adhominem
08-02-2005, 12:38 PM
We've had this job posting up on our website for a bit, but it is kind of buried, so I'm not sure how many potentially interested parties might have seen it:
http://www.popcap.com/jobs.php?job_id=0
The site describes the basic technical requirements of the job, but what we're really looking for goes well beyond that. We're looking more for people with the "indie gamer" spirit than corporate cogs...
What we really want are coders who also have deep, intuitive understanding of what makes games fun... who not only love games, but love making them and tinkering with the rules and mechanics and fidgety little bits until everything is just right.
Who don't just think of "casual games" as something OK to work on until they can get a job on a first-person shooter or hardcore RTS.
Who understand that making a simple game can be harder but more rewarding than making a mind-bogglingly complicated one.
Who don't think it's insane to spend a week making puzzle gems clink together just the right way.
Who'd be more excited to work on "Bejeweled 3" than "Half-Life 3."
Who have created at least one interesting game of their own (preferably more), even if it never made a lot of money (or even saw the light of commercial release) or features the most hideous programmer graphics since the dawn of the Apple II.
Of course, all that said, we still need people who are willing and able to work in a team environment... PopCap's not a giant corporate megalith (we're about 30 people), but you'd still have to come in to the office most days (which is in Seattle... relocation is a possibility). We're a pretty good place to work, I think, with competitive salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock plans, not to mention a foosball table, free sodas, and an encylopedic MAME cabinet.
Anyway, it seemed like the Indie Gamer forums were the most natural place to really start searching for developers of this sort. Soooo... if you're interested, you can send resumes and the like via the link on the web page, or directly to me at jason@popcap.com if you want (I'll make sure it gets to the right folks, anyway).
Jason Kapalka
Creative Director, PopCap Games
http://www.popcap.com/jobs.php?job_id=0
The site describes the basic technical requirements of the job, but what we're really looking for goes well beyond that. We're looking more for people with the "indie gamer" spirit than corporate cogs...
What we really want are coders who also have deep, intuitive understanding of what makes games fun... who not only love games, but love making them and tinkering with the rules and mechanics and fidgety little bits until everything is just right.
Who don't just think of "casual games" as something OK to work on until they can get a job on a first-person shooter or hardcore RTS.
Who understand that making a simple game can be harder but more rewarding than making a mind-bogglingly complicated one.
Who don't think it's insane to spend a week making puzzle gems clink together just the right way.
Who'd be more excited to work on "Bejeweled 3" than "Half-Life 3."
Who have created at least one interesting game of their own (preferably more), even if it never made a lot of money (or even saw the light of commercial release) or features the most hideous programmer graphics since the dawn of the Apple II.
Of course, all that said, we still need people who are willing and able to work in a team environment... PopCap's not a giant corporate megalith (we're about 30 people), but you'd still have to come in to the office most days (which is in Seattle... relocation is a possibility). We're a pretty good place to work, I think, with competitive salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock plans, not to mention a foosball table, free sodas, and an encylopedic MAME cabinet.
Anyway, it seemed like the Indie Gamer forums were the most natural place to really start searching for developers of this sort. Soooo... if you're interested, you can send resumes and the like via the link on the web page, or directly to me at jason@popcap.com if you want (I'll make sure it gets to the right folks, anyway).
Jason Kapalka
Creative Director, PopCap Games