Summer Internship: our cohort tells all about their experience

Jean-Philippe Bélanger

Tell us about you! Introduce you in a couple of sentences.

My name is Jean-Philippe Bélanger, I’m from Québec City. My internship was entirely in remote, which I enjoyed, despite not knowing how it was “before” and working on site.

What are you studying?

I am studying software engineering at Laval University in Québec City.

What made you choose Eidos-Montréal?

When I saw the opportunity to work at Eidos-Montréal, I applied because if I didn’t give it a try, I was sure I couldn’t work there.

What was your role at Eidos-Montréal?

I was a Gameplay Programmer Intern.

What’s the best thing/lesson your learnt during your internship?

The importance of teamwork because it is impossible to do everything alone in a video game.

What’s a thing you accomplished during your internship that you’re proud of?

I am very proud of all the work done on video game engines.

Any advice for students who would like to pursue a career in Video games?

Go for it, it’s a great industry with many areas of expertise. Good luck and let go!

 

Megan Rivas-Gagnon

Tell us about you! Introduce you in a couple of sentences.

I am artistic and curious at heart, and I’m also strong with languages and letters, which is why I chose to direct my career towards the field of communications and public relations; it is vast and will allow me to integrate almost any industry that interests me!

What are you studying?

I am a student in the Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations) at UQAM.

What made you choose Eidos-Montreal?

I wanted to gain experience in the technological and / or creative field and video games seemed to me to be right between these two fields!

What was your role at Eidos-Montréal?

I was an Intern in Communication and Public Relations. I assisted the communications team in internal communication as well as in media and public relations preparing for the release of the Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy video game.

What’s the best thing/lesson your learnt during your internship?

Teamwork and the people you work with make all the difference in learning and achieving your goals!

What’s a thing you accomplished during your internship that you’re proud of?

This internship was my first full-time experience in a large company, and I had the opportunity to do several things both internally, in events (remotely) and in media relations which taught me a lot about business operations and deadlines. I am proud to have done my first internship outside my BAC and to have acquired more professional confidence.

Any advice for students who would like to pursue a career in Video games?

Even if you are not a hard-core gamer, it is possible to make a career there as long as you show curiosity and that you have an interest in learning!

 

Hengxiao Luan

Tell us about you! Introduce you in a couple of sentences.

Hi! My name is Hengxiao Luan, born in 1998, an “omnivorous” gamer since 2000, and a video game culture enthusiast.

What are you studying?

I’m finishing up my Bachelor of Commerce major in Marketing.

What made you choose Eidos-Montréal?

As an “omnivorous” gamer who plays a wide variety of video games, single-player story-driven games are one of my favorites. Eidos-Montréal is famous for making quality single-player story-driven games such as Deux Ex titles and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (which I’ve played and enjoyed very much). Plus, Brand Marketing has been a position that I really wanted to try! Luckily, Eidos-Montréal was looking for Brand Marketing intern and I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to join the team.

What’s the best thing/lesson your learnt during your internship?

The best thing about this internship was being able to apply both my skills gained from my hobby and what I learned from school into actual work that could make a true impact. In the Eidos-Montréal Brand Marketing team, I was able to work closely with everyone and be involved in many project discussions with the Marketing Managers and the Marketing Directors.

 What’s a thing you accomplished during your internship that you’re proud of?

During my internship, I had the opportunity to edit a video to showcase our game to partners. I’m very proud of it because, even though it is not consumer facing, it was my first time applying my creative skills gained from my hobby and seeing them having an actual impact for a company.

Any advice for students who would like to pursue a career in Video games?

Be passionate about video games themselves, not just love playing them! I think passion for video games themselves is the most essential and inherent key to success in a career in video games. If you love video games as a culture, as an art or as an industry, you will have a better understanding of games as a whole and act better in your career.

Le Cherng Lee

Tell us about you! Introduce you in a couple of sentences.

I can speak multiple languages including endangered Chinese languages like Hokkien and Cantonese. During my free time, I hold hokkien speaking sessions over Discord and writing beginner to hokkien for beginners to learn. I love what video games can bring to people, so right now I hope that I can eventually made my own AAA games that can make the world a little better with the help of everybody.

What are you studying?

I am currently studying Computer Science at Concordia University.

What made you choose Eidos-Montréal?

I chose Eidos-Montréal mainly because that it is a studio under Square Enix. I love Square Enix games which also includes past games under Eidos-Montréal.

What was your role at Eidos-Montréal?

I was a Tool Programmer Intern.

What’s the best thing/lesson your learnt during your internship?

I learned about different game development process and different teams behind it. The most important thing that I got exposed is that not all AAA games are always on crunch. The work environment is very relaxed. A totally eye opener for me.

What’s a thing you accomplished during your internship that you’re proud of?

Being quite dissatisfied by nature, I find that although I have progressed a lot during my internship, I still have a lot to learn and improve!

Any advice for students who would like to pursue a career in Video games?

Always pick up extra knowledge outside of school courses, always participate game jams and hackathons.

Mike Gao

Tell us about you! Introduce you in a couple of sentences.

I was born and raised in Shanghai before relocating to the United States to attend a preparatory boarding school at fifteen. While almost nothing beats a hot bowl of New England clam chowder, I traded it for Canada’s northern lights and the opportunity to be a part of Montreal’s thriving technological community. I have long been drawn to Computer Science because I believe that it is the only medium that inspires unity between otherwise disparate fields of study. Due to its powerful interdisciplinary potential, computing allows for truly objective analysis of society’s most pressing problems.

