Getting to Knowmade: Scotty Brebner

Scotty’s known to many as a bastion of fun and feel-good vibes, so you can imagine the impact he has on our game. He works it all out, from core gameplay to the final bells and whistles, and injects so much joy into every part of it - and does all this while working from the other side of the world! Though we miss having him in the studio every day, Scotty is a man who never misses - so let’s find out more…

Scotty! Can ya hear us out there?! What is it you do at Glowmade?

I’m a Game Designer. My job is to conceptualise and iterate the playable parts of the game. If you're interacting with it, I have an opinion on it. In other words, I’m a Professional Fun Maker ;)

Now how would your parent describe your job?

"Scott makes games like he always wanted to. He does it on the computer, like he used to when [trail off into a story about my childhood...]"

(This might be the most accurate capturing of a ‘rent thus far, oh boy…)

How did you get to this point in your career?

Got my Master's at Victoria University of Wellington and got my first job in the industry after presenting my thesis at MedTech CORe conference. I worked for Exsurgo Rehab, making games for stroke rehabilitation (which is what my thesis was on).

After a couple of years we had to suspend the project, so my partner and I used the opportunity to move to England, where I got a job as a Technical/Narrative designer at Dream Harvest, woking on NeuroSlicers and NeuroNet: Mendax Proxy. After completing my work on the latter, I joined Glowmade!

What made you want to pursue games?

I was about 12 years old, playing on my Playstation when it occurred to me that someone had to make the games I was playing. I'd been creating my own content for D&D and Starcraft/Warcraft for a while, but I hadn't thought until then that it was an actual career. From that point onwards, I knew I had to learn how to do it in a professional capacity.

Share something you love doing outside of everything video games.

Food. Film. Reading. Pets. Hiking/Camping. Beaches.

Who or what inspires you?

People. I make games to make a human connection with other people. I find something so powerful in sharing an emotional experience with someone.

Share something you appreciate about yourself. Give yaself a pat on the back, why don’t ya?

My ability to find joy in the little things. The easiest example is food; finding comfort in a cup of tea or a tasty meal means I'm happy three times a day minimum. Working a job I love with like-minded people and coming home to my fiancee means I'm happy basically all day. So yeah, life's good :D

What game do you wish you could’ve developed?

Dungeons & Dragons. I cannot overstate how influential this game was on my life; how I grew up and the friendships that formed out of it.

What's your personal motto? Or just your fave inspirational quote.

I'm an optimistic nihilist, so I believe there is no true meaning to life or anything, but this frees us to make our own meaning in life. I guess my motto would be "make your own happiness."

What's the best thing about working at Glowmade?

The people. The project is brilliant but it's the team that make the difference. If you can't have fun with the people you work with, then you're in the wrong place.

Anyone on the team who stands out as a role model, or source of inspiration, perhaps?

Mike Green. Part of the reason I left my old studio was I was looking for a role that would put me in proximity of someone with more experience I could learn from and grow as a designer. Mike fits the bill perfectly. He's well-spoken, patient, and has worked on some highly successful games.

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

Design your personal work in a format that you could confidently show in a professional context. Even if it's fanfic/mods/incomplete/not directly related to games, take the best parts of it that show off your creativity and skill. Having a portfolio makes your work visible and "real."

In your opinion, who is the cutest Glowmade pet?

I'm going to cheat and say my friend's chowchow Butter.

(Very thin ice there, Scott, but I’ll allow it because Butter is the best name I’ve ever heard.)

If you had to pick one game to play for the rest of your life, what would it be?

D&D. If it had to be a video game, DOTA 2. Not because it's my favourite game (I haven't played it in years) but because it is constantly changing.

What's your guilty pleasure?

My Youtube recommendations are a weird mix of ASMR videos and DOTA memes.

What’s your favourite kind of biscuit?

Dark chocolate digestive. Classic, dependable, not too fancy, not too plain.