Howdy!
I have been meaning to dig into this forum for quite a while - I'm glad for the opportunity to interact with y'all and explore the theories+practices of video game development as artistic theories+practices & not strictly industrial/professional/technical.  Both kinds of exploration are useful to me but there are already so many forums for the latter 

My name is Jake Elliott & I live in Chicago.  I'm an artist & work with software art; about a year ago I started seriously making video games which has become my medium of choice.  My games are mostly concerned with interpersonal relationships and the playful+distracted state of mind that many people call "daydreaming."  They're mostly (5) available on my website: 
http://cardboardcomputer.com/ and a couple smaller ones are only on 
Kongregate.
The most widely-played game I've done is a character/text-driven platformer called 
"I Can Hold My Breath Forever."  Just a few days ago I released a new point+click game called 
"A House in California," which is thematically centered on family, nostalgia & distortions of memory.
Nice to meet you!