Just as I promised the other day, let’s travel today to EA’s Head Office in San Francisco.

© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Everyone wants to be a game designer.  It is by far the most popular topic that the recruitment team is inundated about…..how do I become a game designer?  What qualifications do I need?  

Everyone wants to create the holy grail.  That ‘AAA’ hit that sells millions across the globe to huge critical acclaim.  But not everyone will be the next Will Wright or Miyamoto. 

In the past we have highlighted a presentation made at the Swansea International Animation Festival called ‘Mum, Dad, I want to be a Game Designer’.  This is published on our YouTube Channel and has had 23,440 viewings and been rated at 5 Star by the Community.  It is a 50 minute presentation, so grab a coffee and settle in……click here and enjoy

Also, extremely noteworthy is an interview published on our sister site www.ea.com by Lucian Tucker.   Lucian met with Rom Rodriquez, a Level Designer on Dead Space 2 to get more insight into breaking into Game Design…..over to you Lucian…

You know how when you play horror games like Dead Space you start to walk slowly around every corner and point your gun at every dark space you see? And just when you think it’s safe some bizarre creature drops from ceiling and you start spraying circles around it while running backwards as fast as you can. But oh no! You hit a wall behind you and now you’re forced to focus and aim for a leg to slow the enemy down so you can reload and go for the kill.

Well that’s all partly thanks to a great Level Designer who help map out environments and decide where and when enemies appear. Level designers, like Visceral’s Rom Rodriguez, are essentially the ones who “help determine the experience the player [should have] in a rough form,” leaving the artists and animators to make it come to life.

My interviewee Rom here also draws, so read on if you’d like to see a piece of art that helped influence the original Dead Space.

Can you tell me your name, job title, and job description?
Romulo Rodriguez, Associate Game Designer, and I set up game play in Dead Space 2.

I know there are many different types of “designers” and what each of them do is different depending on what company you’re at. What exactly does an Associate Designer do at Visceral?
I am a Level Designer but the Associate Designer determines my level. I’d say I am a low level designer at the moment. My duties involve blocking a level based on the story and desired combat for that point in the game. I then pitch the ideas to my managers, the Lead Level Designer, and the Creative Director and make changes if needed. I later block out combat with simple enemy set ups to help determine the experience we want the player to have in a rough form.

By blocking, I set up square rooms connected by hallways with no cool textures or architecture. I place markers in the environment to indicate where important events take place as well.

Would you mind walking me through a typical day as a Level Designer?
It would depend on the state of the project. If it’s in mid-production, I’ll come in early and get into the level design tool. I would probably be looking at my whiteboard with notes I took down of game play that remains to be implemented, or notes from a review of the level the day before.

If this game was Dead Space 1, I would proceed to start placing some scripting entities like spawners and some enemy types and position them in the 3D environment. After about 15 minutes of doing this-given it’s a simple setup-I’d go and build the map. After it’s built I will load the checkpoint on the PS3 and play through to see if it’s what I’m looking for. If so, I’d continue to the next task, say setting up the next room for bigger combat which can take at least 1.5 hours just roughing it in. Then, take another 1 or 2 hours to clean it up and iterations.

Next step would be to find time in my lead’s schedule or the creative director’s schedule to take a look at it. I would look for feedback, or maybe we have an enemy that’s being built that would be better in this space. Then maybe create tasks for the lighters or other artists to make this room scarier so the moment is more intense. The days can really vary.

One day could be combat, another day could involve implementing a complex scripted moment with the main character talking with other people. In that case I would be talking and working with animators, engineers, and my managers. This would take most if not all day-sometimes two days depending on the complexity.

That is pretty interesting stuff. Your job sounds really cool.Yeah, it has its fun moments but at the same time tough times, like working overtime to fix bugs. But I think my favorite moment in level design was when I worked on the first Dead Space. When it first came out and there was a line outside of the company store to pick up Dead Space… I was so proud to be a part of that game.

I can imagine that feeling. And Dead Space was a great game too. Did you play it through when it was complete to look for your name in the credits? I imagine that being a cool feeling too.
I did play all the way through, mostly to reminisce over the good times on the project. I did look at the credits though to look at my name but also other people.

As a level designer, how early on in the process do you get involved? Do you have much input on the story or do you come in after everything has been decided on a story level, and you just pitch ideas on how that might play out for the player?
I joined the Dead Space 2 team very early on so there were times where some of my layouts helped influence the script, when new enemies were introduced, or when dialogue sequences would occur. The story was at its infant state at that time. As the story begins to solidify later, levels will not have as much room for change but there still remains certain flexibility as to the timing of certain events.

How long have you been at EA then?
7 years. I started in QA, and then I worked as a Graphic Artist, then a Tools Tester. Afterwards, I went into Level design on my first project, James Bond, From Russia with Love.

That seems like a perfect career route for what you do now. Was it always your goal to get into design?
Initially my goal was to become a concept or character artist. I wasn’t familiar with level design then-I didn’t really understand the role. It wasn’t until I became a Tools Tester and actually tested the level design tools that I really became interested and wanted to become a level designer.

Did you go to college for graphic design?
Actually my major was 3D Modeling and Animation, but took Graphic Design classes on the side.

I have been an artist since I was kid and have always loved to draw. 3D was new to me so I wanted to find out more. It was my 3D experience that helped me become a tools tester. The tools revolved around a 3D space so it was easy for me to understand the technical language, navigate the environments, and learn to use the interface.

