Camp Hyrule Interview: Raymond Yang

Camp Hyrule

Camp Hyrule, an online virtual camp held by Nintendo every year, is under full swing. Every year, Nintendo invites people to take questions from the campers. Even Reggie Fils-Aime, who is now the president of Nintendo of America, has been a featured presenter! We had a transcript of the chat with the Nintendo Senior Online Producer earlier (check it out if you’re thinking of going into web design) and now we have the transcript of the chat with Raymond Yang, Senior Vice President of Operations for Digipen Institute of Technology.

DigiPen was one of the very first schools that centred on game development. Founded by Nintendo near Vancouver BC, Canada, it has now moved to Redmond WA, USA. The questions asked all revolved around education for game design, so if you’re thinking of getting into the game industry, this is definitely something you’ll want to check out!

Click “Full Story” for the transcript! Remember, it extends beyond just Nintendo. DigiPen students are the one who thought up the idea for Portal. They are now working at Valve to create the game. Please excuse the grammar and any typos – it is a transcript of a live chat room held at Camp Hyrule.

Camp Hyrule

NOA_ANDY: Hi all. The chat show with Raymond Yan, Senior Vice President of Operations for DigiPen Institute of Technology will begin in 12 minutes.
NOA_ANDY: Chat with Raymond Yan, Senior Vice President of Operations for DigiPen Institute of Technology. The show starts in five minutes.
NOA_ANDY: Chat with Raymond Yan, Senior Vice President of Operations for DigiPen Institute of Technology. The show starts in one minute.
NOA_ANDY: It is my extreme pleasure to introduce Mr. Raymond Yan, Senior Vice President of Operations for DigiPen Institute of Technology. Welcome to Camp Hyrule!
RAYMOND_YAN: hi guys
NOA_ANDY: Before we get started, I’ve seen many questions from campers wondering exactly what it means to be a ” Senior Vice President of Operations.” Could you please give us a brief overview of your duties at DigiPen?
RAYMOND_YAN: sure…
RAYMOND_YAN: basically…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s a fancy title that comes with LOTS of headaches
RAYMOND_YAN: i oversee things like computers…
RAYMOND_YAN: and all of our outreach programs like the summer workshops..
RAYMOND_YAN: where we teach kids about game development
NOA_ANDY: Cool! Let’s get started with some questions …
JSR: Hi Mr. Yan. What’s the average day of a Digipen student like?
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s very loooong
RAYMOND_YAN: the students here at digipen are studying a lot of courses…
RAYMOND_YAN: for the programming students they are focusing primarily on math…
RAYMOND_YAN: physics…
RAYMOND_YAN: computer science
RAYMOND_YAN: and of course….
RAYMOND_YAN: each semester the students are working on game projects
RAYMOND_YAN: for the artists…
RAYMOND_YAN: they spend their days studying topics such as drawing…
RAYMOND_YAN: color theory..
RAYMOND_YAN: anatomy
RAYMOND_YAN: film techniquest
RAYMOND_YAN: acting
RAYMOND_YAN: and they have to draw a lot …
RAYMOND_YAN: about 50-100 sketchbook pages a week…for four years…
NOA_ANDY: Wow. So it’s not all fun and games!
RAYMOND_YAN: lol
RAYMOND_YAN: definitely not
ASHTR: What careers can you go into after graduating from Digipen?
RAYMOND_YAN: most people come to digipen because they want to work in the game industry as programmers and production artists
RAYMOND_YAN: so…
RAYMOND_YAN: being located in seattle…
RAYMOND_YAN: which is one of the largest game development communities in the country…the world actually
RAYMOND_YAN: many grads work for local companies….
RAYMOND_YAN: including nintendo software technology
RAYMOND_YAN: microsoft xbox..
RAYMOND_YAN: we have grads at Valve
RAYMOND_YAN: Bungie
RAYMOND_YAN: etc…
THEFIRESTORM: People know about programmers, artists, and musicians. But what other positions do you think people should think about when considering a career in game development?