What are you studying?

I learn from my own mistakes and the historical failures of others, but I formally study in McGill University’s Computer Science Honours program. I am most interested in Computer Graphics and am a member of the McGill Graphics & Imaging Lab.

What made you choose Eidos-Montréal?

Eidos-Montréal has been universally known as a Square Enix flagship studio and I first got to know them at SIGGRAPH 2015. When it was time to apply for an internship, I looked specifically for graphics-related opportunities and the role at Eidos-Montréal was a perfect fit. I really wanted to join their specialized team of impressive developers. Ultimately, an internship is all about the people you work with and my team lead, Eric Le, came across as especially cool, down to earth, and competent – it really convinced me!

What was your role at Eidos-Montréal?

I was a Rendering Programmer Intern, and I specifically dealt with manipulating pixels.

What’s the best thing/lesson your learnt during your internship?

Coming from an offline rendering background, I never really understood the magnitude and the difficulty of real-time rendering. However, through my internship experience, I have come to grasp how small things add up and have a significant performance impact on the development of a final product. Consequently, I’ve developed a renewed sense of admiration towards the smart ‘hacks’ used in various games.

What’s a thing you accomplished during your internship that you’re proud of?

I am thrilled that I left a tangible impact on the development of a AAA game. The Eidos-Montréal internship experience gave me the creative autonomy to contribute meaningfully to projects that are core to the studio’s mission—I never felt that my input was overlooked or ancillary. Among many things, learning about rendering techniques from Timothée Feuillet and gaining insight on lighting from principal lighting artist Vincent Courbis-Poncet were especially meaningful opportunities. I am particularly grateful to my teammates Eric Le, Timothée Feuillet, Yann Alet for mentoring me in real-time graphics and game engine design.

Any advice for students who would like to pursue a career in Video games?

Since I am just entering the industry, I don’t think that I am in the position to give any advice; however, I think that I am in a position to clarify some misconceptions about the video game industry. The complexity of a video game is akin to a huge software project; one can hardly imagine the complexity and the sheer number of interweaving components that comprise a game or the effort that goes into making a game successful. A video game’s success demands total cooperation between people of many skill sets and talents—programmers and visual artists constitute only a fraction of the development team. No matter what you specialize in, I am confident that there is a team for you at Eidos-Montréal.

 

Leonardo Vieira Barboza

Tell us about you! Introduce you in a couple of sentences.

Passionate about the game industry and its infinite ways to tell stories and spread happiness. Very sociable, I always try to be in good mood to create an enjoyable environment to me and to the persons around me.

What are you studying?

Network and Security Management

What made you choose Eidos-Montréal?

By working at Eidos-Montréal, I would have the opportunity to contribute to the development of games that I love. Furthermore, this opportunity would give me the chance to work in an environment with top notch technologies and highly competent people that would enhance my hard and soft skills.

What was your role at Eidos-Montréal?

I was an IT Support Technician Intern.

What’s the best thing/lesson your learnt during your internship?

I learned that there is no problem that can not be solved. If we persist, we will find a solution.

What’s a thing you accomplished during your internship that you’re proud of?

My technical improvement and the recognition of my work by the Service Desk team.

Any advice for students who would like to pursue a career in Video games?

Be persistent in your dreams. Like any game, it is just a matter of having enough XP to reach the next level.

Leïla Haddad

Tell us about you! Introduce you in a couple of sentences.

My name is Leïla Haddad, I have just finished my studies in Communication / Video Games and Gamification at UQAM, where my specialization was on transhumanism and the questioning of human nature in the SOMA video game. For 4 years, I have been trying to get involved and contribute as much as possible to the Montreal video game industry, whether in research, in teaching, in the creation of video games or in the management of social media. Playing video games since my childhood, I really fell in love with the media with the Mass Effect saga.

What are you studying?

I have just completed a master’s degree in Communication, video game and gamification concentration at UQAM.

What made you choose Eidos-Montréal?

Its slogan “Crafting Emotions”. I am passionate about video games, and it was definitely the emotions I felt while playing games that made me discover the reach that media can have. I couldn’t have chosen better than a studio like Eidos-Montréal which understands this importance, and which in addition places emotions at the heart of its games!

What was your role at Eidos-Montréal?

I was a User Researche intern.

What’s the best thing/lesson your learnt during your internship?

Teamwork is essential. It is important to be able to trust each other and to be able to rely on each other. It’s a fascinating job, but also demanding, where you learn every day and where you have to adapt. I really had an incredible team, very welcoming, who accompanied me step by step, and who trusted me from the start!

What’s a thing you accomplished during your internship that you’re proud of?

To have been able to adapt to the various challenges and obstacles that presented themselves. The projects are exciting, but they are also very diverse and the pace of work varies a lot. It was a personal challenge to discover the environment and to have been able, with the help of my team which accompanied me, to adapt and be effective very quickly.

Any advice for students who would like to pursue a career in Video games?

Quite simply, just get started! No matter your field or angle of expertise, there will always be a place for you in the video game industry! It is a welcoming environment, but above all fascinating and passionate, it would be a shame to miss it!

Llama