Wonder Russell

Apr 12 2016

Developer Bio: Chris Paul-Hayter

We can’t talk about the work we’re doing, so we’re talking about the people doing the work. I met CPH, as we call him (although I started calling him Crispy at some point at a game convention in a sleep-deprived haze) when I was visiting the home office for some meeting or another. The rest of the permanent QA team was gregarious and talkative, and then there was him. One word answers, totally calm and serene. The only things giving him away as a true QA guy were the twinkle in his eye and the deadpan humor that’s worth a million bucks when we’re under pressure. Whenever you all send me a DXDIAG to examine, CPH is the one who sees it. See what he’s like by reading his story. — Sanya

Psychology

by Chris Paul-Hayter (a.k.a. CPH)

Psy*cho*lo*gy. Noun. 1. The science of the mind or of mental states and processes. 2. The science of human and animal behavior.

“Psychology. Yep, that is definitely the plan, I’m going to make a career in psychology.”

Some time later…

Okay, I have this paper that says I can psychology…now what?

This is not how I expected to start my career in video games. Let me back up a little bit. I’ve had two passions for as long as I can remember: psychology and video games. Psychology was something I discovered when I was relatively young, around 12-13. That was the first time I ever heard the term and had the concept explained to me. The other passion of mine I discovered much younger at around the age of 6, when my uncle placed me on his knee and showed me a game and series I would end up playing for a large portion of my life…Warcraft.

From that point on I was obsessed with video games. I got my first system a year later, a Sega Genesis, and proceeded to work my way up through all the systems I could get my hands on. I was playing games on console and PC; the platform didn’t matter, I only wanted to play games.

Jan 26 2016

Developer Bio: Jason Minters

We can’t talk about what we’re doing, so we’re talking about the people doing the work. When I sit down to write these introductions, I occasionally reach out to the developer’s friends and teammates to get more information. I mean, from my point of view, *all* of my colleagues are nice, laid back, approachable, hard working, “can do” people with good attitudes who are great at their jobs, you know? So I asked around looking for some dirt on Jason. Every single person responded with…nice, laid back, approachable, hard working, “can do” guy with a good attitude who is great at his job.

I pushed a little. I got back “maybe the nicest person in the whole Lab” and “but SUPER nice” and “a rigging wizard.” I give up. Read on to find out why we may love this guy, but we’re not letting him pack the go-bags. — Sanya

We Survived

by Jason Minters

Hey, y’all, Jason Minters here. Real fast: I’m a tech artist. Been doing this for a decade. Want to know more, just google me; I’ve been on some cool projects. Since that’s not enough for a dev blog entry, I’ll tell a little story.

For quite a few years I lived on the west side of LA. If the zombie apocalypse happens, and that is where you are, there is no escape. Or is there? That was a question I may have been thinking when my buddy took a group of us out to Catalina, an island off the coast of California, for a weekend camping trip.

We took an early ferry ride over, and upon arrival we found a kayak rental place. I chose a kayak that had a tether on the back for towing. The idea was to kayak around the island to a reserved cove.

Dec 15 2015

Developer Bio: Ian Adams

We can’t talk about what we’re doing, so we’re talking about the people doing the work. Ian is one of our designers, which means by definition he’s creative, inventive, and intuitive. He’s also a great friend to have when the chips are down. He’s as affable and kind and quick-thinking after two hours of sleep on an airport floor in Detroit (it’s a long story) as he is after a full night. Read on to find out how that has gotten him where he is today. — Sanya

The Butterfly Effect

by Ian Adams

When you tell people you design video games for a living, one of the most common questions (after “so what does that mean”, which I answer by paraphrasing Liz England’s Door Problem) is “how did you get that job?” Here is an abridged list of things that needed to happen for me to wind up with the job that I have today:

Dec 09 2015

Developer Bio: Cale Schupman

We can’t talk about what we’re doing, so we’re talking about the people doing the work. A producer has a tough job at any company devoted to artistic, creative endeavors. It’s a “herding cats” kind of gig under the best of circumstances, and a “juggling knives AND flaming torches AND chainsaws” job under the usual circumstances. We’re lucky to have one of the nicest, kindest, and most affably unflappable producers on earth on our production team. No matter what edged weapon you throw at Cale, he will smile at you nicely while he catches it one handed and fits it into the schedule…or Jedi-mind-tricks you into taking it back. Here’s Cale to tell you how he came to the job. — Sanya

Cale’s 37 Simple Steps to Becoming a Video Game Producer if You Were Born in the 80s

by Cale Schupman

Read on if you want to know how I got the most awesome job in the world.

Dec 01 2015

Developer Bio: Abby Wilson

We can’t talk about what we’re doing, so we’re talking about the people doing the work. Our subject today is Abby Wilson. At a big studio, Abby would be one of ten people, but here she does the work of ten people, and we’re terribly glad to have her. Here’s how she came to QA, and the Lab. — Sanya

To Infinity and Beyond

By Abby Wilson

Video games have been at the core of my being since I was little. Surprising, huh? I think it would be more surprising at this point in the Developer Bio series if I said I’d always wanted to be a baker.