Chat with Bioware Designers / Red Sky Foundry

 

cigproduction: For the first round of chats, we have Ryan and John from Red Sky Foundry, now at Bioware, they have taken the time out of their schedules to answer our questions and imbue us with wisdom. Following this chat on visuals in gaming, we will have a short break and the second round of chats will begin. Lets have some fun!

cigproduction: I would like to have our special guests take a moment to introduce themselves...

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Hello all, I'm Ryan Ebenger, of Red Sky Foundry (The Brothers Tauren) and now of Bioware Corp.

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Hello there, I'm John Ebenger I've created machinima with my brother as part of Red Sky Foundry and I'm a Cinematic Designer at Bioware

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Tosh<3's Microsoft: What is the differance between Game Production and Gaming Design? I know its a newby question but i want to be sure. Thank YOU!

Answer: Game production encompasses the entire team behind a game. Design is a group of individuals who form the gameplay, plot, cutscenes, characters, etc

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: [NWO]_Hordak: What skills should I work on to stand me in good stead to be a games designer?

Answer: That really depends. Programming is always good of course. Knowing what makes good gameplay, being able to speak well about your ideas. My job specifically demands a lot of focus on what makes good cinema as well as games.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: What skills do you have to have for your line of work, and did you teach youself or take classes?

Answer: Learn everything you can about games for starters! Gameplay, history, programming is a plus, but I don't know any. I went to broadcast school, so I have a solid grasp of video production which crosses over a bit. The rest is self-taught

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Same, we just started making machinima using 3rd party tools and Aftereffects to composite them, we're not programming specialists or anything.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: How much involvement do producers have in the creative process of game development?

Answer: Producers interface between upper management, publishers, and the production team. They set schedules, timetables, etc. Make MAJOR decisions on game features, broad design, etc. Their daily tasks are mainly organizational though.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: BrotherJohn: For someone new to the industry what would you both suggest would be the best starting point for someone to enter?

Answer: A lot of guys get into the industry doing QA, then move from there to being Technical Designers

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Whats has been your favorite "project" to work on?

Answer: My favorite project is "Dragon Age", but it's also my only project. :D

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Raven BROz: How did you get started?

Answer: Well, we actually started making machinima for a contest that xfire was hosting a few years ago. We both had degrees in things that were related to movie making, and we had a little technical knowledge, but mostly we just sat down with the programs you need to make high-end visual effects and taught outselves how to use it. After we'd made some machinima videos we got noticed by Bioware and they brought us in.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: How has tech from the past 10 years helped your ability to produce games for the players and convey stories to the gamers as best as can be done

Answer: Recent tech innovations are HUGE from a Cinematic Designer standpoint. We're now able to set up characters that are very lifelike, and execute cutscenes and especially conversations between characters that are getting to be movie (read Shrek, etc.) quality.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: G2Wolf: What exactly is a Cinematic Designer?

Answer: It's a relatively new title and it won't always be the exact same thing in different companies. Here at Bioware we're in charge of handling the virtual actors and cameras in in-game interactive conversations, and also in-game cutscenes.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: When starting out in the world of Visual design and development, how hard was it to find a job as I know that there are many "wannabe" designers out there. I would also like to know how you went about successfuly procuring the job.

Answer: For us the job search was relatively short. We prepared a demo reel by continuing to create machinima, while simultaneously starting dialogues with as many people in the industry as we could. A lot of people say "go to school" to be a designer, and I'd say that's still your best bet. Also, I can't stress this enough, "NETWORK" with as many people doing the job you want, as humanly possible.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: What is the greatest challenge that the team faces when creating a game?

Answer: Settling on a solid vision that will lead to a great game, and then sticking to it when appropriate, as well as knowing when to change that vision. The other, is maintaining focus over what can often be a 3 or 4 year production cycle.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: 4514N 80Y: When looking for artists through the mounds of resumes. How helpful are portfolio websites (Flash based or otherwise), and any general portfolio/demo reel tips (ie uploading a YouTube version of your portfolio/demo reel)?

Answer: Making it easy for people to view your material is always a good idea. At the same time, if you're uploading it on Youtube, make sure it's the highest visual quality you can get. If it looks ugly and grainy on there, you might want to consider not having it available like that. Little things can sway someone's mind when there are a lot of choices. But if you're talented and they like your work they'll overlook minor things like that.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: How is development for Dragon Age going anyway? I read an article about it in Game Informer a few months back, and I've been excited about it ever since.

Answer: Dragon Age is going to be a great game, and I'm not just saying that because I'm working on it. :) People who enjoyed the Baldur's Gates or Neverwinter Nights will especially like it. As for development, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to comment other than to say that It's coming along great.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: whîsp: How do you as designers and producers deal with the increased challenge of games becoming more and more like blockbuster movie titles requiring more and more work and meeting thinner and thinner deadlines?

Answer: That's something the gaming industry in general is trying to figure out righ tnow. It takes longer to create games now than it did even just a few years ago, it costs more money and more stress is put on the team to get a product done by the deadline. There's a lot of developers out there working LOTS of overtime. So there are a few different approaches, some companies are making shorter games, some are just extending their deadlines, I'm sure many people here have noticed that GTA4 has been pushed back.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Are there any books or other references people like us, who are interested in a gaming career, can get to give us a hand?

