Where worlds are created: jobs for 22 game developers

Original author: Simon Parkin
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Video game developers are demiurges who create universes and vivid reality from a plexus of mysterious scripts. But even divine entities need a workplace. After all, a PlayStation would not have been without a WorkStation. Like the game, the author’s workplace reveals something about his values, aesthetics, interests or fears.

The stereotypical image of the developer’s desk is well known and unchanged: chaos from headphones and boxes of fast food, battalions from plastic figures, the most successful ones have awards and diplomas hanging on the wall. But is this image fair? Laptops and tablets allowed creators to tear themselves away from their desks, turning any bench in the park or a table in a cafe into a potential workplace. In our nomad-friendly time, do game creators still appreciate a carefully thought-out personal workspace? Do they need noise, or silence? Do they prefer to work alone, or in a company?

A group of game developers from around the world agreed to show us their jobs and tell us in what conditions new worlds are being created today.

Brandon Chung


Location: Culver City, USA
Games: Gravity Bone, 30 Flights of Loving, Quadrilateral Cowboy



“Now I share my work time between my home office and Glitch City , an office space shared by a group of local indie developers. In the environment of the common office space there is a special creative energy, as well as the energy of the support network. We work, realizing that we are not alone in coping with our burden. But if you want to know the secret of focused productivity, then this is the train. God, I love working on trains. You can put me in this metal pipe any day of the week. ”

“I travel quite often, so I don’t really care about the work environment. One of the nice things about creating games — or at least the games that I like — is that they need little extra space and equipment. If I have a place where you can put a laptop and put a mouse, then this is enough to fall into a state of concentrated work. "

“If I draw, model or design levels, the noise resembles a warm blanket. Any kind of music, people's conversations, a movie with Netflix on the periphery of consciousness - all this suits me. A nuclear bomb could explode next to me, and this (maybe) will not distract my attention. However, when I write a plot or do programming, the noise is unacceptable in any case. When I need to use words or language, I turn into a dandelion, which takes off from the slightest gust of wind. If some music sounds, then there should not be words in it. ”

Edmund McMillen


Location: Santa Cruz, USA
Games: Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac



“Today, the home office is ideal for me, because I need a part of the house in which I would not be distracted by a non-working life. A place where I could turn on the music to the full power and endlessly communicate with the people with whom I work, and at the same time not interfere with my wife and child. In addition, it is important to have a space that I can share with them. My work distances me from my family, so I always have an empty table where Daniel can sew or play with a child. In many ways, my office is a remodeled living room with a lockable door. ”

“When I just do design, I can work with a pencil and laptop almost everywhere. But when I make animations or design levels, such a scheme is ideal for me. We can say that at the current stage I spend 50% of my working time thinking about paper, and I draw the rest of the time at the table. ”

“When I write the plot, I need silence, but the rest of the time for inspiration I need music roaring at full volume. Usually during the day I chat with people working with me on Skype for about an hour, but most of the time I just need a place to put my dumb toys and be a weirdo. ”

Brenda Romero


Location: Galway, Ireland
Games: Wizardry, Ghost Recon, Train



“My office is designed to reflect my personality and combine with it what I create. Near me there are tactile objects that are important to me, including a table, or objects of mechanical beauty, for example, a pair of old unique typewriters. ”

“For many years I worked at any free table or bought a standard“ startup table ”in a chain store. This year we made tables to order. And they are just beautiful. If you are trying to create something special, then it seems to me that it is important to work in a place that is both special and well designed. For me, this applies even to the beauty of the city and the time zone in which I live. When I lived in California, I woke up with the feeling that it was already a day. My time zone was after all, and when I woke up, there were already a lot of letters in the mailbox. Here, I don’t feel the need to hurry and I don’t feel late for everyone. ”

“I can work in different places, provided that I have the main components: silence and comfort. I can’t work in conditions with a lot of distractions, which I’m not used to yet. For example, I got used to working next to my colleagues, so their conversations do not bother me, but working in a coffee shop would distract me too much. One can rarely find things as beautiful as complete silence, it is very rare. Most of all I like to work early in the morning, in silence, with a cup of espresso. ”