Did you major in 3D to help better position yourself for a job in the gaming industry?
Not intentionally. I wanted to learn 3D to expand my abilities and create 3D forms of my 2D drawings. It wasn’t until the Playstation came out in 1995 that I thought I could use my 3D knowledge for videogames creating characters or scenes. Consoles were a big part of my past so when 3D was introduced I was excited.

You’ve kind of hinted at it already I think, but what can someone do to prepare themselves for a job as a level designer?
Play lots of games and try to understand what works and what doesn’t, which is pretty easy. Play different games and think to yourself, “why is this game so awesome to play?” Or, “why don’t I like playing this game.”

I was lucky to have gained my level design experience from testing the very tools I use. For someone on the outside, I would strongly suggest getting Unreal Editor or an editor of some type to create and assemble your own setups. I’d even suggest looking into modding online multiplayer maps-that’s a good way to get your name out. To be honest, I would like to get the Unreal Editor myself just to play around with combat ideas.

Are the tools you use fairly complicated?
Somewhat. It depends on the person’s background. If they’ve work with a level design tool then they will understand how the scripting works. If not, it will take maybe a week of practice to really understand how to execute some basic setups.

Do you still draw a lot on the side?
I draw on the side as well as at work. When blocking out a level I need a visual representation before I start creating the geometry. I either draw in my notebook or on the whiteboard. This helps me get a better sense of the space and how all the rooms connect and what the game’s flow will look like.

I’ve been doing that since The Simpsons Game-sketching up ideas for environments, hazards, or puzzles. It’s a great way to sell an idea to a group of people. This way everyone can see exactly what I’m thinking. It’s much faster than creating the 3D world.

What games are you playing right now?
Right now I’m playing Bayonetta.

No Mass Effect 2 like the rest of the world?
[Laughter] No. I played the first one. The story was good but it wasn’t my “cup of tea.”

Well, I’m not in the mood to play it right now at least. There are times when I need immediate action from games like Bayonetta, and there are times when I feel like a good RPG.

Alright, I think that’s all. Thanks for doing this.
No problem. It was fun.

© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Lucian Tucker from www.ea.com meets with Raasahn a Senior QA Test Lead, who provides a great insight into working as a tester in videogames.

Raasahn leads “the QA team from the start of the project to the finish.” And unlike what you would expect, he came to EA 5 years ago with an interest in testing, not in making games.

What’s your name and job title?
My name is Raasahn Browder and my title is Senior QA Test Lead.

And what do you do as a Senior Test Lead?
Currently I’m training for the Project Lead position but as a Senior QA Test Lead, I’m responsible for multiple projects at a time, leading the QA team from the start of the project to the finish.

How exactly does that work? Can you describe that process from beginning to end?
Sure. At the start of the project, the main goal is information collection and finding out what the responsibilities of the QA team are for the project. Getting a GDD (Game Design Document) and formulating a test plan to see how to tackle the project is the focus at the start.

Also setting up meetings with the developers and producers you are working with is a large part of it. Working within the time frame allotted with the testing plan that is created is the major goal.

Once that is complete, the focus is making sure that all aspects of the title that is being worked on are covered with the staffing that is available.

When that is all hashed out, working towards the milestones and updating the developers and producers with the progress of the title is very important so they can make any changes that need to happen so the title doesn’t miss any of the milestone dates that were set.

Near the end of the project, the focus is more on making sure that all the loose ends of the project are tied up and there are no major issues that still are not addressed as well as making sure the title is in compliance with all the current standards.

Do you test games yourself or just manage the other testers?
For the last two years I didn’t have any in game testing other than training the new employees that I received on my team. Since there are a lot of changes with the staffing lately, I will most likely spend more time testing going forward.

And is there a certain studio, or label, or platform, you test games for?

Yes, for the last 4 years or so, I have been working for the EAP (EA Partners) Label which are producers that work with external studios that hire EA for services. This department is getting updated so currently I’m going to help helping out the Sims label.

And I test on all platforms under the sun, PC to PSP, as long as it needs a QA team.

How long have you been at EA, and how long did it take you to become a Sr. Test Lead?
I’ve been at EA for about 5 years including my temporary contracts. I have been a Test Lead/ Sr. Test Lead for about 1 year.

What was your career path? Like what where you when you first joined as a contractor and what positions have you had since?
Well, I started out in the game tester position. The next step was a Sr. QA tester, which is the first position where you are no longer a contractor. After that you move into the Test Lead Position and then Senior Test lead.

Got it. So, I’ve heard mixed things about being a game tester. Some people think of it as one of the most stressful jobs that sucks the fun out of games, but it’s a good way in if you want to eventually make games. But then I hear some people say it’s hard work, but it’s fun. What are your thoughts?
That’s an interesting question. The only real thing I can say about that is you get out what you put in. If you have a lot of pride about the games that you work on, even if you don’t specifically like the game, you will enjoy your job. If you go into the job looking to just “play” and have fun all the time, that’s definitely not what it’s about so you might not be in for a pleasant surprise.

The real goal is to make a difference and put out a quality game specifically that you worked on, so if you look at it that way, you will get a lot more out of the job.

The job isn’t too stressful for just being a tester though, As long as you are okay with working longer hours when it calls for it, you should be all set.

