Remember that commercial for Wendy’s with the old lady screaming “Where’s the beef?”
That’s what I thought of while creating this podcast.
I had a sillier version of the intro in mind that I ultimately scrapped.
It went in the garbage or something, I don’t recall:
Suffice to say, it would have been hilarious if done by anyone else.
But that’s the middle of the story. Let’s backtrack.
Once upon a time, I was a 25-year-old student going to a little suite on the seventh (seventh?) floor of a random building on a random street in the Battery Park/FiDi section of Manhattan.
The first time I showed up at his classroom, I was wearing three sweaters and a stupid hat my mother forced me to put on my head because of the rain.
Too bad it was summertime.
I only stayed there for a bit, but the amount I learned was interesting.
Orlando always wore the same outfit—a basic shirt with the school logo, dark wash jeans, and black Vans.
It was comforting in its familiarity but hid a very unique (and frankly weird) person.
Despite all that happened at that coding boot camp (the good, the bad, and the ugly), I never forgot about him and his teaching.
Six years later, through my weird behavior, I found him again and sat down with him at a cool coffee shop in my neighborhood and we talked as if we were best friends for a good three hours.
Long after the employees left and the owner was closing the shop, we were still chopping it up in the coffee shop and reminiscing.
For some reason, the guy likes to keep a low profile on socials, but I want people to know him because his opinions are so smart, eloquent, and important.
As the founder of The Once Project and creator of Beef, a gritty, New York City-inspired turn-based RPG, Orlando is blending retro gameplay with bold cultural storytelling.
When have you played a game in which a chopped cheese sandwich or Platanos Maduros can help you power up enough to stomp down fellow street fighters? Or a world coded in React based in the boogie-down Bronx?
This can only come from a Renaissance man like
.His game features randomly generated characters from underrepresented backgrounds (like Sanchez Gomez and Boomer) and items inspired by iconic NYC neighborhoods, proving that diversity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a game-changer.
In this feature, we explore how Orlando’s experiences growing up in New York, his passion for storytelling, and his commitment to representation are driving his unique approach to game design.
We also talk at least about the future of tech education, to go or not go to a coding boot camp vs. a traditional degree, and much more.
Orlando is creating more than just games—he’s creating a movement. Dive into the world of Beef and discover how this creator is leveling the playing field for gamers everywhere.
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