Seonaidh Davenport

Current project:
A multiplayer comic fighting title. As Program Manager, I'm responsible for working with the developer to create the game and for coordinating the publisher team here at Microsoft to support the development, testing, marketing, and PR for it.

Academic Info

College: Princeton University
Degree: Bachelor's Degree, History of Art and Architecture

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
Architecture and Twentieth Century Art

Did you do any internships?
New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.

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 definitely blundered into the industry from Internet Development. I loved the programming and architecture of networked applications and massive database-driven sites, but was deeply attracted to the richness of user experience-music, animation, more complex interaction, game rulesets and intricate narratives--that only games development offered in 1997. I was lucky enough to work at a shop in Austin, Human Code, that let me switch groups to do games.

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
Yikes. Started in a contemporary art museum and then moved to the writing side, as an Editorial Assistant at ArtNews magazine. Went from there to freelancing and ended up doing editorial work in New York City's dog-eat-dog book publishing world for a tiny, wonderful company called Princeton Architectural Press. Started messing around developing web sites and from there just took over a project as the producer, then started supervising larger teams. When I left New York, I moved to Austin and worked for a perfectly tragicomedy of an Internet startup (everyone was doing it then . . . and I did inhale). Once we'd successfully imploded that, I joined Human Code, which was doing games but also starting to branch out into Internet and network development. That's initially why they hired me, and then I got the chance to get my hands onto game development. It was a great place and a joy to be working with superb creative and technical talent. Somewhere I realized that was not only what I wanted to do, but what I AM, a games producer. I love jumping from thinking about animation to checking out voice talent samples to dorking out on lengthy asset spreadsheets to negotiating with people about what can or can't be done, to being there at 2 am trying to reproduce some annoying bug. Sick, no question.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
Do people always suggest programming courses? I wish I'd been assiduous about taking them, it's true. But for my money? Food service. Sounds ludicrous, but you have to be hustling all the time, deal with absolute savages (customers and coworkers), keep track of tons of niggly bits of information, and keep a goddamned smile on your face in the midst of what initially seems like only barely contained chaos. It's really good practice in developing good crisis management and customer management skills. I think architecture is wonderful because you're thinking about visual and spatial issues, functioning on very little sleep, and learn how to deal with criticism. Cinematography will, I hope, become increasingly important with next generation titles: with the next gen hardware and evolved toolsets, we have the technical ability to set up snazzy lighting effects and smooth curves and elaborate textures. But I think we have to think more in terms of cinematography and the art of mise-en-scene: giving players a breathtaking sense of a specific time, place, mood and using camera in a sophisticated way that does service to that environment and to the player moving through it.

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 would have spent a lot less time feeling guilty about playing games, for starters. It takes a lot of time to develop a good critical eye, become facile with all of the elements that play into a great game. I'm actually rather glad I didn't know what I was in for - if someone had told me, for example, that I'd end up passionate debates about which button should be "jump," or have to wait for a colleague to finish off a few orcs before talking to me, I might have run away.

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 cinematographers and lighting experts will be vital as games become more and more truly immersive. My hope is that really good writing will also be valued as it should be - we have the potential to create more intricate stories, the space to hold lots of spoken lines to better convey characters interaction with each other, and an increasingly sophisticated and articulate audience. So many games have just dismal, dismal writing, and I think there is room for totally new forms of entertainment that also have a game component... without strong writing that just won't happen.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
It sounds so hackneyed...

1) Take the path less traveled. Don't get caught up in getting the summer job that will make you the most money - especially if it's at the Mall! Even if it's harder to land and won't pay squat, find an internship to learn about what you think you might want to do. You'll learn tons more doing that than taking a course in it.

2) Develop a discipline that matches your exuberance, and lose the 'tude. It's hard work. Just because you like playing games doesn't mean you're the next Peter Molyneux. Be prepared to learn and work very hard and learn some more from people who know a ton more than you do.

3) And something that is difficult for people who are - as most of us in the industry were growing up - rather shy freaks: reach out to people and ask them. A sibling's friend, someone whose article you read and liked... they're surprisingly willing to give you a chance.