Answer: If you're interested in cinematic design, or video/film production in general, I would recommend "Hollywood Camera Work" (dvd series). It's expensive, but it's film school in a box.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: [KoD] Aj - k4rma: Who usually does the "virtual acting?" If its like, a job per-say, How could one go about getting this job? =P

Answer: Animators and programmers give us our virtual actors, then we direct them. Some stuff is procedural (the programmers) other stuff is created in 3dsMax or Maya (the animators)

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Looking back, games today can do things that no one ever saw being resolved so soon. Is there anything that isn't possible today that you would like to see accomplished?

Answer: I'd like to see a game that simulates the real world, with the exception that the guns are bigger, and my girlfriend doesn't mind if I play games all day :)

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: -[ligs]- pfc. Knight ZeRo: what are some reasons to get into this industry?

Answer: Because you love games ;) Other than that I couldn't tell you. Most of the people here just love to play and create video games that other people will love to play.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: How do you as designers and producers deal with the increased challenge of games becoming more and more like blockbuster movie titles requiring more and more work and meeting thinner and thinner deadlines?

Answer: We have better tools that help automate some of the more tedious tasks. The other, and more common answer is CRUNCH. We work loooong hours. ;)

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Nexion: What exactly do you mean by "NETWORK" with others?

Answer: Meet people who do the job you want to do. Get to know them. If you're in school for something stay in touch with all your classmates and professors. Most jobs in ANY industry are gained because somebody knew somebody who knew another guy who had an opening in his department. Make friends :)

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Who usually does the "virtual acting?" If its like, a job per-say, How could one go about getting this job? =P

Answer: It's often stunt men in motion capture suites. Animators do a fair bit of it as well. We do the rest by adding emotion to dialogue, etc.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Would you call this your dream job? What are your future career plans?

Answer: This is definately my dream job. Not to say that can't change, but this is a great place to be. The future... Keep on moving up into areas where I can have a greater impact on the design of really fun games.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: CLERIC oxy4bf2: Are there ways to capture certain emotions that you can't in traditional film? (That chicken execution, for instance, was hilarious in your WOW movie)

Answer: Well, filming in a virtual world gives you a lot of options that you couldn't get out of real life, I'm not sure about specific emotions. It's cheaper, and you can get away with stuff like hitting a chicken with a shovel. Although I'm sure the Virtual Animal Rights group still isn't a fan of it.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Do you normally find working larger groups easier or harder than working in a smaller group?

Answer: It's harder just because there are that many more people you have to talk to every day and it takes up a lot of time. On the up side they share the work load. It can be easier than small groups if organized well. The other up side of large groups is having more minds solving problems all the time.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: What is your personal favorite part of the development process?

Answer: I think being a designer is great. You get to play with artist and programmer toys all day. The make what's needed and we set it up in the game. The production phase is fun because the plan has been made in preproduction and you just go for it.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: CoD'B-Typhon.GB: is easier in USA to get a foot hold in the gaming markey , because im british and it seems most of the gaming "stuff" occurs in USA

Answer: I don't know enough about the gaming industry in Britain specifically to tell you which is easier, but really borders aren't much of a barrier to gaming companies, I'm an American and my first job in the industry ended up being in Canada. If you're good, they want you, and you're eligable for a work Visa in their country, the company will bring you in.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: How difficult is it to make realistic movements for ingame characters and deal with a ton of movement onscreen? Is it relatively simple with newer technology, or has it become harder with the higher demands from graphically intensive games?

Answer: It's relatively easier than in the past. We have Motion Capture now, so animators can have real life actors act out a scene, then plug it into a game either in a cutscene, or in peices of action animation.

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: But it still takes a lot of effort, and the standards are higher now, so you have to be more precise

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Do you feel htat you need to compete against a certain company to make your software better? Or do you just think that you need to make the games the same aspect as you always have so that people know what to expect from your games? Do you also try to incorporate new things to your games? I fell that Halo 3 has made a strong push from Halo 1, yet it hasnt changed much, but has grown extremely popular in the last years

Answer: We're always keeping an eye on the competition. You have to, so you can learn from their mistakes, as well as their success. Bioware is a great company because we make different types of games, while continuing to make the best Role Playing games in the world.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Ub3r n00ber: My goal in life is to work for a great gaming industry such as BioWare Corp. :) I know most top game companies require so many years of “industry work” before they will hire. Does that mean like internship?

Answer: Bioware itself does have a fair amount of interns working here as part of a program with the local college. Many of them complete their internships, go back and finish their degree and come back here to work. What they're really looking for whe they say they want 3 years of industry work is someone who has the skills that they need. If you're a phenomenal programmer and you've never worked a day on a game, they're not going to turn you away just because you've never shipped a game. Of course, they'd want to know you're passionate about games.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: My goal in life is to work for a great gaming industry such as BioWare Corp. :) I know most top game companies require so many years of “industry work” before they will hire. Does that mean like internship?

