My Way Day is a holiday for doing whatever you like, however you like it. As long as it’s legal, of course.
Wanna crack open a cold one and just spend all day playing your favorite games? Go ahead. How about being a bit more adventurous and getting started on that novel you always wanted to write? Absolutely fine. And what if you don’t just want to play games, but create them? Perhaps today is the day to apply for Level Design courses, or start learning Unreal Engine 4 through Youtube.
We asked our colleagues about their plans for My Way Day, as well as some deeper subjects, such as their chosen path in life, whether they had any doubts about going into game development, and whether there was any push back from those around them. We hope these replies will inspire you to live the kind of life you want to live.
If you will like the stories from our team, leave your questions in the comments and in the following posts we’ll answer them all. And tell us - what have you always wanted to try but kept putting off?
Alex Marchenko (Marchek), 25
Q: What did you study, and have you ever worked according to your major?
Alex: I've finished Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, one of the best (if not The Best) Ukrainian technical universities, having a degree in "Computer Engineering", so basically, I'm a programmer.
Q: How long have you been working for Starni Games, and what’s your job here?
Alex: I've been working in Starni Games for 1.5 years now. Started as a game designer, now I'm a lead level-designer. Most of the time I'm writing and testing scripts (you could say Quest Designer's work, but we are a small team, so we often do tasks from different categories), and managing the work plan of our small team.
Q: Have you had any doubts about going into game development? Perhaps your relatives were against it, or you yourself had some doubts about it being a serious career choice?
Alex: I was scared about my lack of skills and wanted to finish some Game Designers courses first. It turned out that a person becomes a fast-learner when working with something they love. And I've always loved Math, so working with numbers and algorithms is my strong point.
Q: Have you ever done anything that went against the grain, regardless of the opinion of your relatives or the society at large, but that you were absolutely sure about? Tell us about it, and how it worked out for you. It doesn’t have to be an example from the gamedev.
Alex: Well, I've dropped out of university two months before graduation. I was eager to show everybody that a diploma isn't required for a successful career. My family was shocked, but they supported me anyway. Well, some of them. Two years later I recovered at the university and finished it. But this time not because this was expected from me, but because I wanted it myself. To be honest, I still haven't used my diploma once (and don't think I ever would), but it serves me as a token. A token that reminds me to do things when I want them, not when others want me to do it.
Q: What would be your advice for the people who are afraid to live according to their own interests and ideas? Perhaps, people who are hesitant about working in game development.
Alex: When a person is doing something they love, it is much more likely for them to achieve big progress in it. Rather than spend years waiting. I believe it is much better to take a step forward and look out for new opportunities. We only live once, so make sure it's the life you want to live!)
Q: On My Way Day one should kick back and do what they like, how they like. Watch a movie you’ve been putting off, or eat something your usual diet forbids. What would you do on such a day?
Alex: I believe I would play tabletop games all day long together with my wife and friends :)
Constantine, 32
Q: What did you study, and have you ever worked according to your major?
Constantine: Directing movies, and yes.
Q: How long have you been working for Starni Games, and what’s your job here?
Constantine: Almost 2 years, working as the director, script writer and editor.
Q: Have you had any doubts about going into game development? Perhaps your relatives were against it, or you yourself had some doubts about it being a serious career choice?
Constantine: At first I had doubts, but it was probably just the fear of something new and unknown.
Q: Have you ever done anything that went against the grain, regardless of the opinion of your relatives or the society at large, but that you were absolutely sure about? Tell us about it, and how it worked out for you. It doesn’t have to be an example from the gamedev.
Constantine: I’ve applied to major in Directing three times.
Q: What would be your advice for the people who are afraid to live according to their own interests and ideas? Perhaps, people who are hesitant about working in game development.
Constantine: If you feel like something is “your thing”, just do it, and don’t listen to anybody.
Q: On My Way Day one should kick back and do what they like, how they like. Watch a movie you’ve been putting off, or eat something your usual diet forbids. What would you do on such a day?
Constantine: I will finally watch the Godfather Trilogy.
Alexsandr Shevchuk (Indardis)
Q: What did you study, and have you ever worked according to your major?
Indardis: studied for an Astrophysicist, never worked as one.
Q: Have you had any doubts about going into game development? Perhaps your relatives were against it, or you yourself had some doubts about it being a serious career choice?
