Aspiring video game designers had the opportunity to receive valuable insight from Bradley alumna and industry professional Emily Berger, who returned to the Hilltop for a presentation to students Oct. 24.
Berger is currently a technical artist for the Santa Monica Studio branch of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), a position that she describes as “almost advisory” when it comes to her interactions with others.
“A huge part of my job is basically sitting down with the artists and figuring out what they need or what help they need to make the game,” Berger said. “Sometimes I’ll sit down and I’ll watch their workflow; I’ll see what they’re doing, and I’ll see what I can do to make their job better.”
Berger’s hands-on influence has benefited the development of popular PlayStation games such as “God of War: Ascension,” “Starhawk” and “PlayStation All-Stars.”
In order to effectively communicate with the various team members she works with, Berger said that it is imperative for her to understand how to speak the separate languages of both artists and programmers.
“[Sometimes] there will be a programmer and an artist in a meeting and they might be arguing over a topic,” Berger said. “I can walk in and say, ‘Hey guys, you’re both wanting the same thing. You just don’t talk the same way.’ That’s kind of where I help.”
The topics of Berger’s discussion with interactive media students included her work with SCE, her beginnings in the industry, portfolio do’s and don’ts and helpful tips for networking, which Berger considers to be the most important aspect of breaking into the world of video games.
“In the game industry, everyone knows everybody,” Berger said. “I would say the best thing is to get out there, talk to people and be passionate about wanting to do it.”
