Scott Jennings is the latest addition to our all-star MMORPG.com columnist roster. This veteran game designer has worked for Mythic, NCsoft and others. He also pioneered video game blogging with his infamous Lum the Mad website.

Every Wednesday, Scott will go "inside the sausage factory" to give us a behind the scenes look at how MMO companies really work. In his debut column, he writers an MMO Design job interview survival guide.

You can read more of Scott's work at BrokenToys.org.

Welcome to the first in a series of columns where I invite you, the reader and MMORPG enthusiast, behind the veil into the sausage factory - some of the cautionary tales from behind the scenes of MMORPG production. Why is it called the sausage factory? Well, much like any food preparation, if you could see it being made, you would probably lose your appetite. Game production has much in common with any other software development that takes hundreds of people and millions of dollars; lots of office drama, lots of paperwork involving 401K plans, and lots of procedural work that has very little to do with games. However, the dress code is looser (usually devolving to a plaintive cry from Human Resources to "please wear pants") and most of your coworkers will have Transformers figurines (and for the love of all that's holy, never call them dolls).

Read it all here.

 Interesting read, and I'm looking forward to hearing about everything behind the curtain of the MMO industry.

 Scott, You have just now become my favorite columnist here. MMORPG.com picked well this time, and I was afraid that I wouldn't have any good reading after Sanya left. your voice will be one that I'll be looking forward to every week. Good luck!

#K

Entertaining, honest, informative, and easy to read.  Can't wait to read more of your columns here.

This was really interesting, hope to see more content from you. Thanks

Originally posted by karmaeso

 Scott, You have just now become my favorite columnist here. MMORPG.com picked well this time, and I was afraid that I wouldn't have any good reading after Sanya left. your voice will be one that I'll be looking forward to every week. Good luck!

#K

I still reserve the word "favorite" for Sanya and her columns for now.

Thank you Scott, I was about to start looking somewhere else for my information on MMOs.

"Every Wednesday, Scott will go "inside the sausage factory"

I will be looking  for your column everyweek.

PS      MMORPG, good work, and thank you for adding a columnist that I will read.

Mmmm... tasty sausages...

I am a network engineer.  I used to play wow all day because the project I work on, well just doesn't change much.

My least favorite wow zone is Desolace.  Strange flight point locations.  Mobs standing around for no particular purpose but to be there to die.  It is off the beaten path for Alliance players.  It is just ugly, though that is likely on purpose, see desolate.

I want to be a designer.  I write games in my head, on paper, in excel and word, and in my sleep.  I want to build a true 3rd gen mmo.  I want to win the lottery so I can do it.

Hire me away and save the life of a "meant to be a game designer".  Oh yeah, I can't take the pay cut for a noob designer.  Guess I will go buy some lottery tickets.

What I would do to have a personal friend like you to bounce stuff off of all the time.  Live near Dallas? :)

Very good read, looking forward to reading more of your work..

Thanks for the positive feedback, everyone.

LordDMaster: Sanya is one of my favorite columnists as well (and a close and dear friend from our time working together), and I can certainly handle coming in second in your list. :)

Ravenshroud: Desolace got an improvement pass a while back, but it's still pretty, well, desolate (and the centaur faction quest is still as grindalicious as ever). And sorry, Austin, not Dallas. There's some game companies in Dallas but mostly first person shooters (iD software and its various descendants).

Welcome! I used to read Lum the Mad back in the day. Best rant site ever. Shame how it imploded after your departure. A big tip of the hat to Lum, Myschyf, Arcadian Del Sol and others whose names I've forgotten.

Long live the Fetupult!

 

One common question I asked in interviews is quite simple: what is your least favorite zone in World of Warcraft and why? I use this question because literally everyone has played World of Warcraft

Not quite everyone.

I personally don't know enough about WoW to answer this question. Now if you asked about EQ, EQII, or CoH I would gladly answer your question.

I did enjoy the article though. Keep them coming.

There were a few who didn't, and I would ask about their game of choice (which was usually either City of Heroes or Guild Wars). There were some who didn't play any at all of course, but they weren't applying for design positions - a familiarity with the MMO marketplace is pretty much a nonnegotiable requirement there.

One more I'll add: if you're applying to work as a designer on a released MMO, you should play the game you're applying to work on.  This seemed obvious to me, but apparently it's not.

If the game has a free trial, and you demonstrate to me you haven't played it at all, the rest of the interview is likely to be a polite formality; I'm ready to show you the door right then.

(edit: not actually lead designer on pirates anymore, but 'Lead Designer on Unannounced New FLS Title' doesn't sound as good)

Originally posted by LumTheMad

There were a few who didn't, and I would ask about their game of choice (which was usually either City of Heroes or Guild Wars). There were some who didn't play any at all of course, but they weren't applying for design positions - a familiarity with the MMO marketplace is pretty much a nonnegotiable requirement there.

Ok, wait, so the overwhelming majority of people applying that you interviewed were asked to reference WoW, City of Heroes or Guild Wars. Man, I may be right, lol. There aren't many people actually building/programming games who have played EQ, UO and AC anymore. All those guys are doing the hiring these days and not making worlds. That's why I'm not too happy about the overwhelming majority of the latest offerings. These guys more than likely think that because they were asked about those games mentioned above, that's what they should reflect on when making design decisions.

In which case I'm okay with the V aliens farming us for food or 2012 actually happening as prophesied.

Nice writeup by the way.

 LOL Mr. Jennings. I enjoyed your article.  Thanks for the great tips 2.

