HELLO WAI, LET’S START WITH HOW DID YOU GET YOUR JOB IN GAMES?
I got my first games job in the games industry, after 5 years working in IT. I asked my Agent (before the days of internet recruitment) to find me a job with a console company after seeing a TV advert for a new CD based console. I thought it would be fun for a few years, and I ended up working for Sony for 20.
WHAT DO YOU DO DAY-TO-DAY?
Day to day I ensure all our systems are running correctly, our remote workers are able to work, look after firewalls, networks, security, purchase and configuring IT equipment and software, basic IT support. In between all this I am improving infrastructure and ensuring good security and systems governance, whilst trying to do some documentation. In an expanding company like Ballistic Moon your day to day tend not to be the same every day.
I like looking for IT solutions to problems, setting up new infrastructure or improving existing infrastructure, I like the diverse ways of working we have here and to be able to enable the team through technology. Currently, I am quite excited about our new rule based firewall.
WHAT MOST EXCITES YOU ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
I like looking for IT solutions to problems setting up new infrastructure or improving existing infrastructure, I like the diverse ways of working we have here, and enabling it through technology, Currently I am quite excited about our new rule based firewall.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE ASPIRING TO BE A IT SPECIALIST?
For me its useful if you get excited about new computer hardware, in IT you have to be persistent in solving problems, a lot of it can be hard slog to a solution and being able to work with experts in their areas. IT has many parts and its hard to be expert in them all. creative industries like games is different from most other industries the people you work with tend to be creative and have more interest in what they do the same seem to apply to IT people in the industry.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING AT BALLISTIC MOON?
Ballistic Moon is a lively environment where everyone is motivated in their jobs. The work flow is flexible with not so much bureaucracy and people are allowed to get on with what they do with quite an amount of trust, This enables things like flexible working and easier implementation of new ideas. It has also been a rapidly expanding place these past 2 years which keeps things fresh. People working in games I find tend to be excited about their work anyway.
ANY FUN FACTS OR HOBBIES?
I still read comics despite being ancient. Enjoy the fellowship of my more godly friends and my children keeping my thinking on the “right side of history”. A fun fact is I once appeared as a gangster in a game by the old Sony soho studio, during the making of which I learned Motion Capture suits are very unflattering. And it can take days to get a character on screen to not walk like John Cleese.