RAYMOND_YAN: making today’s games is much like making a movie….
RAYMOND_YAN: in addition to programmers and artists…
RAYMOND_YAN: there are musicians…
RAYMOND_YAN: writers…
RAYMOND_YAN: producers
RAYMOND_YAN: directors
RAYMOND_YAN: testers
RAYMOND_YAN: people who keep the computers working
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s very multidisciplinary….
RAYMOND_YAN: and when you just look at programming…
RAYMOND_YAN: there are many types….
RAYMOND_YAN: programmers who have to deal with artificial intelligence..
RAYMOND_YAN: physics…
RAYMOND_YAN: character animation systems
RAYMOND_YAN: camera control..
RAYMOND_YAN: for artists…you will find artists who deal with character modeling
RAYMOND_YAN: animation
RAYMOND_YAN: then there is the user interface stuff….so graphic design…
RAYMOND_YAN: then lighting artists…
RAYMOND_YAN: artists that make the game props….
RAYMOND_YAN: etc.
NOA_ANDY: A quick follow-up … What types of degrees does Digipen offer?
RAYMOND_YAN: good question…
RAYMOND_YAN: we have three different tracks….
RAYMOND_YAN: as an accredited college, students can come to digipen to earn a bachelor of science degree in real-time interactive simulation
RAYMOND_YAN: this is a fancy way to say “game programming”
RAYMOND_YAN: then we also have another science degree in computer engineering…which deals with hardware…
RAYMOND_YAN: and finally, a bachelor of fine arts degree in production animation…
RAYMOND_YAN: actually…we also have a master of science in computer science degree
ZELDAMSTR447: Since I am entering High School, do you reccomend any specific classes I may take to be ready for a school like this. I am already enrolled in some Honors classes, and I am taking Graphic Design as my elective; but are there any other classes I should consider?
RAYMOND_YAN: good question…
RAYMOND_YAN: if your goal is to be a programmer…
RAYMOND_YAN: then the focus needs to be on mathematics….trig, geometry…
RAYMOND_YAN: take as much math as you can….and really understand it…
RAYMOND_YAN: if you can take honors/AP math…go for it
RAYMOND_YAN: then…
RAYMOND_YAN: you may also want to consider physics….
RAYMOND_YAN: most games are simulations of some type of world…even a mario world
RAYMOND_YAN: so…
RAYMOND_YAN: you need to understand physical science…things like momentum…
RAYMOND_YAN: velocity..
RAYMOND_YAN: you can also take computer programming classes…
RAYMOND_YAN: this will help you to see if you even like programming…
RAYMOND_YAN: for art
RAYMOND_YAN: drawing…
RAYMOND_YAN: more drawing…
RAYMOND_YAN: and…
RAYMOND_YAN: drawing
RAYMOND_YAN: learning to paint is awesome
RAYMOND_YAN: sculpting
RAYMOND_YAN: acting
RAYMOND_YAN: photography
RAYMOND_YAN: graphic design
RAYMOND_YAN: and…
RAYMOND_YAN: drawing
RAYMOND_YAN: did i mention drawing?
RAYMOND_YAN: and finally…
RAYMOND_YAN: i’m sure many of you are interested in game design
RAYMOND_YAN: we all have game ideas right?
RAYMOND_YAN: well..
RAYMOND_YAN: if this is your goal…to be the next miyamoto-san…
RAYMOND_YAN: you need to learn everything….both technical and creative….
RAYMOND_YAN: most designers typically start out as programmers…
RAYMOND_YAN: or artists..
RAYMOND_YAN: i’d certainly recommend going this route…
RAYMOND_YAN: if for no other reason….
RAYMOND_YAN: to be a good designer….
RAYMOND_YAN: you need to understand how a game is made…
RAYMOND_YAN: it takes much more than just having a good game idea…
RAYMOND_YAN: most of you have probably played games that weren’t all that great…
RAYMOND_YAN: in many instances…the reason the game is not that good is not that the idea is bad…but that the designer did not understand the structure of how a game is really put together.
SIRVENOM: How many years does one have to spend in Digipen for a good education in programming and production art?
RAYMOND_YAN: it really takes our students about 4 years…
