GDC
I've returned from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) this year, and as usual had a wonderful time. If you are in the industry or thinking of joining it, I highly recommend going to the San Fransisco Game Developers Conference at least once.
Don't Just Try To Keep Up, Try To Run Ahead
Having completed everything I had been recommended to do/study/learn/get experience with last year, I felt pretty good going in and talking with people this year. I had a lot of great conversations with many very cool and talented people. With luck, I'll be getting a job offer or two that involve working for a real company, but I also went ahead and made plans for if I don't get picked up right away.
As usual, one of my key interests is finding out what areas to focus on in terms of continuing education. In this industry you can never really sit still, so it's important to get news on the latest and greatest. I'll be chasing down some new theories and tech in AI, level of detail (LOD) and other optimization practices. I'd like to do a bit of squad tactic AI as a tech demo at some point too. Squad AI is fun in that it combines a lot of the techniques I've used in the past into one big system to achieve results. I'm also rather interested in some of the work going into peripheral devices.
Talking with perspective employers was a lot of fun this year. Everyone was really nice, and I had a great time meeting all the people at the EA party. I also owe a special thanks to the experienced engineers and designers at several companies for taking the time to discuss my strengths and weaknesses with me. It's important that I know exactly what is expected of me as both a game play programmer and systems designer. Currently I am well qualified for smaller companies and entry level positions, but some of the heavier hitting companies (Blizzard, Bethesda, etc.) simply do not hire fresh meat. Learning what they look for and expect from experienced and seasoned developers is invaluable for improving and refining my own skills, abilities and focus. From the conversations I had it is clear that next on my personal growth list will be the study of consoles and the various eccentricities that accompany them. Every console is different, so I haven't put a ton into learning any specific one yet, but I think for the sake of showing that it won't be an issue I'll need to do something with a couple of them.
Tangent: Mathematically Gifted Dyslexics (what it means to be wired for logic)
One of the more surprising and frequent questions I encountered in interviews was 'How is your math?'. The question in and of itself is not shocking, logic flows and math are very important to programming. What was surprising is that in past years I have never actually been asked this. Perhaps it is a sign that following the advice of previous years has pushed my skills to a recognizably high level. Regardless, I did find I had a bit of a problem answering these questions.
While my logic skills are indeed very potent (to the point that I can get annoying when I'm in "analytic mode"), the story of my skills with formulas is a bit different. Dyslexia gave me some pretty big issues as a kid because most schools do a lot of memorization based math. Since dyslexia prevents memorized symbolic data from being reliable, I have always had to learn the rules and logic behind formulas, and then essentially derive the symbolic formula back out again and write it in the corner of the test. Once I have the formula back out, I can plug things in and use it like normal. In school, this was a problem because I would run out of time.
Eventually I got to high enough levels that no one can memorize the equations and the tests switched to creating the formulas or using reference formula sheets. At this point I pretty much crushed the average student because I had been doing this high end stuff my whole life. The end result of all this is that I quickly pick up and use complex formulas and steam roll through logic (this is why so many famous mathematicians and scientists are dyslexics, Einstein being the best known).
However, if you verbally ask me to explain a formula or start using symbolic terms when I have not recently worked with them, I will still have problems (acronyms are the worst). It's not that I don't know the logic or math, it's that I can't process your verbal symbolism back into the logic without something to write it on. Talk in logic and rules and I'm fine, start talking about lambda and dropping buzz words like linear algebra and I'll need to look up the terms again (unless I'm currently working with them on a daily basis, then I'm usually okay).
