Dave Konieczny

The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase

Current project:
Star Wars Episode 2 for Game Boy Advance. I'm the Lead Designer on this project so I'm responsible for all the gameplay content. I also do lots of Producer tasks as well (ie, scheduling milestones, communication with THQ producer, handling outside contracts).

Academic Info

College: Gordon College, Wenham MA
Degree: Bachelors in History

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
Self taught knowledge of computer hardware and software systems, history degree focused on politics and 20th Century wars.

Did you do any internships?
No.

Career Info

Tell us about your first job in the industry. How did you get the job? What was it like? What were your responsibilities?
My first game job was as a QA Tester for Papyrus Design Group on their award winning Indy Car Racing II game. After I graduated my friend told me about a job listed in the Boston Globe for a game company. Since I was a computer game addict (had been all my life) it sounded like a great opportunity so I applied. I sent in my rather thin resume and called just about every other day inquiring about my status. My persistence paid off when they called me in for an interview. During the interview I expressed my passion for games and talked about what I liked and disliked about a number of different games on the market at that time. Finally I pulled out a list of games (pathetic I know) that I had played and that list was REALLY long. I could have explained the pros and cons and gone on talking endlessly about each game on that list. I guess that convinced them because they hired me.

I soon learned that game testing was not for the weak of heart. Working for Papyrus I got really good at racing games. Day in and day out new builds (versions of the game) would be sent to us. It was my job to play the game over and over looking for problems with the game (bugs). If I found any problems I would add them to a database where the programmers could then fix the bug or inform me that I was in fact crazy.

Those days were a lot of fun, but also extremely grueling. Game testers get very little respect (though the project's Producer took our jobs very seriously) and the work can be mind numbingly boring at times. One day I had to drive around the same oval racecourse over and over checking for collision errors with the walls. Try to imagine yourself playing the same (often broken) game for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. It gets old really fast so you must have a total passion for games to survive. Did I mention that I didn't get paid very well? I continued to work hard at the job and became a Lead Tester on Road Rash for the PC.

Of course in retrospect the experience I received at that job was priceless. I learned all about the basics of game development. I stayed on after hours to talk to the producer, the artists and the programmers about their roles. I also spent a lot of time learning about the game design process and was even given the opportunity to create a high-level design document even though the project was never approved (who would have thought that Papyrus wouldn't be interested in a non-racing game).

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
It became clear that Papyrus existed to make racing games, nothing else. Several co-workers and I decided that wasn't for us and we took the ultimate gamble by starting our own game company, 5D Games. My position in the new company was game designer, but I also learned a tremendous amount about the business side of the game industry during our various negotiations with the major game publishers. I cut my teeth on game design here learning how to create and maintain a design document and struggling with the seemingly infinite number of gameplay balance issues. The game was called Millennium Four and was (at least for its time in 1996) the first game to combine 1st person action seamlessly with space combat. We signed a deal with GT Interactive and were off. Unfortunately, almost 2 years later GT Interactive started having financial trouble and we lost our funding and ultimately made the decision to shut down the company.

After 5D Games I joined GameFx, a game company spin off from 3dfx Interactive. There I worked as a Producer gaining valuable management experience. I also had the fantastic opportunity to work with Steve Meretzky, one of the game industry's finest adventure game designers.

After GameFx an opportunity too good to pass up came along and I co-founded another independent game studio, Hardwired Games, formed with ex-GameFx, Looking Glass and Digital Anvil employees. There I served as the Lead Designer on a sci-fi massively multiplayer game entitled Continuum. This project lasted roughly one year before our private investors decided games were not for them. Once again the company had to be shut down, but I gained more valuable experience.

Now I find myself at Helixe, THQ's internal Game Boy Advance studio. I'm currently Producer/Lead Designer but I find myself wearing many hats. I was project lead for The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase, which recently shipped to stores. Currently I'm working as the Lead Designer on a much larger Star Wars project and having the time of my life.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
If you are an artist take any courses you can find focusing on what you do best, be it 3D modeling, animation or 2D drawing. Make an effort to learn the tools of the trade inside and out. Maya or 3D Studio Max are the standards in game development. In addition a natural ability at freehand drawing or classical arts will serve you well.

If you are a programmer I highly recommend taking as many high level math courses as possible (calculus, linear algebra, etc.). Most games are written using the C++ language, but C and even assembly are still good to know. From what I've seen, most college computer science courses don't really prepare you for the kind of work you see in the game industry so I would recommend a lot of experimentation on your own time. Spend your time writing demos or simple games and expand from there. The company I'm at now hires programmers almost entirely based on their skill represented in their code samples.

If you're not a programmer or an artist don't fret. You can still get involved in games. Producers are needed to manage schedules and budgets and keep the team clicking along on the same page. You can start out as a tester or an assistant producer and work your way up from there. Testing is also a great route to game design. Good sound designers and composers are also highly sought after so if you have talent in that area you are in a good position.

Finally, everyone interested in creating games should learn how to play nice with others. Being able to work well in a group is essential. I can't stress this enough. I've seen talented people fail in this industry because they couldn't work well with others. Game development is a collaborative process and strong communication skills are essential. Check your ego at the door and strive to be a team player and you'll do well. Realize also that every member of the team, be it a programmer, artist, producer, designer, sound designer or tester contributes to the overall success of the project so respect others for their own unique talents.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
Yes, the idea that game development is all fun isn't exactly the full truth. I wish someone had prepared me for something we developers call "crunch time", a period towards the end of development where everybody looks really tired, smells bad and gets cranky. The final push to get most games "done" (even those that are well planned) is insane. If you want make games be prepared for this. It WILL happen.

Also, don't expect to make a million dollars and drive a Ferrari (though my co-worker does in fact drive a Ferrari). It's very difficult to make lots of money in this industry. If you are here for the payola you have been misinformed. Lots of companies are lucky to break even and earn the chance to develop a second title. Watching a great team and a promising game die a horrible death because the economic model didn't work out sucks. Believe me, I have lots of experience.

If I had it to do over again I would have spent more time early on in my career learning more about programming and art. As a designer you have to have a good understanding of these two components to make a good game. The more you know about these disciplines the better off you will be.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
I think there will be a need for more specialization. Game development is becoming more and more like
film production everyday. Specialized programmers are needed for AI, graphics and game mechanics. Artists specialize in 2D (textures, interface, etc), 3D modeling, and animation. Designers break down into writers, scripters and level/world builders. Audio breaks down into music composition and sound design. The good news is that people entering the industry now will have more options available to them.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
It sounds cliché, but come be a game developer because you love games passionately and you have a desire to move the industry forward. Be ready to sacrifice and humble yourself to create opportunities for yourself. Once you break in, take risks and work hard to put your talents to work. Most of all try to have fun, even when things go bad. There are very few jobs in the world that can be as challenging and yet as satisfying as game development. I couldn't imagine doing anything else.