Answer: Internship is a great strategy. It's basically a trial period for the company to decide if they want to hire you. This is not always the case, but even if you're not hired after an internship, you have that many months of real world job experience, which is priceless. Many companies requiring previous experience will still hire you if you show you can do the job via your demo reel, etc. I say apply anyways, even if they want 4 years of experience and you have only 2.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: alajahada: If i wanted to be a person who designs levels and gameplay what role would that be and what could i do to get involved in that?

Answer: Tech Designers and Level Designers. Start creating your own modules/levels in a game engine or toolset. I think Bioware still asks people to submit Neverwinter Nights modules with their resume for those positions.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Is a creative background more important than a technical one?

Answer: Depends on the position. I'd rather have a technical background any day though. In the words of the great Robert Rodruigez, "Get Technical, so you don't rely on other people to get your projects done"

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: digitalbattle.com: How were your grades in grade school? High school? College?

Answer: I had a 3.5 in High School, 3.0 at a pretty challenging university.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: How were your grades in grade school? High school? College?

Answer: Highschool grades were nominal and I regret that. College was solid B with a little C in there. If I could do it all over again, I'd get straight A's, scholorships, learn more, etc. I feel like I wasted some time when I thought I couldn't be bothered to study. Big mistake.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: How does the productionchain look like from idea to product

Answer: You have the original concept, the preproduction/plannig, prototypes, then production including a series of builds, then a series of release candidates leading up to product release. This varies a little depending on who you ask.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Coldwar: When starting on a cinematic, what processes are involved, how do you begin?

Answer: It's a lot like shooting a movie in the real world. First you look at the script, then you find your actors in the toolset, find their location in the game, see how many people are involved in the cinematic and figure out camera angles/moves from there. Then we just start laying down movement paths if there's movement, and adding animations to the characters if we want/need any. Then we set a facial emotion that matches the voice over material, and sometimes we'll have to do some tweaking on that to make it perfect

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Designer vs. Artists. Basketball. Who wins?

Answer: If you have no hops and can't draw like me, It's Designer every time.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: astromonkey: Designer vs. Artists. Basketball. Who wins?

Answer: Designers.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: DesertFox: You said that you work long hours, what are your average hours and what is your favouritte genre of game.

Answer: Usually it's 9-5 or 9-6. When it's crunch time though...anything goes. For games, I play pretty much everything. FPS, RPG and RTS are what I usually play though. And WOW of course.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: G2Wolf: How much caffiene do you guys end up drinking during Crunch Time?

Answer: They don't have a unit of measurement yet.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: When starting on a cinematic, what processes are involved, how do you begin?

Answer: I like to familiarize myself with the scene first off. Then I visualize the staging and camera work, then I place the characters and start dropping in camera. After that it's a lot of trial and error, assigning animations for digital acting, etc.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Tuner89: Which genre of gaming do you believe will be the most profitable in the coming years?

Answer: Well...sheer profitability....look up how much Blizzard makes off WOW. It's a big number ;)

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Games that have currently been release demand alot of power from a CPU, Do you believe that this will force some gamers to quit because the lack of funding? Do you belive that this will face younger gamers out since they have no jobs and parents will say no more sooner or later?

Answer: *Crysis* *cough* Excuse me. I hope I can afford a new video card before it releases... lol. The good news is that many game companies know that World of Warcraft has millions of subscribers partly because the system specs needed to play WOW are really low. I think we'll see a lot of game production houses keeping that in mind.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Nukeist: Do you believe that playing violent games such as Grand theft auto can have a negative impact on young individuals' minds?

Answer: Personally, no. On the one hand if you could theoretically raise someone without ever having them exposed to violence in any way shape or form, they might not know how to through a punch, but if you made them really angry I'm sure they'd come up with something. There will always be people who have some mental wire crossed who will commit violence for no reason, but I don't think it's because they were playing video games earlier. Unless it's a really frustrating game.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Do you believe that playing violent games such as Grand theft auto can have a negative impact on young individuals' minds?

Answer: I believe that normally adjusted individuals aren't negatively affected by games. At what age are we all "normally adjusted"? I'm not sure. I think the current rating system does a decent job of keeping ultra violent games out of the hands of babies. I think the rest of us are going to be just fine.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: What's life up in Canada like for you yankee transplants?

Answer: Lol. Canada is great. You really can't beat socialize health care. If you don't know what that is, I'll tell you when you're older ;)

Canadians are obscenely friendly. Really, it's criminal.

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: ;)

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: [Xfire] Artaxs: What's life up in Canada like for you yankee transplants?

Answer: There's only 3 downs in Canadian football and the field is longer. (Football in the American use of the word, not the international.) Other than that it's much the same.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Ub3r n00ber: Does Bioware Corp. have an internship program?

Answer: Yes it does, we've got several interns from the U of A at the moment.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Angeless: is there any project's that you are planing to work on in the next few years that you are willing to tell us?

Answer: The PR department would beat us up if we gave any specifics that aren't already on the website.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Listening to the Bungie podcast they mentioned that writing simulations and simple programs showcasing your talents is more important than having a big name school on your resumee, would you consider this to be true with your company as well; how about the industry as a whole

Answer: I would say that having a Demo Reel or Demo Material showcasing your talents is paramount. The whole purpose of school is to build demo material for job applications, so if you can do that stuff without it, more power to you. For me, I needed school as a platform of knowledge to build on for the rest of my life and I don't regret a day spent there.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: Does Bioware Corp. have an internship program?

