STAFF PROFILE: GEORGE, GAME DESIGNER (cont.)
What do you do day to day?
I spend most of my time thinking up ideas, brainstorming with other team members and directing all aspects of the game design. At the start of a project or idea, I'll spend most of my time on my own first and try to crystallize a vision or concept. Then I'll start working very closely with a concept artist, a senior programmer and a lead artist and try and get them to understand and see what's in my head. We go from there.
I'm very lucky because I have some exceptionally talented people around me and I'm never afraid to share ideas with them as they can often inject new ideas and provoke a different thought process. Directing the creative process isn’t just about coming up with all the ideas on your own. It's about understanding what others can bring to the experience and taking on board other people's opinions. Directing is also about not being afraid to admit you may be wrong about a feature or element of the game. No-one is always right. Apart from me…
What is it like to work at Rare?
It's great. Brilliant. Amazing. Fantastic. For me, it really is all of the above. In the past 10 years, I've learned so much about the creation of video games. Having been involved in the video game industry in many different capacities before coming to Rare, I thought I knew a lot. I was SO wrong. After 10 years of designing games, I can honestly say that I'm still learning to this day and I'm just as excited to be here as I was on my first day. Every project throws up its own unique set of issues and problems and every day there are new challenges to meet - you can never get complacent or bored in such an environment. Also, being around very creative and talented people makes it possible to do very impossible things. I've always wanted to do the impossible. What more could a creative person ask for...? |
