Meet Eric Manahan

We recently connected with Eric Manahan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I spent the majority of my life trying to be something I’m not.

Growing up in the early 90s, my parents were none too keen on the idea of their son wanting to grow up and make video games. Being in my 30s now, I can understand where they were coming from. Back then the Gaming Industry wasn’t the multi-billion dollar entertainment juggernaut it is today. Gaming was for nerds, losers, and unprofessional.

I have a memory from my childhood. It’s one of those memories that is crystalized. Not faint, no fuzzy black vignette, crystal clear and vivid.

I was in the back of my parents car, driving at night down the highway. I was sketching in the back seat, using the passing lights overhead, as a sort of strobe light to see in the dark. My Dad saw me working away, completely focused, and asked

“Whatchya doing back there?”

I told him I was drawing my own Megaman characters. I was making my own Robot Masters that Megaman would fight. He then asked me,

“Is that what you want to do when you grow up?”

I said “YES!” I had always loved drawing and puzzles. Gaming and being creative was something i was clearly very passionate about.

What he said next, and what i would see my Mom nodding to in agreement next to him would ring in my head for the rest of my life, and still does to this day.

“You don’t want to do that when you grow up, Eric. If you want to have a family and make money, you need to have a real career.”

From that day on, I would tell everyone whoever asked “What do you want to do when you grow up?” with

“I want to be an Architect.”

I would hold on to this through out grade school and high school. It seemed to get a respectable response and was easy to explain.

I would eventually go on to study architecture at NJIT. I excelled. Always got along with my professors and thought outside of the box.

I would graduate and enter the New York City work force. I found myself working in high end residential.

I was miserable.

10+ years this went on, and everyday I would do my best to convince myself this was what I always wanted.
But for some reason, the architecture community and culture seemingly rejected me. We were like oil and water.

What everyone was taking so very seriously, I would find myself mocking.

Why would anyone in their right mind need a 60 thousand dollar powder room?

What I haven’t told you, was that in my last year of architecture school, one late night, I stumbled upon an article about a solo indie game developer. They had just released a free demo to the project they were working on. So at 3am I took a break to play it.

I couldn’t believe one person had made this beautifully crafted game.

The controls, the characters, the pixel art, the music, they were all amazing.

So I reached out with an email to the dev. And to my surprise they responded!
They gave me tips where to start and what tools to use.

So while I was an architect in NYC by day, I was an aspiring indie game developer by night.
I taught myself how to code, how to animate, how to make pixel art, color theory, marketing, social media strategy, the works.

The project I would constantly be working on was to be called : LUCID!
It was a love letter to all the games I played growing up, with some modern sensibilities added to the mix.

I did this for years.

Eventually, life caught up with me and I had to put my hobby to the side.

I was stuck in a dead end at the architecture office, with no vertical movement up the ladder in sight.
Always the designated IT guy. The guy who the Principle of the office would ask to take pictures of him and my coworkers at Holiday parties.

I found myself lying on the floor of my apartment, staring at the ceiling in tears.

I always had a plan, a destination. And for the first time, I was truly lost.

My fiancé saw this, and encouraged me to pick LUCID back up.

And so I did.

I remade it from scratch in a new engine.
New art, new game play, new everything.

And suddenly, it began picking up steam.
My socials were exploding with new followers.
People were excited about LUCIDE!

So much so, publishers began to take notice.
Eventually, a real offer was on the table.

I looked to my fiancé and she gave me the go ahead.

I took the offer, and quit my architecture job.

I have never worked harder, and I have never been happier.
I am finally doing what I was always meant to.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Well, my origin story has seemingly been told in my prior answer XD

BUT

What I do professionally is developing a game called LUCID

It is the game I want to play, the one I want to exist, the one I want to share with other gamers.

Thankfully, I am able to use my architectural background skills while developing!
I design holistically, from the art direction, to the story, to the music, to the game play, everything feeds into each other, making for a truly unique and one of a kind gaming experience.

While playing LUCID, players tend to find themselves in the focus flow state. Completely zoned in, LUCID demands your attention, but rewards you with a gigantic sense of self accomplishment when you overcome what challenges it throws your way.

If you would like to help support an extremely passionate creative, giving everything they got into a project they love, please consider adding LUCID to your Steam Wishlist! As well as telling all your gaming friends, kids, enemies, everyone you think would be interested. A public demo is soon to be available, so Wishlisting the game is the BEST way to stay updated.

Word of mouth is the literal life blood to a small indie dev like me, and I couldn’t thank you enough.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Do what you love. Don’t waste time, your life, on something you are not passionate about.

Work hard. Every moment you aren’t trying to better yourself, you are falling behind someone else who is.

Be kind. The amount of doors that have been opened from common courtesy and manners is astounding.

Reach out to creatives of others you look up to. 9 times out of 10 they will respond! Use their experience to help your own journey.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

My fiancé.

She is my rock.

Absolutely NONE of this would have been possible without her.
She has taught me patience, empathy, and saved me from my own fears more times than I can count.

I love her.

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