Do you think it’s a good entry level job for someone aspiring to someday design games?
It definitely can’t hurt to get some experience with QA before you try to move into a developing position, especially if you are still new or trying to develop skills. It’s possible that there will be intern positions available and someone that you are working with can recommend you if you are showing very promising work.

Do you find that a lot of the people who join your team eventually move to game development? And what about yourself. When you joined was it with plans to eventually make games?
I can’t say that a lot of people I see eventually move into the position that they desire. There are several reasons why people don’t make it but the sheer competition of how many people are looking for the job makes it difficult right from the start.

The career path I chose wasn’t one of trying to design games or anything like that and I didn’t really come into this job looking to try to make games per say. I like working with people and leading teams. I enjoy what I do currently though.

Your name gets in the credits of the games you work on right?
Yes it does. Anything I work on and have a significant role in, I get into the credits.

The first time your name was in the credits, did you play through the game and look for your name?
[Laughter] I can’t say that I did. I still have an unopened copy of the first game I worked on but I did see my name in the credits while I was still working on it. It’s always a pleasure to see people working on their first title and checking to see if their name is in there correctly.

Alright, changing gears a little, what can someone do if they wanted to be a tester? I’m assuming you interview people, so what are some of the things you look for in a potential employee?
Some of the things I specifically look for in a tester… For sure a tester needs to be able to communicate clearly. Testers will be writing up issues in a database so they need to be able to clearly convey any problems they come across to the development team. Also, punctuality and dedication are very important to making sure a project will run smoothly.

Everything else can be taught, but if the person isn’t really into to the work, it’s going to be hard to get them where they should be as an effective tester.

Do you look for them to be really big gamers?
It’s not totally necessary but if they do enjoy playing games, it does help out just so they are bit more proficient. If they have basic knowledge of how to use the consoles and whatnot, it’s a definite plus. If they don’t know how to turn on a console, that might be a problem.

Did you always want to work in the gaming industry as a tester or did you kind of just fall into the job?
For me personally, I was always interested in it. I didn’t know much about it when I started but I had a friend that worked here and he recommended that I start out in the testing department and see if I liked any of the other jobs that EA had to offer. I ended up really liking the job path as a supervisor type in the QA department so that’s what I worked towards.

Did you play games much before you started here? And do you play games much now? I’m just curious whether playing them everyday sucked the fun out of it for you or not.
I played games before I started working here. I play less now because of other reasons but I still really enjoy the job and it has opened my view up to other types of games that I didn’t know interested me before.

I would play more now than before if time permitted it so it didn’t really take any of the fun out for me.

What’s an example of a game you worked on that you might not have played if it wasn’t for working here?
A game like Mass Effect I would not have played. When I worked on that title, I didn’t know anything about the game. After I spent some time to play through it, I really enjoyed it a lot. Now I can’t wait to get time to play through Mass Effect 2 because I enjoyed the first one so much.

Both of them are great games. Is there a game that comes to mind that you wish you didn’t have to work on? Maybe Charm Girls Club, or something like that?
I enjoy working on every title that’s given to me for testing. I make it my job to make it a quality game. Whether or not I like the game play is a bit irrelevant. The people I get to work with make the projects all worth it.

What’s a typical day like for you when you’re in the busy period of testing a game?
A typical day would probably consist of about 3 phone conferences, 3 actual face to face meetings, and 3-4 hours of making sure all the work that we are trying to get done is making progress.

If I have two shifts of team members I might be working 12 hour days 6 days a week just to make sure it’s running smoothly.

Wow. And that’s a typical day, not just an extra busy day, with those 6 meetings a day?
6 meetings… It’s about normal. Not all meeting are very long and some are very short, for instance check-ins with the staff, but they need to happen to make sure that nothing gets dropped on the way.

Do you have any final advice for someone who wants to be a tester, or even eventually a Sr. QA Test Lead?
The only advice I can give is that being diligent with your work and making sure that you have a lot of tolerance for changing conditions will take you far. Keep working hard and don’t expect anything too special but take the opportunities when they present themselves.

Have you had many people start and quickly drop off because it’s too much for them?
It happens a lot. There is a lot of turnover in this department, but the people that make it usually do their job pretty well.

I guess the people that drop off come in thinking it’s going to be a picnic, but then realize it’s actually work?
Yea that happens a lot as well. It’s definitely a job and people should take it seriously if they want to keep it and move up.

Alright I think that’s all I got. Thanks for doing this.
No problem at all.

© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

This is a great insight into breaking into gaming, focusing on marketing that was recently carried on our sister site, www.ea.com.

Over to Lucian Tucker for this interview:

Recently, I’ve been seeing advertisements for EA games all over the internet. It’s almost as if the web sites know I’m a gamer. Well, they probably do. They know, for example, that I just searched for Battlefield: Bad Company 2. So if my interviewee Kate Cochran did her job correctly, Google and Bing are going to then show me banners for the game linking to the EA Store. And maybe I don’t click on the EA Store banner but instead go to some other web site–there is still a chance I’ll see another EA advertisement for Bad Company 2.

As a Marketing Specialist however, Kate does more than make sure banners show up on Google. I’m not exactly sure why they call it “Specialist” though. Shouldn’t everyone who focuses on marketing at EA be a specialist?

What’s your name and job title?
Kate Cochran, Marketing Specialist.

What do you do as a Marketing Specialist?
Basically, I’m tasked with acquiring new customers for EA.com and the EA Store for North America, using paid marketing programs.