Adam Saltsman


Location: Grand Rapids, USA
Games: Canabalt, Overland



“My main workplace is a room on the ground floor of our house in a Michigan suburb. It is more than a dressing room, but smaller than a bedroom. It has a great big window that is just perfect. On one side of the window there is a robin's nest, on the other - a shrimp, on which cardinal birds and squirrels gather. The room itself is still in chaos, because we have recently settled down - I haven’t even set up whiteboards yet. ”

“I really miss my whiteboards. From the point of view of “mechanics”, the boards are not very different from notebooks, but it seems to me that they are completely different. You need to stand next to the board, these fuzzy markers nearby, you can erase notes very quickly, the number of parts used is very limited ... Due to the different posture and the limited resolution of the tools, the marker boards are ideal for planning with “large strokes”. This is the best way to cut down the space of opportunities before you sit down and do very time-consuming programming. Otherwise, any table will suit me. It’s enough that the monitor is at the right height so that it does not harm the neck and back. ”

“Besides the fact that I need space for standing and creating sloppy drawings, I no longer need any special conditions. As far as I understand from the fact that over the past year I moved a couple of times, worked in the bedroom of the apartment and in several cafes, in other countries and on long flights, then I have enough headphones and a laptop. It seems to me that this survival skill is worth cultivating in itself - the ability to work relatively well even in non-ideal places is very useful ... because no place can be ideal. "

“Silence usually causes me discomfort, anxiety and a desire to escape. I can’t listen to music with words when I'm doing debugging or programming, it probably distracts me too much. Usually in the “days of art” I have a lot of podcasts, in “days of programming” - a lot of music. However, for a long time I did not have “days of art”. I really lack work in the same space with people. Coworking with the Overland team, which we arrange several times a year, are ideal moments. But I am quite happy that I don’t have to communicate with toxic people and travel long distances. Perhaps we will someday create here a part-time space where you can come by bicycle. I think it will suit me. "

Masaya Matsuura


Location: Tokyo, Japan
Games: PaRappa the Rapper, UmJammerLammy



“In fact, I have three jobs. The first is in an office with a PlayStation 4 and a turntable. At it, I do game design and office work. The second is shown in the picture; This is a lobby in a recording studio. The third is a recording console in the studio. ”

“Since this space is necessary for classes, it requires bright lighting and tranquility. I did not take a picture of this place, but it is full of different figures that allow me to be inspired. Next to it is a cabinet filled with passes for gaming events - GameCity, Dice, Bitsummit, GDC ... "

“I like to meditate on walks or trips, but I have a weak concentration. I always lose interest, regardless of conditions or surroundings. I’m constantly distracted by something - I can, for example, turn the figure for some reason from a different angle. I rarely go to a cafe. I do not like coffee from Starbucks ... "

Heather Kelley


Location: Pittsburgh, USA
Games: Lapis, Superhypercube



“I travel a lot, so I need to think carefully about the equipment that I take with me, because it greatly affects the type of work performed. For example, I can’t test a game if I don’t bring testing equipment or VR with me. I can’t create assemblies myself if I don’t take a PC laptop with me. But my main workplace is just a Mac laptop screen. ”

“I usually prefer to work in a well-lit space, which, of course, is terribly unsuitable for working with a computer and especially with projectors. But visual contrast is a perfectly acceptable sacrifice for sunlight, which improves my mood. I prefer when the work environment is not cluttered ... it means that I just temporarily stuff all the rubbish in a drawer or cabinet so as not to see it. "

“The following factors influence me the most: hunger, temperature, fatigue, and other basic physical conditions. If I have an Internet connection and there is no bodily discomfort, I can completely immerse myself in what I am doing. My main problem now is the poor ergonomics of my dining table, at which I spend most of my time with a laptop. When I write this answer, my shoulders, arms and wrists hurt. Therefore, it is important to move and change position. Oh, and don’t sit at the computer all the time. ”

“If I'm working on something verbal, such as a plot, voices in the background bother me. So I listen to a lot of classical jazz, not music with words. And I found that I work well in public places where most people speak a language I don’t know. At home, when the weather permits, I slightly open the windows and enjoy the 4'33 " set for replay .

