Early Life and Background
Camdon was raised in Alaska as the biracial child of an Ethiopian immigrant and a midwestern carpenter. A life of library books, bear encounters, the backlash of those that see race mixing as an abomination, and a deep sense of wonder and exploration shaped his view of the world. He learned to see the world as often scary, occasionally magical, emotionally fraught, and always surprising.
Camdon was a weird bookish kid that had a hard time translating his sense of joy into a form other children understood. He learned to write as a way to share his imagined worlds and situations, often to the distress of teachers who sent home notes to his parents concerned about content of those stories. Moving throughout the state and changing schools every year didn’t help either. Being both the new kid and the weird kid didn’t do him any favors. It wasn’t until high school that he began to discover communities of other like minded folks. Gaming, books, music, and cult films all became gateways toward friends.
Design, Writing, Community
After 20 years of writing, game design, and community organizing, Camdon has learned a lot about art, social media, pragmatism, and boundaries. In both his writing and design, he strives for emotional honesty in the story and a commitment to deliver the promised experience the reader/player.
As the lead in the various inclusion and outreach programs he’s been involved in, he’s driven to shift the mindset that opportunity requires gratitude and allegiance from those that benefit. The sharing of resources and knowledge should come without strings or an assumption of ignorance on the part of recipients. He believes that all industries are stronger with an expanded depth and breadth of voices and worldviews contributing without the need for homogenization. Inviting people in and then treating them as lesser or an outsider works counter to the stated goals of most programs but is heartbreakingly common.
Accomplishments and Recognition
Camdon’s creative and community contributions have not gone unnoticed. He has been honored with several prestigious awards throughout his career. One of his notable achievements is being named a Diana Jones Award honoree, an accolade given to individuals who have made significant contributions to excellence in the gaming industry.
In addition to the Diana Jones Award, Camdon has also been a member of multiple ENnie Award winning teams. The ENnies are an annual award ceremony that recognizes popularity and overall impact in tabletop roleplaying games and related products. He was also a recipient of the 2017 IGDN Metatopia Sponsorship for his game One Child’s Heart.