Meet Svyatoslava
Hey, Svyatoslava. Please, tell us a bit about yourself...
Hello! I'm Svyatoslava (and also known as Clair in the company). I was born in a small city in Kazakhstan called Semey and moved to the Czech Republic almost 7 years ago to study Czech and go to university. After one year of study in CVUT, I realized that my chosen specialty did not suit me and left to work. Later, in a few months, I entered a distance learning bachelor's degree in Public Relations.
I've been obsessed with games since my childhood, and in the last 4 years of school when all the girls went on dates, I played WoW, GTA: Vice City, Morrowind, Oblivion... :D
After I finished my first year of university, I started thinking about work in the game industry: watched courses, read books, etc. I started to communicate with developers on forums and in chats, and wrote a design document of a quest game, "Lost souls", with my friend Mike.
Can you tell us a random fact about yourself...
I love penguins! I have several plush penguins and want to collect at least 50 :)
What was your first positive interaction with video games, that you can remember?
I remember it, yeah! My first game was Moorhuhn in 2000 and I remember how my mother let me play ~30 minutes after I did my homework. What a good time! Later, I got Heroes of Might and Magic, The Sims, and played all weekend! Even if mother tried to hide the cables, mouse and keyboard, I always found it! Sorry, mom!
And your most memorable video game moment?
The choice between friends and Citra in Far Cry 3. I chose friends and when the credits rolled and the final soundtrack started playing, I actually almost burst into tears...
Dialog between Megan Reed and Adam Jensen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Finale of Tomb Raider 2013, despite the fact that the game has ludonarrative dissonance.
What's your all-time favourite video game? And what sort of game do you like to play generally?
All-time favorite video game is Far Cry 3! I think I'm the only one crazy person who has played it 12 times... Haha! But I'm also a big fan of Deus Ex. Most of all I love first person shooters, but also play MMORPG and RPG.
What’s the worst — or most memorable — bug you’ve come across in a video game?
When we tested Ylands, we found a very funny bug: when a character shot at another character with a cannon, that poor guy started flying around the island with his legs and arms outstretched. Slender Man bug!
What's your favourite movie, TV show, and/or book?
Can't choose only one movie, but... it's Gone Girl. TV show – I love Lost, Stranger Things and The Big Bang Theory. And my favorite book is "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky.
And your go-to music playlist is...?
Deathcore, metalcore, djent, hardcore... and of course game soundtracks. : )
So, as a Game Designer on Ylands, what do you do?
Together with other designers I design and oversee implementation of various games features – for example, game chat, map, adding new items and more.
What do you think are the most important skills / traits to have for someone in your position?
Be kind to people and always be grateful for any help. Understand that all people have different opinions and listening to other opinions can be very useful. This is a major part of communicative skills, which are so important. Also, the desire to learn, including from your own mistakes. Don't think that anyone around you is an enemy, on the contrary, you need to see all people as friends who can give constructive and useful criticism. And love what you do!
What do you enjoy about your job, and game development in general?
The ability to learn something new every day. I work in a great team and I'm so glad I can learn from people who have more experience. It's a cool feeling to make something interesting and creative, discover strengths, and acquire new skills and knowledge.
Would you recommend getting a degree in Game Design, and if so, at which kind of school? (@PungentPickle)
If you have this possibility, why not? : ) I know that there are bachelor's degrees in Game Design in many European countries: Finland, Estonia, etc.
There are also a lot of Game Design courses from top universities and industry leaders for free (or for a symbolic payment of ~$100). I personally recommend courses from the California Institute of the Arts. Also, I watched courses from Wargaming, but I'm not sure if they have English subtitles.
What’s been the funniest case during the development of the game? (@PR9INICHEK)
As I said, Slender Man bug : )
Cats or dogs?
Cats (and penguins, ha!). I'm afraid of dogs and I don't think I can get rid of it.
Is there anything else you're currently working on in your spare time?
Improving my skills. Learning something from other types of game design: narrative, level design, etc. I also want to continue learning Japanese – I'm in love with this language.
To finish, tell us one of Svyatoslava's Top Tips...
I often think about one wise Chinese saying: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." It can be very difficult to start something, but every small step inspires to get more and more. And eventually, we have only one life to fulfill all our dreams.
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...