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Thread Statistics | Show CCP posts - 2 post(s) |
Comy 1
Ore Mongers Indecisive Certainty
56
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Posted - 2011.10.30 12:29:00 -
[1] - Quote
Hey!
Something I wanted to know for a long time is how a game developing company is structured. As an engineering student it would be awesome to get some actual insight into how potential future companies of interrest works.
I understand that you (CCP) might not want to tell us everything about what every departments current assignments or number of employees are but I would appreciate it if you could shed some light on some of these questions:
1) What departments do you at CCP have, and what are their general tasks?
2) What kind of backgrounds do people at CCP have? Are they all programmers (or artists for the art team) or do you employ people with other specialties like e.g. HCI (human-computer interaction) specialists?
3) How strict are the plans generally? Does every employee have his/her work cut out for them or does it exist alot of side projects that might end up as future focused ideas?
4) Even if this might vary alot between companies and departments, what do you (CCP) look for in people you employ in terms of background, skills and similar.
I know it might be hard to answer these questions, and not every company likes to make this public but it would be awesome if you could shed some light on it.
Thanks. |
Tobias Sjodin
Habitual Euthanasia Pandemic Legion
47
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Posted - 2011.10.30 12:30:00 -
[2] - Quote
first
Also, I too am interested in this. |
Aineko Macx
Royal Amarr Institute Amarr Empire
11
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Posted - 2011.10.30 12:40:00 -
[3] - Quote
Not a 100% match for the OP question, but it provides some insight into the problems inside the company: EDIT: Stoopid forum forbids all but the simples links. Google for the employee reviews at glassdoor.com |
Florestan Bronstein
The Waterworks
150
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Posted - 2011.10.30 13:00:00 -
[4] - Quote
questions 2-4 have obvious "right" answers, I don't think you will get any insight about reality at CCP out of this. |
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Chribba
Otherworld Enterprises Otherworld Empire
673
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Posted - 2011.10.30 13:20:00 -
[5] - Quote
Wasn't this the original idea of the CSM...
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GM Homonoia
Game Masters C C P Alliance
86
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Posted - 2011.10.30 13:23:00 -
[6] - Quote
Comy 1 wrote: 1) What departments do you at CCP have, and what are their general tasks?
Development (making our products): - QA (QA/QA Engineering) - Programming (Client/Server/Network/UI/Tools/Etc/Web) - Design (Game Systems/UI/UX/Web) - Art
Publishing (Maintaining our products): - Operations - Marketing - Community - Customer Support - Research and Statistics
Corporate (Supporting the rest of the company): - HR - Finance - Kitchen Staff
Note: Those above are not all of them, but that is the quick list
Comy 1 wrote: 2) What kind of backgrounds do people at CCP have? Are they all programmers (or artists for the art team) or do you employ people with other specialties like e.g. HCI (human-computer interaction) specialists?
This varies greatly. We have hired game programmers and artists, but also fashion designers and architects. One of our successful game designers only had a background in economics and used to work as a stock broker; that meant he understood math and economies (not just those about money, combat balance is also a form of economy).
If I look at my own department (because that is where I have the most insights, of course), we employ people from all sorts of areas. We used to have a GM with a Phd in Toxicology.
In general QA and Customer Support are the two areas where people that want to get into the games industry start out. That means that in those departments you have the biggest variety of people and backgrounds. You want to be a programmer, better learn how to program and you better be very good. The same goes for art. For all other areas you better start networking, because your CV will simply not be enough to get your foot in the door.
The ugly truth is; for every job opening in the games industry there are a thousand applicants. Every college and their mothers have started courses on game design and other game related jobs and they are churning out many more students then there are jobs. You want to break into this industry you need to: - Be very good at what you do, whatever that is <-- Very important, game companies can chose from a ridiculous amount of people that all want in and are prepared to bend over backwards. They tend to only pick the best. - Be able to present yourself very well (a standard CV is not going to cut it) - Be good at networking - Be prepared to be paid less then in equivalent jobs and work longer hours - Have a good dose of luck
And a warning to all game design students: Game design is NOT a starter job. Most people hired as game designers have a background in math, economics, engineering, or some other numbers based specialty, OR they are hired from other departments, most notably QA. If you want to become a game designer and are studying to become one:
1. Become very good at math 2. Learn how internal economies work 3. Learn the basics of 3d modeling and programming 4. Network, network, network 5. Work hard at getting a proper internship 6. Get experience in QA as well as design, you may have to start there
Comy 1 wrote: 3) How strict are the plans generally? Does every employee have his/her work cut out for them or does it exist alot of side projects that might end up as future focused ideas?