Answer: Yes! See bioware.com for contact info.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: PAHGOO: What's with the sudden push to casual gaming lately?

Answer: I think the sucess of the Wii has a lot to do with it. Gaming is now more socially acceptable than it was 10 years ago, it's not just for geeks anymore. Companies are seeing this huge new market in casual gamers who didn't buy games in the last console generation, because there were no games for them. The Wii though, you can teach your mother how to bowl on that thing in 5 minutes. And if she's hooked then she may buy other casual games. So it's really based on wanting to sell as many copies as possible.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: G2Wolf: Ninjas or Pirates?

Answer: Ninjas. Says so on my facebook

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: What's with the sudden push to casual gaming lately?

Answer: A lot of production houses are really attracted to the low budgets and short production cycles associates with casual gaming. I don't like to play those sort of games myself, but I'm suprised how much money some of them make producing them.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Question: is there any project's that you are planing to work on in the next few years that you are willing to tell us?

Answer: Just Dragon Age for now. Keep your eyes on bioware.com for official announcements reguarding future projects.

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Question: Pneumaniac227: Listening to the Bungie podcast they mentioned that writing simulations and simple programs showcasing your talents is more important than having a big name school on your resumee, would you consider this to be true with your company as well; how about the industry as a whole

Answer: Bottom line is talent. Going to a big name school may be great for networking, but if your demo reel is great, they don't care what school you went to. You could have learned to program in the garage, just as long as you're better than the rest of the applicants. But big names never hurt, they can catch someone's eye in a stack of resumes.

 

cigproduction: Sorry all, but we are out of time, hope you enjoyed yourselves and got your questions answered. Stick around for our producer chat next!

cigproduction: Will the following 5 winners pm for details on how to claim their prize.

cigproduction: 5. BrotherJohn

cigproduction: 4. [KoD] Aj - k4rma

cigproduction: 3. <\\NF/> i1own0u

cigproduction: 2. Player

cigproduction: 1. Tosh<3's Microsoft

 

[Red Sky Foundry] Blaar: Thanks for coming out guys! Good luck to you all in the future.

[Red Sky Foundry] Finite: Yeah, hope this was informative for you :)

 

 

 

 

Harmonix and Activision Producers Chat

 

 

cigproduction: For the second round of chats, we have two amazing producers, we are extremely fortunate to have Michael Verrette from Harmonix and Stuart Roch from Activision! They have taken the time out of their schedules to answer our questions and imbue us with wisdom, so let the chat commence!

cigproduction: I would like to have our special guests take a moment to introduce themselves...

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Hey all, my name is Stuart Roch and I'm currently a producer at Activision. I'm on the publisher side at the moment but have done internal production developing games for the past 11 years.

michaelverrette: Hey Guys, I have been involved with game production for about eight years with a background in audio and production.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: gamerboy1223: wats game development like? how does it work?

Answer: Such a big question! Can you narrow it a bit?

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: As far as what types of games I play, the answer is ALL OF THEM! I just finished Bioshock, Stanglehold, and started AIrborne last night.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Angeless: what are the frist steps to makeing a good game?

Answer: First step is having a good plan. You need to have a solid design doc and good description of our concept.

 

michaelverrette: Question: rasmossen: Is there much prework before you start with the development of a game?

Answer: Pre-production is a really critical part of the development process - it is generally when everyone gets to flush out all the ideas out on paper with a smaller team and really refine what the game is going to be about before the whole team is brought on board

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Ҳann: What do you think of Airborne, techrobotsonic?

Answer: Good game so far. I didn't expect much to be honest as I'm a big CoD fan, but I really like the air drop stuff, their aim down sights system is very cool. I was up til 3am last night playing!

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Kura: Do you find your job can be very demanding at times? I heard that a lot of people have to put in overtime. How much time would you put in, on top of your normal hours? Especially coming up to a deadline?

Answer: There are a lot of extra hours compared to working at a bank or something, but I don't find it oppressive. We do 8-10 hours days and cruch a bit at the end of a project. Some companies do more or less overtime and you should research that before signing up with a developer.

 

michaelverrette: Question: OneKnux: What area of your job do you find the easiest? Which do you find the most taxing and difficult?

Answer: Personally, the creative side of things is usually the easiest and the logistical elements are usually the more difficult. For example choosing which pieces of art to include in a game or which levels to include in a game is more fun than trying to figure out how you are going to shave two days off a milestone or two weeks off a total project.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rasmossen: Can anyone walk up to a game development company and sell a game idea?

Answer: Not nowadays. Most of the ideas are developed internally and the publisher finds a developer to work on them. If you have a great idea for a game the only way to get it developed nowadays is to start your own indie team or a new studio.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rascus: If YOU were looking at my resume, what would you look for more? experience or education?

Answer: Education is important as it tells me you are a well rounded individual but the industry is still young. Experience or passion for gaming can still trump a formal education.

 

michaelverrette: Question: bioraven101: As a producer, how long is a work day usually?

