Tristan Jacobs, Gameplay Designer

Glowmade has welcomed some wonderful new bugs of late, so without further ado, let’s get to know Tristan - our bright eyed and bushy-tailed Gameplay Designer. Or, if you wanna be pedantic, our Senior Combat Designer… so now we know who we don’t want to give a weapon round the office without insurance :)

So, Tristan - what’s your role here at Glowmade HQ?

I'm a Gameplay Designer! Specifically I develop and iterate on enemies, combat and how those first two interact with other design features.

Now how would your parents describe your job?

"He works with games…" Probably.

So what’s your origin story? How’d you wind up at Glowmade, making little guys run around and give us something to fight?

Peter Molyneux and the team at 22cans gave me a shot, as I pivoted from academia and live performance to narrative design. I worked with them to become more of a game designer. Then I worked with Upstream Arcade as a dedicated game designer until taking the role at Glowmade.

What actually got you invested in pursuing game design? Was there a little light bulb with Todd Howard’s face blinking above your head?

I packed up my life in South Africa and moved to the UK with but the barest thread of a plan. Discovering the mecca of game dev in Guildford, I taught myself various engines and learned about workflows. Some lovely humans at (then) Fortitude Games encouraged me to apply to studios, and that's when I started the pivot.

Share something you love doing outside of everything video games.

Tabletop roleplaying still feels too close to it. So I will say scuba diving, and skiing.

Who or what inspires you?

Solitude in nature, strangely. I find a good walk through peaceful greenery rejuvenates the ol creativity.

For general life things: my late father had a way of being in the world that still grounds me to this day when I think of it, and his memory helps me see the bigger picture.

“It’ll be alright in the end. and if it’s not alright, then it’s not the end.”

— Tristan Jacobs, Gameplay Designer

What's the best thing about working at Glowmade?

The way everyone works together. There is a purveying sense of joy and calm and kindness in all things.

What do you want from your career? What goals are you looking forward to vaulting past?

I would eventually like to direct on a game project - something that players will remember for the rest of their lives.

If you could have been involved in the development of ANY game, which would it be?

God of War (2018), or Ghost of Tsushima

What are your top tips for someone looking to get into games?

Make stuff, no matter how small. Just get cracking on a very tiny idea, and try to make it playable as soon as you can :)

In your opinion, who is the keeper of the cutest Glowmade pet?

I have not met too many. In fact I've only met Tuna :) And they win the prize on dogs. But I'm more of a cat person, so in opposition to favouritism I think someone else's cat is cuter: Artemii's glorious feline.

There's one biscuit left in the tin and you're all eyeing it up... what is it?

Big bulky chocolate chip something!

If you had to pick one game to play for the rest of your life (let's hope it never comes to that), what would it be?

D&D (i can get away with a lot in that) - no specification to video game, right?

What's your personal motto?

Everything is possible without being a douchebag.

What's your guilty pleasure?

Bridgerton.

(Which is the only correct answer, thank you for being such a star pupil!)
And there you have it! Welcome aboard, Tristan - we’re positively glowing to have you joining the crew!