What kind of paid marketing techniques do you use?
Right now, we’re using paid search on sites like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. We’re also using display banners and shopping engines like PriceGrabber and Google Shopping. We also recently launched an affiliate program and we’re also starting to get our feet wet in social networking.

So, I’ve been seeing a lot of EA Store banners on sites like IGN.com and other non-gaming sites. Are you part of that too?
Yes! There’s a lot of really cool advertising technology out there, like behavioral targeting, which can serve an ad to the type of consumer we’re looking to target. So if we’re running a promotion around, say Mass Effect 2, and someone searches for that title, they will be served that ad, since we already know they are interested Mass Effect 2.

Oh. I have a question about that. Some people might think it’s an invasion of their privacy for someone to be able to target them based on their online behavior. What are your thoughts on that?
That’s a tough question. I can see it being an invasion of privacy when say you’re gaming and they serve you an ad in the middle of the game that may ruin the gaming experience. I think some pop up ads can also be really disruptive, especially when they take up the entire web page and the close button is so small and hard to find. But other display banners that aren’t that intrusive don’t really bother me.

I think there’s always going to be a small audience that will be annoyed with advertising, as long as it doesn’t offend the majority, then I think it’s okay.

Ever see Minority Report with Tom Cruise?
It’s been a really long time, and the one scene I remember is when he’s strapped to the chair and they tape his eye lids open. It’s kind of a hard scene for me to stomach. It reminds me of when I go to get my eyes checked [Laughter].

The part I remember is when Tom Cruise goes into a clothing store, and the store could somehow read his eyes and serve advertisements just for him. That makes me excited for the future. I like the idea of ads tailored to me instead of getting ads for things I don’t care about.
I completely agree with you. It’s amazing how much advertising has changed over the last ten years.  Big brands are spending more of their advertising dollars online rather than on TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers. They want to be where the consumer is, which is online.

And now big brands can make their advertising dollars work harder and go farther by targeting ads and search to be more relevant. DVR/TIVO has really changed the TV landscape as well as consumers now being able to watch full TV shows and movies online, with limited to no commercials

Did you study marketing in college?
I actually studied advertising. It really interested me, since it was more about people’s behaviors and how they consumed media.

It seems like a lot of what you learned in college applies to what you’re doing at EA now right? I know a lot of people never use what they actually get a degree in.
It really does. When I first graduated college, I worked in high-tech PR (public relations) and Analyst Relations. I liked PR, but I always was looking to have a career in marketing and advertising, so the job at EA is a perfect fit for me.

So after college you only had one other job besides EA?
Yes! But while I was in college, I worked at my college newspaper. I created ads as well as did advertising sales. I initially wanted to be a graphic designer, but realized it wasn’t for me.

I really liked designing ads, but realized I couldn’t be as creative as I wanted because the client always told you exactly what they wanted, even if it visually wasn’t appealing. So now I leave art to just being a hobby.

You draw and do graphic design fairly often at home then?
I try to draw or paint when I can. I also like to knit–yes, I’m an 80 year old woman–and read.

The programs change so quickly with graphic design, so I try to use them when I can so I can still stay up-to-date with how to use them.

Yes I know! You get Photoshop, and just when you get comfortable you start hearing about a new one coming out.
I know! I really need to take a refresher course.

So, what drove you to EA? Was it the job description, or were you particularly interested in working in EA as a company?
EA is such a well known, innovative brand. I was looking to work more in the consumer space rather than in high-tech, and I also wanted to get back into marketing and advertising. When I was hired on, I was given the opportunity to work in all the different groups within the EA.com and EA Store team and figure out what area I specifically wanted to focus on, and that is now acquisition marketing.

And how long have you been here?
It was a year last Sunday. Time flies!

Congrats! Do you play games at all?
I am actually addicted to Pogo! I play it a couple nights a week while I’m watching TV. I’m more of the casual gamer and I love solitaire, hearts, bingo, and things like that.

What about Nintendo Wii and DS, and X360
My roommate has the Wii and 360. He plays on a regular basis and I’ve played with him a couple of times. I actually really want to try out the EA Sports Active, since I’ve heard so many great things about it. I’m also really good at Wii bowling and I get spares and strikes every time!

Ah, I remember playing that in college. Fun times…
Really fun!

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now in terms of your career?
EA is a great place to work, so I’ll be here for a long time! Ideally, I would still like to be in marketing, maybe eventually down the line, do marketing for a specific title.

Video games are changing so quickly, so it will be interesting to see where it will be in 10 years.

What’s a typical day like for you?
My typical day is a bit crazy, which I like! We’re constantly working closely with our agencies and internal people at EA to launch our different paid marketing campaigns and also spending time looking at data to see if our promotions were successful, so we can use that data when brainstorming future promotions.

Do you get to think of ideas for promotions?
I do! We meet on a weekly basis to brainstorm new ideas around game launches, holidays and seasons. I also help write the copy for the banners. It’s a fun part of my job.

Do you have any advice for someone who wants to be a Marketing Specialist?
I would advise anyone looking to get into marketing, to first work at an agency, whether it’s a PR, Advertising, or Search agency. I think it really gave me the skills to be detail oriented, learn the importance of deadlines, and learn the in’s and out’s of how specific marketing function work.

Gotcha. And any last thoughts?
Keep gaming, whether it’s an EA titles or someone else’s.