Answer: I think your work day is going to depend on where you are working and what part of the project you are on... Typically in non crunch situations I think I usually work 9-10 hours a day and during crunch it can kick up to 12-14 hours a day sometimes 6 days a week as you approach the final deadlines. It totally depends on the project adn the company, and the deadlines.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rasmossen: Do all in a project got a voice in how to make the game or is it just from above the choises are made?

Answer: Not everyone gets a voice as teams can be 100 people or more now, but most teams are collaborative and everyone ususally gets some hand in development. The design team will still guide the process though and comes up with most of the major concepts

 

michaelverrette: Question: rascus: If YOU were looking at my resume, what would you look for more? experience or education?

Answer: Some basic education is important but experience always trumps that for me for two reasons - one is that some people have a ton of natural ability and school is not for everyone, and the second is that if you have already proven yourself at a skill set I really dont care what your degree is in :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: The Hated Hobo: How do you say we should start making our own game if we have a great idea?

Answer: I'm not an expert with all the microsoft stuff, but I think XNA would be a good platform to look into as an indie developer.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: What is the difference between production and designing?

Answer: A designer comes up with the high level conepts for the game and the moment to moment gameplay. They direct the vision for the game. A producer is responsible for making sure the game gets done on time and on budget. They clear the road for the team to make a great game and clean up after thenm when they make messes!

 

michaelverrette: Question: rasmossen: Do all in a project got a voice in how to make the game or is it just from above the choises are made?

Answer: I have to agree with Stuart - game development studios are very creative environments and every place I have ever worked has always had a forum for devs to post their ideas and feedback in some capacity

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: PAHGOO: What causes crunch time in development? Would better planning help reduce or eliminate crunch time?

Answer: YES! Mosre producers are getting serious about being good project managers and better training is leading to better work life balance. The quality of life in the industrty is definitely improving.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: tonytroz: What's the best way to apply for summer jobs in the gaming industry if you aren't in an industry hotspot and don't have much experience?

Answer: Go to the publisher and developer web sites and apply for entry level jobs. You may not get your dream job at first, but initially its important just to get your foot in the door so you can move onto bigger and better things.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: [GG]Oregano: Where did you graduate from?

Answer: I graduated from Loyola Marymount University. Major in English and minor in Business. I kind of fell into game development though so my education just made me a more rounded individual. I'd recommend a bachelors degree before a career in games if possible.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: {†F.E.A.R.†}®Ltg.ςqυιяязł: how would i get a job at EA or DICE or any gaming company?

Answer: Go to their web site and apply for jobs you feel capable of filling.

 

michaelverrette: Question: PAHGOO: What causes crunch time in development? Would better planning help reduce or eliminate crunch time?

Answer: Crunch is a hotly debated topic in the industry. Better planning helps reduce crunch - absolutely. But things pop up all the time and they are not always easy to intercept. You can have someone leave a team mid project , or have a demo pop up that you need and hadnt intended on haivng to do work on, or you could need to add additional features to a game, and sometimes things just take longer than anticipated. Typically you try and plan for all the worst case scenarios when you are setting up a project schedule but there are just a ton of factors that can come into play in all stages of development that can throw that schedule off.

 

michaelverrette: Question: [GG]Oregano: Where did you graduate from?

Answer: I have a Degree in Music performance and Sound Recroding Technology from the University of Massachusetts

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: OneKnux: If a game misses it's deadline and has to be postponed, how does that make you, as part of the team, feel?

Answer: It can vary. Sometimes the team is disappointed especailly if they've already been putting in long hours to make the original deadline. More often though, the team will know the game needs more time and if they're passionate about thier work they'll be supportive of the extra time to put the finishing touches on things.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: G2Wolf: What is the average pay for a starting Game Producer?

Answer: It can vary. Depending on if you get a job as a production coordinator (Entry level) or associate producer (one step up) you can expect $35-50k as an entry level salary in California.

 

michaelverrette: Question: Daq: Would being an active vocal percussionist (beatboxer/ vocal sound effect maker) be a plus in the audio field of game making?

Answer: Having come from a musical background myself I think the more creative pursuits you are involved with will definitely help down the line. Plus having your voice to rely on as a source for original sound material never hurts!

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: What degree would you recomend for someone looking at being a designer?

Answer: Any libreral arts degree would serve nicely. Or you can get a degree from one of the specialized gaming schools like Full Sail.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Ub3r n00ber: Do the employees at Activision ever work on games not intended for sale; just for fun?

Answer: Not usually. We're too busy making the ones we eventually sell!

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: CLERIC oxy4bf2: How does the process of deciding on a game concept/idea go about? Do you guys sit around for a day and brainstorm on a whiteboard?

Answer: Usually the idea starts with one person who has a great idea they've always wanted to make. Roundtable discussions follow and eventually it's put into market testing before being green lit for development.

 

michaelverrette: Question: tonytroz: What freelance projects would be beneficial for a 3rd year college student to help boost a resume for an internship/full time job?

Answer: When hiring I always like to see MOD work on an entry level application. It shows that the candidate is passionate about the industry enough to go out on their own and volunteer their time to take part in game development and it exposes that candidate to many facets that come into play in developing a full title.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rascus: If i come into this proffesion and work my way to the VERY top, will i ever park a Mercedes or two in my garage?

