About Me

Bio

My name's Mike Trainor, and I'm based out of Miami, Florida where I was born and raised!  In my early years, movies like Zathura and Jumanji captivated me.  I spent hundreds of hours in Halo 3's Forge Mode designing maps with my brothers, slowly improving them after numerous playtests.  In the summer of 2017 I began working on my first major tabletop project, Atomica: Seventh Species.  Since then, with the encouragement of my friends and family, I have devoted much of my free time to designing, prototyping, playtesting, and improving custom tabletop games.

Education

I spent almost 3 years at Swarthmore College, where I declared a Major in Mathematics and a Special Major in Interpretation Theory.  My favorite math classes were Linear Algebra and Abstract Algebra, and I took some wonderful classes in the art history and philosophy departments.  The very first game of Atomica was played inside the Science Center (courtyard pictured)—it took 5 hours, and it was a tie.  I transferred to Florida International University in 2020, where I graduated from the School of International and Public Affairs.

Interests

Aside from making board games, I have several fun hobbies!  My time in Swarthmore's Makerspace introduced me to the world of 3D printing and amateur 3D modeling, which I took up in 2020.  I try to get outside as much as I can, too;  I've played a lot of badminton and Ultimate Frisbee in the past, but recently I've tried my hand at Pickleball, Blitzball, and golf.