Tag Archives: insomniac

Personal Blog

Insomniatmosphere

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Insomniac is a very pleasant place to work as far as team atmosphere goes. I love Fridays, because on Fridays lunch is brought in, and everyone eats together. I know many companies do stuff like this, but often times it’s just sort of “oh yay, free food,” grab your stuff and go.

Here, it is like a family reunion, as everyone quite playfully grabs their food and perches on every available surface to eat together. Warm little pods form as people pile onto couches and overflow to sit on the floor, gathered together to chat and eat.

I’ve been trying to nose out different pods each Friday so I can get to know the whole company, and I’m always welcomed in without hesitation (in spite of the fact that I can’t remember names for crap let alone whether someone is an artist or programmer or designer or what).

It’s an extraordinary compliment to the hard-working nature everyone here has exhibited so far. It has a very “work hard, play hard” sort of feel, and I am every so grateful to feel so at home. What a fantastic internship!

Personal Blog

Last minute adventures

Last minute plans always have a fun sort of edge to them, and last night was no exception. Graham had only just remembered that I was in LA for the summer yesterday and dropped an email inviting me to a show they were playing last night in Hollywood.

You all must by now know my adoration for Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears, so of course I planned to go, and attempted to wrangle any other last-minute adventurers I could. Happily, Josh agreed to go with enthusiasm (he did a small bit of modeling on the music video, and claims to have had Imitation of the Sky stuck in his head ever since).

So we ventured down to Hollywood and managed in to see the Tears. They were fantastic, as always, and the sound system was great! (By that I mean you could actually hear Scary above the instruments)

Afterwards I got to chat with Graham for a good while, which was nice. Graham is one of those people who I’d love to be better friends with, but I only get to see and talk with him every now and again. He and Scary are going to be in town recording for a bit, so we resolved to get together for some quality hang-out time.

Hooray for being social on a Wednesday night!

Games and Game Development, Personal Blog

LA Week 1 = success!

Well, my first week in Burbank has wound to a close, and I’d consider it a success so far.

Insomniac is great. It’s a very busy time there, so it’s going to be challenging but fun. My supervisor and mentor are very kind, and the whole team is very friendly. Due to the NDA, I can’t talk about what I’m doing. But since it’s been announced, I CAN say I’m working on Resistance 2, and I can say that this summer is going to be awesome fun and learning.

Meanwhile, I’ve been being social as well. My roommates, found randomly through craigslist, are very cool. One of them has a cat, which will make my summer all the better!

There are also lots of ETC alums and ETC first-years doing internships in town, so plenty of people to hang out with. On Friday, the alums took the first-years to Santa Monica for a welcoming of sorts. There was dinner and bowling. Photos follow…

http://picasaweb.google.com/wertle.dragon/SantaMonica

There’s also been Rock Band with Rob and Evan, and exploring adventures and bike rides. So far so good!

Personal Blog

Insomniac! (double meaning!)

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I signed the offer and faxed it away on Monday, so it’s official: I’ll be spending this summer at Insomniac Games as a game design intern.

I am EXTREMELY excited about this internship! Insomniac has always held a special place in my heart, as it was Spyro the Dragon which nudged me back into console game obsession in high school (my Playstation was my very first console which I purchased with my own money, aww). The Ratchet and Clank series has also captured my imagination, and I’m always a little wistful that I never have time to devote to any of those games like I was able to with Spyro.

Anyway, this will definitely be a big exciting adventure of a summer, and I’m looking forward to it! If anyone has tips on finding temporary living quarters in LA, I’m all ears.

On the topic of insomnia, I seem to be suffering from it. I’ve had trouble sleeping as of late, which I’ve blamed on a number of things (mostly the weather) and I’ve tried to alleviate it through a number of means. I rearranged my room (moving my bed has always helped sleeping issues in the past) but to no avail. I even tried sleeping on the couch, remembering the time that Scott mysteriously couldn’t sleep in his own bed, and so slumbered on the couch for a long while. Today, I didn’t even take any afternoon naps!

I’m not sure what the deal is. Perhaps I am nervous about this summer? Perhaps I am merely stressed out from project work? Perhaps it truly is the weather? Hmph, I just wish it would right itself!

I did make myself useful in these past wee hours by cleaning and purging my belongings. I’m hoping to get rid of a good deal of “stuff” so I won’t have to deal with dragging it to California and back. I did wind up with about four bags of Goodwill fodder, so that’s a start.

As long as I’m seeking advice, if anyone has insomnia cures or tips, I am listening!