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Ok, I'm making my interview thread here. I've been meaning to do interviews myself for a long while now and have snippets of questions everywhere on my HD, so I'll be arranging and updating them all in this thread until they're complete and ready to send off.
My first three interviews will be for Tom Crago from Tantalus, Rob Murray from Firemint, and hopefully the 4 or so Aussies working on Quake Wars: Enemy Territory at Splash Damage.
Ok, this is just a reminder for myself so I don't forget, but I want to do an interview of a few developers on general company issues:
The origin of their companies and names
If they offer work experience, internships, apprenticeships, and if not, why not
What they look for in employees
and a few more...
Interview Q&A for Pandemic Animator (for reference)
1 To start off with, can you give a brief backgound on yourself? How long have you been an animator,
what made you decide to enter a career as an animator in the games industry, and how did you get your foot in the door?
2 What kind of game related work have you done and any other achievments have you made? Any side projects that you've worked on?
3 Who are your influences and what inspires you?
4 Your favourite animated movies or shorts? (Disney, Pixar, Anime etc):
5 What's most fun about being an animator and the work you do? What are the least enjoyable aspects of animation?
6 So What does it take to be an animator and how does one to become one? What technical and artistic disciplines do you need? Is formal training important?
7 Which software do you prefer to use and why?
8 Can you cover the areas of work you've done in games? What kind of work is an animator expected to do for games?
9 What would be the more challenging things to animate, and what should all animators at least be capable of for games?
10 Which area of animation are you most excited or passionate about?
11 What is your opinion on Motion Capture, Physics simulations (e.g Ragdoll), and other technologies such as automated lip synching
that have taken over some of the tasks animators previously handled by hand?
12 What further changes do you see in the future for animators in game development? Will specialising in a certain area be necessary?
13 What kind of skillsets do you like seeing in a portfolio reel and what abilities do you want to see demonstrated? What sets apart a good portfolio reel to one that you'd toss to the side?
14 What definately should not be put in a demo reel?
15 Are there any other tips you can give for aspiring game animators? Any book recommendations or resources?
16 Any comments you'd like to make to close this interview? Thanks :)
Interview for GDAA president - Tom Crago (needs to be updated for new GDAA president)
What are your highlights as the Game Developers' Association of Australia (GDAA) CEO and President of the last (four?) years?
What major contributions has the GDAA achieved for the games industry during your time with the GDAA?
What more needs to be done for the industry? (by the GDAA, Government bodies etc)
Has the industry changed since you first headed the GDAA? In what ways?
What challenges do you see the industry facing in the upcoming years, and what can it do to solve them?
(Question on Quality of Life)
(Question on Xbox Live Arcade kits)
How was the Game Connect: Asia Pacific conference this year?
What are your opinions on the importance of: original IP, business with the Asia Pacific region, service for hire work. Should any of these be the main focus of the industry? If not, what should be?
Phil Harrison, president of worldwide studios for Sony Computer Entertainment, recently commented that the local industry lacked the ambition to compete on the global stage, and that we needed to specialize. What are your thoughts on his comments?
(source: http://www.theage.com.au/news/games/game-industry-at-the-crossroads/200…
You're moving on from the GDAA to be the new Chief Executive at Live Performance Australia (LPA) next year, are there any lasting comments you'd like to give to the industry?
Interview for Rob Murray from Firemint
Interview for Aussies working on Quake Wars: Enemy Territory at Splash Damage
Sumea interview with local websites: AustralianGamer, PalGN, Screenplay, Ausgamers, Bigkid, and Gamenews
Can you give us a brief introduction about yourself? (name, age, your role at *website* etc)
So when and why did you start *website* (or how did *website* come about)?
What is the main focus of *website*, and what is it that you're trying to achieve better than anyone else?
I've talked to you briefly about the profitability of running a website before, and I've found out that you do what you do for little financial return. So why do you invest the amount of time and energy that you do for *website*? What keeps you motivated to work on *website*?
What have been the highlights of running *website*?
And what have been the downsides and turn offs?
Have there been any controversies that *website* has been involved with?
Where do you see *website* in another five years?
What websites do you visit regularly, and what thoughts in general do you have on Australian gaming websites?
What's your opinion of the Australian games development industry and the games they produce?
Can you give us your history as a game enthusiast? When did you start playing games, and games have been most memorable over the years?
What consoles do you currently own, and what gets played the most?
what issues need serious attention or What do you find disappointing as an Australian game consumer? (R rating, cost of games etc for example)
What games are you playing at the moment, and what are you most looking forward to and why?
Because this interview is part of our belated celebrations on the 5th birthday of Sumea, are there any comments you'd like to make for Sumea?
Finally, thank you very much for answering our questions. If there's anything you'd like to say to finish off the interview, that would be fantastic!Souri2007-06-24 06:52:14