David Candland
About Me
A native of the Pacific Northwest, I grew up enjoying the local attractions; camping, hiking, bicycling, swimming at the lakes, and enjoying the snow in the mountains. The picture above was taken just out behind my home.
My childhood was largely spent drawing barbarians in class and blowing pocketfuls of quarters at the local arcade. My high school guidance counselor told me that I would never get anywhere pursuing art or video games as careers. After receiving degrees in graphic design at BYU-Idaho and interactive design at the ArtCenter College of Design, I went on to work at companies like Microsoft and Cendant doing interactive and web design. I also taught visual arts at the Art Institute of Seattle and Bellevue College. Eventually, I wound up at Bungie, designing the user interfaces for Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Destiny. I was instrumental in defining the party, lobby, and matchmaking systems, now so prevalent in online console gaming. Most recently I have been working on the interface for Destiny 2 and relishing the fact that I prove my high school guidance counselor wrong on a daily basis.
About My Family
My wife, Marcy and I married about 28 years ago and have enjoyed raising our large family out in rural King County just east of Redmond. She has taught music for many years and is currently doing music classes for people with special needs. We currently have our two youngest daughters still living at home.
As a family we regularly attend our kids' sporting activities and go on annual camping trips with friends.
One of things I've enjoyed about my profession is that I've taken part in designing the games and online interactions that have helped me stay in touch with my sons while they've been away at school as we've played multiplayer games online with each other.