What's the best thing about working at Schell Games?

The best thing about Schell Games is the community. Everyone is willing to go out of their way to help and teach each other new things. In addition, everyone is extremely talented and passionate about what they do. It's hard not to be inspired when working alongside them.

What motivated you to begin working in the game industry?

I've loved and played video games for as long as I can remember. Since they were such a large part of my life I always knew I wanted to do something related as a career. Additionally, I used to play a lot of Roblox and would sometimes try my hand at really basic Lua scripting, which sparked my interest in programming. So when I saw that I could get a degree in game programming and make games for a living, I hopped on the chance and never looked back.

What’s the best piece of advice you received?

Probably the advice from one of my college programming professors. He told me that getting caught up with the big picture when writing code can create more problems for you down the road. Instead, it's better to figure things out one step at a time. Write one part of it, test it and make it work, and then build onto it bit by bit. Little did he know that advice would be useful for much more than just writing shaders. I apply it to a lot of things in my life.

What was your favorite game as a child?

Sly 2: Band of Thieves. Even now that game is still a masterpiece that doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

If you could instantly become an expert in anything, what would it be?

Programming and designing combat mechanics. I'd love to make a fighting or character action game someday.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Pittsburgh?

Honestly, I don't go out much, but the other day I found myself at an arcade/board game cafe called Victory Pointe that was a lot of fun!

What are you most proud of working on while at Schell Games?

I worked on a set of tools and systems on my first project that we were going to use to improve player accuracy. There were a lot of twists and turns and unique problems that needed to be sorted out to get it to work. When the tool was finally finished and started showing positive results, I was really happy that I was able to make such an impact on the game.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?

The power to control time. Not only is it one of the most OP powers you could have, but it would also make life so much easier. Rewind mistakes, stop time, sleep as much as you want, and fast forward through boring moments... the possibilities are endless.

What was the weirdest job you ever had?

One summer, my mom, who is an OB-GYN, made me work at her office as an IT guy to keep me busy. Since there wasn't much to do IT-wise, I ended up sitting in the back shredding papers and organizing her huge database of ultrasounds.

What beverage do you always have on hand at work? Coffee, tea, or other?

I've gotten into drinking tea pretty recently. So far I'm a big fan of herbals, and the office has a little tea exchange set up so I've been able to try a lot of different flavors.