Depends severely on the job you do. Some artists work on one type of thing only and they tend to be extremely specialized. However, if I look at myself there are weeks where I barely touch a petition at all and I spend all my time on other tasks. It really depends what type of job you have and who you are (some people show initiative and they end up with a wild array of tasks and responsibilities, while others simply tend to their specialty and have no desire to show initiative or to broaden their set of responsibilities). In the end CCP allows great freedom in how much and what you want to take on; those thay show initiative are encouraged to seek out their limits.
Comy 1 wrote: 4) Even if this might vary alot between companies and departments, what do you (CCP) look for in people you employ in terms of background, skills and similar.
1. Whatever you do, be very good at it. 2. Fit into the 'gamer' culture and the 'viking' culture alike. 3. Be fluent in English. GM Homonoia | Info Group | Game Master |
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Comy 1
Ore Mongers Indecisive Certainty
56
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Posted - 2011.10.30 13:24:00 -
[7] - Quote
I might have formulated some questions bad, feel free to come up with ideas for better ones.
However I don't want this thread to be some kind of pros/cons about working at a specific company that ends up with some kind of propaganda for anyone. Obviously every company has it's good and bad sides, but this is not what I want to know. |
Kenpachi Viktor
Gradient Electus Matari
85
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Posted - 2011.10.30 14:03:00 -
[8] - Quote
One of the things I like about the Eve universe is the IP is closer to hard science, than to high fantasy. (most of the time ) But to be more "real" I would expect you to need to have access to real cutting edge science to be able to implement that into the PF/Cannon
GM Homonoia wrote: We used to have a GM with a Phd in Toxicology.
Have these "extra" qualifications ever been used for the IP in this way; expertise borrowed by the content team?
"Watch what they do not what they say. Talk is cheap, and while I do like the current activity of the Devs it really doesn't mean much unless we start seeing results."-á |
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GM Homonoia
Game Masters C C P Alliance
87
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Posted - 2011.10.30 14:09:00 -
[9] - Quote
Kenpachi Viktor wrote:One of the things I like about the Eve universe is the IP is closer to hard science, than to high fantasy. (most of the time ) But to be more "real" I would expect you to need to have access to real cutting edge science to be able to implement that into the PF/Cannon GM Homonoia wrote: We used to have a GM with a Phd in Toxicology.
Have these "extra" qualifications ever been used for the IP in this way; expertise borrowed by the content team?
From that specific GM? No. But sometimes areas of expertise like that are shared. The most common one is EVE experience. We have quite a few people here who have some very high level EVE experience and these people are often pulled into brainstorm meetings, for example. But we have also consulted astronomers in the past. If you have a skill that is unrelated to the work you do, chances are that it will come up at some point. GM Homonoia | Info Group | Game Master |
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Morganta
Peripheral Madness The Midget Mafia
199
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Posted - 2011.10.30 14:09:00 -
[10] - Quote
Comy 1 wrote:I might have formulated some questions bad, feel free to come up with ideas for better ones.
However I don't want this thread to be some kind of pros/cons about working at a specific company that ends up with some kind of propaganda for anyone. Obviously every company has it's good and bad sides, but this is not what I want to know.
Edit: Thank you very much for your reply Homonia, interresting reading that actually answers alot of my questions.
well although I can't answer your CCP questions, you might be interested to know my great uncle was Bucky Fuller.
true story The American public's reaction to the change was poor and the new cola was a major marketing failure. The subsequent reintroduction of Coke's original formula, re-branded as "Coca-Cola Classic", resulted in a significant gain in sales, leading to speculation that the introduction of the New Coke formula was just a marketing ploy |
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