I applied through a recruiter. The process took 1+ week. I interviewed at Arkadium (New York, NY)
Interview
I was referred to the position by a recruiter. I was given a "Production Test" via email to complete at home, which was actually more like a game design test. In my fourteen years in games, I have never been asked to take a "design test" for a production position.
The test involved several questions:
1) Redesign / re-purpose one of their failing social game titles "NFL Ultimate Fan" or something to that affect. It seems that they discovered a little late that the game offered nothing for users to do during the football off season. The original "game" was so badly designed that it was pretty easy, if not time consuming to completely redesign the game and complete the question.
2) Select a game from their library of Flash Ad-Ware titles and create a pitch for LIfetime based on one of their shows. I picked Dog the Bounty Hunter. The available games were so archaic and had been reskinned so many time by Arkadium and other companies that it seemed like an exercise in futility. I picked one of their least used games and did a full design spec for the reskin based on that game and the Dog the Bounty Hunter IP.
3) I don't remember the third question but to be honest it was equally unrelated to a production role.
Upon completion, four days later I was called in for an interview.
- I entered the office with another employee and sat in the "waiting" area which was in the front of the studio. Despite telling them I was there for an interview, the employee made no attempt to inform anyone I was there.
- There was no receptionist present to inform anyone I had arrived for the interview. I was kept waiting for about 35 minutes to be seen even after I informed someone I was waiting.
-The office vibe was very elitist and felt very little like any other game company I had worked at. I felt like the entire company seemed overdressed and stuffy for the game industry.
- I met with three members of the production team and two game designers. The interview was very awkward at points to say the least. I felt that none of the staff I met with seemed very qualified to be conducting their interviews. I have never in my career had to explain gaming terms to someone who was supposed to be my senior or peer in an interview setting. I actually had to explain Agile and SCRUM development to multiple members of the staff.
- Everyone I talked with was polite if not a bit like deer in headlights.
- The highest ranking member of the Design department that interviewed me had not reviewed my "production" test but heard that I performed well from others. The interviewer seemed disinterested in even being in the room to be honest and seemed a bit put off that I was interviewing for production role but also understood Game Design.
- The design team barely spoke about my test results at all but the production team seemed inquisitive to the point that my answers were way over their heads. They seemed very confused about current trends in social and mobile games. They also seemed put off that my test seemed to surpass their normal expectations of Producers.
- During the interview with the main person in charge of hiring me, I was asked several times if I was certain that I wanted to be a producer and not a game designer based on my "creative nature" and test results. I explained that I didn't feel I needed to limit my skill set to one discipline and that I had worn many hats in the past. At that I was "cautioned" that Arkadium is not keen on "gamer industry elitists" and that they each wear their own hats there. I was also told that good game ideas can come from anyone and not just the "gamer geeks".
After awkwardly agreeing, I was told that the team liked me and my test results a lot and that I should expect to hear from them soon.
Three days later I received an offer through the recruiter which I now regret that I accepted.
Interview questions [3]
Question 1
Are you sure I want to be a Producer and not a Game Designer?