Steven Bannister

NFL Quarterback Club

Current project:
NFL Quarterback Club. Programming user interfaces for menus and stat screens.

Academic Info

College: University of Texas at Austin
Degree: I just got my BS on CS

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
Computer Science, particularly computer graphics, networking, artificial intelligence, object-oriented programming.

Did you do any internships?
At Human Code for 6 months working on Redbeard's Pirate Quest.

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?
After my internship at Human Code, they hired me on full time. We made primarily edutainment and kids titles. So I got a lot of 2D, sound, and game logic experience. I was in charge of a few areas of gameplay that were entirely my responsibility along with programming the voice overs and sound effects for a majority of the 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.
I started as an intern, then got hired on full time. Since I was still attending school, I never was in a good position time wise to take on a lead programming role. So I always served as an auxiliary programmer getting the tasks the lead didn't want to tackle. This meant lots of interfaces and sound programming. Then after a year and a half, Sapient purchased Human Code and I got pushed on an educational title to help kids learn to read. I worked on creating a text displaying system for our engine that would make the on screen text more legible than what we already had. Then Sapient folded the Austin offices after a year and I found a job at Acclaim working on the NFL Quarterback Club series.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
Play lots and lots of video games. Form opinions about what you like and don't like and be able to back them up. Think of ways to make the status quo better. Go to college, and pay attention to things like computer graphics, artificial intelligence, and networking if you want to be a game programmer.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
So far the game industry has been great to me. Be prepared to spend long hours if things go poorly. Make sure everyone is communicating so you avoid major setbacks. Determine high-risk areas of production before diving in. Create a schedule and stick to it, otherwise those long hours will knock you down.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
They'll always need 3D graphic engine programmers, AI programmers, networking programmers, 3D artists, texture artists, and game designers with fresh and innovative ideas. They'll also need producers who are organized and motivated to keep the team on track.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
There's no greater job in the world. Well, besides king of your own oil producing island ;-)