But preferably EA…
[Laughter] Of course!

Alright. Thanks for doing this. I really wasn’t sure what you did until just now, even though we work in the same group.
I know–our group keeps expanding.

Interview bu Lucian Tucker.

© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

We always love to bring you up close and personal with our teams.  Those of your considering a career in gaming have been emailing us like mad asking us how people have got into EA and what skills and experience they have. 

So, what better, let’s profile some of our staff. 

Let’s start with an insight into some of the characters working at our offices & studio in Hyderabad India……..Let’s start with our sky diving friend Madhur! 

EArl:   Hey Madhur, where were you educated and what degree did you get? 

Madhur:  Bachelor of Engineering (Instrumentation & Control), Chennai, India 

EArl:  Cool.  What job do you do at EA? 

Madhur: Develop automation scripts and tools for different game titles 

EArl: What do you love about your job? 

Madhur: Playing at work is my job and I love it! 

EArl: Why did you choose to work in gaming? 

Madhur: Loved playing NFS II when I was a kid. Always wanted to know how games were developed and yup, am here! 

EArl: Why did you choose to work at EA? 

Madhur: Working is fun at EA 

EArl: Describe Life at EA 

Madhur: Freedom to innovate , Fun filled, dynamic work atmosphere 

EArl: What are your favourite games?  Dont just restrict to EA! 

Madhur:  Need For Speed Most Wanted, Burnout Paradise 

Now time to say hi to our friend striking a Rock band Pose……Sanjana 

EArl:  Hey Sanjana, what’s your educational background? 

Sanjana:  BA Mass Communication, Hyderabad, India. 

EArl: And what do you do at EA? 

Sanjana:  QA FT Tester. Ensuring bug free applications & R&D on various Platforms. 

EArl: What do you love about your job? 

Sanjana: All the gaming, testing, gaming, some more gaming….did I mention GAMING??? 

EArl: Tell us why you came into gaming 

Sanjana: I love gaming & what better field to choose than the one I am passionate about. (and all the free games!! ) 

EArl: Why did you choose to join EA? 

Sanjana: Because it is the largest gaming company in the world. I don’t settle for small fish!  

EArl: What’s it like for you to work at EA? 

Sanjana: Life at EA is casual & fun filled. A great environment to work in. Awesome co-workers! 

EArl: What are your career ambitions? 

Sanjana: I want to move up further in the industry, maybe as a game designer. 

EArl: Favourite video games? 

Sanjana: God of War (1 & 2), Crysis (Multiplayer), Call of Duty, Burnout (All), Tekken, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Pirates of the Caribbean: The legend of Jack Sparrow, Spore, Nascar Rumble (that I used to play on my old PS1) 

Next up, our NBA loving friend Amit. 

EArl:  Hey Amit.  Nice shot!  So tell us about your background.  Where were you educated and what qualifications do you have? 

Amit:  B.Tech in Computer Science, India 

EArl: What are you doing at EA? 

Amit: Working as a developer for Juice product with EA, Hyderabad 

EArl: What do you love about your job? 

Amit: I love to face new things everyday which give me opportunity not only to apply the things I already know but also the opportunity to learn what I never did in my past. I love the excitement  I get every time when I get success in such new things 

EArl: Why work in videogames? 

Amit:  What’s better than getting paid for doing something you actually enjoys.  From the starting I have been inclined towards gaming. I was always curious to know the actual thing about gaming and EA provide me that platform to fulfil my dreams and desires. 

EArl: Why EA? 

Amit: EA provide me the opportunity to work on the domain I always wanted to. It provided me the strong base from where I could really start dreaming high in my career. 

EArl: Describe your life at EA 

Amit:  I really love the working environment what EA provides to its employees, we get lots of motivation from our supervisors to face new challenges in job every time. I love the Supervisor-subordinate relationship which provides us the friendly and open environment where we can always ask for help without any hesitation and the managers are always ready to give their best to their subordinates for everything they asked. 

EArl: Career ambitions? 

Amit:  We should always dream high so I do. I not only want to earn lots of money but also dream to do something innovative and new in IT for which I would earn not only money but also the name and fame. 

EArl:  Favourite games? 

Amit: Cricket, NFS, Counter Strike 

Cool.  Now say hi to our high jumping friend Trilok……. 

EArl: Hey Trilok, great to see you again.  So did you go to University? 

Trilok:  Though I am a Computer & Science Engineering student, I know only 10% of programming when compared with the developers around me:D 

EArl: What do you do at EA? 

Trilok:  QA – iPhone Floor Lead.   

EArl:  What do you love about your job? 

Trilok:  Gaming, Interviewing, Reviewing Games & Testing them in & out to give sleepless nights for developers. 

EArl: Why work in gaming? 

Trilok:  I am a person who has heavy interest in Gaming since my childhood & a big Gadget freak around my friends circle. The general Hobby & Interest of mine is now my work. Who will not be happy if they were paid to play games? 

EArl: Why are you working at EA? 

Trilok: Firstly, I want to meet the people behind the curtains & now, I myself am one by giving my whacko thoughts which might enrich the look & feel of the game. And being a part of Gaming family is every kiddo’s dream. 

EArl: What’s life like at EA? 

Trilok: Challenging, Exciting, over whelming, inspiring with fun filled environment & always learning new while owning & pawning noobs. 

EArl: Career goals? 

