Geneviève Picard

Current project:
The core engine technology. This game engine is at the core of all the games produced by A2M. It is then ported to different platforms like Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Gamecube by other development teams. My work is centered on the mathematical aspect of the engine, specifically 3D transformations and linear algebra.

Academic Info

College: I have travelled a lot and studied in "Lycée Français" around the world. I have completed my education in Montreal at the Ecole Polytechnique after 4 years in computer engineering.
Degree: I have obtained a Bachelor's degree in Applied Sciences in computer engineering. I am now starting a 3 years probation to obtain the title of engineer in Quebec.

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
My internships introduced me to computer graphics, and I have decided to pursue my career in this domain.

Did you do any internships?
I did two internships during my studies. The first one was at Matrox Graphics Inc. I worked there as part of the Developer Relations Group. Matrox is working on a 3D game engine to explore the possibilities and limits of their graphic cards, but also to provide better support to game developers. I did two modules integrated to their engine. The first one was a lightmap calculator done in C++ and the UI in MFC. The second module was a particle system used to simulate different visual effects such as smoke coming out of a volcano, explosions, splash of water, etc.

The second internship was at Maz Laboratory Inc., a small company based in Montreal and doing research mainly on artificial intelligence and 3D visualization. I worked on real-time 3D deformations effects realized as plug-ins for Kaydara's FilmBox.

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?
I am about to start my first job with A2M, so I guess I will have to update this interview later =)

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
I intend to work for A2M for a few years, and if I survive the game developement world, I might even pursue studies in this domain such as a Masters in Computer Graphics. We'll see!

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
Computer engineering is not necessarily the best way to go if you are sure that you want to program games. I think that a simple Bachelors degree in Computer Science is enough. But engineering studies give you the tools and the experience to solve problems. I think the most important thing is to do personal projects (try to build your own game engine) and to acquire experience in the "real" world (internships, summer jobs in the industry). But also: don't forget that math is very important in computer graphics!

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
I think I've been pretty lucky so far, and I wouldn't change a thing!

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
More programmers.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
Work hard, play a lot ;-) and keep up to date with the latest developments in the gaming industry. You could start by meeting people through the IGDA chapters!