RAYMOND_YAN: and…
RAYMOND_YAN: that’s for each discipline…in other words…
RAYMOND_YAN: they focus on either art…or programming over the four year period
NOA_ANDY: I have a question here about your experience in game development. Before I present it, can you please give a brief overview of some of the games you’ve worked on?
RAYMOND_YAN: well…
RAYMOND_YAN: before i joined digipen a few years back….
RAYMOND_YAN: i was the head of the art department at nintendo software technology….
RAYMOND_YAN: which is a first party development team located right next to digipen
RAYMOND_YAN: so…
RAYMOND_YAN: during my time with nst…
RAYMOND_YAN: i made a couple color gameboy games…
RAYMOND_YAN: one called “Crystalis” (RPG)
RAYMOND_YAN: another called “bionic commando” (adventure/platform)
RAYMOND_YAN: on the N64…
RAYMOND_YAN: i worked on a game called “Pokemon Puzzle League”
RAYMOND_YAN: another called “Ridge Racer 64”
RAYMOND_YAN: for the gamecube..
RAYMOND_YAN: i worked on a launch title for the system called “Waverace:Bluestorm”
RAYMOND_YAN: i was also involved with 1080 Avalance….
RAYMOND_YAN: and finally…
RAYMOND_YAN: i was on the original development team for a AGB game called “Mario vs. Donkey Kong”
NOA_ANDY: One word: Poliwhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirl … Thank you for PPL. That’s one heck of a list! OK on to the question.
RAYMOND_YAN: lol
OF_DESTRUCTION: Hi! This is just a personal preference question. Given you used to work on the development of games, did you have more fun making games or do you enjoy teaching new students how to develop games more?
RAYMOND_YAN: that game still is one of my favs
RAYMOND_YAN: great question…
RAYMOND_YAN: why did i leave nst?
RAYMOND_YAN: i LOVED the job…
RAYMOND_YAN: i’ve been a gamer all my life
RAYMOND_YAN: i still have my game and watch’s
RAYMOND_YAN: anyhow…
RAYMOND_YAN: game development, particularly for companies that are tyring new things…
RAYMOND_YAN: is very difficult…
RAYMOND_YAN: very challenging…
RAYMOND_YAN: trying to come up with something new for the player…
RAYMOND_YAN: and..
RAYMOND_YAN: it ends up taking a LOT of time…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s not a 9-to-5 job…
RAYMOND_YAN: for me….
RAYMOND_YAN: i “grew up” a bit…
RAYMOND_YAN: got married…
RAYMOND_YAN: started to have kids…
RAYMOND_YAN: and then….
RAYMOND_YAN: realized that I was working all year…
RAYMOND_YAN: all day…
RAYMOND_YAN: with no time for my family
RAYMOND_YAN: so…
RAYMOND_YAN: making one of the most difficult choices in my career…
RAYMOND_YAN: i decided to leave…
RAYMOND_YAN: and join digipen
RAYMOND_YAN: where i get to still be involved somewhat…
RAYMOND_YAN: and where i can help future game developers get trained…
RAYMOND_YAN: so to answer your question…
RAYMOND_YAN: i really like both…though if i had to choose…
RAYMOND_YAN: i think i’d be right back at NST
RAYMOND_YAN: maybe when my kids grow up! 😉
REVOLATION: For the summer workshops, is their a certain age limit, What is the youngest age you can be to go to the summer workshop? Also will you be adding a Masters and PHD program for Computer engineers and Realtime interactie simulation degrees. Since currently there is only bachelor for those degree programs.
RAYMOND_YAN: for our workshops…
RAYMOND_YAN: the youngest is about 9 years old
RAYMOND_YAN: the oldest…up to around 18
RAYMOND_YAN: regarding the masters/phd question…
RAYMOND_YAN: we’re definitely moving in that direction
RAYMOND_YAN: when you look at how complicated today’s games are…
RAYMOND_YAN: there is a TON of material that we need to continue to learn…
RAYMOND_YAN: to research
RAYMOND_YAN: think about the artificial intelligence players want in a game….
RAYMOND_YAN: this is a big topic
RAYMOND_YAN: with lots of research left to do…
RAYMOND_YAN: so yes, i expect we’ll eventually offer that high level of degree