Trilok: I aspire to become a Manager. 

EArl: Favourite games? 

Trilok:  EA – Snood iPhone, Crysis Wars, NFS Series, Spore iPhone & Burnout Paradise on 3D Glasses! Alienated in EA: FarCry2, Counter Strike, COD4, HL2-DM, Quake Series, Halo Series & FNR3. 

And last but by no means least, our friend Shenbagaraj, standing next to that legendary Barcelona footballer……. 

EArl:  Hey Shenbagaraj.  Education? 

Shenbagaraj: B.Tech (Information technology) in Thiagarajar college of engineering, Madurai. 

EArl:  Whats your job? 

Shenbagaraj: Response for developing feature/product assigned to me. 

EArl: What do you love about your job? 

Shenbagaraj: Work hard and play hard. 

EArl: Why work in gaming? 

Shenbagaraj: As the motto says work hard and play hard, I get the option to do what I like best. 

EArl: Why work at EA: 

Shenbagaraj: It is a global company and helps in my career growth. 

EArl: Describe life at EA 

Shenbagaraj: It is a mixture of work and fun. It is exhilarating to be here everyday. 

EArl: Career goals? 

Shenbagaraj: To be a good and reliable software developer who deliver quality products consistently. 

EArl: Favourite game? 

Shenbagaraj:  EA game – NFS most wanted.  Non EA game – Age of empires   

© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

So we promised to continue to show you under the skin of EA and into our offices around the world.

Let’s travel today all the way to China.

So a little background information.  Established in 2006 in Shanghai, EA China is poised to play a major role in the nation’s rapidly evolving gaming industry. With an ever-increasing expansion of technology usage, the Chinese market is projected to reach more than 180 million Internet users by 2010. Combine that with China’s overall population of nearly 1.3 billion people, and you can see the enormous potential for growth. EA China is a key part of EA’s strategy in Asia, particularly in the development of online games.

Just consider those stats again.  That growth is phenomenally exciting!

As part of our growth strategy in the Chinese gaming market, EA has invested in and is partnering with one of China’s largest online game operators, The9 Limited. EA and The9 Limited have a licensing agreement that gives The9 Limited exclusive publishing rights for EA SPORTS FIFA Online in mainland China. EA SPORTS FIFA Onlineis EA’s leading international sports franchise and is already proving to be a success in Asia.

Based in beautiful offices in the centre of Shanghai, EA China is home to a number of EA’s key strategic organisations namely SHAS (Shanghai Art Solutions which is part of EA’s global Central Development Services business unit), POGO and Online Publishing as well as a number of corporate shared service teams including Finance, HR, Legal & HR. This mix truly provides great career opportunities for talent individuals. The Chinese gaming industry has massive potential for growth and EA are at the heart of it.

EA China is fostering its own unique culture and is establishing itself as a true Chinese employer of choice.  EA staff benefit from working alongside some of the best most highly respected talent in the games industry both on a local Chinese level as well as a global scale which means that they are always at the front-end of cutting-edge technologies and innovation.  Diversity is also at the heart of EA China. The team is built up of people from around the world including local Chinese, US, Canada, British and Chilean to name a few, and this brings different cultures together and results in fresh innovative ideas and team dynamics.

And finally, at EA China of course they work hard but they are dedicated in ensuring their staff love what they do….and they have lots of fun.  They regularly organize employee activities such as offsite team-building trips, ping pong tournaments and mini-Olympics all with the ultimate goal to have fun while work.

Sound cool?

Then why not go to www.jobs.ea.com and look at the job opportunities today.  EA China would welcome your application with open arms.

EArl

© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Ssssshhhhhh.

I just grabbed a camera and took a peak inside the offices of Playfish in London.  Playfish are new to the EA family and live, drink and swim, social games.  More on Playfish shortly….but in the meantime….

Have a look at their offices….ssshhhhhhh…I did not take these pictures

EArl

Hello….welcome to Playfish.  The doors to the Studio

Inside a meeting room….relax

Work hard…and yes play hard.  Tough day…chill and bounce round the office…or rock out on Rockband

Office decoration…Playfish style!

© 2010 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Following in our profile series, we continue to introduce you to more members of the Dante’s Inferno Team.

First up, let’s introduce you to the latest member of the team to be profiled.  Rachel Mina Cross.

Title: Lead Lighter

What is it you do here on Dante’s Inferno?
I work with a talented team of six lighters who along with the VFX team add to the final look of the game.

What’s a typical day for you here at EA?
I get in and attend morning dailies, head to the gym at lunch. My afternoons will include Lighting reviews, meetings, updating Lighting schedules and any work that I do at my desk is essentially adding lights to Dante’s path to lead him deeper and deeper into hell!!

What do you enjoy so much about Dante’s Inferno?
The creative background environments and amazing concept art for this game makes my job so much fun!!

Where do you belong in hell?
Gluttony – I crave cake and other yummy snacks! Especially around 3pm:).

Name: Greg Reisdorf

Title: Level Designer

What is it you do here on Dante’s Inferno?
I get to make the levels of hell! From the initial concept (based on the poem, of course) to the super secret hidden cambers that only 1 gamer in every 1,000 will find. I get to come up with ideas, put them in a computer and make them come to life. I also get to find out how bad most of my ideas actually are, it takes a lot of iteration and play time to get things right. However there are some ideas that are just no good at all. That’s when you have to know how to kill your babies, and where better to do that than hell. I’ve killed a lot of my babies… most were disfigured and mutilated from the start. But some I nurtured and tried to raise. But at the end of the day if you don’t kill that bad baby then someone else, generally a producer(baby killers), will. So I create levels by killing my babies.

