually a seemingly unrelated interest that introduced me to them.

I've also always enjoyed video games, so much so that I somewhat misguidedly pursued a degree in game design. Regardless, games are a big part of my life an always have been. My favorite games are from the Japanese role playing series called Shin Megami Tensei. Within that series there is an offshoot called Persona. Each Persona game takes a fresh look at the fool's journey and uses the Tarot to relate the protagonist to other characters. As the name suggests, they also deal heavily with the psychological aspects of shining a light on our subconscious desires and true selves. Something about those ideas really resonated with me and made me want to know more.

It all comes full circle when you think about how tarot cards have origins in game play. Many people still play trick-taking games with them in Europe, but with decks more suited to that purpose than a traditional tarot deck. 

I like the notion of using my game design chops to create a different kind of game suited to my personal deck, but I haven't found the right direction yet. 

More to come on that..