Benjamin Simon, Gameplay Programmer, joined the Game Lab, our in-house prototyping team, at Gameloft Paris as an intern back in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since!
He has a background in web development, and it was at his previous job where he got his first taste of game design before studying it at a video game school in Paris.
Learn more about Benjamin, his path to Gameloft, and some of the different projects he’s worked on the Game Lab below!
Hi, Benjamin! Tell us about yourself.
Hello! I'm Benjamin Simon and I'm 29 years old. I'm a gameplay programmer at the Game Lab in Paris.
Before starting in the video game industry, I worked for a small association in my city, mainly as a web developer.
The association was geared towards kids and teens, which led to me hosting workshops for them. These included things such as an introduction to computer science and even (spoiler alert for my future job) how to make video games! There were around 10 teens who took part in that workshop, and we ended up creating a clone of Flappy Bird in two days using the Construct 2 game engine.
After that, in 2015, I continued studying game design with a friend at ICAN in Paris. It was mainly a course in game design, but because of my past experience, I was always the programmer during student projects. So I specialized in that role.
I joined Gameloft in 2018 during my final-year internship. In the Game Lab, I had the chance to work on close to 10 projects, including Auto Defense, which saw the light of day here!
What is your role, and what do you enjoy most about your job?
At the Game Lab, I work mostly on prototypes, and as a gameplay programmer, my role is to bring game concepts to life.
More specifically, I'm always working in close collaboration with a game designer to implement the core of the game, or in other words, the features that are at the heart of the experience. The idea is to be able to quickly test the concept to ensure that it's fun and that it meets the market's needs.
It's a constant back-and-forth. The game designer comes up with a feature, I implement it, we test it, and then we repeat the process. Usually, after a month, we have a first playable that's rough, but which allows us to assess what's good and what's not.
What I do in more concrete terms is write code in a programming language and fine-tune the values in a game engine (Unity). I also spend a lot of time staring into space, but that's all part of the thought process!
This is my everyday life!
What are some of your most memorable moments at Gameloft?
The first project I worked on here was Doggos & Friends. It was a game about collecting dogs, each one totally unique. There were around 10 different breeds and each one had several skins.
During production, to follow the skin-creation progress, we printed out the ones that were finished and the ones that were being worked on, and hung them on a big white wall in the Game Lab. After one or two months, the wall was full! It was really nice to see dachshunds dressed like Superman, Pekingese going full Rambo with a bazooka, and punk Chihuahuas!
What advice do you have for people who want to work in gaming in a similar role?
Today, video game creation is more and more accessible. The tools are available for free and there are thousands of tutorials online.
All you have to do is give it a try! But you still have to be patient and take the time to experiment. Make small games, and make a lot of them. To do that, there's nothing better than copying something that already exists and going from there. Make a clone of Flappy Bird, then a clone of Super Hexagon, and after that, a clone of Super Mario Bros., etc.
Copying allows you to get inspiration and a better understanding of what goes into a finished game. It also works your analytical and reasoning skills. With this experience, you can quickly create your own game mechanics.
And when you feel ready, take part in a game jam!
If you’re interested in joining Benjamin in the Game Lab, they’re currently looking for a 3D artist, gameplay developer, and a senior game artist! Apply today and check out our other jobs in our studios around the world here. Stay tuned for another edition of Humans Behind the Game!
