It’s been a little while since our last run of staff profiles, as we were all wildly busy launching our first title for the Xbox One. But as we look ahead to what comes next and welcome more staff into the studio, we’re getting back to showing you the people behind the games. Hopefully these will prove informative for those hoping to get into a particular line of work, but also entertaining enough to be worth a read for anyone interested in Rare or a general industry career.
In this edition: Justin Cook, designer and Viva Piñata guru (and owner of the most infectious laugh we’ve ever heard). Go Justin go!
Rare: What’s your background and how did you arrive at Rare?
Justin Cook: I first trained as a primary school teacher. It was a good place to learn about how to engage people. Planning a lesson for a group of demanding children with different abilities isn’t a million miles away from designing a game for a discerning gaming audience. After a couple of years the mountains of paperwork took their toll and I left to spray cars for Toyota. The factory was a very practical environment, with repetitive work that allowed me to think of the hit games I wanted to make. I learned about defining quality (in terms of car paint jobs) and then taking steps to attain it.
Eventually I decided I really loved games (at least, more than cars or children) and applied to be a tester at Rare. My experience in other areas of work really helped me at Rare, so I find it difficult to understand why more designers don’t follow my career path. Working in a large factory made me very grateful for the lovely environment provided here.
Have you found yourself doing the job you always thought you’d do?
When I first applied to Rare I definitely wanted to become a designer. At the time I thought that I’d describe ‘great’ ideas and people would think they were so cool they’d build them. Now I know that lots of people have great ideas but not everyone understands how to turn those into a game experience (almost talked myself out of a job there). Design is a simple term that covers many elements of game production, from the philosophy behind a game through the player’s experience all the way down to tuning the controls. I’m still learning, every time we work on a project the experience is new.
So I’m not exactly doing the job I thought I’d be doing when I started out. As it turns out, no-one gets hired to sit in a room and say things like “Let’s make a game about a Pig-Wizard” and then go home for the rest of the day because that idea is brilliant. Despite that I still enjoy making games.
What are your main responsibilities on the average game?
There are no average games! A designer’s role is to consider the gameplay experience. What does the player do, how does the game make them feel, how do we balance their enjoyment against the challenge of their task. A designer needs great tea-making skills, should be prepared to muck in (wherever that’s required) to get the game out of the door and should generally moan that NO-ONE EVER READS THE DESIGN DOCUMENTS….
Which Rare games have you worked on, and what’s been your biggest achievement?
My biggest achievement is being able to contribute to games that people seem to genuinely love. I worked as a tester on Perfect Dark, Banjo-Tooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and lots of other games. I did some puzzle designs for It’s Mr. Pants, then I worked as a designer on Viva Piñata and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise. Most recently I worked on Kinect Sports Rivals.
What do you see as the top perk of working for Rare?
There are two big perks of working for Rare, I’m not sure which one is top.
Perk one: Rare has an enviable record for making various types of games with some success. Many studios today are very specialised but here at Rare there’s always potential for a new platformer, shooter or a completely new type of game. I’m the kind of person who enjoys trying new things and there aren’t many studios in the world where I can work on such a variety of game types.
Perk two: games are created by a team and I’ve been lucky to have worked with so many friendly, talented people. Even if you were working on the best game idea in the world, it probably wouldn’t be bearable unless you could get on with the people you have to work with every day.
Oh, one more thing, the tea and coffee is completely free. You can drink as much as you like but (don’t worry) it never runs out, so you can take it easy and you don’t have to keep drinking beyond your capacity.
Is the designer role just telling other people what to do?
Mainly yes, it is. At least it should be but it’s never worked out that way. So the real answer is no, a good designer listens to the people in their team. A team is made up of experts and their opinion will help you make the best experience possible. As long as you have a strong vision of what you are making, you’ll find that other people’s contributions will make your game better. It’s the designer’s job to find and use the best ideas to make the best experience, no matter where those ideas come from. Never be too proud to steal adopt other people’s great ideas but never forget to give credit when it’s due. Of course, the designer is responsible for the ideas that show up in the game, so you do get to feel a bit smug. Unless people hate the game, then it’s all due to the ideas that definitely weren’t yours…
What do you find most exciting about your job?
Games are always evolving and changing. New technology has created the potential for new types of games and experiences. The technology means games can become more ambitious, not just in the way they look but in the ideas behind them. I like playing games but I really love the idea of what games might become. So for me the next project is always the most exciting part of my job!
How would you describe your fellow workers in five words?
Creative, passionate, down-to-earth (counting this as one word, look, there are hyphens), ambitious, friendly.
Favourite Rare game, favourite game on an Xbox console and favourite game of all time?
My favourite Rare game is spotting people who don’t know where I work, talking enthusiastically about our games. My favourite Xbox console game is Fallout 3. Favourite game of all time is Frontier: Elite II.
Any good (printable) anecdotes or memories from within the walls of Rare?
I once had to travel to America with a development kit containing Viva Piñata. I was taking it to the magazine offices to show them a version of the game and then give them review copies. The kit was bulky and had to be taken on the plane as hand luggage, so I was constantly being questioned about it by airport security. One particularly burly member of the airport security staff was quite excited when I told them I was carrying a new game in a development kit. He wanted to know if it was Gears of War. His excitement melted away when I explained that it was Viva Piñata…
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of applying for a role similar to yours?
Bring plenty of experience, not just game experience to the role. Creatively it helps if you have a bunch of reference to the way things work from all aspects of life. Some cool ideas will pop up when you consider how things work in the real world and then apply them to a game world.
Second piece of advice is to be kind to older designers called Justin, and never, ever, make them look like idiots by being super-talented. It’s just not done, part of the secret designers’ code (or something).
What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever received?
Trying to lick your elbow is a waste of time – spoiler – you can’t. I saved so much time.
Oh, advice about working in games, right: be inspired by the games you’ve played, don’t just try to recreate them.
Check out the full Rare Life category to see everyone we’ve featured in past instalments! Weighing up a career in the games biz? What roles would you like to see covered in future Rare Life columns? Drop us a line and let us know.