HELLO

Did you know this graduate of FAST-NU went on to develop a game that won Game of the Year awards? Pakistan

PAKISTANI VIDEO GAME GURUS: HUSSAIN SHEIKH

Once a student in Islamabad, he is now part of a critically acclaimed studio.

Where did you grow Up?

I grew up in three main cities - Rawalpindi, the place where I was born, Lahore where I got my elementary schooling, and Islamabad, which I most strongly identify with.

What were your favorite games growing up?

That is a difficult question to answer as there were so many games that shaped my interest in games development. I believe my love for gaming started with Donkey Kong on Nintendo’s Game & Watch. That game had the perfect balance of challenge and reward which made it extremely addictive.

However, that was my first love, if you will, and over the years there have been many games that drew me towards the gaming industry. As I got into my teens, I started playing more twitch-based action games titles such as Shinobi, Final Fight, with Street Fighter II being my all time favorite game.

Recently, I have been playing more action/adventure titles such as God of War and Uncharted. This reminds me, I need to get onto Uncharted 4. (Ed.: Not before you finish this interview, please.)

When did you realize game development was your calling?

I was always drawn towards computer graphics, so I guess in a way I was always interested in gaming. But it was after my matriculation that I seriously started considering it as a professional career. Before that, the plan was to become a doctor of medicine. That however, was more of what was expected of me, rather than what I wanted to do. My love for gaming and game development grew gradually over the years as a result of sneaking to gaming arcades at every opportunity.

What was the first game you worked on?

The first game - if you can call it that - was an unnamed bedroom coding project. It was essentially a simple program that allowed you to move a ship up and down the screen and fire bullets. I thought it had potential. It totally lacked any gameplay design of course, but the code was pretty slick!

Tell us about your journey as a game developer.

In short, it has been amazing so far with bigger better things waiting in the future. It started after my BS in Computer Science from FAST-NU, in 2004. My teacher for the Computer Graphics course was Ovais Ashraf, who also happened to be the CEO at Trango Interactive. I believe that was the only company at the time involved in game development in Pakistan. After my BS, Ovais invited me over to join him at Trango Interactive and that’s where it all began. I stayed at Trango for a year and then decided to move to UK for higher education.

In the UK I did my Masters in Games Development and joined Black Rock. I stayed at Black Rock for around four years, and was involved in titles such as Moto GP, ATV Pure and Split/Second. Unfortunately, after the release of Split/Second the studio was shut down and I moved onto Relentless Software in 2011 and worked on Nat GEO tv, an augmented reality-based title.

In June of 2012 James Marsden, the Managing Director at FuturLab contacted me through a friend, to join him as Head of Technology. The studio had just signed up the contract for Velocity Ultra with Sony, which was our first title on PlayStation Vita. At first I declined, as I was planning on setting up my own studio at the time. But after meeting James, it just felt right for me to join forces with him, and I am glad I did. We met for lunch one day, and instantly bonded over our love for Street Fighter!

In 2013, I decided to join FuturLab as Technical Director. So far it has been demanding, but great fun and really exciting.

Currently I am the Head of Technology at our studio. That means, I am responsible for all things technology. I am also very much hands on and split my time between programming and managing my team. My day to day duties involve making sure we have the right tools and technology to finish the current projects and also playing with toys of the future, to help decide the direction our studio takes.

Tell us more about ATV Pure, Split/Second, and Velocity 2X.

At the time, I was working as part of the core technology team at Black Rock and was involved mostly in tools and visual effects for the title.

During the development of Pure, our studio started expanding since we were looking into starting another ambitious project, which later became Split/Second. As part of the expansion, the studio was looking for someone to head the core technology team. I was still a junior programmer at that time, but I thought “why the hell not!” and threw my name in the hat. As expected, I didn’t get the job, but at the studio, Tom Williams saw something in me and became my mentor.



Over the next year or so I was promoted as lead for VFX on Split/Second, my first major role in a big title. I loved every moment of working on that project. The team was amazing, the atmosphere was full of passion and it catapulted my professional career.

I am pleased to say that Split/Second scored over 80 on Metacritic.

Velocity 2X, I developed at FuturLab. I was responsible for the gameplay/mechanics and all things rendering on that title. This was my first title as head of Technology at FuturLab and we scored a 90 on Metacritic on our lead platform. Velocity 2X also went on to win numerous awards and was one of Time magazine’s top 10 video games of 2014. For a small studio, this was a big accomplishment and a title that had a lot of love and passion behind it.

Split/Second and Velocity 2X were the two main titles that have defined and grown me professionally and personally.

What was your experience at FAST-NU?

Beyond developing a deep understanding of hardware and software development, FAST played a major role in my personal development. The most important aspect I believe was team work, which is extremely important in our field, where we have to work very closely with artists and designers to create a well-rounded product.