What’s a typical day for you here at EA?
Since we are close to finaling the game my days currently go a little like:
1) Get in, get coffee
2) Review one of my levels with the other departments and leads
3) Try to fix any major issues from the review
4) Lunch
5) Coffee
6) Keep trying to fix stuff
7) Get tired of fixing stuff and play the game.
Coffee
9) Fix some more stuff
10) Help someone else fix something I broke a long time ago.
11) Think about adding something cool… get my baby killed… go back to fixing stuff
12) Help someone fix something that I just broke when I was trying to fix something else.

What do you enjoy so much about Dante’s Inferno?
The carnage and the variety in the levels of hell. There is a ton of awesome background information and great ideas that we get to pull from when creating the gameplay spaces, scenarios and puzzles.

Where do you belong in hell?
I’m pretty sure I would be sent to Greed.

Before we sign off from the team.  Take a look at the latest Developer Insight Video…Heresy. 

The Dante’s Inferno art leads standing at the Gates of Hell, at the Cantor Art Center at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Take a look.

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Great insight from Stephanie Koutoulas over at EA Redwood Shores.

‘We had great fun Halloween Celebrations at our Redwood Shores studio, filled with pumpkin carving and Halloween contests and a parade with kids from our onsite daycare facility.  It was a gorgeous day!

Some of the best costumes were  – MySIMS characters, a Ghostbuster, Brutal Legend.  Here’s a few pics I took from the day’.

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Insight provided by Stephanie Kotoulas.  Thanks Stephanie…….

Pogo.com employees have just celebrated 10 years of creating causal online games at the EA Redwood Shores Campus.

The day started off with a Spike, the host of Poppit! the most popular game on Pogo, plushie hunt around the EARS campus with over 100 hidden for employees to seek out and take home.

To commemorate the big day, the EARS based Pogo.com employees gathered on the lawn for a picture in the “X” shape to signify 10 years.

The EARS campus was rocking to the tunes of DJ Erik Jackson during lunch with a Pogo.com themed Barbeque and cupcakes to celebrate the birthday.

Pogo.com brought the thrill of winning online to the EARS campus with their bingo game during lunch where players eagerly tried to fill in their cards in the Pogo anniversary “X” pattern to win prizes.

Pogo.com launched in 1999 as a start up and has grown from a small offering of games with dozens of players to a global destination offering hundreds of games to millions of users in the North America, France, Germany and the United Kingdom making it one of the most trafficked sites on the web.  In the past four years alone, Pogo.com players have logged more than 6 billion hours and 8 billion game sessions.

Pogo.com has been on the forward edge of innovation in the casual online game market over the past decade. Highlights include the introduction of: chat during game sessions (2000), paid subscription with Club Pogo™ (2003), Pogo Minis (avatars) (2005), Pogo Micro-transactions (Pogo Gems™) (2006), Pogo in France and Germany (2008), and a newly designed free Pogo.com home page, scheduled to debut in October 2009.   

Stephanie x

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Olympic Gold Medalist and 4-time World Champion Figure Skater Katarina Witt puts Peter through his paces on EA SPORTS Active More Workouts

IGN is reporting EA SPORTS President Peter Moore’s participation on a panel discussion about monetizing video games through micro-transactions and subscription-based services at the 5th annual PLAY Digital Media Conference.  Peter felt that the traditional business model of retail selling disc based games was a ‘burning platform’.

“Look at the platform we’re on, it’s a burning platform,” Moore stated. “As a concept, do you stay on the platform and face certain death, or do you jump into the water and face probable death? Most of you would choose probable death, so you start moving towards a hybrid model of digital distribution.”   When asked if he was saying the consoles could become sinking ships, Moore reiterated his statement.  “I’d say the core business model of video games is a burning platform. Absolutely. We all recognize that, and we’ll recognize it 10 years from now when we tell our grand kids,” he said. “We’ll tell them we used to drive to the store to get shiny discs that have bits and bites on them and we’d place them in this thing called a ‘disc tray,’ and it’d whirl around…and they’ll go ‘What?’”

This is a fascinating area for discussion.  As part of the panel discussion, the idea was mooted whether the next generation of consoles would need a disk drive or would they be digital communication based machines, downloading content via the web.  Certainly the growing success of digital distribution points in this direction.

Let us know you views.

EArl

Peter Moore gets into the game!  (I see he is adopting the Number 9 of Liverpool.  Now there’s a headline….. Moore replaces Torres!)

How much do you know about Criterion Games?  And how do you fancy working for them?  Let’s give an insight.

About the Studio

In August 2004, the highly acclaimed Criterion Games joined forces with Electronic Arts. Criterion is a multi-award winning developer, best known for the hit Burnout series:

• Burnout on PlayStation 2, Xbox and Game Cube
• Burnout 2: Point of Impact on PlayStation 2 and Xbox
• Burnout 3: Takedownon PlayStation 2 and Xbox
• Burnout: Revengeon PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360
• Burnout Paradiseon PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

Criterion also developed the acclaimed first-person-shooter – BLACK- for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

So how would you like to work for Criterion Games?  What ‘character type’ do they employ?  Well Criterion are recruiting, particularly for Contractors.

