From Gamer to Creator: How Modding Inspired a Passion for Game Development and Team Building

Game Logic: Behind the Games

What games sparked a lifelong passion for development? For Zach Hooper, director of production at ProbablyMonsters, it was early PC titles like Morrowind and Wolfenstein that first drew him into gaming. As a kid modding those classic games, he discovered a knack for tinkering under the hood and learning development tools. That hands-on experience eventually led Zach to pursue a career in the industry. He tells his story from those early modding days up through roles at studios like Monolith Productions and Microsoft. Zach also discussed his current work producing games at ProbablyMonsters and why the studio's culture of work-life balance is such a good fit. Even with many responsibilities now, Zach still makes time to play the latest roguelikes. His passion for gaming continues to drive his work helping others pursue their own careers in development.

0:00 Intro 2:20 Career progression in the gaming industry, from QA to production roles. 11:35 The differences between working at a large company and a startup. 17:03 Work-life balance and culture at Microsoft and ProbablyMonsters. 20:51 Production roles, culture, and teamwork in game development. 24:41 Mentorship and career growth in the gaming industry. 28:38 Job search strategies and gaming recommendations.

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Welcome to Game Logic where gaming industry expert Myke Parrott interviews top-class Gaming professionals from some of the world’s most respected Games Studios. These conversations unveil the business side of the gaming industry and reveal insights from some of the people who make the world’s best video games possible.

This show discusses everything from launching new titles, game development, streaming, UX and UI through to eSports, Free To Play Mobile Gaming and even Web3 Crypto innovations. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the creative processes, challenges, and triumphs from CTOs, engineers, developers, art directors, designers, animators and producers offering an immersive journey into the heart of the gaming universe.