Yurie Inoue is a programmer based out of Tokyo. With experience setting up servers and programming on platforms ranging from Playstation 2 to PC, Inoue is currently developing games for mobile.
Name: Yurie Inoue
Vocation: Programmer
Number of years’ experience: 8 years
Location: Tokyo
Shipped Game Titles:
Ragdoll (iOS / Android) – 2011
(other titles omitted due to contractual obligations)
Platforms with Development Experience:
Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PSP, iOS, Android, PC Browser
1. What are you currently reading and/or playing?
I really wanted to play mobile games on a larger screen, and bought an iPad recently. So I’m currently playing a bunch of mobile games. They’re really appealing to me since you could jump in and play, or stop, at anytime.
The books I’m reading are also related to Android and iOS game development at this time.
2. First time you knew you wanted to work in games was…?
I kind of knew I wanted to work in games around the time I was in fifth or sixth grade in elementary school, but it was not till middle school when I actually resolved to work in the industry. I had learned to code in VBA on my own, and made a simple mini game. The moment when I saw the game working was when I told myself, “I want to work in games!”
3. What was your favorite mistake?
It was a fairly long time ago, but I was working on a project that had become a death march (in other words, a project that was unlikely to succeed). The amount of overtime and late nighters came to a point where my skin got really rough… and I learned the hard way that no matter how busy things got, it was important not to neglect skin care.
4. What was your favorite success?
There was an in-house project where, in spite of my inexperience, I was placed in charge of setting up the project’s servers (including infrastructure development and API design implementation). When it came time for release, the app had no major server issues and was operational.
5. What’s the best advice you ever got?
“Believe in yourself. If you can’t believe in yourself, believe in me. If anything happens, just follow my lead!”
That was what my boss said to me when I had just started out in the industry and had little confidence in myself. I had a lot of self-doubt about things like my code implementation, and those words of encouragement were very uplifting to me.
6. Share one thing few know about you.
I’m a very open person, and so don’t really have anything that few know!
7. What’s one thing or trend you’re most excited about in the industry?
There are a lot of casual games being released these days, and it’s not just hardcore games anymore. It is becoming increasingly easy to release games and apps. In this modern age, anyone can become a game creator.
What I am looking forward to is the industry becoming easier to break into for those who are passionate about making games, so that there are more people to work together with. I look forward to supporting those individuals as well!
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Table of Contents:
- Letter from the Director and About the IGDA Journal, Kate Edwards
- IndieSpective: Never Give Up!, Robert Madsen
- You Got A Game Job – Now What?, Sheri Rubin
- Words of encouragement matter!: WIG SIG profiles programmer Yurie Inoue
- IGDA Sacramento: Progressive Game Jams and Playfulness, Briana Aea
- IGDA Chicago Update, Sheri Rubin
- IGDA Quality Assurance SIG Update, Sheri Rubin
Best Of the IGDA Perspectives Newsletter:
- BioShock Pitch Document: A Brief Analysis, Erik Robson, October 2011
- A Recipe for Homemade Jam: Running Your Own Game Jam, Chris Thor, November 2012
- Data and Techniques in Games User Research, Veronica Zammitto, August 2012
- Positive Power Up: Leading for Happiness!, Scott Crabtree, September 2011
- Developers Without Borders, Tom Slattery, December 2010
- Upcoming Trends in Social Impact Games, Emily Treat, September 2012
- Drawing on Kids’ Imagination in Game Design, Paul Gray, July 2012
- Emergence in Game Audio, Gina Zdanowicz, June 2010
- Three Questions For Being/Writing A Character, Sheri Rubin, Fall 2009 IGDA Game Writing Quarterly