In this series of videos and blog posts – Redhillians – we will be introducing you to many of the awesome people who form the team here at Redhill Games.
As often is the case with career paths when it comes to the gaming industry, not all of them take the traditional route of studying the field and landing a job at a studio. This is a part of what makes the team and culture at Redhill Games so valuable. The fact that our team has people from many backgrounds in terms of their education and professional history means there is a very diverse group of people to learn from and strike up a conversation with at all times.
As a testament to that diversity of background, we’d like you to meet Kirill!
LANDSCAPE VIEW OF THE INNER WORKINGS
Hi, my name is Kirill and I’m a QA intern here at Redhill Games Cyprus. I moved here from the United Kingdom.
Right now, with all of the internships the company is running, the idea is to introduce people with little experience in the gaming industry and train them to become junior members of the team. I’ve recently completed the in-house training course, getting involved with testing the game we are currently working on and getting a handle on how QA is done in the gaming industry overall.
Working in QA is very interesting as you get to see how all the different departments of a game studio collaborate, catching a glimpse of what is going in while it’s a work in progress. Seeing things at an unfinished stage gives me a better idea of what the structure of game development is. QA acts kind of like the glue that holds the various departments and disciplines together in my opinion.
A passion for sound and music
Before Redhill Games, I spent four years in York, in the north of England. I studied four years of theatre for my undergraduate degree, and pretty early on in the process, I decided to specialize in sound design. I put together a small home recording studio to do work with the student communities in York. Halfway through my degree, COVID happened, making the rest of my degree happen online. That just pushed me further into sound design, as I, like everyone else, was stuck at home. It meant that I had ample time to dive into writing and recording music.
Familiar vibes in Nicosia
My relocation to Cyprus was fairly easy. I’ve lived in the country before as I did my sixth-form studies here. I’m used to the extremes of the weather – even if relocating here in the middle of the summer meant I got into the deep end when it came to the temperatures. The sheer difference in temperature compared to the UK does mean it is always a bit of a surprise to arrive here.
I really liked York and I like Nicosia for the same reason – the pace of life is really relaxed. Sometimes, given, it is a little too relaxed in Cyprus. If you really need to get something on a tight deadline, the locals may be more on the lines of “Oh it’s fine, we’ll do it tomorrow”. Most of my time outside of work is spent on various musical projects. I’ve got a solo project where I play all the instruments, and a band in the UK, who I still record remotely with.
I do see my future in gaming involving some type of sound work. QA is a good position to see the inner workings of a lot of different departments, and I have the pre-existing skills for working with audio.
A culture of collaboration
I really like how Redhill Games organizes all of these out-of-work events for colleagues to get to know each other better. Since game development is such a collaborative experience, only talking to your co-workers during working hours gets you only part of the way there. But having all of these activities where you can learn about your co-workers’ interests, personal lives and their reasons for being in the industry is something I really appreciate. It is really new to me, as all my previous workplaces were the kinds where you just show up, clock in, stay for the entire day, and if you happen to talk to someone while you’re there, great! I really enjoy the fact that Redhill is not like that.
For those thinking of joining Redhill Games, just come here with an open mind, and be ready to meet people. You’ll get to experience new ways of working and new cultures where people come from. Put your best foot forward in terms of your work ethic and everybody will be super welcoming and friendly!
Check Kirill out on video below. By the way – the music showcased in the video is written by Kirill himself! 👏
