Hey Campers!
This Sunday is Father’s Day here in the UK, and while not everyone will observe this occasion, with Pine Hearts having a heavy focus on Tyke’s childhood memories of his dad, we thought today would be the perfect time to dedicate a whole blog post to the devs and their dads.
You may not know this about Pine Hearts, but it was created after the creative director at Hyper Luminal Games, Rob, lost his dad to cancer. Not only did Pine Hearts provide him with a way to channel his grief, but it was a great way to honour his dad and the times they shared together visiting the Cairngorms National Park up in sunny old Scotland.
Melissa Cocker (Social Media and Community Coordinator @ HLG)
“My Dad and I have always bonded over our love for music. He took me to my first gig when I was 11 to see My Chemical Romance, and he’s continued to completely inspire my taste in music as I’ve grown up. We’ve continued to be gig buddies, having the privilege to see many of our favourite bands together over the years. He’s also the person who got me interested in sci-fi and fantasy, so he’s played a big role in shaping the interests and passions that make me who I am.”
James Law (Art Manager @ HLG)
“My Dad taught me a billion things: he built us a proper action-figure sized concrete castle outside in our wee garden and filled around it with sand, he would hide surprise presents at the end of a treasure hunt, he always protected us seeing the fallout from what must have been tough experiences as a paramedic, he always supported my artistic pursuits and when he taught me how to paint he gave me this advice: 'never judge it until it's finished.' So now when I'm halfway through anything and can see the wobbles and doubt the outcome, I hold steady until it's at least complete. Then you can do better next time, or you surprise yourself with how it turned around. His dad also died before I was born, so he never had the luxury, as I do, of being a dad and going to his own father for advice.”
Mihai Georgescu (Principal QA @ HLG)
"I can't say I've had an idyllic relationship with my dad, but I still cherish the short times we spent together. Several years ago, we went on a family road trip across Romania. There were a few more disagreements on the way than any of us would have liked, but wherever we ended up staying for the night, dad and I would stay up and share a drink in silence, taking in the atmosphere of the summer air. In hindsight, I wish either of us had been brave enough to speak, but I'm still grateful for those few quiet moments together."
Vicki Fieldhouse (Senior Community Manager @ Secret Mode)
"My dad was the best. I have so many great memories from my childhood, from the piggy back rides to helping him build things in the back garden, but the memory that really sticks out is him reading The Hobbit to me and my brother. He'd do all the voices, sing all the songs and really brought the characters to life. Even to this day, it's one of my favourite books, but only because of the way he read it. He's also the reason I got interested in games. He introduced me to games really early on and never saw them as a waste of time, but something that could be enjoyed together, either with him or with my brother, and I'm so grateful for that." 
We'd love to hear about your favourite memories of your dads, feel free to share them in the comments.
As always, if you’d like to chat more about Pine Hearts, you can join us over on Discord, and if you’d like to follow Tyke’s Adventures, he now has a blog on Tumblr. We’d love to see you there.
Chat soon!
Melissa and Vicki
Pine Hearts Community Team