Lucas Pope


Location: Tokyo, Japan
Games: Papers, Please, Return of the Obra Dinn



“In fact, I did not think about how the environment affects my creative process or productivity. I only know that the less they distract me, the better. I am immersed quite easily in work and I need short breaks to take a break and recharge my batteries. It helps when the room has good sunlight and enough space for walking and looking at the walls, if I can’t do something. ”

“Only recently I first tried to work outside the office, in a coffee shop. I was doing work in which I could use my iPad instead of a computer or laptop, and everything turned out pretty well. The noise and movements contrasted well with my usual solitude and helped to work on my creative task. However, I don’t think it’s worth trying to write code or graphics. Noise and movement may not interfere, but I really like the efficiency boosted by two large monitors, a full keyboard, trackball, tablet, etc. ”

“Now I work alone and turn on quiet chip tunes or other non-distracting music. It is hard to say what my ideal is - when I am absorbed in work, I am quite tolerant of everything. However, silence distracts me, so at least there should be a little sound. "At the slow stages of development, I like to communicate with colleagues, but in tense moments, I am immersed very much in my own little world."

Margaret Robertson


Location: New York, USA
Games: Tiny Games, Dots & Co.



“My workspace is an extension of my thinking space. If there is something bad in him, then something bad is in my head. If there is something good in the workspace, it penetrates my thinking. I’m careless, so I need a lot of space, but at the same time I hate chaos, so I need objects in which you can put other objects in order to tidy up a bit. In the design of the workspace, I'm like Eeyore. Nothing makes me happier than "A pot in which you can put other objects."

“I have a bunch of prototyping paper, a bunch of woven wires, cables and phones, and a plant that smells like cookies. It's also important for me to be in downtown Manhattan. I hate working on games without other people. Years of work on real, active games made me get used to the fact that my audience is constantly in the same room with me, which is not often when creating digital games. It seems to me incredibly important to leave the office and be surrounded by people who play our games, or similar to them, or games that are very different from our games. And I like that I am so close to art galleries, fashion studios, small kindergartens and gloomy eateries.

“I can't stand too much loneliness. Many years ago, I refused to work on a doctorate, and I think, for the most part, this was caused by absolute, inexorable loneliness. I like that at work I can laugh a lot and instantly receive feedback about my ideas. Most of the work of a game designer is to get feedback, to watch people play, to ask questions, even when you know that the answers will be sad for you. It is simply necessary, but it is only half the process. The second half is the removal and pondering of all this. Therefore, the scheme of my work is as follows - I absorb all this feedback, and then I hide somewhere with a huge marker board or a big pile of paper, and literally try to make a map of everything I heard from people.

Chris Crawford


Location: Oregon, USA
Games:  Balance of Power, Storytron



“I work at home, alone and with music on. My office is a computer, but an important part of my working style is working on 40 acres of purchased forest. Physical labor cleanses my mind. In fact, I can even postpone the answer to the letter in order to go outside and look for weeds on my part of the earth, including the cinquefoil and the sunny cornflower. ”

“When I work, I turn on the music: Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, Telemann, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, rock of the 60s, Scott Joplin, Philip Glass, Uakti, Strauss ... I divide my work into intermittent tasks. I write code for just a few hours in a row; at another time, I am writing a plot, repairing a fence, cutting down dead wood on my land, dragging it with a tractor into stacks and cutting it into firewood for a fireplace. ”

“I am building a Panther tank 1.2 meters long, which I will program to patrol the house at night and accidentally turn on the flickering lights to deter pests. I named it "Buckwheat Revenge" in honor of my cat, which was dragged by coyotes. "

