Saturday, 07 November 2009
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Working in the Game Industry
Image Source: Kotaku
I have played video games as long as I can remember, so it seems only fitting that I ended up working in the video game industry. So what is it like to work on games rather than just playing them? Let me tell you: while it is a blast, it isn't all just fun and games.
Most people think that all I do at work is play games. I can see where some of this misunderstanding comes from. When I walk into the office elevator, I am probably wearing a Super Mario Bros. T-shirt, jeans (or maybe even athletic shorts), and flip flops when everyone else in the elevator is wearing anywhere from business casual to a full blown suit. The endless amounts of toys on our desks doesn't help our reputation either. Mario action figures, Star Wars figurines, Nerf guns, and pictures of Miyamoto are only a small sample of things that riddle a typical game development office. These toys give us inspiration during the long work hours and add a sense of personality to each person's work area. Heated battles of Enemy Territory, Company of Heroes, and various board games erupt during normal "game time" hours or during lunch.
However, it is always back to work and down to business during the core hours. The amount of time and dedication that go into making each game is mind-blowing, regardless if it is a AAA title (big budget; ex: Call of Duty) or a much lower-budget game. Bug counts climb to the thousands then steadily decline as teams rush to provide an experience which is hopefully classified as "fun" by critics and consumers alike. Expectations from consumers and deadlines can sometimes lead to long hours into the night. There are stories of people working well past midnight during heavy crunch periods only to return the next day and continue the process. Epic Games is known for having a rule where no employee may work later than 2 AM. Such a rule wouldn't exist if people weren't already doing such a thing. But no matter how long each particular day is, when we pack up for the night, it all seems worth it.
I just wish we had more time to tighten up the graphics.
Have you ever wanted to work in the game industry? What do you imagine it would be like? If you do work in the game industry, what has your experience been like?
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Comments (6)
I've wanted to before, yes, but the tedium is one of the things that kept me out. I can handle collating archaic words in dead languages for hours on end. In fact, I do so for kicks. However, I could not handle debugging code for hours on end. That's just too much. My hat goes off to the programmers :).
@canicus@xanga -
28/11 is the my love's birthday,
I hope I can have 1128 CM to wish my love happy birthday and to suprise her
plz leave a CM and INVITE YOUR FRIENDS to do the same,
thx.
A friend of mine invited me to his workplace, he works for a gaming company. I went up fancy elevators to the penthouse and got to see the cubicles of each designers workspace. It was pretty awesome. I was given the ultimate tour and got to see where the software engineers offices were. It was night and day between the two types. I totally envied him because his workplace had areas where they could watch movies, enjoy massage chairs, arcade games, access an open and fully stocked kitchen, fooseball... the list goes ON!! I work in a hospital so my workplace looks pretty bland... I can't lie, I sort of wished I was in the gaming industry during my visit.
it sounds like a challenging work environment although it's definitely not my area. i take your yoshi plushie as a sign of creativity. go give it a hug.