Answer: If you make it to the top you'll have more than two Mercedes! :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: [EFA]Dowmein: Any recommendations for someone who wants to get into concept art?

Answer: Start a web site with samples and mail your resume to developers. Mention that you'll take contract work as well as a full time gig.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: {†F.E.A.R.†}®Ltg.ςqυιяязł: im in high school now, what can i do in terms of jobs or prep work to get ready to work for a gaming company?

Answer: The bigest thing you can do is play lots of games and hone your particular craft. If you are an artist, keep working on learning art. Programmer? Take some computer science couses.

 

michaelverrette: Question: OneKnux: During a project, who would you say is most responsible for the work overall?

Answer: Game development is a total team effort. Every person ifills a very specific role - from the executive producer right down to the testers in QA. Each job has its own responsibilities. While a producer may be responcible for getting a game done by a certain date - the whole team has responcibilites for making that deadline.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: The Hated Hobo: If a company member has a great game idea will the company listen?

Answer: Yes, most will listen. Only problem with most companies is, that once you tell them your idea the company owns the rights to that idea. Still if you want to get a game made it's worth the risk. I have three new game concepts in testing at Activision right now! :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: [GG]Oregano: I am trying to major in Computer Science, do you think that will help me alot in the gaming industry or not much?

Answer: It will be VERY VERY helpful in you landing a job. Keep up that course study!

 

michaelverrette: Question: The Hated Hobo: If a company member has a great game idea will the company listen?

Answer: Most game companys value their employees opinion or they wouldnt have hired them so companies do tend to listen to their employees a lot. And not just for game ideas when starting a project but constantly throughout development - ideas are always being thrown around on how to make a certain game mode better, etc.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: [GG]Oregano: I am trying to major in Computer Science, do you think that will help me alot in the gaming industry or not much?

Answer: I love games, so this is the best job in the world.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: bioraven101: What kind of things do you look at when hiring a QA tester?

Answer: Must be a MAJOR gamer. Excellent written and verbal communication skills are a must.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rascus: Does your job give you space to spen with your familly in the evening, especially in the days of crunching?

Answer: It varies. When cruching the hours can be brutal. Most companies still try to reserve weekends for the team members to have personal time even though they work very hard during the week.

 

michaelverrette: Question: rascus: Does your job give you space to spen with your familly in the evening, especially in the days of crunching?

Answer: I think one of the important things people in this industry learn very early on is that you have to find a balance - there will be some crazy hours and some crazy deadlines but you cant forget about the 3D world and the 3D people around you. Your friends and family are so important becasue they are the ones that have to support you through all the crazy deadlines - so you have to make time for them.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: The Hated Hobo: With the Video game technology increasing so fast how do the workers keep up?

Answer: It's up to team members to take classes and do some reading on the side. Most compainies will pay for education outside of work hours for pertinent courses.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Raven BROz: would a background as a writer for a major gaming site improve my chances of getting a position in QA?

Answer: Yes, include that on your resume and play it up in the interview.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: BrotherJohn: if a QA tester was there would you prod them with sticks all day to see if you can drag their attension away from the game?

Answer: We try not to tap on the glass or otherwise torment the game testers! :) I can joke because I started in QA myself!

 

michaelverrette: Question: Kura: What are the ups and downs of working in the gaming industry?

Answer: It can be very stressful at times and the hours are long... but it is so rewardiing to know that you helped take something from an idea that only existed in someones head and transformed it into this game that thousands or millions of people will be enjoying - that is the highlight for me. That and walking into a Best Buy and seeing your game on the shelf. That puts a smile on my face every time!

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: Waht is your favorite part of your job?

Answer: The best part about being a producer is that you have tons of variety in your day. You get to work on art, management, programming, desing, budgets, schedules, travel to exotic locations, the list goes on and on.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: Waht is your favorite part of your job?

Answer: Typically you'll have played your game so much, you never want to play it again when it's on the retail shelves.

 

michaelverrette: Question: alajahada: Waht is your favorite part of your job?

Answer: For me its working with the people. Every team I have ever worked on has been packed with amazing creative and talented people, and that creativity just fuels more creativity.

 

michaelverrette: Question: Lacabesa: What kind of qualifications would you look for in a QA tester?

Answer: Communication skills and attention to detail are exrtremely important qualities for a tester to have. You not only have to be able to identify problems but you need to really be able to explain what those problems are.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Nukeist: You mentioned that part of your schedule is traveling to exotic locations- can you tell us what the purpose of that is, and what are some exotic locations

Answer: Sometimes you are visiting a developer that you're working with. Other times you may be working on a movie game that requires travel. Note that travel is only typical for producers and sometimes department leads. I've visited lots of places during the past couple years including London, Quebec, Montreal, Vancouver, Sydney Australia, etc. All on the company dime. WooT!

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: [GG]Oregano: How old were you when you started to work in the gaming industry?

Answer: I was fresh out of college. So about 22 I guess.

 

michaelverrette: Question: [GG]Oregano: How old were you when you started to work in the gaming industry?

Answer: Around 24 I think...

 

michaelverrette: Question: rascus: What was it like the FIRST time you saw the game YOU made on the shelf?