“I work in my cave. If I travel, and this rarely happens, then I don’t try to work, except for small tasks, such as responding to emails. ”

Dylan Cuthbert


Location: Kyoto, Japan
Games: Starfox Command, PixelJunk Series, The Tomorrow Children



“Q-Games is now located in Kyoto, Japan, in a great new office that we built ourselves. This is an old building, so we were allowed to do anything on our territory. ”

“The workspace has a huge impact on my creativity and productivity, and that’s why we designed the new studio as a rather large“ social space ”or as we call it“ cafe space ”, in which we can relax and hang out. All tables were individually designed and joined in groups of three. There is no direct lighting in the studio, all the light is reflected from the ceiling. We also designed the desks so that there is always a good flow of air under them, because there is hot equipment such as a PC, and this allows us to maintain a good average temperature in the office, as well as excellent CO2 levels. A high concentration of CO2 can be a problem in the workspace and affect the energy level of employees. We also have common standing tables that people can use at any time. ”

“I love being in a room full of creative people, so I prefer working in a very comfortable office space. But I definitely don’t like cubes, I like open, wide spaces. I do not want every time I have to go the same route to the toilet or for coffee, and the new office layout helped me a lot. I like it when it’s not very noisy, but I like small background music, it gives a feeling of a work process. ”

Meg Jayanth


Location: London, England
Games: Samsara; 80 days



“I work from home, so the concepts of“ work “and“ rest “are blurred. If I did not have a good day or several days of work, then stress and tension fill the whole house, and it becomes more difficult to relax, which in turn prevents the next morning from waking up and high productivity. But there is a good side - I am not tied to work nine hours five days a week and this gives me more flexibility. I like to manage my time myself. ”

“You would think that I really only need an Internet connection and a laptop, but alas, this is not so. I like to walk, go to the balcony, make a couple of cups of coffee. I can do background and research work in coffee houses or libraries, but in order to sit down and start the plot, it is very important for me to be in my own space. ”

“I hate writing purebreds (if this is not research or editing) surrounded by a lot of people, I begin to be shy and offers get tortured. I like when a TV with something unobtrusive is turned on in the background, several tabs with news and articles that can be viewed. This is a rather absent-minded, strange process, but actually controlled distractions allow me to focus more actively. ”

Sam Barlow


Location: New York, USA
Games: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories; Her story War games



“I have a rather controversial attitude towards workspaces. The most important part of my work is done in the subconscious (which is much, much smarter than me) and the time when I am sitting at the computer and driving in something usually turns out to be a chore. It is important for me to be able to take a walk or do something pleasant to take a break, then I can return to work and concentrate. A good coffee shop nearby is a good excuse to take a walk, and New York is generous with such gifts! A number of good people with whom you can exchange ideas and a rubber duckling (I know this is usually considered a bad decision, but for me this is an important step!) Are also necessary. In addition, it is very important for me to surround myself with the best people, both physically and via Skype. ”

“I can work and work everywhere - the Internet, headphones and MacBook are enough for me, provided that I am protected from the weather. And Kindle for research - electronic ink is the best in this business. One exception is when I have a script that needs to be edited. I have to go somewhere where there is a large enough table to print and expand it - editing a script is best when I can physically take pages and see them all at the same time. Sometimes I work with sticky notes on the wall and / or write something down in a notebook. ”

“From childhood, when I was doing my homework while watching TV, I realized that I like the strong ambient noise, but I think that the best working conditions for me are 6 am in a quiet room. But this happens infrequently - perhaps it is possible to achieve this once a year. Most of the projects I'm working on have a Playlist for the project playlist, and switching to it instantly makes me focus. ”

Ricky Haggett


Location: London, England
Games: Tenya Wanya Teens; Hohokum



“We work in a place called Busworks , right north of Kings Cross. This is one of the converted former warehouses, of which there are so many in northern London. In this, at the end of the 19th century, old horse drawn omnibuses were created and repaired. ”