Indardis: I had my personal doubts. Since I had no experience in the field, I was worried if I’d manage to succeed in the profession. But as it turned out, if you have the desire to learn and a bit of patience, there is nothing scary to it.
Q: What would be your advice for the people who are afraid to live according to their own interests and ideas? Perhaps, people who are hesitant about working in game development.
Indardis: I don’t know if we could call it advice, but I can say that you shouldn’t limit yourself without a good reason for it. If you aren’t content with something, you should try to change it. Maybe you want to work in a different field, say, game development, or maybe you want a different lifestyle. Because if day after day you do something you don’t enjoy, you will quickly burn out and stop enjoying life altogether. It never hurts to try.
Q: On My Way Day one should kick back and do what they like, how they like. Watch a movie you’ve been putting off, or eat something your usual diet forbids. What would you do on such a day?
Indardis: On My Way Day, I would take a day off and spend the day enjoying my friends’ company in a co-op game, or playing tabletop.
Kate Globa (KateMels), 27
Q: What did you study, and have you ever worked according to your major?
Kate: Cinema and TV Directing. I haven’t worked as a director, but the editing knowledge comes in handy when making my Youtube vlog or trailers for Starni Games.
Q: Have you had any doubts about going into game development? Perhaps your relatives were against it, or you yourself had some doubts about it being a serious career choice?
Kate: Nope.
Q: Have you ever done anything that went against the grain, regardless of the opinion of your relatives or the society at large, but that you were absolutely sure about? Tell us about it, and how it worked out for you. It doesn’t have to be an example from the gamedev.
Kate: I did skip a lot of classes back in school. I’m against the traditional education system, where you sit in a class for hours at a time and study something that doesn’t interest you and cannot be applied practically. When I got the Internet, I started learning more through it than I ever did at school. My decision to skip school and the university made for some conflict with my relatives, but all in all, I don’t regret spending less time in the classroom than my classmates did.
Grades and systemic knowledge don’t affect anything in life, nor will they make you happier. And you gain experience a lot quicker when you’re doing what you like, not what you’re forced to.
I went to the university because me having a diploma was very important for my family. I do have it now, but I haven’t seen it since I graduated, back in 2014. It’s something in the depth of my desk, with the rest of the “important documents”.
Q: What would be your advice for the people who are afraid to live according to their own interests and ideas? Perhaps, people who are hesitant about working in game development.
Kate: If you’re afraid of doing what you like, you can waste your youth and end up with a lot of regrets. Doesn’t matter how someone else lives and what they do, what’s important is that you are comfortable and happy doing what you do every day.
Q: On My Way Day one should kick back and do what they like, how they like. Watch a movie you’ve been putting off, or eat something your usual diet forbids. What would you do on such a day?
Kate: I want to finally find the time to draw a picture of the Mandalorian and Grogu. And sew an eco-bag.
Katya (Master Po, Stoned Elf, Lark), 27
Instagram
ArtStation
Instagram with works
Q: What did you study, and have you ever worked according to your major?
Katya: My first major was in Astrophysics in the Taras Schevchenko National University of Kyiv, and right now I’m majoring in Illustration. I’ve worked as a lab assistant at a lyceum once, but becoming a scientist in this country is a tall order.
Q: How long have you been working for Starni Games, and what’s your job here?
Katya: About 3.5 months.
Q: Have you had any doubts about going into game development? Perhaps your relatives were against it, or you yourself had some doubts about it being a serious career choice?
Katya: My relatives always supported me, I think I had more of personal doubt not about gamedev but about studying to become an artist. It didn’t seem serious enough. As for game development though - that’s very serious to me. The field is full of high-class professionals, and I’m always worried about my work not being up to par. And in turn, game development convinced me to pursue an artistic career.
Q: Have you ever done anything that went against the grain, regardless of the opinion of your relatives or the society at large, but that you were absolutely sure about? Tell us about it, and how it worked out for you. It doesn’t have to be an example from the gamedev.
Katya: Tough to say. Maybe, my relatives would want me to be closer to my hometown, but it has neither the education I’d want, nor the companies I could work at.
Q: What would be your advice for the people who are afraid to live according to their own interests and ideas? Perhaps, people who are hesitant about working in game development.
