Feature: Take This Job and Love It! - Programmer - Brian Smolik
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Name: Brian Smolik Title: Programmer - Midway Games Notable Past Projects: Spy Hunter GBA is most recent. KI FAQ most note worthy :) Current Project: Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance GBA Schooling/Degree: Partial Masters Degree General duties of your position/title: Program and Design games for the GBA. Currently working on the fighting engine for MKDA:GBA Salary Range for your title (not necessarily what you specifically make): 30k-150k+ How many people are in your department/team? If you are a manager, many people do you oversee? 6 What was the most valuable bit of knowledge or experience you brought with you to the job? Knowledge and experience of 'good' game play. Knowing what feels right and what just feels wrong or sloppy, also having the ability to either communicate what's wrong and how to fix it, or be able to fix it myself. Not just say it sucks, but give reasons, and answers on how it can 'not suck'. What was the first major lesson you learned once you started working in the industry? You can't do it all. Being part of a team, means you have to work as a team, and you can't do everything yourself. You have to be able to work with others to accomplish the task together. Or you'll never ship on time. What academic focuses would you recommend for someone who wants to do your job someday? Everything now is C, Assembler, and math. Since all game platforms are quickly being forced to utilize 3D, you really need to understand how it all works. Common misconceptions about your job? Lots of people think you just press a few buttons and the objects (players, sprites...) just appear on the screen and move around. Being a programmer means your the guy that CREATES that button first, then pushes it. Is college a necessity, a really good idea, or not required for your line of work? A few years back, I would of said it's a really good idea. But now, with our current generation's of systems, you really need the upper level ideas and knowledge about math, physics, higher level coding, and lower level coding. What tools and software do you use on a regular basis? Visual C, 3DSMax, Maya, and many custom programs. (Besides the standard tools provided by companies like Nintendo, Sony... etc... What's your advice for breaking into your line of work? If your a programmer, do what it takes to create a game from start to finish. It can be a simple litter racing game, puzzle game, whatever. But people want to see that you can take your ideas, stick with them, and make a finished product. Not just drop blocks, and pile them up, but have scoring, menus, start/finish, rules and controls all tweaked. Anyone can stack blocks, but to do some things that show dedication to your project are what gets you to the next level. Knowledge = good, demos and experience = great.
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