We Want Your Job! – GamesMaster Magazine Issue 211

We Want Your Job!
Pestering the jammiest jobsmiths in the business.

This month, Craig Leigh, who is helping make Fat Princess, tells us the benefits of having a curvier queen…

GM: Hi Craig, tell us what your role is on Fat Princess.

Craig: Hi GamesMaster, my role is the Lead Designer of Fat Princess. I try to take all of the creativity and good ideas of the team and funnel them into a workable and fun game!

GM: What happens in your typical working day?

Craig: Fat Princess is in the polish and debug phase and so my days are pretty hectic. A typical day is a combination of playing, reviewing and tweaking the mechanics of the game, and working with the team to ensure the experience is as fun and chaotic as possible.

GM: What’s the creative process like when thinking up an idea like Fat Princess? Did the pitches go well?

Craig: At Titan Studios, we all take part in the creative process and throw ideas into the pot when creating new gameplay mechanics and features. The original pitch for Fat Princess went incredibly well. We were discussing our ideas with Sony and they loved the concept so much that we started development shortly afterwards.

GM: Are the lovely ladies modelled on anybody in particular?

Craig: Well that would be telling wouldn’t it! I could not possibly say, I might get sat on and squished!

GM: Finally, any advice on how to enter the industry?

Craig: I originally started in Q.A. and worked my way up through the ranks. If you want to be a designer or level designer I would recommend trying to create mods for existing games as you will learn a lot from the process. The best piece of advice I can give is to join a development studio as soon as you can because there’s nothing better than hands on experience. And your mum is wrong – play a lot of games. You need to know your business!

GM: Thanks, Craig!

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:

1: Two PS3 Debug stations so that I can play with myself all day.
2: My headphones as I need to rock out while developing.
3: PS3 wireless headset, I need to talk to my Fat Princess team to coordinate the attack. CHARGE!
4: Tea! I can’t live without at least 3 barrels of tea a day.
5: My “All Time Gaming Champions” trophy to remind my colleagues of my almost astonishing level of Bubble Bobble gaming domination.

CAPTION: A PlayStation paradise. Keep your eye on Fat Princess, not that you could miss her, of course…