FAST was actually not that far from my home. I believe it was around 20 minutes drive. My routine at college was pretty straightforward. Go to university, attend “most” of the lectures with occasionally bunking to play pool. In the evenings, a few hours of sports, mostly cricket or football, and after that spending time studying at home. Occasionally, I would go out with friends in the evening to Jinnah Super market for lemonade or to Pir Sohawa for dinner. But I was extremely focused on my studies and it paid off.

Anything you wish FAST could have done better?

FAST is a great institute, with some amazing professors who have first-hand industry experience, which is vital in preparing students for professional lives. However, there are a few things that I believe our education system can improve on. Firstly, there isn’t enough emphasis on creativity. It is very technology focused. The reality is that people with great ideas are as important as people who can bring those ideas to life. There needs to be more focus on developing out-of-the-box thinking in the younger generation, rather than focusing only on understanding what already exists. Another thing that could help is having more collaboration between design, art, and technology based institutions. For instance, we can get the final year students from an art/design based institute (Lahore School of Arts for instance) to work with final year students of a technology institute (FAST perhaps) to collaborate for their thesis. Give them a blank canvas, no restrictions; they can create what inspires them.

How was the transition to another country?

In a country like UK, where people are so open and welcoming of other cultures and backgrounds, it really was a breeze. Life on campus was a great experience too, since previously I had always lived with my parents and now I had to be more independent and responsible.

I think the biggest shock for me was how wrong I had been about the western culture and people. I think maybe it is because we always fear what we don’t know and create our own misconceptions of what might be out there. And the media doesn’t really help either. All in all, what I used to think of the UK couldn’t have been further from reality. The people were friendly, welcoming and above all, always willing to be helpful where possible. It’s been great for me so far, and now I have two homes, one in Pakistan and one in UK.

Did you experience a difference in quality of education?

Technically, they were very similar. But in the UK, there was a major emphasis on career counselling and involvement of the industry veterans in the education. We were encouraged to actively think about the career choices we wanted to make. Help was always at hand and we had a career counselor who would go over our CVs and help students connect with various companies in the industry.

We also had regular visits of people from renowned studios as guest speakers, and that made a big difference. Being able to candidly speak to people who are already part of the industry and knowing what the job entails, gives you a better perspective on where you want to be. It keeps things exciting and it is always great to learn from the first-hand experience of industry veterans. I have myself been to a few universities to give talks on my experience in the industry, and it’s a great way of connecting giving back to the industry.

Do you feel the government of Pakistan needs to do more to encourage game development?

If I were back home, I probably would be in a better position to answer this question. But this is a multi-billion dollar industry, and whatever any country can do to encourage growth can only be a good thing. In the UK, we have Video Games Tax Relief and various Video Games Trade Associations that all help give the UK’s games industry visibility on the world map. It should be same for Pakistan.

Is it true that this is a grueling job?

We tend to avoid crunch and in all honesty do a pretty good job at it. Our Operations Director is quite strict about having a work life balance and we tend to spend a lot of time creating a manageable schedule. The team generally works 9 to 5, but the directors sometimes do long hours. The work is definitely demanding; you have to make sure that every little detail gets equal attention, so that the whole experience flows smoothly. But that is what we are passionate about, and hence the effort doesn’t really feel like work. Also, given the love and appreciation we get from the fans, it is all well worth it!

What programming languages do developers need to learn?

Currently we are doing most of our work using either C++ or C#. However, programming languages are more like tools that help you solve problems, while the ability to solve difficult problems is the real skill to master. If you are good at it, a programming language will not be a barrier. Also, I believe that a good understanding of what happens with the code on the hardware is more important than the language itself.

Has your family supported your career?

My dad is an amazing person. He has always been extremely supportive of every decision I've ever made. His only advice has been: “If you do something with your heart in it, you will excel in it”. My mom probably thinks that I spend my time playing games and so I should probably grow up now and get a “real” job. But my whole family has always been extremely supportive of my decisions. I couldn’t have picked a better family to grow up with.

What advice you do you have for people who want to become video game developers, especially in Pakistan?

Get creative and just start making something. People spend too much time worrying about tiny details and that gets in the way of creativity. Start something that you are passionate about and the details will unfold. Do not be afraid of failing the first, second or even third time, because that is the only way you can learn and get better. Always keep pushing foward!

What does the future have in store for you?

Unfortunately, I can’t talk much about our future plans. But we are a generation that is witnessing the evolution of technology at unprecedented pace and we are really excited to be a part of this evolution. Hopefully, we will keep growing with it and continue creating bigger, better, more immersive worlds for our fans to enjoy!

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Hussain started his career in game development at Black Rock Studios in 2006. He has worked on multiple award winning, AAA titles such as Split/Second and the Velocity series. Currently, he is the Technical Director at FuturLab where he is working on an exciting unannounced project, and overseeing all the technical requirements of the studio. He lives in Brighton, UK, and in his free time, pretends to be Batman!