“If I have enough natural light and space on the table to sit straight and comfortable with my arms, then the rest does not really bother me. Actually, it’s quite normal for me to work in coffee houses when people look at me, but I don’t really like coffee, only tea. ”

“For me, the computer itself is much more important - not the keyboard itself or the screen, but such aspects as the directory structure and the way of naming so that I can always find the necessary things. This is much more important for my productivity than the physical environment. ”

“Usually we listen to music almost all day, so we like compositions that are not too intrusive and create a certain flow. I like when someone brings me tea, it's pretty important. And sometimes my colleague Pat Ash brings me some nuts in a bowl when I'm hungry. ”

Porpentine


Location: Auckland, USA
Games: Howling Dogs, Neon Haze



“Very often I had to work sitting on the floor and surrounded by cockroaches, when my computer creaked and sometimes was cut off, the monitor was on a cardboard box, so now I really need a good space. I think my ideal would be a semi-aquatic environment, so that I would be like an amphibian sitting in warm water and completely drawn into rubber, working at a waterproof computer. Or on a serene polygonal VR lawn. ”

“Now I am working at a table next to the window of my apartment, looking at the palm trees and the backyard pool. For a day I can work on three or four projects, quickly switching between environments, so my desk is littered with cables and all kinds of hardware - a Wacom tablet, a Snowball microphone, markers, notepads. Switching between paper and computer is a good way to change perspectives. I adore hypnotically changing colors - we have a Christmas garland hanging along the window and the Pico projector pointing to the ceiling. I use everything that turns an apartment into another world. "

“I have problems with hypersensitivity, so I like the workspace or my climate-controlled apartment, where everything is perfectly tailored to my unique mutant biology (humidity levels, ambient or ambient light, silence, blankets, hugs). “I like to work quietly at my computer, listening to music, while my girlfriend works at her own.”

Gemma Thomson


Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Games: Noah's Arks, Ardo



“Usually, my desk is nothing more than a support for the equipment, reference materials, or physical models that I am currently using, but there may be a void on it that can be filled with what will happen next. Filling and releasing this table becomes an important part of my creative process. I move from one idea to another by removing items from bookshelves and returning them to their places. However, it’s not a certain part of my workspace that inspires me, unless it is designed to create a sense of order. ”

“I quite often participate in game jams, so I came to the conclusion that the mental model of my workspace can and should be portable. Even in the process of daily work, I often have to make two-hour train trips to Götaland. At such moments, I learned how to manage documentation or otherwise transfer administrative or marketing tasks to them. However, when working with graphics, I rarely can make compromises. Without a desk, a good chair and a mouse, I won’t do anything good in Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. ”

“My music library almost always enters my ideal working environment, but the rest of my sound environment is under strict control. It is easy to distract me with sounds like thundering bass or loud conversations of neighbors - in fact, any noise whose source I do not see. Usually, the sounds of surrounding speech, for example, in a cafe, are quite tolerable, but high-quality headphones are required. ”

Khaled Abu Al Kheir


Location: Ramallah, Palestine
Games: Spermania, Al-Mamlaka



“All the workplaces in the studio were created by our colleagues from bricks and wood. The environment we created in PinchPoint brought our team closer. She made us friends, placed us at the same level of importance, the team became smarter. ”

“I like to work when people surround me. Our office is an open space, and anyone who wants to listen to music or watch a video puts on headphones. Personally, I rarely wear headphones to listen to music, because I like the conversations that arise when one of my colleagues sees something interesting or comes up with a great idea, I cannot miss such moments ... I cannot work productively from home. Sometimes I go to coffee houses, but there my work is usually limited to answering letters or working on fundraising, and I think that it’s not about the design of the space, but more about the environment and atmosphere. ”

“I feel my studio is like a private game club for members of the PinchPoint family, so when I get there, it seems to me that I am talking with friends who share my hobbies. We have a games room for console games. Every Wednesday in the evenings, the entire studio turns into a gaming arena, where we play several MMOs and even hunt Pokémon together. ”

