An audience with Richard Weeks (7/2/2013)

Having the opportunity to listen to advice from Richard Weeks (someone who has now been in the industry for twenty years) and even learn a thing or two about the industry made me want to listen to his talk.

I didn't record this session as it was being filmed, however, I did get down the following notes:

• He worked for Lucasarts in team projects of 60-100 people a title. 
• He was working on 'Knights Of The Old Republic III' for the Xbox 360! Sadly it got cancelled. 

• May have to get used to the fact that you may not get employed for a while. Therefore use your spare time in order to keep yourself busy.
• During the 80's it was considered weird to play video games if you were old. Then in the 90's the PlayStation was released and it became more common for anyone to play games. 
• Choose the type of company you want to work for. Big company with sensible but safe ideas? Or Indie ones with out there but uncertain ideas? Big companies will be unlikely to fire you whereas Indie companies have the risk of collapsing.   
• Make links to any playable games you have made on your blogs.
• Expect very, VERY long hours. Between 70-100 a week and that includes overtime that you are unlikely to be paid for. Therefore try and enjoy your work and if you don't like the project you are on then try and find an aspect of it that you can enjoy.
• Research your company and make sure they don't have any horror stories as it were e.g. not paying employees etc. 
• Keep money in your bank. Just if you need to leave the country to work aboard then its useful. Plus it can REALLY help in later years when you struggle to find a job or build your own company.  
• You may end up a 'cog' in the industry. e.g. following the rules and doing as you are told. You may be able to throw in ideas from time to time, but not every company works that way.
• Learn to work in a team and always be friendly.
• Don't believe everything you hear! Form your own opinions and try to stick with them.
• ALWAYS READ YOUR CONTRACT! Just some companies may try and own your own ideas and games if you leave them! 
• Within the art side of the industry you give in your work and they say which styles they want you to continue with.
• Bugs and faulty save points are the biggest reason for games being called back.
• Go to as many gaming events as possible. Try and get your name out there and don't be afraid to introduce yourself to others.
• If you want your own company then you seriously need to save your pennies. You may even have to share a flat or house with your coworkers. Therefore side jobs are very useful as well as they make sure to bring in some money to live on at least. 
• If you can work with those you know in order to have fun whilst releasing something that has your name on it. 
• Tiny games aren't a bad idea either. Challenge yourself to make a game in two weeks and see how it turns out. If its good then you may be able to sell it online, otherwise if its just average then put it online for free and see what responses you get. It's all good learning opportunities at the end of the day.
• Always make sure your CV looks good! Cover letter needs to look good as well in order to get the reader's attention which is HUGELY important.
• Follow your heart. Is it money you want which isn't a bad thing or unique games which are challenging, but rewarding.   
• If you are happy where you are in the industry then that's fine. Don't feel forced into climbing the ladder as it were. 
• Mix up your CV! Create different ones for different companies and link your blogs and any made games to them.
• Enter as many competitions as you can.
• Put down how many people you worked with in previous projects. This shows the reader that you can work with others and the higher the number the better.
• Role play games such as 'Dungeons and Dragons' are often how new mechanics and even ideas for new RPG's are made up. Therefore anyone who does play them should continue to do so as they are a lot of fun and will help you think of what type of experiences you want to share with your players. They also greatly improve your imagination.
• Show flare in your CV e.g. spice it up by giving it a background image similar to the 'Space Invaders' one he received in the past.
• Make your games slick. Bad controls = a bad game.
• For your starting game you should NEVER make a shooter as they require a lot of work and can be narrowed down to only fans of shooters. Also, fans of this genre expect a lot as they have played other popular action packed and balanced shooters. If your game can't do this then many may see it as a bad game.
• Make sure to get your name on the credits of everything you do. 
• Get in contact with people. They can be surprisingly helpful.
• Getting a full time contract sadly takes a very long time.
• Make business cards and give them to others in the industry you meet. Make sure they have your blogs and email addresses on them. 

After Richard Weeks had finished speaking he then answered questions.
I asked "What is your advice for those of us who want to go into the development of stories and characters?".
His response was that writing is one of the (if not the most) difficult areas to get into within the industry as often companies will only accept well known writers. If they are looking for writers then most of the time they will give you a setting and/or a genre and you will have to create a story for that game. Sometimes the story comes after the initial start of the game play mechanics. Therefore try and challenge yourself into writing a story out of pre-given examples, whether from friends or family. This technique will help you gain experience in this field and will make you think outside the box. You can also write down the concepts for characters well in advance as you could then put them into new genres and have their personality tell the story in different ways.

Richard Weeks even went on to say that he would be more than happy to hire us in our later years providing we fit the requirements he is looking for. He's also willing to keep in contact with any of us by email should we wish to ask him anything.

For those of you who don't know what Richard Weeks looks like you can see a picture of him below:

Referencing: 

• Unknown (Unknown) Richard Weeks [Online image]. Available at: http://totalmonkery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/richardheadshot.jpg (Accessed: 7/2/2013).