Family lives a frugal and fulfilling life

WHO: Jason C. Rohrer, local activist and environmentalist, who lives on Elm Street in Potsdam with his wife, Lauren Serafin, and two children, Mez and Ayza. The family is "pursuing a life of voluntary simplicity."

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE POTSDAM AS YOUR HOME? "We were looking for a small town where we could live frugally and raise our family. We knew that we wanted a food co-op, so we started out with a list of the 400 co-ops in the U.S. and narrowed that list based on real estate prices.

"We visited the 10 or so towns that fit the bill. Potsdam was the best one by far, with affordable housing, a thriving food co-op, a walkable downtown, four universities within a 15-mile radius, Cinema 10 and even an Indian restaurant."

The couple, who met in Ithaca, moved to Potsdam in 2003. They had been living in Santa Cruz, Calif., where Mr. Rohrer was working on a Ph.D. He took leave from the program halfway through to focus on parenting.

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING? "Before we moved to Potsdam, my wife and I had saved up enough money to live for a while without income. We had a newborn at the time (our son Mez) and spending time with him was very important to us.

"We were able to trim our life down to the point where the three of us could get by on $10,000 per year. We had a lot of free time to work on our own projects. Some of those panned out and generated income.

"For example, I now receive online donations for my free software projects each month. I also get calls to do consulting work as a programmer, and my wife has done some part-time work locally. We volunteer weekly at the Potsdam Food Co-op, which gives us 23 percent off all of our groceries.

"We had a new baby in January, our daughter Ayza, and the four of us now survive on $14,000 per year."

HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR VIDEO GAMES, AND OTHERS LIKE THEM, AS ART? "I'm interested in using this new medium to explore complex and subtle aspects of the human condition. So far, video games have mostly been used for entertainment. Of course, the medium is only 30 years old.

"Art, for me, is work that has the power to change the way the viewers understand themselves or the world around them — work that they must think about to fully absorb.

"A small handful of game designers are starting to create games with this kind of power. They're starting to make art with games."

HOW DOES YOUR LATEST VIDEO GAME, "PASSAGE," REFLECT YOUR LIFE? "As I approached my 30th birthday, I was doing a lot of thinking about the limited nature of life and our tireless march closer and closer to death.

"In some ways, that kind of thinking can leave you feeling trapped by what my friend aptly calls 'existential terror.' In other ways, that kind of thinking can highlight the sublime beauty of death as a necessary conclusion to life. 'Passage' is meant to explore this complex emotional balance.

"The choice to cast myself as the main character in the game was a turning point for me in accepting my own mortality — my life, flashing before my eyes, in video game form."

HOW DOES "VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY" IMPACT YOUR LIFE? "We value our time more than we value material possessions. We don't have a car, a fridge, or a plasma TV. I'm a full-time programmer, but I'm using a computer that is 11 years old.

"We cook all of our food from scratch. We get all of our clothes from the local rummage sales. All these decisions result in us spending a lot less money, which means we need less income, which means we need to work less, which in turn gives us more time to spend with each other and in pursuit of our dreams.

"I eat a leisurely breakfast, lunch and dinner with my family seven days a week, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

WHAT ISSUES HAVE YOU TAKEN ACTION ON LOCALLY? "I've been somewhat involved with the Wal-Mart issue, submitting public comments and such. In 2007, I focused on the tax problem in our village. That blossomed into a campaign to get Susan V. Rice elected as mayor. Of course, she didn't get elected.

"Most recently, I headed the petition drive for a referendum on the new town hall project. That was successful, and a special election should be announced sometime soon."

WHY DID YOU FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT TO NOT MOW YOUR LAWN? "I've always wanted to pursue natural meadow landscaping. It's better for the environment (no pollution from the mower, no pollution from rotting biomass and no watering), quieter, safer and prettier (seasonal wildflowers instead of a uniform carpet of green).

"Of course, in Potsdam, it was illegal — grass could not exceed 10 inches in height. But as long as we're not hurting anyone else, why should the government dictate our choice of landscaping? Thus, I fought the charges in court, and I won."