ILOVETOPLAYNESGAMES: Does digipen offer any scholarships, and if so how do you get them? I would love to go to Digipen, but my parents are worried about the money. What do you recommend?
RAYMOND_YAN: we’re starting to look at that and do offer some scholarships….
RAYMOND_YAN: we’re a private school…
RAYMOND_YAN: so everything we have is paid for by tuition
RAYMOND_YAN: i would expect that as we continue to grow (we’ll have about 800 students total this September)…
RAYMOND_YAN: more scholarship opportunities will c ome up
MIG31: Was there a game that influenced your choice of career? And if so, which one?
RAYMOND_YAN: oh man…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s wierd….
RAYMOND_YAN: i never thought as a kid i would grow up to make games…
RAYMOND_YAN: and especially game development with nintendo…
RAYMOND_YAN: but i’d have to say that Donkey Kong was what really got me hooked…
RAYMOND_YAN: it was like fate….
RAYMOND_YAN: playing donkey kong…burning my allowances at the arcade…
RAYMOND_YAN: and then many years later….
RAYMOND_YAN: sitting in japan…
RAYMOND_YAN: across the table from the man (miyamoto-san) who made this game….
RAYMOND_YAN: talking to him about the games we were making at nst…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s like being an animator…
RAYMOND_YAN: and meeting walt disney
NOA_ANDY: Great story.
NOA_ANDY: I think we have time for two more questions …
GAMEQBER: Hi Mr. Yan! How often do students graduate from Digipen and go straight to working with Nintendo?
RAYMOND_YAN: it is actually a minority of our students that go on to actually work for a nintendo team…
RAYMOND_YAN: that said…
RAYMOND_YAN: i’m pretty sure i can say that at least half the team at NST is made up of grads…
RAYMOND_YAN: so..
RAYMOND_YAN: if you REALLY want to work for Nintendo, we’re certainly a good option….
RAYMOND_YAN: no guarantees…
RAYMOND_YAN: and expect that Nintendo only wants the best….
RAYMOND_YAN: which is not easy at a school like ours
MOZZARELLA: What seperates DigiPen from other schools that offer classes in game design?
RAYMOND_YAN: hmm…
RAYMOND_YAN: i think it is important to understand the philosophy of what the different schools are offering…
RAYMOND_YAN: our philosophy is that we want our grads to be “creators of technology” and not just “users”…
RAYMOND_YAN: the best way to explain this would be to think of something like a word processor…
RAYMOND_YAN: they’re very easy to use…
RAYMOND_YAN: doesn’t take long to learn…
RAYMOND_YAN: but…
RAYMOND_YAN: if you do NOT know how to write….
RAYMOND_YAN: the word processor will not do anything to help you be a great novelist
RAYMOND_YAN: so…
RAYMOND_YAN: for programming…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s not about learning C++….or java…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s about understanding the math…the physics…the computer graphcis theory…
RAYMOND_YAN: for the artists…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s not about 3DS Max…or photoshop…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s about understanding good design…animation techniquest….color theory
RAYMOND_YAN: as a result…
RAYMOND_YAN: i think there are many good schools…
RAYMOND_YAN: it’s up to you to do the research to understand what the school is trying to do.
NOA_ANDY: That makes a lot of sense.
NOA_ANDY: So study up campers!
NOA_ANDY: Thank you so much for taking the time to visit Camp Hyrule. This was an extremely informative chat!
RAYMOND_YAN: my pleasure….
RAYMOND_YAN: good luck to you guys…
RAYMOND_YAN: hopefully we’ll see some of you at DigiPen…and if you want to check out our programs….
RAYMOND_YAN: or even better…
RAYMOND_YAN: play some of the student games…
RAYMOND_YAN: go to www.digipen.edu
NOA_ANDY: Thanks for the link!
RAYMOND_YAN: cya later!
NOA_ANDY: Thanks again!
NOA_ANDY: Chat with George Harrison, Nintendo’s Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at 11:00am Pacific, Wednesday 8/16.

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