Take care and keep designing.

Originally posted by LumTheMad

There were a few who didn't, and I would ask about their game of choice (which was usually either City of Heroes or Guild Wars). There were some who didn't play any at all of course, but they weren't applying for design positions - a familiarity with the MMO marketplace is pretty much a nonnegotiable requirement there.

Not at Mythic perhaps. Witness the cluelessness about player behaviour regarding keep-flipping and scenario grinding.

Anyone with experience playing MMORPGs could have forseen such behaviour.

Originally posted by LumTheMad

There were a few who didn't, and I would ask about their game of choice (which was usually either City of Heroes or Guild Wars). There were some who didn't play any at all of course, but they weren't applying for design positions - a familiarity with the MMO marketplace is pretty much a nonnegotiable requirement there.

Thank god, i thought i wouldnt have a chance to ever make it simply because i havnt played WOW.

Guild Wars will get me there!

Great read by the way, cant wait for next week.

Originally posted by Khalathwyr

Originally posted by LumTheMad

There were a few who didn't, and I would ask about their game of choice (which was usually either City of Heroes or Guild Wars). There were some who didn't play any at all of course, but they weren't applying for design positions - a familiarity with the MMO marketplace is pretty much a nonnegotiable requirement there.

 

Ok, wait, so the overwhelming majority of people applying that you interviewed were asked to reference WoW, City of Heroes or Guild Wars. Man, I may be right, lol. There aren't many people actually building/programming games who have played EQ, UO and AC anymore. All those guys are doing the hiring these days and not making worlds. That's why I'm not too happy about the overwhelming majority of the latest offerings. These guys more than likely think that because they were asked about those games mentioned above, that's what they should reflect on when making design decisions.

In which case I'm okay with the V aliens farming us for food or 2012 actually happening as prophesied.

Nice writeup by the way.

Nice "V" reference!

But if I recall correctly (havign just watched two solid days of the classic show on Syphillus... er, SyFy....

In the miniseries (of 2 hour 'epsodes'), they were here to steal our water, and then when they made it a weekly one-hour show, they were here for people-as-food, instead of water. Because the water, and much of the high-altitude regions of the world, were still contaminated with the "red dust" V-killing biological agent.

And, Diana the psychopath wanted revenge on the main characters for messing up here career plans in the miniseries.

I'm SUCH a geek....

Oh yeah! nice article, and really, the interview advice would apply, with different questions and dress codes, to just about ANY job seeker.

Dress just a little better than the people you're interviewing with (so you can "dress down", after making your good impression); know what it is this company makes and/or does; be able to DISCUSS what the company does and how you think you can contribute; and be willing to state your opinions without being confrontational to the interviewer.

You'd think this would go without saying, but when I was responsible for interviewing and hiring at a few p[laces I worked, it was stunning the number of people who did not even make the least effort to dress well, NOT STINK(!!!!!), and know what job they were applying for.

Yeah, you left that one out. Body odor (none, please) and grooming are important. I have interviewed stellar candidates who smelled like sour boiled gym socks... I ended the interview as fast as possible and "lost" their phone number.

Good read,

Okay here I am complete amateur, and just hoping that your further articles will cover this. When submitting sample writing in hopes of becoming a designer, what should be included in that sample?

Also, what about the art side?

Any insights would be appreciated.

Great read Scott, as always. :)

Very glad to see you writing here, very nice addition to the columnist team. :)

Originally posted by Khalathwyr

Ok, wait, so the overwhelming majority of people applying that you interviewed were asked to reference WoW, City of Heroes or Guild Wars. Man, I may be right, lol. There aren't many people actually building/programming games who have played EQ, UO and AC anymore. All those guys are doing the hiring these days and not making worlds. That's why I'm not too happy about the overwhelming majority of the latest offerings. These guys more than likely think that because they were asked about those games mentioned above, that's what they should reflect on when making design decisions.

Being able to explain why a poor design decision is a poor design decision in your opinion is a skill that should apply regardless of title. WoW is the most played, most well-known MMO so it serves as a good starting point for the discussion (as Lum indicates, it's common ground). Your opinion might be disagreed with, but it's how you explain yourself that counts.

I actually think that no matter who you went to, saying, "I haven't played any other MMOs apart from EQ, UO and AC" is probably going to raise alarm bells about your knowledge of MMO development, particularly recent progress. Going into a 5 minute rant on UO's design flaws from over 10 years ago is probably going to see your interviewers give a lot of polite smiles as they help you towards the exit door.

Also, according to the forums, everyone played UO and everyone quit due to Trammel.

As one of the old guys from early MMO's and a old time reader I say bring back Lum the Mad!

Well it's good to know that designers are meant to have opinions about things, since I started veering off the programmer job and heading towards design, I've been thinking a lot more about design choices made in games, and picking them apart... it's a bit like, if any of your old high school English teachers did this, when you watch a movie and pick apart all of the little scripting parts, and how the scenes link together and relate to the "Hero's Journey", and then you go home and try to watch a movie you like and you can't help but piece together the "Revelation", "Tragedy", "Metamorphosis", "Resolution" parts, etc.

Sort of annoying, really, that I can no longer enjoy things ignorantly, blissfully unaware of their now obvious flaws.

A very good article and right on the head im sure.

Im not a game coder I come from the other line of coding. 24 years of Cobol on MVS IBM systems.  You would not beilive what it takes to code entire systems.

I can only imigine with all the graphics prosssing and modling and what not all the extra stuff that has to be done.

So kudo's on the article.