interview questions Flashcards
Why do you want to work here?
You make video games. I’ve always been fascinated by the ability of games to immerse a player in a world. When a player becomes the hero and is so engaged in an experience that he cant hear his mother calling him for dinner. That is a hell of an amazing place he is wrapped up in. I want to be a part of the team that created that world for him
What games are you currently playing?
Far Cry 3
Skyrim
Dishonored
Team Fortress 2
How would you make the games you are playing better?
From a UI perspective a lot of games work too hard at having the user interface mirror the look, feel and style of the game. To the point that it becomes hard to use or understand because the scanability of the menus is hampered by decorative elements that are not necessary.
What are some fundamental guidelines for UI design?
- PREDICT Predict what the user wants to know, and give them that information.
- EASY to navigate & find information
- LOCATION in the interface. Feedback. Where is the user in the system and cuing them to the next action.
- FAST. Load times need to be quick. Avoid gratuitous animation. Show me what I need to know and get out of the way.
- SIMPLE.
How would you define UI and UX?
UI refers to the METHODS (keyboard control, mouse control) and INTERFACES (inventory screen, map screen) through which a user interacts with your game. UX refers to HOW INTUITIVE and ENJOYABLE those interactions are.
The UI of a car is its steering wheel, its pedals, the dials and controls on the dashboard
The UX of the car comes from intangibles like the responsiveness of the brake pedal, how smooth and quickly the car accelerates when you press the gas pedal, the gear stick having just the right amount of resistance - Those things that make the car ENJOYABLE to drive.
What do you hate most about games?
I hate when games become quickly predictable and repetitive. I would fix this by offering more variety in gameplay. Keep things fresh and if the extra time and effort required to do this means a shorter game completion time then so be it.
I was fully engrossed in BioShock Infinite until I began clearing rooms of baddies over and over
Worst Game interface?
Oblivion. Terrible use of screen real estate. You could not resize the windows. Status bars are not labeled. Ambiguous use of icons. Most of these problems stem from the fact that it was ported.
What makes a UI usable? Usability
How quickly can it be LEARNED? How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?
How EFFICIENT is the UI? Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?
Was the experience MEMORABLE?: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?
Look for user ERRORS? How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?
SATISFACTION: How pleasant is it to use the design?
Best Game Interface?
One that stays out of the way. Most recently I’ve started playing Dishonored. It employs a marking menu similar to maya. Click the middle mouse and you quickly have access to all your abilities move cursor and release. It is extremely fast and becomes almost second nature. Labels reinforce icons in the center.
Best game of all time and why?
For me personally it was Myst. Im a big fan of story in games and this was a game world that I got lost in and did not want to leave. And thats saying a lot considering You moved through a series of still renders. The Story was great. The sound design was amazing. And the puzzles were well integrated with the story and environment. This is the game that inspired me to learn 3D.
What will you bring to the team? Why do we need you?
I have a wealth of experience designing UI for games websites and mobile. I understand the user experience. I excel at creating user interfaces that reflect the art style of a game or company brand. But most importantly making it easy to understand and use.
I am more a Designer than and Artist. So where an artist creates an asset for a game there job is to evokes an emotional response from a user. My role as a designer is to help user understand the asset he is interacting with.
I can wear many hats. I am passionate about 3D modeling and animation and have no problem helping out where needed.
My motion graphics experience means I have the skills to create game trailers or cut scenes and even the occasional effect for a sprite sheet. Another thing having a motion graphics background helps with is in the presentation of menus.
I have been on the marketing side of things and created promotional materials for Glare such as websites, banner ads, posters, tshirts, etc.
I understand brands and can help Direwolf present itself as a leader in the industry and while having its unique character and culture shine through.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I would hope that the work I do here will contribute to the success of the first few games. So that we can build a lasting successful company. My hope would be to lead a team by then in an art director type roll.
What game would you make if money were no object?
My goal would not be to throw a bunch of money at a game to make it cool. Id likely make something simple. like Stretch Armstrong River Adventure
Questions for Direwolf
What are the biggest drawbacks to taking a game that was designed to be a tangible “card game” and put it on the screen?
Do you do user testing of the UI?
How often would I get to wear my many hats?
What is your process like?
Long term plans of the company?
Do you want to be known as the card game company?
Focus on console or mobile?
How long do we have to show profitability be for the venture capital drys up
How do you feel about working from home
What kind of options for training are there?
If I’m hired, what is the next game I might work on?
What bonus structure or incentives are there?
Describe your creative process.
RESEARCH & INSIGHT
Basically I describe the design direction in my head using adjectives and phrase. Steampunk meets Heavy Metal. Then I will ask questions like “Who is my audience” What is it I am trying to communicate. Then I will dig for inspiration, books, internet, the world around me. This leads to again describe the direction. I will typically have some notes and images to support these ideas.
PLANNING
This is when I take the adjectives and phrases and begin to look for relationships and stories between them. This usually involves sketches, rough models or photoshop . Whatever tool makes sense. Usually at this point a potential solution or direction begins to take shape.
EXECUTE
Once I have confidence in the research and planning this is when i begin to concretely visualize the final piece. The core elements blocked , more detail is added and refine again and again.