Martin Hollis


Location: Cambridge, England
Games: Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Bonsai Barber



“For my deepest work, I need peace and I strive for it in all my work. I have a range of jobs, from free to the most intense. The freest job is to get input - movies, games and books. For this, I prefer calm and lack of interference, but this is not necessary at all. In my life, it’s difficult to devote two hours of the so-called vacation to the film, so I watch them by the hour. ”

“For creative non-programmatic work, in which I usually use paper, I need the feeling that no one will interrupt me. I work at my desk or in a cafe. "Programming, which I can’t do in a cafe while hunching, I do at a standing or sitting table, depending on my mood."

“I did a lot of my design work on the road: by train or walk, jogging or cycling. This creates enthusiasm, but without a doubt, I have more ideas in a minute when my heart beats faster. Much of the work of the designer — or at least the designer in my face — consists of thinking, exploring the world, and finding what can improve the project. ”

Anna Kipnis


Location: San Francisco, USA
Games: Psychonauts, Brütal Legend, Headlander



“I work in an open workspace, so I know when something amazing happens, especially when it comes to work. If I need to talk to someone nearby or in a nearby department, I can sometimes just say it out loud, usually without even getting up. We all sit, each in his own team, located close to each other. It ’s really interesting to be together with the Headlander team - you can constantly hear a lot of jokes, reactions to new content in the game, etc. It seems to me that people are attracted to such an environment. At first, when I started working at Double Fine, I was very shy, but having mastered the atmosphere and design of the office, I very quickly got to know everyone in the company and began to feel something like companionship. ”

“The disadvantage of an open office is that it can be very distracting during the day; sometimes it’s very difficult to concentrate. Over time, I got used to it, and I always wear headphones if I want to distract from the sounds. ”

“The most important thing in the environment for me is a comfortable chair (Aeron chairs were put at work for us), otherwise physical pain from uncomfortable sitting makes work impossible. Another important aspect is the presence of a large screen (at least 15 inches), and ideally, a pair of screens. It is incredibly convenient for a game programmer when debugging a game running on a full screen to be able to simultaneously see the debugger. All this makes working in a coffee shop not very suitable. In addition, you won’t bring a developer kit to the coffee shop - many devkits weigh more than me. But when I'm working on a new build for a PC or on some kind of tool, then the coffee house is quite suitable. "

“This is probably well known, but many programmers have difficulty listening to music with clearly understood words. Code generation / problem solving requires some kind of involvement of language centers in the brain. It definitely affects me, so I create huge playlists of music that I can listen to during coding if I need to wear headphones. ”

“When I work alone from home or in a coffee shop, I do a lot, but lose track of time and forget about the environment, and begin to feel loneliness and isolation. I forget to eat and take breaks. I love when there are people around with whom you can talk, so as not to go crazy. And although I do a lot on my own, sometimes I lose the feeling of urgency - when I’m not responsible to anyone, self-discipline becomes difficult. When you see that others are working productively, it’s good for work ethics. It seems to me that I do a lot when I come early in the morning or stay late until late, although I try to avoid overwork. The light in the office starts to turn off automatically at seven in the evening (you need to turn it back on manually, and still it turns off every hour), so it’s like a bar that turns off all the light at closing hours, as if to say, “You may not go home, but you cannot stay here.” I usually get a hint. ”

Rex Crowle


Location: Guildford, UK
Games: LittleBigPlanet, Tearaway



“I perceive my workspace as a place where I can absorb and generate ideas. Therefore, it is very important for me to have a space that supports both sides of the process. These ideas can come from conversations around me, from books open on my laptop, or from movies broadcast by Mubi. Each of these external sources gives the work I create a slightly different flavor, so I am glad that I can work in many different places in order to have a good balance. "

