I think the most valuable things I learnt during my time in the Bachelor of Software Engineering programme were mindset and patterns. Knowing how to think when it comes to designing and implementing game systems armed me for the problems I tackled at both my software job and Mytona. My favourite part was of course making games. Applying what you’ve learnt in the first two years and then working on a big group project in an industry setting was pretty fun!
If you’re thinking about going to MDS to learn how to make games do be aware that you will be learning a lot of Maths. It’s groundwork stuff that helps you out a lot later - especially the logic side of things. It gets pretty fun!
Don’t feel like you need to pick one programming language to stick with forever, either. When you learn the mindset and how the structure of one works that can usually be applied to other languages pretty easily. Learning C++ at MDS meant I was able to pick up Lua, C#, Python and some others without much hassle.
You don’t stop learning once your course is over so don’t stress too much though, and Media Design School's industry setting means you can stumble without having the same consequences as out in the field.
We all start somewhere!
Adam gets a shoutout from the Unreal Engine Facebook page during his studies at MDS in 2014.
My last job was heavily software focused, and it was very refreshing to come to Mytona and leap straight into working on an existing mobile game. I started on small fixes to get an understanding of the engine Mytona uses for their hidden object games, working up to adding new events and puzzle board elements such as fabric, fluff and interactive teddy bears. It was great being able to work on these big features with a very knowledgeable mentor.
I think there’s plenty of benefits to working at Mytona, it’s day and night compared to my last job. I feel appreciated and listened to and there’s lots of room to grow. The pay is great and the things you work on feel like they matter a lot. I guess that helps plenty with getting out of bed - I've got stuff to do!
There are one on one sessions about career growth; subsidies for ergonomic office chairs; the option to take online courses to further your education; Gym subsidies. A whole lot of effort is being put into you to help you become your best!
Things got even more exciting after the announcement that the New Zealand studio was to work on something Mytona hasn’t done before. That presented a whole new slew of challenges as now we were starting from scratch. I got to do more of what I liked- working on big features and even breaking the ground with systems like emoting, dancing, and the quiz game. I feel honoured to have worked with some great people during this time and gleaned what I could from their expertise.
Now I work from home in Tauranga in a little office where I can focus and be my most comfortable.
My journey so far with Mytona has been a wonderful experience, I’ve learnt a lot and come a long way since the start. Hoping to keep going!
My advice for anyone looking to get into this field would be: start simple. While it’s admirable that you want to make an open world MMO in your spare time it’s going to burn you out. The more experience you get starting off small will help you gauge what you’re capable of.
I used to do a lot of programming in my spare time where I’d write scripts for online platforms. That can stress you out after some time as all you’re doing is programming. I eventually switched to learning 3D modelling as a way to almost balance out work and play projects.
In this field you’ll be sitting down a lot and that can cause harm. Negate that by taking time out of your day to work out or even just move around. There’s a lot of resources out there for what stretches and movements you should be doing daily or even hourly to keep your back from becoming a shrimp.
