Patricia A. Pizer

Asheron's Call

Current project:
The sequel to Asheron's Call. As Lead designer, I designed game systems and content, hired & managed a team of designers, interfaced with the Art & Programming Leads to coordinate efforts. I worked with the Producer on scheduling, worked with our publisher, tried to make sure everyone was getting work done & having fun. As Creative Director, I was responsible for holding the vision of what the game would be and ensuring that all groups working on the project were aware and on board with that vision.

Academic Info

College: Macalester College, St. Paul, MN/Emerson College
Degree: B.A. in English and Philosophy/M.A. in Public Relations and Advertising

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
Writing, Communication

Did you do any internships?
Public Relations for a local hospital.

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 was as a Quality Assurance Software Engineer (tester) for Infocom. I'd played all their games and was a huge fan. They were based near where I was living after graduate school and I met someone from the staff. We hit it off and he called me when they had an opening for a tester. It was like a dream come true. I'd test games in production, record bugs, make design suggestions, create "online" hints, customer support, write user manuals. Come to think of it, I did A LOT.

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
After testing at Infocom, I took a detour as a systems designer for customer support software. At Boffo Games, I was the first and then Manager of QA. Over time, I became more involved in design and made significant contributions to The Space Bar in writing, design and programming. From Boffo, I worked as a designer for CogniToy, makers of MindRover. From there, I went on to GameFX (a studio of THQ) to create their QA department and then to become a Designer/Producer. When GameFX was effectively shut down, I moved on to Turbine Games where I was the Lead Designer and then Creative Director for the sequel to Asheron's Call. Currently, I'm acting as a consultant on massively-multiplayer online games.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
To be a good designer, a little bit of everything. First, play games - LOTS of games. Written and oral communication skills are essential. Play games. Deconstruct games; figure out what it is that you like and don't like. Play more games. Examine game systems. Read about game designs. Read post-mortems of games. Some computer science is helpful. Did I mention playing games?

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
How much work it can be. How unstable companies can be. How often I'd be at the office at 2 a.m. How much I'd love it. In retrospect, I would have searched more for a games job when Infocom shut down; I would have been able to move on from QA to Design earlier.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
As an MMO specialist, content designers will be desperately needed. Also with an eye toward MMOs, people who really understand game systems and can create solid gameplay that integrates rich social experience. For my AC2 team, I hired an architect, an anthropologist, and a filmmaker, among others. The interdisciplinary nature of MMO design opens the field for different types of specialization. In the same vein, network people will be in high demand.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
Get to know people in the industry; it's the easiest way to get in. Be active in the game development community by attending things like IGDA chapter meetings. Design games for fun. Think of ways to improve existing games. Read Game Developer Magazine and Gamasutra. Oh, and play games!