Katya: Just remember that game development is a career - it’s not a bed of roses, and you won’t always have a ton of interesting and varied tasks. There’s plenty of routine work that simply needs to be done, many technical decisions that are counterintuitive and not obvious, and the expectations are very high.
The difference between an office job and a gamedev office job (at least for me) is that you actually get to draw, though within certain parameters, style and specifications. It’s a 9-to-5, 5 days a week before a computer screen, and the quality standards are very high, and sometimes pretty hard to meet. The good part is that your team will likely be full of young and progressive people with varied interests, skills and knowledge, and that’s really cool. Also, you might end up with the most interesting project in the world, but even there it will be 20% artistic and exciting, and 80% repetitive and necessary.
You’ll get to make games, but in return you’ll pay with your time, energy, and ego, you’ll have to give it your 100% and find ways to fit the requirements, learn to cooperate with your coworkers and always - always, even in your sleep - grow, learn something new and develop yourself. If that doesn’t scare you, definitely try your hand in game development. It’s not an easy path by any means, but if you have a genuine interest in it, you will handle it, and eventually you’ll work on wonderful projects straight out of your dreams.
Q: On My Way Day one should kick back and do what they like, how they like. Watch a movie you’ve been putting off, or eat something your usual diet forbids. What would you do on such a day?
Katya: Actually, last weekend I did something like that - canceled all of my meetings and spent the day drawing, watching cartoons and reading manga. And have some sleep, too.
I want to slow down, brew some coffee, work on my personal projects and think about the future, think up some concrete steps for realizing my ideas, and put my life and my thoughts in order. So if I had to do something super-inspiring on My Way Day, I’d do that. Too bad there’s the same number of hours in that day as in any other.
Stas (Tepes), 26
Q: What did you study, and have you ever worked according to your major?
Tepes: Something about typography, I can’t even remember the precise wording. Haven’t used that in my work at all.
Q: How long have you been working for Starni Games, and what’s your job here?
Tepes: Since the work on the Pacific had begun, so for 2 years by now. My responsibilities are pretty wide: Narrative Design (maps and their scripts), Game Design (units, skills and game mechanics), music and sound, once I even had to be a mocap artist :) If someone remembers the epic Iwo Jima flag raising, here’s the terrible secret - I play every single American soldier in that scene. And the flag was a coat rack with a broom scotch-taped to it.
Q: Have you had any doubts about going into game development? Perhaps your relatives were against it, or you yourself had some doubts about it being a serious career choice?
Tepes: It’s pretty hard to talk me down from something really interesting :) But nobody really tried. All my relatives were just happy I found a job in game development.
Q: Have you ever done anything that went against the grain, regardless of the opinion of your relatives or the society at large, but that you were absolutely sure about? Tell us about it, and how it worked out for you. It doesn’t have to be an example from the gamedev.
Tepes: I’ve always argued with people, since I was a kid. Never understood why I should go to sleep at 22:00 if I’m still full of energy :) Seriously though, since I was about 14 I preferred to do my own thinking. I listen to others, of course, but the final decision is up to me. Can’t think of a specific situation.
Q: What would be your advice for the people who are afraid to live according to their own interests and ideas? Perhaps, people who are hesitant about working in game development.
Tepes: Giving advice is much easier than following it. So instead I’ll tell you a bit about what game development is like. First of all, making a game is long, hard and often very boring. Sure, there are interesting parts, but be ready that most of your wonderful ideas will be discarded the moment you voice them, and the rest will mostly end up on the cutting room floor due to technical limitations. If you’re not ready for that - game development is not the way to go. Second, gamedev isn’t where fortunes are made. If you want to make a lot of money fast, pick a different field. Maybe things are different in mobile gaming, but I can’t say anything about it. Third, be ready that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. You will have to improvise, change things quickly, solve unexpected problems - some of them really unexpected. If all that doesn’t scare you, welcome to gamedev. If you can’t handle criticism or adversity - perhaps reconsider.
Q: On My Way Day one should kick back and do what they like, how they like. Watch a movie you’ve been putting off, or eat something your usual diet forbids. What would you do on such a day?
Tepes: I’d have myself some good night’s sleep. Seriously though, I have several unfinished scripts in the works (personal projects), so I’d probably do some work on them.
Have a nice My Way day!