Game Programming Job

**GamingHR** · 01-21-2010

Hey all!

As far as I know, there was nothing in the rules about posting a great job opening, so I hope it is all ok! =)

I look forward to hearing from interested candidates! Again, hope it is alright to post. Please reply to [email protected]

Company Description:

1st Playable Productions is a community-oriented game studio, modeled on the principles of social entrepreneurship. Our mission is to inspire kids, gamers, and game developers with fun games for entertainment and learning. The company balances our passion for development of engaging and fun entertainment license-based games for kids, with new product research to create a new generation of educationally oriented games to inspire and engage kids of all ages.

We're here to make fun and great looking games for children that build the entertainment brands that they represent. We love finding ways to get more out of limited game platforms, and are a licensed developer for Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, as well as other embedded game platforms.

Position Description:

1st Playable is seeking an experienced game programmer to lead development of high quality 2D and 3D games while working closely with a small team on a variety of platforms including the DSi, Wii and iPhone.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to design, write, document, and maintain solid code; lead a small team of programmers; collaborate with coworkers and communicate with clients; and plan and evolve a reasonable schedule. Applicants should show initiative and resourcefulness in problem solving, and enjoy the challenge of making great games while working within constraints. Candidates should be driven to try new approaches and innovate whenever opportunity arises. The ideal applicant is passionate and committed to making games and also wants to have a broader impact than a list of game titles.

Required:

• A degree in computer science or a related discipline.
• 2-5 years experience in game development on console and/or handheld platforms.
• Strong experience in C and C++ (familiarity with ARM or PowerPC assembly a plus).
• Ability to work with and improve legacy codebases and toolsets.
• Ability to develop, execute, and maintain a feasible plan and work schedule for a team.
• Experience in code and design reviews.
• Excellent problem solving and debugging skills.
• Ability to work effectively on a team, including strong communication and documentation skills.
• Willingness to participate in community service and outreach.
• Enthusiasm for having fun while making great games!

Desired:

• Experience with agile software development methodologies such as PSP, Scrum, or XP.
• Experience with 3D engines, 3D mathematics, and animation systems.
• Experience with automated testing and debugging.
• Experience with AI systems or player handling.

**Salem** · 01-21-2010

But picking the right forum is - moved.

**Mario F.** · 01-21-2010

Originally Posted by GamingHR

and are a licensed developer for Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, as well as other embedded game platforms.

But not the PC, where your educational objectives could perhaps be put to a better use and find a wider audience, including the parents?

**MK27** · 01-21-2010

Originally Posted by Mario F.

But not the PC, where your educational objectives could perhaps [...] find a wider audience, including the parents?

I doubt you will find a wider audience on the PC. A lot more people play games on the Wii & Xbox, etc, and in homes with both the parents probably prefer the kids play on the game machine, not the PC. This also saves paying for both an Xbox, and a 3D graphics card, and game controllers for both.

In homes with either one OR the other, a lack of game machine indicates a lack of interest in games (I don't own one), so not much point in selling games to PC owners who won't dish out a few hundred bucks for a game console.

And unless the games involve a lot of typing

there is nothing about a game console which makes it less conducive to education. Sans typing, I'd rather learn on a Wii and so would everybody else...remember, most of today's parents grew up with atari and nintendo and aren't snobbish about (or intimidated by) it.

**GamingHR** · 01-21-2010

Great insight MK27! Thanks for the input =) We are finding that a lot of people in our office are parents themselves, with fond memories of the atari.

**GamingHR** · 01-21-2010

Ah, I see it has moved. Thank you, I didn't see the Job Recruitment thread prior =)

**Mario F.** · 01-21-2010

Funny. I don't see myself or any of other parents around me falling in this behavioral pattern. And we too share found memories of older systems... "Must be a thing".

Anyway, I was thinking more in the lines of taking advantage of the synergies a PC can offer in educational terms that a console doesn't. For all purposes a personal computer will be their tool later on for education, entertainment and work.

But hey! I was just curious, since educational software is one area that interests me very much. Good luck with your projects.

**GamingHR** · 01-21-2010

Thanks! We have done some great stuff, and more on the way that are not on the site (nor can I say

1st Playable Productions, LLC » Our Games

**Mario F.** · 01-21-2010

Ah! I should have looked at the website first. I was thinking on an entirely different type of educational software.

**abachler** · 01-21-2010

Originally Posted by MK27

I doubt you will find a wider audience on the PC. A lot more people play games on the Wii & Xbox, etc, and in homes with both the parents probably prefer the kids play on the game machine, not the PC.

You are mistaken if you believe that. The PC is the largest segment of the game market specifically because more homes have a PC than have any specific proprietary platform. PC's also have higher performance than consoles, and more affluent gamers prefer PC's. Affluent gamers also buy more games per year.

**MK27** · 01-22-2010

Originally Posted by abachler

You are mistaken if you believe that. The PC is the largest segment of the game market specifically because more homes have a PC than have any specific proprietary platform. PC's also have higher performance than consoles, and more affluent gamers prefer PC's. Affluent gamers also buy more games per year.

I wouldn't count PCs as the statistic, I would count high performance 3D graphics cards, since you cannot play a modern 3D game without one. And most PC's do not have one. But I stand corrected, wrt the sales figures (altho your statement implies that all game consoles put together are the largest market).

However, isn't the PC game market also mostly adults (particularly, single young men without children) buying games for themselves? Again, I am totally ignorant, but it just seems to me that Wii and Nintendo (in particular) target a younger (non-adult) audience more than anyone else. Eg, I don't see Far Cry 2 as having any interest to a 5 year old girl, but I do see such people playing other kinds of games. I bet kids that age with access to a PC but no game console probably play more free online games than anything else.

Maybe an analogy would be that Universal is a much bigger film company than Disney, except in some particular niches.

* the same way teenagers (with no dependants or real expenses, but some disposable income) are a significant market for certain kinds of products.

**abachler** · 01-22-2010

Most games do not require an advanced 3D graphics card. Most run just fine at lower settings on an average graphics card, and they don't make non-3D cards anymore, they haven't for at least a decade or longer.

DDO runs just fine on my laptop graphics card, which is very low end (the whole system only cost $250). Granted I cant crank it up to 1650x1080 and max all the settings, but it plays acceptably well. As for far cry, that is a very poor example because it uses a ........ty graphics engine. The same level of detail could be done for half the performance if it used a decent engine.

**VirtualAce** · 01-23-2010

The PC for sure is definitely the largest segment of the games market even if companies refuse to believe it. Casual games probably do have a larger market on handhelds and consoles but I'm not sure since Steam, D2D, Stardock's Impulse, and a host of others do not report their sales figures.

It's nice to have a legit job posting here. Very refreshing. Thanks for posting.

**Mario F.** · 01-23-2010

Indeed. And for the sake of it I personally wouldn't mind at all if the whole debate was removed if this benefited the legitimacy of the ad.

**GamingHR** · 01-26-2010

Thanks! I hoping to not come across as one of those annoying, constantly posting spammers. And I figured this would be a hub for what we are looking for. I do though, find the debate here rather interesting

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