“Where I can work depends on the tasks I perform. If I create levels, I can do it anywhere - on the train, in the coffee house, on the couch. If I create something artistic not in my sketchbooks, then I need additional equipment such as a Cintiq monitor or Wacom tablet, which makes the work not very portable. As I said, I try to diversify my surroundings as much as possible, and I manage to place the Wacom tablet on rather unusual surfaces. ”

“I don’t like silence, it feels like a vacuum, and it’s not very stimulating during work. Therefore, I turn on the background either music or a talking radio, but the conversation that is being conducted next to me is more ideal. What I don't like is the digital distractions - I can listen to any number of conversations, drawing concept art, but when I have to minimize the application to reply in Slack chat, it destroys my stream. It is the flow state that I like the most when I create games and play them. ”

Rodry Broadbent


Location: Cardiff, Wales
Games: Scram Kitty



“Around my workplace there are thematic sources of inspiration for the projects that we developed - models, sketches, figurines, plus the same for the current project, and thanks to the constant connection with game ideas, these ideas come more freely. I also have a healthy portion of fan material - Ken Masters from Street Fighter , the plush Bulbasaur and the ghost from Pac-Man - it’s important for me to remind myself what led me to what I’m doing now. ”

“From a technological point of view, I need a workstation with several monitors for debugging and optimization - I need to see the code when the game is running, without constantly switching between windows (especially because most monitors have terribly bad buttons!). "I am trying to separate my gaming / personal PC from the working PC so that it helps me concentrate, so the PC on my desk is mainly designed for development."

“I spend quite a lot of time in Japan, so it’s important for me to be able to write code along the way. In fact, it is very interesting to change jobs in different companies, get ideas and feedback from other developers. But nothing can replace my desk in the office of Dakko Dakko with the plush Scram Kitty created by our artist’s wife and with the phrase “Tomorrow is also good” hanging overhead. And cats, of course! We have two cats in our office, one of which spends most of the day watching me type. ”

“My ideal is the existing scheme of work in which each of us is in our own space, but we are constantly connected to each other online and once or twice a month we meet in the office for analysis when whole fountains of new ideas appear. I think that in the future we will formalize this structure a little and create something new on its basis. ”

“Unfortunately, despite the fact that I often visit beautiful places, I am not able to work well on the street. The problem is not only in the sun, which makes it difficult to look at the screen - even in Cardiff! - but also the birds above my head, which constantly make me nervous. If you ever find yourself next to a river in Kyoto, be sure to cover your food. ”

Van Hazmer


Location: Tokyo, Japan
Games:  Final Fantasy Type-0, Final Fantasy XV



“By engaging in the game design of Final Fantasy XV cities , I wanted to create fictional cities that were down-to-earth and at the same time motivating players to explore. To do this, I needed to have instant access to materials on world cultures, including books on urban planning, as well as a manga devoted to travel and cuisine. Even with access to the Internet, I always strive to have paper copies on hand. They not only help me gain inspiration instantly, but also encourage me to share knowledge within the team. My colleagues and I have acquired the habit of constantly taking books and manga from each other, and this can only be arranged if there is a table that is accessible to everyone. ”

“The table is the best for me. Our director Tabata-san insists on grouping according to aspects of the game rather than working skills, so I sit very close to the artists and programmers who also work on cities. Thanks to this, we can easily arrange short “brainstorming sessions”. We can easily contact each other if any of us have feedback or complaints. In addition to this, we are also allowed to convey ideas to printed materials such as books and diagrams. In addition, I often have to play and thoroughly test the game, especially in the later stages of development. For reasons of secrecy, under no circumstances can I do this in a coffee shop. ”

“I’m used to people making noise near my workplace. When it comes to game design, communication is very important, so I like to be as close as possible to my colleagues for discussion and decision making. Awareness of this made the noise in my surroundings welcome. Surprisingly, I can work without music in my ears, but at times when I really want to sleep, I usually run YouTube documentaries in the background. And the last - regardless of the season, I need air circulation. That's what I use a table fan for. ”

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