Answer: For that one moment all the extra hours and frustration just seems worth it becasue there it is...

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: The Hated Hobo: To get into a game design buisness how "colorful" should your portfolio with games/ what types did yours have?

Answer: Hmmm, a different way to approch this might be to advise that you have a broad gaming experience and have creative ideas. Your portfolio won't always be diverse and if it is, it may be vbecause you were asked to work on specific things.

 

michaelverrette: Question: TBF|zellthemedic: What did you originally want to be before you decided on this career?

Answer: I was an audio engineer writing music and designing SFX for TV and radio and indie films

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rascus: What was it like the FIRST time you saw the game YOU made on the shelf?

Answer: Very sureal to be honest. You can hardly believe it is on sale and find it amazing to see your name in teh credits. One of my games sold over 6 millon copies which is even more bizarre when you think about how many unique individuals played something you worked on.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: OneKnux: I'm guesing it can be a pretty stressful job at times. How do you get over that?

Answer: Like any job it's helpful to have a life outside work. For me, playing videogames and doing non-game development things like mowing a lawn can be real relaxing.

 

michaelverrette: Question: OneKnux: I'm guesing it can be a pretty stressful job at times. How do you get over that?

Answer: Ironically - I still play some games to unwind at the end of the day... occasionally even the ones I am currently working on.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rasmossen: How much infuence does a betatester have to change the final product?

Answer: If they offer good feedback, they can have a massive difference. If no feedback is offered they still have an impact during the stress testing of the game.,

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Pirates or Ninjas?

Answer: NINJAS!

 

michaelverrette: Question: rasmossen: How much infuence does a betatester have to change the final product?

Answer: Beta testers are usally brought in at the very end where much of the production work is done and the team is bug fixing so they are mostly useful for identifying issues that the in house QA team may have missed or for providing balance feedback, etc.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: Waht is the most popular game you have been a part of?

Answer: A game I worked on called Sacrifice was the highest rated game (93% review average) and believe it or not Enter the Matrix sold the best even though it wasn't a great game (over 6 millions units sold).

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: Waht was the fist game you saw on the shelves that you wer a part of ?

Answer: Ultimate Spider-Man

 

michaelverrette: Question: bioraven101: Lets say an animator finishes his/her required tasks on a project, would you give him/her more things to work on or put them on another project?

Answer: It totally depends on where the company is headed. Sometimes that animator could help with testing, sometimes they shift to another project. If the studio is publisher owned sometimes he may help a sister studio with another project. And sometimes they just go on vacation :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Tosh<3's Microsoft: What was the turning part in your carrer? Where you started to work on big projects and make some money?

Answer: That tends to be based on experience. If you can hang in the industry for 3-5 years typically you start to make real good money and get more choice in the types of games you work on. Many peolple wash out after a few years so you find yourself in greater demand due to experience.

 

michaelverrette: Question: Pirates or Ninjas?

Answer: Im a Ninjas kinda guy myself - but I have seen some bad ass pirates in my day.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Ub3r n00ber: Is Activision Hiring? :D

Answer: Yes! :) Check your our web site and tell them Stuart Roch sent you! :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: How many hours do you say you work a week on a non crunch time?

Answer: 40 hours in an average week.

 

michaelverrette: Question: TBF|zellthemedic: Do you ever see one of your games on the shelf and realize that you could've "done this" or "fix that" and "add that feature"? Can you give an example?

Answer: I dont think there is ever a time when a developer thinks that the game that is sitting on the shelf is 100% perfect. Devs are part perfectionist adn there is always that one last tweak or that one last D bug that got waived or that one last thing that you always wished you could do. The upside is there is always the next project!

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: TBF|zellthemedic: Do you ever see one of your games on the shelf and realize that you could've "done this" or "fix that" and "add that feature"? Can you give an example?

Answer: That happens everytime you ship a game. There's always stuff you wanted to put in but didn't have time to or things you wanted to fix but didn't have time to. It's never perfect when it ships unforrtunately. We all have deadlines to meet, except if you work at Blizzard or 3DRealms I guess. :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: The Hated Hobo: How do third party companies work when compared to a major company?

Answer: Both companies tend to work the same way. Smaller companies have better communication and such, but they companies are very similar in both cases.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Ub3r n00ber: Do you two and the other fellows from the office have LAN parties just to relax (or finish some undealt wtih business?)

Answer: Sure! Counterstrike is still popular. I used to play WoW with some of the guys. I still meet up with most of my co-workers on Xbox Live.

 

michaelverrette: Question: Is there a good number of people that are producers AND developers?

Answer: A team usualy consists of a smaller number of producers who function as the project managers and sometimes creative directors for the development team. Typically small teams may have one producer and an associate producer and larger teams of over 100 people may have several producsers and several more associate producers - mainly becasue there are more people to manage and more stuff that needs to get done

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: alajahada: How much can a person who stays in the indusrty like you said be expecting on thier paycheck

Answer: It vaires depending on the field. Check out Game Developer Magazine's annual salary survey issue to see what different people make with various years of experience.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: The Hated Hobo: Can third party companies give you game ideas?

Answer: Not typically. A publsiher doesn't read many thrid party submissions as they don't want to be sued n teh future if a game they releases is similar in any way.