In short, if you understand dyslexia and what those who overcome it become, all I would have to say when asked about my math skills is "It's not an issue because I'm dyslexic". Unfortunately, most people think of dyslexia as a disorder and handicap because they usually hear about the schooling problems. Very few realize that the "disorder" actually sacrifices symbolic referencing to enhance spacial reasoning and logic (research actually suggest that the part of the brain that handles symbols in most people gets highjacked for use in spacial and logical reasoning). This leaves me with a problem. If a potential employer tries to talk about math with me like I'm an average person, I'm going to look like a moron. If they don't understand what dyslexia actually results in, saying I'm dyslexic is going to get me black listed. If I try to explain the whole dyslexia thing to them, they are likely to think I'm trying to make excuses. If they give me some abstract piece of paper with equations on it and I don't have access to my reference notes I am in serious danger of having a dyslexic storm (that is what I call it when the symbolic data in my head gets messed up and is useless, it only happens occasionally but it means I can never trust my symbolic memory) and totally jacking up the math. Clearly, this is an issue. I will need a way to express my skills in logic and math in a way that average "math" people can understand (incidentally, scientist are so frequently dyslexic, that when I was in biology I never had to explain it past "It's not an issue because I'm dyslexic".)
Just in case a potential employer happens to read this, and for the sake of other mathematically gifted dyslexics; I'll provide a brief summer of the pros and cons of being a mathematically gifted dyslexic (let's call us MGDs for short). We are all a little different, but here's the typical break down. MGDs can tern common logic into formulas very effectively, even extremely complex problems can be broken into logic and converted into a formula. Since designers usually talk in common logic this means MGDs can make designer dreams come true. MDGs can also pick up and start using extremely complex and obscure formulas very quickly, and will actually work with a full understanding of the system rather than just plugging in values blindly, this lets them refine preexisting formulas further for specific uses.
MGDs can work with complex formulas and logic much faster than most people; however, they are slower than average when working with simple formulas. It gets back to that unreliable symbolic memorization thing. Average people can hold a small formula in their head, MGDs must still look on a reference sheet or risk garbling the equation (eventually many MGDs can sort of feel when they have a dyslexic storm and can work without the references so long as they keep them handy). MGDs are prone to spelling errors, though these spelling errors are usually phonetically readable. MGDs will need to ask someone to define a simple term from time to time in order to "reset their brain". For example, I am known to do this when I feel a dyslexic storm coming on because feedback from another person is the most effective way to stop the processes in its tracks. When a person isn't around, I use Google, though it is slightly less effective and I might need to do a couple of terms. MGDs sometimes have issues with polar terms such as male/female, east/west, +/-, left/right. This can result in some verbal confusion. Most people don't really mind this much, but some find it extremely irritating. I am lucky in that I don't do a whole lot of this, but other MGDs I know do. If you want to help them, correct them quickly because it's usually a symptom of an upcoming dyslexic storm.
Plans for My Next Game
Tangents aside, I had a great time at GDC. After discussing and showing a few game concepts off, I've decided to build Shape-Up into an arcade style multiplatform game to release on a number of devices. It's a fairly simple puzzle game, so development should be fairly swift. With luck it will monetize well and help support some of the larger projects that will take much longer to develop.
Special Thanks
Without naming names, I'd like to take a quick moment to go into a bit more detail on the people whom I met at various parties/events and thank them. I already mentioned the EA party. EA people, you guys are really great, and I can't thank you enough for the invitation to the private RSVP party. I met a number of you from EA HR and I was really impressed by your openness and enthusiasm. I also met several programmers, artist and designers who were just as nice. The upcoming Sim City sounds like it's going to be really cool and I love the unconventional approach that is being taken in it's development. I don't know how much is public knowledge at this point, so I'll leave it at that. I also met a number of recent graduates, near graduates and independents from a number of development and marketing areas. I really had a great time talking with all of you and I would be thrilled to one day meet again and work along side one another. You are all very talented and clearly bursting with fresh potential. I don't know a ton of engineers on our level, so it was wonderful to talk with people who could understand what I was saying.
Again, I'd like to thank the various companies who pushed me into the "back rooms" to have real talks with big-wig programmers and designers. Especially those who knew that even though they did not have a place for me yet were willing to give me advice so that in a few years I'd be prepared for a place in their company. That's a pretty cool thing to do, and a real honor to be selected to receive such sage wisdom.
