Sidhe Interactive
Working at Sidhe
Scene from Sidhe Interactive's Rugby Leauge 2 game (Click to enlarge)
Many students don't realise that the gaming industry in New Zealand has a variety of employment opportunities. If you are good enough with computers and programming, you have a very clear route and pathway to get into the industry.
Modern games coding (the whole process in getting 3D graphics on to a screen) is hugely maths intensive and programmers need a solid knowledge of maths; Sidhe looks for this in computer skills whereas the artistic is not as important. Gripshift is a physics heavy game (this being a limiting factor in the number of vehicles on the screen) and the physics coding requires a stronger maths background.
Sidhe works quite closely with Media Design School. A number of employees are school graduatesand the company helps shape the curriculum. As the largest development company in New Zealand Sidhe is the obvious first port of call for a new graduate so it is important to ensure that the students are getting the necessary skills to make them employable for the business. This has proved a successful partnership and Sidhe offers a scholarship at the school.
Business Development Executive Jos Ruffell was recruited to the team from Straylight, a smaller game development company, but a lot of the staff begin their first job at Sidhe. The company prefers new employees to have a computer science degree rather than a polytechnic qualification; the difference being that the polytechnics teach people programmes whereas the universities will teach the underlying theory. Because of the constant change in the industry that base level of understanding will serve someone much better than coming into work and saying "I know how to use this programme" because six months later that programme may not be used anymore.
Sidhe has one female programmer. In the United States a lot of women are in the game business but they tend to work in the marketing, advertising and business development areas. While there was a period where girls were right into games such as Sonic and Mario Brothers, it has increasingly become more popular with boys. There is a move now to develop games which will appeal especially to girls.
Sidhe is aware of the need for professional development for its staff. Sometimes the team leader will organise tutorials, where they have put together case studies and cover specific items. Staff also attend key events such as E3, the world's largest electronic entertainment expo, held over three days in a huge convention centre. All the games publishers and hardware providers are there for this huge media event where retailers check out the latest products and the media is present to see what new products are being announced or displayed for the first time. Sidhe will send representatives to E3 where they attend meetings, every hour on the hour, as they promote their games.
Developers get a chance to 'up skill' at conferences such as the Games Developers Conference which has a different emphasis, very much on learning. They can attend tutorials covering programming, design, business law and short sessions run by some of the best in the industry. The developers then disseminate that information through their teams, so a lot of this upskilling is done in-house.
In its recruiting Sidhe has high technical/academic expectations but also recognises the importance of the right culture in the work place. The games industry is well known for its long working hours and especially the 'crunch' when people work long hours in order to meet a very specific deadline. The industry is aware of this in terms of quality of life issues and is something it's working on, some companies better than others. Jos reflects on horror stories of some companies overseas where people have to work 80 plus hours a week for months on end with no overtime pay and the resulting employee 'burn out'.
Games programmers have to be passionate about their work because, chances are, they could be earning more doing IT work elsewhere. They don't have to wear a suit and tie to work and can live and breathe games; this relaxed work style compensates for long hours. The company has an active social club running and staff might go to the movies or bowling together. A social activity might be organised to reward the team at the completion of a project or a special request honoured, which is why Managing Director Mario Wynands came to work in a giant penguin suit one unforgettable day!
