game, game. repeat.

First Week At EA

Sat 10 January 2004 #IWantToWorkAtEA.com

I started work Tuesday and man, I’m having a great time! I really lucked out–Hunter and Lisa have tons of experience are a real pleasure to work with. Everyone I’ve met so far has been helpful and enthusiastic in fact–like Victor and Robert in IT who have been going out of their way to help me get what I need. I dont know if I’ve ever worked with more helpful IT guys. Its pretty cool. But lemme tell you about what I’m doing.

I’m on the team that is building EA’s next big game. Its bigger and more ambitious than anything EA has built before (considering EA, thats saying something). And thats about all I can tell you about it until its officially announced. Its about the sweetest project I could imagine starting my game career with. :)

My first day was spent absorbing info and ideas from Hunter and getting to know some basics about where I’m working. Got my computer and cube setup too. Day 2 Hunter filled my plate with stuff to work on. And dont let me leave out Lisa who helps me with just about everything, filling me in on all manner of things related to the stuff I’ve been assigned all the way to where the pens are kept. Day 3 I’m jamming on my assignments which include the Intranet site and managing a technology migration that is about half finished at the point I come in. Day 4 I’m hitting my groove, getting stuff done and having a good time of it. And since I started on Tuesday, thats my first week!

As a member of the production team I’m working with a lot of people to help make sure everything that need to get done is prioritized and taken care of properly. We are in the early stages of the game so there is a lot of R&D going on and its especially important to keep the communication lines open while balancing the need to not suck everyones time into too many meetings. Its like building a startup that whose purpose is to invent and deliver a bleed-edge consumer product technology in 18 months.

I think if you can produce a game well you have some serious skills–watching them work I have more and more respect for Hunter and Lisa each day I’m there. Lisa manages to keep it all straight in her head and helps keep everyone focused on what they need to do and Hunter does much of the same while also being responsible for building a vision for the project and then selling it to management. Its really something to see these two in action. They probably dont think much of it but as someone new its fun and inspiring to watch two people with their experience and talent at work.