AI summit attendees and speakers. It is always a great indulgence to come and geek out with all of you. I thank you all for putting up with my occasionally excessive enthusiasm and relentless probing and picking of brains. I'd also like to thank everyone who signed books for me. I did miss one book signing, so I'll have to catch the author next year (he knows who he is). As usual the summit was great, and I have a nice list of topics to further investigate.
Level Design In A Day summit, thank you for putting up with a gameplay programmer weaving in and out of your session all day. Hopefully I was not too annoying when I tried to get into your heads and further my understanding of how level designers work and what they want from gameplay programmers and system designers. I appreciate the honest and strait forward answers. I'd also like to thank the producers at that summit for the feedback on some of my project prototypes.
Last but not least, I'd like to thank all the other people I met during this years trip. From advertising to engineering, PR to HR, artists to producers, students to gurus and everyone between and beyond, you are a great group of people and really made the convention a blast.
Creatures 4 Blip
I also was pleasantly surprised to run into the people who are making Creatures 4. It looks like they are doing a very nice job with it, and a ton of work has gone into making it a modular micro payment based system. I was not able to get details about the AI, but I was told that the person working on it is a long time fan of the series, so I remain hopeful that they will have preserved the highly flexible system found in C3 at the very least.
Kid Icarus: Uprising... It's Amazing
As a parting note, I had the opportunity to preview play the new multiplayer mode "Kid Icarus: Uprising" game for the Nintendo 3DS. I can't speak for single player mode because I have not played since the demo last year, but the multiplayer is amazing. It's so amazing that the single player could be the worst game ever and it would not matter. Not only does it run flawlessly over local wireless (real time LAN games are the hardest of all multiplayer games to program for... yes they are harder than server ones), but it is extremely well designed and a TON of fun. Designed by the same person as "Super Smash Bros", I suspect we will see a similar following in this ground breaking game. Additional new features (since the single player demo from a year ago) include the on-line multiplayer, several hundred very well made augmented reality (AR) cards that will actually fight with each other if you set the cards next to each other (you don't need the cards for the game, they are just a fun bonus that give the same small randomly generated perks won from playing single player mode levels), and a modular weapon and power up system that lets you build custom gear (every piece will upgrade one thing and downgrade another, so the game remains extremely well balanced). Weapons and power ups are earned in game and in multiplayer mode. They can be transferred to any mode and they can be fuzed into each other to combine stats and make entirely new weapons. Essentially, the weapons are like characters and each handles differently. The multiplayer mode feels a lot like a third person shooter, but has a lot more depth than is usually seen in those games (you will see what I mean if you play it). The closest games I can think of in general feel is TF2 (Team Fortress 2) crossed with Super Smash Bros Melee. If you own a 3DS and haven't picked up a copy/pre-ordered I'd recommend it. Heck, I'd say it's worth buying the whole 3DS system just for this game. It is truly a master piece, and I for one can't wait for my copy to arrive, even if I won't have a whole lot of time to play it (I suspect I'll need to set a timer to force myself off it after 30-60 minutes a night; it is very addictive).
I'd also like to thank the guys at the Nintendo booth for all the fun we had hanging out and playing the game at the end of the show, as well as providing myself and other GDC guests with a hefty collection of the promo AR cards. I'd also like to thank them for inviting me to the promo competition at the Game Stop near the convention center and for the very cool t-shirt that was given to me at the event. Any time Nintendo wants to give me free stuff for playing a game when I'm just killing some time between appointments is fine with me! I'd also like to thank the other guests that I hung out with for the additional fun and for trading cards.
"Gaol", a card that many of us were particularly fascinated by (and the first card I got in the first pack I opened) is particularly interesting. Not only is the name made from the same letters as the word "goal" as we noted at GDC, but according to my father, it is also the Old English spelling for "jail". Quite a depth of hidden name meaning in that character. I didn't run into the game writer on the project that I met last year, but in case he or another designer ever happens by I just want to say, "Nice work!"
Anyhow, thanks to everyone at GDC this year for a wonderful and informative week. I look forward to next year and wish everyone the best.
