Meet Maz

Hey, Maz. Please, tell us a bit about yourself...

'Ello. I'm Mazen – Scottish, dad to 3 Canadian cats, and I've been making games for over 13 years at a variety of studios around the world. I've worked on a lot of well-known IPs (Rabbids, Downton Abbey, House of the Dead, Rocksmith) and a lot of original concepts too. Working in the games industry, especially as a designer, can be incredibly varied. After some time working for myself as a consultant/gun-for-hire I came to the Czech Republic, and last July I joined Bohemia Interactive here in Brno. I've been on Vigor since then, helping to further craft and define the player's experience.

Can you tell us a random fact about yourself...

I once trained to be a pro-wrestler.

What was your first positive interaction with video games, that you can remember?

My folks had an Atari 2600 when my brother and I were wee, so we spent a huge amount of time playing Outlaw, Pacman, Knightrider, and other classics. We both grew up with computers and soon progressed to playing games on the PC. Lots of good memories of playing (and arguing) with my brother as we tackled games.

And your most memorable video game moment?

Finishing the Mass Effect Trilogy and triggering the wrong ending by mistake.

I was gutted after all the time I'd spent across the 3 games, coming down to this one conversation choice instead of being directed by an 'action'. Felt like such a let down.

On a happier note, I vividly remember the first time I played Tie Fighter on our home PC. Install complete, I typed in the commands to run the game and there I was absorbed by the introduction. To me it was the best thing I'd ever seen.

What's your all-time favourite video game? And what sort of game do you like to play generally?

All-time favourite game is between Fallout 2 and KOTOR 2. Both amazing experiences.

I'll play anything, as a games designer it's essential to dissect and digest what other games do and why.

Currently bouncing between Nier: Automata, Sunless Skies, Phoenix Point, Reaper, and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. And Kittens Game.

Thanks to the magic of Humble Monthly, PS+, and a stream of new releases bought by Bohemia it's finding the time to play the games that becomes the problem, rather than trying to find what to play.

What’s the worst — or most memorable — bug you’ve come across in a video game?

Not worst but definitely most memorable.

I love the Gears series and would regularly play it with my friend on co-op. Gears 3 comes out and we blast through the campaign. I'm pretty shit so it's mostly my mate leading the way. We get to the final boss - the Locust Queen riding a huge bee/beetle thing. I'm hiding behind pillars kiting her as my pal does all the hard work.

Super fun times.

Then the glitches kick in. He takes a shot to the face and I can't revive him. The primary weapon ammo stops spawning. Most of the cover glitches.

I proceed to spend the next 20 minutes awkwardly trying to take her down with my peashooter pistol as my mate pleads with me to die so we can do it properly.

Eventually got her and felt like a king :)

What's your favourite movie, TV show, and/or book?

It's hard to pick one, so how about 5...

Movies: Star Wars, Natural Born Killers, Homeward Bound, Death to Smoochy, and Lawrence of Arabia.

TV Shows: Twin Peaks, Babylon 5, The Wire, Twilight Zone, and NXT.

Books: The entire Culture Series by Iain M Banks, Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and the Travis Mcgee series by John D MacDonald.

Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař is worth a shout out; great Czech literature. A bit of a Stephen King junkie too.

Comics: Saga, Trees, Transmetropolitan, The Boys, The Invisibles.

Wrestlers: The Rock, Randy Savage, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomasso Ciampa, and the Revival.

These have all been rewritten about a half dozen times :D

And your go-to music playlist is...?

My musical tastes are all over the place, from Country music (Johnny Cash) to Grime (CasIsDead) to skate punk and a whole mix of filth between. I'll listen to anything good.

Depending on my mood I'll bounce about a bit but Arab Strap, Protomen, Vitalic, Eels, The Cure, and Warren G tend to always stick about.

Though according to Spotify these are the sounds of my year: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EtkliL12xnkkf?

So, as a Senior Game Designer, what do you do?

The work can be pretty varied depending on the company, the project and its needs. I've prototyped features, designed levels, scripted the action, written scripts, edited cutscenes... there is a lot of diversity.

Here on Vigor I'm primarily responsible for CCC and weapon balancing. Working closely with my wee amazing team we've been fine-tuning how the character responds to the player, and chasing the best feel for the weapons. Obviously, working with the rest of the design team firefighting new ideas and always pushing to make sure we have the best experience possible for our players. A lot of time spent interacting with them too.

What do you think are the most important skills / traits to have for someone in your position?

Thick skin, the ability to kill your darlings, and ask the right questions.

Also patience - you'll be doing a lot of the same things again, and again, and again, and again to find the best solution.

What do you enjoy about your job, and game development in general?

The people, a great team makes all the difference.

Finishing a product/feature/prototype - knowing that we've taken something from nothing and getting it in front of people. Watching people playing your game and seeing they are absorbed in the play - eyes wide, jaw slack, and lost in that moment - and knowing you've been part of the team that's done that is a superb feeling. Especially if it's something that's had a troubled birth.

"Why radiation in Vigor?" (@terian_matthews)

I joined the team after this decision had been made but I'm happy to speculate :D

Something was needed to bring matches to a conclusion and radiation fits the setting incredibly well.

Towards the end of the Cold War there was still a lot of fear, and paranoia. I can still remember the terror of Threads and Where the Wind Blows when I was wee.

Cats or dogs?

Both. I've got 3 Canadian cats and regularly dog-sit for a friend.

The kitts are pretty well-travelled. I brought them with me when I left Canada, they lived in Scotland for a bit, and have been here the last few years.

Here, bask in their glory:

Daisy - https://www.instagram.com/p/B1HpxyvnPnH/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Monty - https://www.instagram.com/p/B3p6W3ZHutl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Winston - https://www.instagram.com/p/ByGrXhoI-oQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Is there anything else you're currently working on in your spare time?

I make wee games in Unity and Unreal to broaden my skills, and blobs of interactive fiction via Twine.

Outside that I'm constantly broadening my culinary horizons, in a past life I was a chef and still love attempting new recipes.

To finish, tell us one of Maz's Top Tips...

Know your own worth.

Our next Featured Bohemian is right around the corner, so keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest updates. But until then, feel free to learn more about working at Bohemia Interactive by checking out our Careers Page – we may just have the perfect job opening for you. Until next time...