Criterion is amongst the best game studios in the world with a world class team of game makers at its heart. To be a part of this talented team you need to be passionate about games and committed to being the best in the world at what you do. You need to know what matters to the people who play our games and be passionate about surpassing their, and our, expectations.

About Contracting

Criterion Games have a world class team of full-time employees, and occasionally permanent opportunities arise, but there is also a need to boost their team with the very best in contracted and outsourced staff – giving them the flexibility to quickly ramp projects up when they move from pre-production into production and to seek out the very best skills for their game.

As a contractor, you will earn a very competitive day-rate salary.

Criterion Games is a great Studio to work in, they work hard to manage the work/life balance that is often under scrutiny in the industry – it is possible to make 90 + metacritic games and still have fun as well as a social or family life!

Take a look at www.jobs.ea.com and apply if you have what it takes.

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Name: Peter Iliev

Title: Software Engineer I

What is it you do here on Dante’s Inferno?

—-I am a Level Engineer. This means I get to work with Level Designers to create level specific features like new doors, platforms and boss battles.

What’s a typical day for you here at EA?

—-I roll in, in the morning, grab some coffee and talk about how awesome our poop attack is. Then I spend most of the day drawing murals on our walls that inspire people(like whats in the picture). And at the end of the day, if there is any time left, I solve bugs and make sure the whole game doesn’t explode while you play it.

What do you enjoy so much about Dante’s Inferno?.

—- I get to kill things that are already dead and damned, so I’m actually doing something productive with my anger.

Where do you belong in hell?

—-I’d say Lust. I spend way too much time in the gym for vanity reasons.

Name: Lisette Titre

Title: Senior Character / VFX Artist

What is it you do here on Dante’s Inferno?

—-Character Modeling, Texturing, Rigging, and Special Effects. I also heard cats…..

What’s a typical day for you here at EA?

—-I work with my Lead and our Animators to make sure the character assets are looking great and articulating properly through all their awesome moves. I’m also working on visual effects for character costumes and combat sequences.

What do you enjoy so much about Dante’s Inferno?

—- Fans will be surprised by the depth and variation of our creatures. The character designs are fantastic and over the top. We weren’t afraid to “go there” with the concept work. If we make you a little uncomfortable then we’ve done our job.

Where do you belong in hell?

—-Lust or Gluttony…. I’m a hopeless romantic and I love food. Especially Jamaican Jerk Chicken!

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

Great story on our sister site…ea.com. 

The beaten and battered nylon basketball nets on the campus of EA will get a bit of a much-needed rest after the conclusion of the 2009 Matt Barnes Basketball Camp.

Last week more than 85 kids, ages 8-14, rained and drained basketballs inside Tim’s House (the EA gym) during a week-long instructional program organized by Barnes and his staff of 11 coaches and councilors. The second annual Barnes Camp ran daily from 8:30 to 4pm.

“From the coaches to the 80 or so kids who participated in the camp this year, it was such a fun and rewarding week for everybody involved,” said Barnes, a seven-year NBA veteran who recently signed with the Orlando Magic. “With such a great campus and all of the fun activities available for the kids, EA’s the ideal place to host a week-long event like this. We hope to continue the tradition again next year.”

Unified with their white EA SPORTS t-shirts symbolizing teamwork, campers looked to improve their basketball skills in various areas on the court, while gaining a better understanding of the game off the court as well.

Playing on an authentic, regulation-style hardwood floor found in NBA arenas around the league, campers took part in various shooting, dribbling, and passing drills throughout the week. Afternoon sessions featured 5-on-5 and 3-on-3 games, skills competitions, contests, and team practice. Coaches from the Hoops 24 basketball program also assisted in the teaching process with a Friday morning session that focused on play strategies, such as screens and picks.

The week also featured special guests who spent time instructing the campers, including Jason Kapono of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jerome Randall, point guard for the University of California.

But it wasn’t all work and no play.

Between sessions and during lunch, campers had full access to the EA Cafe and EA Arcade, a video game haven for gamers of all ages. Campers were scattered throughout the area playing ping pong, air hockey, or billiards, or having fun playing one of the latest titles from EA at one of the gaming stations. Others just relaxed by catching sports highlights on the flat-screen TVs.

The 2009 Matt Barnes Basketball Camp also coincided with the official launch of Madden NFL 10, one of the most highly anticipated games from EA SPORTS.

During the Madden NFL 10 party, and under sunny, 80 degree-plus Bay Area weather, the D.J. known as JX2 spun the latest tracks from a collection of electro house mixes of R&B, rock, house, and hip-hop tunes, while campers traded in their high-tops for football gear, even if it was for just an hour.

Campers stormed the great lawn for a shot at kicking a 20-yard field goal through goalposts or throwing balls through cutout targets from 10 yards away. The highlight of the day for most was the Blow Up Sports Challenge, an air-filled ‘jumpy-type’ challenge course featuring obstacles, tunnels, and more.

But even with all the fun distractions, basketball was the main focus for everyone involved.

“It was a really fun camp, especially when we got to play 5 on 5 against other teams,” said Tyler Lynch, age 9. “I learned a new reverse pivot move that helped me score more points. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it again next year.”

As for the tattered nets, they only have a few short hours to recover, as the gym opens back up to EA employees beginning today.

-GABE LEON

© 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners