Unlikely Beginnings: Fallout 3's Lead Designer on his Path into the Game Industry
Posted April 13 2:24 AM by Sande Chen
For the Game Career Seminar Keynote, lead designer and writer Emil Pagliarulo gave career advice to aspiring game developers during an informal interview conducted by Geoff Keighley of Spike TV. Pagliarulo also discussed Bethesda’s work processes and how he got to his current position in the industry.
A former editor at Adrenaline Vault, Pagliarulo’s first job was as a junior designer at Looking Glass. He stressed that he got the job not because of game journalism, but that he had a creative writing background and had level design skills. After Looking Glass closed down, he moved to Ion Storm and then finally, to Bethesda.
At Bethesda, Pagliarulo’s title is Lead Designer and Writer, which means he sets the high-level frame for a game and supervises a team of designers who also write for the game. He has to get all the designers invested in the same vision. However, Executive Producer Todd Howard is the final arbiter of all decisions. Howard is very hands-on, said Pagliarulo, and they work well together.
“95% of the time, we’re on the same page,” said Pagliarulo.
At Bethesda, all of Fallout 3’s design documentation, with the exception of dialog written in the editor, was written on a Wiki. Still, the designers need to keep the player’s experience in mind. Pagliarulo said, "No matter how awesome your game design document is, at some point your game design document becomes gameplay. You need to have brutal honesty with yourself. That's the hardest thing. Knowing something is bad and sucking it up and re-doing it"
The designer’s role differs from company to company, but in general, Pagliarulo offered the following advice to potential applicants:
• Know the company’s games • Show your personality • Don’t have an ego • Don’t be an asshole • Have really great skills
When asked about game design programs, Pagliarulo was enthusiastic about them because he felt these programs can teach the skills needed for game development. In addition, he recommended downloading tools and making mods because often times, the companies will want to see something like that.
As a final note, he added, “Work hard, make friends. It's a small industry.”
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