Developer Pop Quiz is a weekly interview series in which we ask developers from around the industry the same 10 questions and post their responses.
It's difficult to make moves in any industry, but it's particularly challenging in the games industry. However, this week's Developer Pop Quiz victim, Atari's Jonathan Moses, has gone from recruiter to Senior Producer in just a few years. This week the "Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime" developer is sharing his insight into the industry, what games have inspired him over the years, and why he doesn't like fart machines.
Name: Jonathan Moses
Title: Senior Producer
Company: Atari
Job Description: Maximize good and minimize bad while staying within the budget and schedule.
First title worked on: "Interstate '76"
Most recent title worked on: "Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime"
What game has most influenced you, and why?
I love video games, but I don't think I can be specific to just 1. It was "Castle Wolfenstein" (the original from 1981) that drove me to harass my parents into getting a computer at home (an Apple IIe). Great games on my old NES, PC games that I've burned countless hours on, to the games I now get to enjoy with my kids. Right now, I think playing games with my kids has the biggest impact on influencing me to make the kinds of games I'm working on. I love the idea of games that work on multiple levels for compelling local co-op.
What are you playing right now?
Lots of "Ghostbusters Sanctum of Slime," but I'm still hooked on the Lego series of games, "Castle Crashers," "Plants vs Zombies"... and this week I've been crazy addicted to "Battleheart" for iOS.
What was your first break in the games industry?
My first job was an admin assistant. I was the assistant to the Studio Recruiter at Activision in 1996. That gave me a lot of insight into the kinds of people and skills that were needed to make games, and also allowed me to work closely with an amazingly creative group.
What's the best advice you've ever gotten?
This is hard. I think the easiest for me to quote – "Is this the hill you want to die on" and that sunk in. Not to be complacent, but to evaluate what can be done to have the biggest positive impact on the game with the time/money/people available.
Where do you look for inspiration?
There are so many great games being made for such a wider breath of tastes than ever before. I get a lot out of playing games when I can. I hope this isn't to sappy – but my kids too. Watching them, playing with them, and wanting to find stuff that we can enjoy together inspires what I want to make.
What's the biggest lesson you've learned about game development?
I've learned that there is still so much to learn. Every game I've worked on is built on the lessons I learned from the one prior, but each game brings unique challenges too.
What has been the low point of your career?
Long story short, I was in a meeting with some creative types, trying to work through some big issues and find solutions that would work for the game... but they were more interested in playing with a hidden fart machine. That didn’t end well.
What do you think is the biggest problem current games suffer from?
I don't have a good answer for this. Those living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
What is the most important thing that has happened to gaming in the last 10 years?
The spread and acceptance of games over the last 10 years has been amazing. Not only have the core game consoles sold widely into homes, the Wii opened up a wider audience, and now with iOS, Android, and Windows 7 phones, and Facebook – everyone is playing something. The notion that games are just for kids is dead. This opens the opportunity for so many new game types. I think it is exciting!
Where do you see gaming in 5 years?
I think the spread will continue. Games will become more prevalent in daily lives. As common as it is for people to talk about an episode of what’s on TV, people will compare scores and swap notes on games to people they just met.