Dungeons and Dragons rears its head in Kokomo
Dukes turns love for D&D into tech career; library D&D meet-up a standing room only event
Imagination plus Ivy Tech degree sets alumnus on creative path
Kokomo native Mike Dukes has two lifelong hobbies – comic books (Spider-Man is his favorite super hero) and tabletop role-playing games (think Dungeons and Dragons) – but it wasn’t until he came to Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo that he found a way to turn those passions into a career.
Now the digital media specialist for the City of Kokomo, Mike spends his workdays taking photographs for use in print and web publications, videoing events and programs, designing motion and print graphics, creating video programs for both the web and broadcast, and maintaining all the city’s video equipment and related technology.
Enrolling in Ivy Tech, Mike first thought he’d major in industrial technology, but after he learned about the College’s Visual Communications program – and the chance to study graphic design – he was hooked on a new direction.
“Both comics and role-playing games heavily involve graphic design,” Mike said. “I asked if I could change my major, and it was approved. Ivy Tech offered the chance to learn the software that would allow me to create.”
More than a dozen years out of high school, Mike ended up at the top of his class, earning Phi Theta Kappa honor society membership and the Outstanding Student Award when he graduated in 2010. Mike served as a lab assistant as a student and as an adjunct instructor after his graduation.
And, at the recommendation of program chair Kyle Wiley, Mike had his first official “visual communications” job as a prepress graphic designer at Humphrey Printing by the time he transferred to Indiana University Kokomo. There, he completed a bachelor’s degree in New Media (where he also was named the program’s outstanding student) in 2013.
Degrees in hand, Mike has been able to create a new career with every opportunity to exercise his imagination and creativity, becoming a one-person production crew. As owner of his own production company, he creates “Gaming on Geek Street,” live-action shows of people playing role-playing games shared on YouTube. His work is featured weekly in the city’s “Pet of the Week” project for the Kokomo Humane Society, and his drone skills have resulted in valuable footage of the Seiberling Mansion and Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Campus transformation project.
In his city job, Mike helped develop the technological capabilities that allowed city and county officials to share community-wide updates via live-streaming. “With everything shut down (during the COVID pandemic), we had to find new ways to get information out,” he said. “It involved a lot of IT (information technology) work, with computers and cameras and lights and microphones, to make that work.”
Another product of the pandemic resulted in Mike’s credits as camera operator and producer for an episode of the Amazon Prime series “A Toy Store Near You.” What became Episode 4 of Season 2 focused on Kokomo Toys, a mecca for toy lovers from all over the world found on East Sycamore Street in downtown Kokomo. When the professional film crew was blocked from travel, Mike was recruited to handle filming, lighting, drone piloting, capturing audio, and arranging talent for the episode.
“What do I like best about my job with the city?” Mike repeated the question and answered with glee: “I get paid to create.” Speaking about the impact of his experience at Ivy Tech, he said, “Every time I look back, I know I’m just barely scratching the surface of what I know I want to do.”
The Visual Communications program is part of Ivy Tech’s School of Business, Logistics & Supply Chain. Prospective students interested in learning more are invited to Ivy Tech’s next Tuesday@TheTech recruitment open house set for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Ivy Tech’s Logansport Campus, 1 Ivy Tech Way. For more information, go to ivytech.edu/kokomo, email kokomo-enrollment@ivytech.edu or call 765-459-0561.
Dungeons and Dragons roars into library
When Ben Rutz, the Digital Media Coordinator at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, opened the doors to the Digital Den to gamers for his first Dungeons and Dragons Meetup, he hoped to fill the 16 chairs the room held. Ben’s hopes were quickly realized as more than 40 gamers filled the Digital Den to standing room only.
As players and game masters of all ages and genders intermingled, it was clear that the tabletop roleplaying game had come out of the shadows and controversies of the 1980s and had found a welcome reception.
As attendees arrived, Rutz passed out blank name badges that stated if the person was a player, a game master, or both. Attendees received a free set of dice, a coupon for a 3D printed miniature to represent their character in the game, and a raffle ticket for items provided by Comics Cubed, which supports tabletop roleplaying games in the Howard County area.
Players then met with game masters to discuss gaming, attempt to set up games for the future, and make connections with other players, all while sharing stories, laughs, and their love for Dungeons and Dragons. Rutz guided the conversation throughout the evening, keeping the meetup focused and on track while answering questions about the Digital Den itself.
As the Digital Media Coordinator Rutz handles numerous machines, activities, and educational events related to 3D printing, button making, tech support, cricut maker use, and more. Rutz’s interest in Dungeons and Dragons and hosting the first D&D Meetup stems from his own interest in the tabletop RPG as he and his wife are both active players and gamemasters.
When he began as the Digital Media Coordinator, taking on the moniker of “Digital Ben,” he was excited at the prospect of using the 3D printers to print a few miniatures for his own games. This enthusiasm led to a summer program in 2021 and 2022 in which Rutz ran a Dungeons and Dragons game for library employees which was streamed live from the library and tied into to the KHCPL Summer Reading program and this year’s theme, “Ocean of Possibilities.”
Jason Van Haecke, owner of Kingdom Cards and Games, was present as a player and a game master. He announced that his store hosts tabletop RPG events nearly every night they are open. The once hard-to-find game can be purchased in several different stores in Kokomo. While the big box stores carry the games, the smaller, local stores like Van Haecke’s help build a community of gamers that allows the game, the players, and the game masters to thrive.
Rutz concluded the first meet-up by informing the attendees that KHCPL has a Dungeons and Dragons starter kit that can be checked out, that the library offers public meeting rooms for game masters and players to meet up and play games, and that after this success, more meet-ups will follow in the future.