Mathew Hoi-Broad is the Creative Director at Happiness Interactive, a video game studio based in Vancouver, Canada. With a background in game design from Vancouver Film School, Mathew blends storytelling, systems thinking, and play theory to craft living digital worlds. His work explores games as tools for self-discovery and emotional growth. He believes play is a vital force across all stages of life, and designs immersive experiences where players and AI coexist equally. unlocking joy, curiosity, and a deeper sense of presence through interactive exploration.

Breathing is everything. It took me a while to realize this.

I've read a lot of Eckhart Tolle's books which talk about breathing. I realized that breathing is really the foundation of everything.

Things were okay when I started school, but I eventually realized I was being a bully, especially to my best friend. I used to threaten that if he didn’t do what I wanted, our friendship would “break,” even miming a chain snapping.

Once, I made him cry on the bus, and I lied about it. Seeing how much I hurt him changed me.

Later, I had to repeat third grade, which was traumatic. I lost connection with friends but stayed close with him—and even made a new best friend by annoying him into noticing me. We’re all still friends today.