SINGAPORE—If there are two things that Filipinos in the Ubisoft studio here have in common, it’s all the fun they had growing up playing video games, and the difficulties they had to endure when they actually pursued a career in gaming in a foreign land.
“I didn’t even know there were people making games,” said Felix Marlo Flor, senior art director at Ubisoft Singapore, who started his game development career in the Philippines before moving here in 2008.
Flor, who graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP), was one of the pioneer developers in the French gaming giant’s Singapore studio, which made its mark in the industry as a lead producer of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
“When I got here, I couldn’t even show my portfolio. It was really different from what I was doing, and it took me time to adjust,” said Crisanto Tarce III, who worked as a graphic artist in the Philippines for about seven years before moving to Singapore.
Tarce, a Leyte native who took up fine arts at the University of Santo Tomas, was excited and nervous when he had to fly here for an interview the same day he learned of the job opening in Ubisoft.
Things were a bit rough when he arrived, as the job offered to him as concept artist was different from what he used to do.
But Tarce, who is now a senior user interface artist, said it was also a good thing to learn something new. “It’s worth a try considering Singapore offers more, financially. I managed to cope with the demands of work, which opened new doors for me. I met a lot of talented artists and amazing people dedicated to their job,” he said.
From being a sound engineer in post-production of a broadcast giant in the Philippines, José “Beej” Cua Paz gave game development a shot because of his interest in video games.
Challenging
“The adjustment was crazy and the transition was challenging,” said Paz, now working as a sound engineer in Ubisoft Singapore.
Part of his craft means traveling to capture and develop sound effects that will make the audio in video games more natural and
realistic.
But despite the initial adjustment and uncertainty, they all managed to learn the ropes and work their way up. Asked for advice to aspiring young game developers in the Philippines, Tarce said young talents should not hesitate to try and commit mistakes.
“They really have to explore a lot. You can build your own technique and create something out of your mistakes,” he said.
Paz pointed out the need to know what one really wants to pursue and choose the best school that will equip them with the necessary skills, while Flor advised aspirants to “focus on the fundamentals” and find other avenues of learning outside the classroom.
For Estrella Briones, a build engineer in Ubisoft who had worked as a developer in mobile telecommunications in the Philippines, going to Singapore was a leap of faith.
Briones, who started playing video games at four years old, said she learned of the job opening in Ubisoft Singapore on Facebook and was “more than inspired” to go for it, especially since she had just finished playing Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines that time.
“I became a build engineer in my five years in the studio, and it brings me joy to know that the tools I create and maintain are working across the globe,” she added.
Asked about the impression that gaming is dominated by men, Briones said video games are also art forms that women can relate to.
“It’s very visual. It stimulates the senses. Girls will very much relate, depending on the games they play, and we have female characters who are strong and family-oriented,” she noted.
Flying to Singapore was also like “taking a plunge” for Nino Vedad, who worked as a software QA (quality assurance) tester for seven years in the IT industry in the Philippines. Currently the lead game tester for Ubisoft Singapore, he started as QA tester on Assassin’s Creed: Revelations five years ago.
Vedad’s passion for video games started at an early age, although his father used to scold him for playing. He now has a seven-year-old daughter, whom he allows to play video games like Assassin’s Creed.
Understand the game
Vedad utilized his expertise while doing what he always wanted to do. He said game-testing is more than just trying out games for themselves, as QA testers are now part of the production team.
“We try to understand the features, what our game is intended for, solve the inconsistencies in graphics and movements of the characters,” he said. “Consumers want quality, so you have to understand the game.”
In the case of Ubisoft programmer Eugene Jarder, who took up electronics and communications engineering at UP Diliman, it was never too late to start over and pursue one’s passion.
Having started gaming very young, Jarder first worked as a game developer in the Philippines, but later opted to work as programmer in other more corporate industries.
In the end, however, he found himself coming back to the gaming industry when he flew to Singapore five years ago. “It’s more exciting than being in the corporate world. Things change quite fast,” he said.
Asked about the best practices they have acquired in Singapore, Filipinos in Ubisoft agreed that the openness to collaboration was very evident, despite cultural and personality differences.
Ubisoft Singapore, which started operations in 2008 with only 22 people, now has about 300 employees of 32 different nationalities.
“Collaboration becomes a big part of it. The bigger something is, the more difficult it is to move, but it is more powerful as well, so there’s a trade-off there,” Flor said.
“Sharing plays a big part in what we do, and that’s how you can leverage a big group,” he added.
Echoing Flor, Paz said the environment promotes the “beauty to collaborate” and the “drive to learn new things.”
“You have the autonomy. You can push things and share ideas,” he said.
Jarder said being in Singapore is like being home, as Ubisoft has a “family-like and caring atmosphere.”
“Working in Singapore opened up my eyes to how life in other countries could go,” he noted. “Initially I was concerned, since it was the first time I was going to work in another country. Will the locals accept me? Will I get used to the food here? Thankfully, I am now used to the way of life here. I have made new friends—locals, fellow expats and other Filipinos trying to make a living.”
But amid all the comfort and convenience that they have been reaping from hard work—“we can now live the life we want to live,” as Vedad put it—Filipinos in the Ubisoft studio here said they are always looking forward to coming back home.
“Yes, why not?” Briones said. “It’s still home and also another opportunity, because when you go back to your country, you are a changed person, you’ve learned a lot, and you want to share what you’ve learned.”