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10 Game Industry Questions - Jonathan Baginski

Fullname: Jonathan Baginski Nickname: Jonno, JB Gender: Male Age: 24 Current Company: Sega Creative Assembly Current Project: Stormrise Gaming Systems Owned: 3 (Wii, Xbox 360, DS)

1. What is your job role where you work and can you explain what it entails?

I am a Generalist currently working at Creative Assembly (SEGA) Brisbane. Creative Assembly is best known for its Medieval Total War strategy games. The term "Generalist" basically means someone with broad general knowledge and the ability to combine ideas from diverse fields. In the games industry it's quite common to meet artists with more skills than their job title implies. I am basically one of them. Some weeks I can be modelling and texturing levels, while others I can doing animation/modelling for cinematics. What I work on really depends on what needs to be done according to the schedule. More specifically what needs to be done urgently. In the past I have worked on cinematics, interface, particle effects, character modelling/texturing, environment modelling/texturing/lighting, sound effects, post production, scripting, marketing (graphic design/web) and numerous other tasks.

The current project I am working on (Stormrise) is a strategy game with a twist. My task over the next 2 months is to help finish the environments that require a careful balance between visuals, gameplay and performance. This could involve anything from modelling, texturing, placement, environmental animations and my all time favorite "polygon reduction". Overall I really value my position because I feel the day that I work on my very own game is getting really close thanks to all knowledge I have picked up.

2. What games have you been directly involved with previously?

1) Fury

2) Battlefield Commander

3) Unannounced...

4) Stormrise

3. How did you get your start in the gaming industry?

My career in the games industry first began when I was asked to join Auran in 2006. Before that I was mostly in the vfx and post production industry. It all started when I bought a PC magazine sometime around '97 that contained a demo disk. On it was Command And Conquer which would be the game that changed my life.

After playing the demo missions and watching all the kick-ass cinematic FMV's I knew I wanted to make something just like it. My older brother was pretty much a genius when it came to programming and taught me many things about how games work and showed me some 3d programs to get me started. I got as far as making text based adventures (QBasic) and a fantastic cinematic of a turret and a plane (using Raydream). I look back at how even though the things I learnt were very simple, they opened my mind to creating games as though they were an experience, not just a challenge... Hence I have always been more interested in storyline and cinematics than scoring points - however I do play Quake 3 and Team Fortress 2 for social status... and for social

status you need to rake up points :)

Fast forward a few years and I ended up working for a multimedia company that required so called "generalists" to work on interactive projects. It was there that I met some cool guys who were making mod's and characters for Unreal using 3DS Max. After watching just how awesome it was to put your own characters in a game engine I decided to give it a try myself. For the next 4 years I worked mostly freelance with numerous high profile clients using bits and pieces of knowledge from both the 2D and 3D world. As the 3D tools developed over the years, so did my interest in photorealistic 3D and I soon ended up working at a production house, followed by an architectural studio. During this time I continued to beef up my portfolio that eventually caught the attention of the lead artist from Auran.

Auran was the single most important milestone of my game development career. I learnt more there in 2 years than I have anywhere else thus far. My position as a generalist/pfx artist showed me many important techniques and above all introduced me to an amazing team of people who would become lifelong friends.

At GCAP 2007 I happened to walk into a room with Creative Assembly doing a presentation on "Medieval 2". I was fascinated by the scope of the game and how a relatively small studio in Brisbane managed to put it together. The following year after the Auran collapse I was informed that Creative Assembly was looking for artists. I sent in my portfolio and was asked to join the team. And thats pretty much how I went from becoming someone who plays strategy games to making them.

4. What has been the most positive experience of working in the games industry so far?

Recently I was approached by a few students who are studying to become 3D artists. To them I was some kind of god... which makes me laugh because I'm overshadowed by even more talented people in the very company I work for. Inspiration is something that this industry has always given me. Im still waiting for the gold moment where we release a game that sells millions of copies, starts a religion and allows me to travel the world to celebrate.

An experience I will never forget is when we were asked to have drinks with Pandemic after Auran was shut down. It was heartwarming to have another company care about the fact that around 50 people wouldn't have the christmas they had hoped for, and offered to cheer us all up with a seemingly never ending bar tab and offers for a fresh start. That was a really nice experience and I continue to cherish this industry because of the family atmosphere.

5. What has been the most negative experience of working in the games industry so far?

The shutdown of a games company/project is probably the worst experience anyone could have in this industry. While sometimes you know there is a chance it will happen, its still hard to believe that something that you can work on for 2+ years can die so suddenly. Industry veterans will tell you "thats how it rolls". The games industry is simply put "a risk". When you work on a 16 million dollar project, people "high up" want to get involved in the company in ways they shouldn't, and before you know it, its no longer about making a fun game, it's about making a sale. "Fun and games" has been a fading notion in the industry lately and I really hope this changes in the future... in fact it's already doing so due to the impact of reviews by the media and gamers who are voicing their opinions louder than ever.

6. What advice can you give to other people looking to get into a position such as yours?

My best advice to becoming a generalist is to learn certain key concepts first. Lighting, colour, motion and composition are really the basis for what I do every day. Once you have a good understanding of the above you will need to learn your tools well. Lastly its learning to work with a team as well as time management. There are only so many hours in a day, and you simply cant afford to "burn the candle at both ends".

Overall the quickest way to becoming a generalist is to work on your own project. For instance a short cinematic would most likely require modelling, texturing, animation, lighting, rendering and post production. These are all tasks that are usually handled by teams of specialists in each key area. The advantage of doing a particular thing very well as well as knowing the requirements of the rest of the pipeline will let you not only choose what you want to work on, but also solve a multi-discipline problem.

Above all, do what you enjoy and you will succeed. Thats the basic formula.

7. How do you see Australia as a market when compared to the rest of the world?

Australia definitely has an important position in the games industry. The fact that we have some of the worlds best artists and programmers means we manage to release world class titles.

Recently if you have a look at the charts, there are many home grown games that have been developed in Australia. In my opinion and that of many international artists and programmers... this is the country where you want to be to develop games.

On the games and entertainment sales side of things, Australians love their games. While we aren't nearly as religious about our games as (ahem) Korea, I think soon enough we will see a larger gaming infrastructure and many key events to encourage professional gaming. This in turn brings media attention creating public awareness about gaming as a lifestyle.

Lastly, the fact that foreign investors get taxed so much is really a ball-and-chain for this industry. Games cost money and investors like to shop around to get as much out of their buck as possible.We really need some of that "promised" reform in the digital entertainment industry.

8. Got any good stories you want to share?

Watching your workmates getting absolutely wasted is always hilarious and leads to some crazy stories. I wish I could remember..

9. What are your favourite games and why?

• American McGee's Alice � his game is amazing. Even for its age. Chris Vrenna (NIN) did an amazing score and the characters and environments really brought "wonderland" to life. When I think "game", I think of Alice.
• Bladerunner the Video Game � waaay ahead of its time. As a big fan of the movie, I enjoyed this game and in particular... the multiple endings are a real sense of choice and unique experience every time I played.
• C&C (tiberium dawn) � they really got this game right. Was enjoyable from

  start to finish. Even the installer kicked ass.

• Quake 3 � still a religion in the games industry. If you cant rail, no one will talk to you (jokes).

Valve games are and have been of great importance toward my interest in the games industry. The Orange Box should be written in the history books as the most fun, best value, best looking, best lifetime pack of games released thus far. I want to give Gabe Newell a hug.

10. If you could meet any gaming character in real life, who would it be and why?

Scree from Primal. Such a cool gargoyle. Always wanted one for a pet.