This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Joel Asplund
I spent 8 years working as a firefighter, where I witnessed not just physical emergencies, but social ones, bias, exclusion, and cultural gaps that played out in ways many people didn’t even notice. I later pursued a degree in Human Services to gain a deeper understanding of systems and human behavior. Now, I’m learning to code because I want to tell those stories in a venue that is relevant and meaningful.
I’m building a Progressive Web App (PWA) game that allows players to experience significant events in the life of a firehouse from two perspectives: that of a white male recruit and a female or minority recruit. The events are the same, but the experience couldn’t be more different. It’s an experiment in empathy, bias awareness, and interactive storytelling—and also my way of learning JavaScript, service workers, and frontend frameworks. I’m starting with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on Codecademy. I’ll eventually incorporate React or possibly Phaser for interaction, and I plan to document my progress here.
I don’t have a CS degree, but I do have unique experiences, perspective, curiosity, and a strong drive to make technology more human. If you’ve walked a similar path—or are curious about narrative games, public safety culture, or DEI in design I’d love to connect.
Thanks,
Joel Asplund
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Joel Asplund