Mohammed Savari

Computer Science Student

Company: Red Meat Games

Co-op Job Title: Co-op Game Programmer

 

What motivated you to apply for Co-op?

I wanted to get professional work experience in my field.

Can you describe your position in a few sentences?

While working as a game programmer, I was tasked with creating scripts for the games we worked on. Scripts can range from little things like moving a crate from one spot to another to creating AI for enemies, puzzles, and player characters. As a person who thoroughly enjoys AI, most of my time has been spent perfecting those specific scripts as well as adding any new criteria to the game.

Did you receive training to perform your duties? Please Explain.

I received training modules from the CEO then looked through the software’s training YouTube videos. It took me a good two weeks to go from never touching Unity and C# to being able to script well enough to make game components work.

What was your work atmosphere like? (flexibility, formality, team-centric, supportive)

The work atmosphere was very relaxing. While we did need to meet certain deadlines within the year, we worked in unison and were very communicative with each other to meet each other’s needs. The team was very supportive and was always open to answer any question or concern.

What new skills were you able to learn/develop during your co-op placement?

During my placement, I learned how to program in C# and develop games in Unity. I was also able to experience how to make these games specific to PC, Playstation, or Xbox, how to develop them in VR, and how to make them only applicable to use if the user has a key registered to the game. I also worked as a Quality Assurance representative where I was given a game from a different company to test out all its functionalities as listed by a checklist from Sony for the Playstation 4.

How did your experience compare with your expectations?

My experience was better than I expected. Being able to work as a game programmer came with many perks that allowed me to better understand why certain games take a lot of effort to patch or update. As a gamer, it has given me a much better insight into different aspects of game development and the importance of patch notes. As a result of this experience, I am looking at developing my own game and hiring my own team to assist me with it.

What was your proudest moment?

My proudest moment must be the completion of the horror VR game: Bring To Light. It is a huge honour for me to have my scripts published in that game and, after playing the game myself, seeing how well they worked in the game.

What advice would you offer to current students thinking about pursuing co-op?

As a student pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Co-op is extremely valuable in giving you the experience you need for your resume. At first, I was skeptical about taking a year off to do co-op since I wanted to get university done with. But after going through co-op, my resume looks stronger and better with all the knowledge I have gained. It may be a year off, but what you gain in comparison will help you not only by getting a job easier in the future, but will most likely help you with your future studies as it did with mine.