Ben Thoreson

The concept of the “Metroidvania” video game genre — a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania, classic games that focus on acquiring abilities to unlock larger portions of a game map — is one of exploration, growth, and using new knowledge to solve increasingly complex problems. It’s no wonder developer Ben Thoreson’s love for Metroidvania games has translated into a career in web development — an industry built upon unlocking skills to help build bigger and better implementations.

A long-time coder — over 20 years! — Ben grew up dreaming of becoming an engineer, but his first job was building and fixing computers. It makes perfect sense: development and engineering share a core attribute in that both require an understanding of *why* something works to create a better “how.”

Ben is an avid runner, a gaming enthusiast, and a history buff. He won his first race in 2023, but with a focus on unlocking new skills and building upon what’s been done, we suspect it’s not the last. After all, as we’ve learned from Metroid and Castlevania, each new experience helps unlock a future of possibilities.