Game Development

An insiders point of view: Daniel Martin

Daniel Martin is lead software engineer at Tiburon, an Electronic Arts studio located in Florida. He works on the Madden Football series and, year after year, he and his team have to outdo themselves to keep the game at the top of the charts. After getting both a Bachelor and Masters degree in computer science, he experimented in different fields: business, research, support, multimedia, consulting, web, etc. Being a gamer all his life, he finally gave in to his true calling: developing games.

How did you get your job?
Getting in the industry may be tough, but for me it was mostly a matter of psyching myself up. I was trained as a traditional computer scientist. In the circles where I evolved, programming games for a living was mostly viewed as a waste of time, skills, and energy. Compounding the problem was the fact that the game industry was virtually non-existent in French Canada in the early 80s.

After occupying many positions and working my way up the ladder, I came to realize that something was missing. I was unhappy and dissatisfied, but couldnt really say why. This really compelled me to take a hard look at the situation and decide on a course of action. The whole process took me about three years. As a result, I wrote down a mission statement: I want to lead a top-ten game for a successful company in a team of high-skilled people I enjoy working with, where I can learn and be challenged. Then I defined an action plan: brush up specific skills, research the industry, target companies, and go to the GDC. When all was in place, getting a job w as surprisingly easy. Walking down an aisle of the GDC job fair, Tiburons resource manager asked me How would you like to work in Florida? I took the entry-level position they offered me, sold nearly everything I owned and moved to the states. The rest is history!

Describe a typical day at the office?
Although programmers seem to be staring at computer code day in day out, our days and tasks are varied. Depending on your level of responsibility and where you are in the development cycle, a programmer can be planning, researching, prototyping, designing, testing, debugging, coding, documenting, etc.

As a lead, a sizeable amount of your time is also devoted to management. Depending on the company, this may include code reviews, training, interviews, performance reviews, project planning, etc. Contrary to popular belief, programmers will often spend a significant amount of time interacting with various members of the team, from artists to designers.

The only days that might be branded typical in my job usually occur during crunch time, which is the period just before we release a game. This is a frantic and very difficult time where everyone works long hours, often seven days a week. Heres what one of these days looks like: I get up, and go to the office. On my way, I stop by the testers area, and chat with my lead testers to see what important issues came up during the night shift.

I stop by the office kitchen, grab some food and head to my computers. While eating, I rebuild the game with the latest fixes, consult my mail and bug tracking system. I meet with my managers and go over our teams priorities for the day. Then I start fixing bugs, beginning with the most urgent ones. Seniors and leads also act as guides to help troubleshoot different areas of the game whenever someone is stuck. From 2 to 4 p.m. I usually work out at the gym. Then around 6 we have a team dinner. After another meeting between management and testers, the rest of the evening and part of the night is spent debugging, chatting with the testers, and helping other teammates.

What are the bright and the dark sides of your work?
Among the bright sides. First: the fans. Often I go to game stores and stand beside fans while they play and enjoy the game. There is something so gratifying about the fact that your work can generate such pure fun for people. It also warms my heart to see peoples reaction when they discover Im one of the programmers behind Madden. More often than not, they become quite animated, with big bright eyes full of passion, and tell me how much they enjoy the game and recall the long hours they played. Second: the team. Game development is hard work, harder than anything Ive done before. People who stay and thrive in this industry are incredibly talented and motivated. They are gamers like me, and are passionate about it. They are the best colleagues you could ask for. Third: the rewards. Working for one of the best game franchises within EA offers great advantages. Employees are treated to boat cruises, cinema openings, parties, lots of games, free food, bonuses, etc. The rewards always try to match the amount of effort everyone puts in.

The down sides. Shipping at least three games a year requires an incredible amount of work. Long hours, stress, crazy schedules are hard on everyone. Game development is especially hard on relationships and families - only very few people truly understand the dedication and commitment it takes to make a game. Game development is maturing. Similar to the movie industry, games are fast becoming multi - million dollar productions. There is very little space or money left for small developers or individuals with cool new ideas.

Any advice to the young aspirant?
After reading what I just said, they should have a pretty good idea of whats in store for them. Common traits in the successful programmers I work with are basically that they are all passionate, dedicated, hard working people who, despite their overwhelming abilities, have remained humble and extraordinarily efficient team players. Of course, they are all gamers at heart as well! However, this profile may change from company to company. Still want to break into the game industry? Make a plan, develop your skills, build a demo or portfolio, target companies you like and apply for a job. Youve always wanted to work for [enter your favorite game studio name here]? If your dream position is offered and they accept you the first time around, great! However, most likely they will require [insert insane number of] years of pertinent experience, on things you either never heard of or vaguely remember. Scale back and try again in a less skilled or totally different position. If that doesnt work, try getting in through a back door like testing or QA. A lack of experience is your worst enemy. Break in, any way you can . Although it took me three years to get in the industry, I could probably have shortened that delay. I rejected two previous offers at renowned studios. At the time, I wasnt willing to accept a pay cut, start at a junior level, or not work directly on the game code. Without experience, the perfect job never showed up for me. The moment I gave up all my demands, swallowed my pride and accepted to start over, I found my way into the industry. Once you are in, the real challenge starts. You will need to excel at everything you do. Youll need to go above and beyond anything they may expect from you. Either people will notice, and you will be rewarded, or you will have acquired experience and be in a position to land a better job elsewhere.