 

michaelverrette: Question: Ub3r n00ber: Do you two and the other fellows from the office have LAN parties just to relax (or finish some undealt wtih business?)

Answer: Yeah - that stuff is really common . When I was at Iron Lore we had a LAN night every thursday night and played everything from Battlefield to WOW to Warchraft III to Counter Strike. It was a great way to blow off steam and nothing beats hitting your boss with a head shot!!!

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: OneKnux: How early (education wise) would you say is optimum for seriously trying to get into a gaming career?

Answer: Provided you are willing to start in QA you can get a job in high-school or shortly thereafter.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: [GG]Oregano: How would you find working on games based on movies and tv shows?

Answer: I've done it many times and I don't have a problem with it. You have some creative limits to design within but the license typically helps sales of the game on the backend.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Ҳann: Would knowing C++ and having a degree in physics be a major plus in scoring a Junior Programmer position?

Answer: That would be extremely beneficial. Most companies need phyiscs programmer specialists.

 

michaelverrette: Question: Nukeist: The work that you do, do you consider it arduous(difficult), or tedious? Or does it seem easy, effortless, and enjoyable?

Answer: It totally depends - there are things like scheduling which can be tedious and boring at times and then there are really complex problems that need to be solve that can be frustrating and challenging and very rewarding once you solve them. The best thing abou tthe job is every day is different - even when working on the same project for years at a time.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Nukeist: The work that you do, do you consider it arduous(difficult), or tedious? Or does it seem easy, effortless, and enjoyable?

Answer: Production can be very stressful but I don't consider it to be tedious work.

 

michaelverrette: Question: Dowmein: What's your favorite retro Activision game?

Answer: Pitfall

michaelverrette: LOL - I always thought I would get to the end... never made it :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: [EFA]Dowmein: What's your favorite retro Activision game?

Answer: Hmmm... tough one. Freeway? Maybe Chopper Command? I grew up playing the 2600 so it's hard to pick just one. Strangely I was never a big fan of Pitfall though. :)

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: =SFTC= Pillar: Can you give any information at all about the current project your working on right now? Like name, what kinda genre itll be under, what stage the game is at, etc??

Answer: I'm working on a number of games, but one I started workin on at Treyarch and continue to now that I'm with Activision is the new James Bond game. Sorry, can't offer details on that one at this time. :)

 

michaelverrette: Question: =SFTC= Pillar: Can you give any information at all about the current project your working on right now? Like name, what kinda genre itll be under, what stage the game is at, etc??

Answer: I am currently wrapping up work on Rock Band and we will be on the shelf this holiday season

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: TBF|zellthemedic: Do you ever get tired of gaming?

Answer: No. Are you crazy.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: rascus: How often could i expect to take a vacation if i got into the gaming industry?

Answer: Same as any other job. State law gives you rights to the same amount of vacation time as any other job you might choose.

 

michaelverrette: Question: rascus: How often could i expect to take a vacation if i got into the gaming industry?

Answer: Its a job - not prison :) A lot of people get time off during the project and people usually take longer breaks between projects - many companies award additional time off after shipping to let their employees recharge

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Ub3r n00ber: How many people usually work in each department, i.e. modeling, programming, etc?

Answer: Depends on teh project. From large to small departments in an average company though, Art, Code, Design, Production, Audio.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: Link998877: What kinda of responses do you get when u tell people you have a job in the gaming industry?

Answer: I'm very popular with people's kids. People think it's interesting that you work in games, I don't find that we're looked down upon.

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: Question: 4514N 80Y: Would you say the future for Indie developers is bright or just a fad?

Answer: I think the industry still has lots of room for growth.

 

michaelverrette: Question: GG]Oregano: Does playing video games for many hours help get you a job in the gaming industry?

Answer: I think the more familiar you are with different games and game genres it is very useful - especially as a designer. That said I have worked with several amazingly talented people in this industry that dont play games - I kno w- hard to believe

 

michaelverrette: Question: Link998877: What kinda of responses do you get when u tell people you have a job in the gaming industry?

Answer: Most people think its cool - My parents still occasionally ask me when Im going to get a real job LOL - they like to give me a hard time becasue my job is more fun than theirs

 

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: HEY ALL, I'M SORRY BUT I HAVE TO GO. MAYBE IF I'M INVITED BACK WE CAN DO THIS AGAIN! THANKS FOR THE INTEREST AND STOPPING BY!

ACTIVISION Stuart Roch: IT WAS A PLEASURE. TAKE CARE ALL!

cigproduction: Great questions, but we are all out of time here, we hope everyone learned a lot and had fun doing so. Thanks again to Stuart and Michael, the following 5 winners should pm me for instructions on how to claim prizes.

michaelverrette: Thanks guys - I had a blast!

cigproduction: And the winners are:

cigproduction: 5. rasmossen

cigproduction: 4. bioraven101

cigproduction: 3. The Hated Hobo

cigproduction: 2. CLERIC oxy4bf2

cigproduction: 1. [GG]Oregano

cigproduction: Transcripts of tonights chats will be posted on http://www.xfire.com/cms/xf_gaming_careers_wednesday/ as soon as possible.

cigproduction: Thanks for attending!