I've been a games developer twice in my long career (40+ years).
Between 2007 and 2011 I worked for Codemasters on their racing games: Colin MacRae Rally, Dirt, Grid, F1 2011. My name appears in the list of credits.
I worked in audio software - I created the tool used to design audio in the game, and wrote some of the run time to make it happen.
Codemasters were based in Southam, in Royal Lemington Spa, over an hours drive from London where my house is.
I transferred to their Guildford studio and worked remotely - that studio closed when they released the game BodyCount - it collapsed and cost $15M, taking out the studio and 80+ jobs, mine included.
After that I just found it impossible to get back into games.
Then COVID hit, and a friend suggested I look into Star Citizen. They're based in Manchester, I'm still in London. They offered me a job, I asked to work remotely permanently, they agreed. I'm back in games again, this time as a tools programmer. I helped support one of their biggest tools that maintained loads of XML files that described everything in game.
I left in Nov of last year. I was there for five years. I'm retired now.
I took part in one of their events - 30 developers defending one of the big ships, like an air craft carrier. I manned one of its turrets and took shots at customers trying to steal the ship from us. After several hours it blew up and the session ended.
I'm a STEM Ambassador, I go into schools and promote STEM subjects. Kids eyes light up when I mention I worked in games.
Between 2007 and 2011 I worked for Codemasters on their racing games: Colin MacRae Rally, Dirt, Grid, F1 2011. My name appears in the list of credits.
I worked in audio software - I created the tool used to design audio in the game, and wrote some of the run time to make it happen.
Codemasters were based in Southam, in Royal Lemington Spa, over an hours drive from London where my house is.
I transferred to their Guildford studio and worked remotely - that studio closed when they released the game BodyCount - it collapsed and cost $15M, taking out the studio and 80+ jobs, mine included.
After that I just found it impossible to get back into games.
Then COVID hit, and a friend suggested I look into Star Citizen. They're based in Manchester, I'm still in London. They offered me a job, I asked to work remotely permanently, they agreed. I'm back in games again, this time as a tools programmer. I helped support one of their biggest tools that maintained loads of XML files that described everything in game.
I left in Nov of last year. I was there for five years. I'm retired now.
I took part in one of their events - 30 developers defending one of the big ships, like an air craft carrier. I manned one of its turrets and took shots at customers trying to steal the ship from us. After several hours it blew up and the session ended.
I'm a STEM Ambassador, I go into schools and promote STEM subjects. Kids eyes light up when I mention I worked in games.
