Kristine Ishii

Current project:
A historical real-time strategy game. I was hired mostly for multiplayer balancing and minor scenario work. However, all designers have input into the project!

Academic Info

College: Wellesley College
Degree: B.A. in Economics

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
Playing video games, particularly StarCraft and others in the RTS genre, and learning the gaming industry. Does this have anything to do with Economics? No. I found Economics to be a bit dry, and the gaming world to be exciting.

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 job is listed above, as I've only been here for a month and a half! I was lucky enough to find this job using the Gamasutra website, and sent in an application like everyone else. I felt extremely lucky to get this job, especially since it's a lot of fun working here. We work hard, but we also play ping-pong, shoot some pool, and just enjoy this industry (especially the casual clothing!). The team is excellent, always supportive and hard working, but most importantly, we remember to have fun!

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
My "career path" is playing video games for almost my entire life (approximately 15+ years and I'm 21). My last few years were spent as a hardcore StarCraft player, and at one time I did turn professional. However, I chose to finish college instead of going to Korea because the development of games is more fascinating to me, and professional gaming seems like a fleeting moment in life (the younger generation with faster reflexes will eventually take over).

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
It is, first and foremost, always important to love what you're doing. To be a game designer, you must first love playing games, and second be the engineer - you must know how every part of the game works (from a design aspect). But always remember that you need the ability to articulate your thoughts and be a team player.

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 wish someone would have told me not to apply for full time jobs in advance! I thought that applying for jobs in February for graduation would be a positive, but unfortunately the industry doesn't work that way. They want you to start immediately, not in several months!

One of my biggest regrets though, was trying to get ANY job in the industry. When you want something really badly, you forget at times that most importantly, you have to be happy! I applied and interviewed with many companies who created games I would not have been happy designing for, and that would have made life miserable. Go for your goal and try to have as many options available as possible, but choose companies that will make you happy. In the end I was fortunate, but a part of me still dreads what would have happened had I accepted another company.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
The types of jobs aren't as important to me as the importance of each job. For a long time, many games were simple in design so most of the development process was spent on graphics and programming. As games become more complex, the demand for great game designers will become much larger. Currently, some people hold game designers in low regard (I read an article that stated game design is not a job) and while there are many who wish to design games, there are few with the ability. The difficulty, currently, is discerning who has that ability and who doesn't, especially out of the thousands of people applying for the job.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
Never give up on your dreams and goals. If it means taking a lesser job with the hope of going up the ladder, DO IT. If a small failure is enough to deter you from your dream, then that dream is obviously not worth enough to you. To be a designer you must be willing to make sacrifices, work hard, and love every minute of it. Do you have what it takes?