Eric's Intro Post

Hey all!

   Since this is an introduction post, I'll start off with that, my name is Eric, I'm the game designer + game developer for SNP Games. Like everyone else on the team, wearing or co-wearing a number of hats. Primarily what I do is a bit of a two step, between design and programming. Designing is finding the answers to the questions (usually several answers, and then choosing the best for that situation/game), and then committing those to the game documentation. Programming is the implementation of those solutions into all the game systems from gameplay, UI, implementing audio + visual (work of the artists and animators). The design, first step, is the most important as the game pillars and design documents both serve as blueprints for building the game, but also a shield against scope creep.

   I graduated from the University of Limerick in Ireland, with a Bachelors of Science (with honours) in Computer Games Development. Immigrated to Ireland for 4 years for the degree, before returning to the U.S. as Covid-19 started shutting down countries. I worked remotely for a few companies, both in Ireland and in the US, completing designer/developer contracts. I've always just wanted to make games for people and be able to pay my way. As for the type of games, it's the games that I/we want to play as well. I also am a firm believer that games are excellent medium for education, but also to keep culture, music, and history alive. 

    What excites me the most about the studio is that it's a studio literally built on mutual trust, respect, and cooperation. Professionally, everyone of us want to make games (the games we want to play), and be able to support ourselves/family. I'd love to see the studio fill out the skillsets we're missing/could use more of, be able to support ourselves, and create a worker-run studio that makes great memorable games, possibly working with other independent studios on bigger projects as a collaboration. 

   The skillset I'm most proud of bringing to the studio isn't the programming, because there are much more talented programmers than I.  I am most proud of my design/problem solving skills, and what they can offer the studio. As a designer, you still have to be a programmer, not just for knowing what you're talking about, but so that you can iterate through use cases/edge cases/debugging in terms of coming up with the best solution(s) for that particular game (a different answer may be better for a different game with different pillars for example). This helps make sure the programming isn't wasted (build a system to find out it doesn't feel right in the game). Instead you know how you want to build it, but also the different variations/changes so that the playtesting can reveal what's the best choice.

   I am excited at the prospect of not just an employee ran studio, but also the learning opportunities to come with it. I've learned a lot from everyone at the studio, and that is because it takes that much coordination and cooperation with a small team. 

   Problem solving and creative solutions is the name of the game, pun intended. For programming, I'm a firm practicing member of the "Rubber Ducky" solution (act as the compiler + the program when reading your code, explain each line and current variable value to a rubber duck until you find the problem). For design, that's the fun is given a complex problem and then coming up with as many solutions possible, then the pros/cons from those solutions (and maybe relevant information from the failures as well) to then build the best system given all the given information that reinforces that game's design pillars. 

   Personally, I'd love to hear from all of ye about what you'd like to read about. I'm happy to write about design decisions, or programming updates, or a mix of the both. 

Cheers!