NECA’s government affairs team wishes you a very happy holiday season and we hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends.

NECA's Government Affairs team wraps up 2019, check out the year-end review.

On January 14, 2020, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey chapter had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) and the Secretary of Labor Scalia

On December 11, 2020, members of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.)

NECA's legislative top three for the week of January 17, 2020

On January 22, 2020, members of the Long Island Chapter NECA met with Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.)

Amy Walter, National Editor of the Cook Political Report and former Political Director of ABC News, will be returning to speak at the NECA 2020 National Legislative Conference.

On January 23, 2020, members of NECA’s Northern California Chapter met with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)

Last week, members of NECA’s Long Island Chapter met with Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.)

NECA Government Affairs top three for the week of February 7, 2020.

On February 11, 2020, members of NECA’s Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter met with Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.)

On February 16, 2020, members of NECA’s East Tennessee Chapter met with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.)

On February 24, 2020, NECA’s San Diego Chapter Executive, Andy Berg (left) met with Rep. Juan Vargas (D-Calif.)

On February 24, 2020, a member of NECA’s San Diego Chapter met with Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.)

1. Hearing Held to Reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act

On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, the Higher Education and Workforce investment Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss reauthorizing the National Apprenticeship Act. The National Apprenticeship Act, originally passed in 1937, will be amended to expand the apprenticeship system to include broader forms of apprenticeship programs. This discussion is centered around how to modernize the Act and bring apprenticeships into the 21^st century.  

NECA’s Look Ahead: Preserving these valued apprenticeship programs is a priority. NECA continues to work closely with legislators while this bill is being shaped.

2. NLRB Chairman and General Counsel to Testify Regarding Funding     

Next week, the Chairman and General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board are scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations committee. This hearing is anticipated to be contentious with lawmakers inquiring as to the reasons behind the Trump Administration’s request to lower the board’s funding by 10%. At the same time, the NLRB’s regional offices are plagued with under-employment and the board itself is dogged with hearings and legal challenges over ethical conflicts of interest.

NECA’s Look Ahead: While historically the National Labor Relations Board has been a contentious and often politicized place, this hearing is expected to highlight the new level of dysfunction that now riddles the Board. NECA believes that lawmakers should continue to fully fund the NLRB and encourage their leadership to expedite the hiring of their regional offices.

3. Congress Passes Coronavirus Funding Bill

On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, Congress passed a NECA-supported bill, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

NECA’s Look Ahead: This bill addresses the critical funding issues surrounding the U.S. response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The bill includes the following:

• $4 billion to make diagnostic tests more broadly available

• $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a robust response, including:

• $1 billion exclusively for state and local response efforts
• $300 million for CDC’s Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund
• $20 million to administer disaster assistance loans for small businesses impacted by the virus.
• $1.25 billion for the State Department and (USAID)
• $264 million to evacuate Americans and maintain consular operations overseas

1. NECA Helps Secure Construction Industry Exemption in Final IRAP Rule

On March 10, 2020, the Department of Labor released the final rule of the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) regulation. The final rule contains a permanent construction industry exemption, thereby protecting our industry from participation in IRAPs. NECA released a statement thanking the Administration for recognizing that the construction industry has longstanding expertise in the creation and execution of apprenticeships.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA strongly advocated for the construction industry’s exemption, with thousands of NECA contractors sending comments to the Department of Labor. By securing this exemption, the long-established, gold standard apprenticeship model that NECA Contractors utilize will remain intact and not be subjected to these parallel programs which will operate with less scrutiny and limited educational requirements.

2. The House Introduces Legislation to Address COVID-19 Outbreak

Washington D.C., like the rest of the nation and world, is responding to the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). On the evening of March 11, President Trump addressed the nation live from the  Oval Office. On Capitol Hill, negotiators continue to work to find a compromise between competing coronavirus response bills.

NECA’s Look Ahead: In response to the crisis, the Senate plans to cancel a previously scheduled recess week. The House will gavel out today and will return to Washington D.C. on March 23, 2020 to finish the negotiations on a final response package. NECA CEO, David Long, released the following statement in response to the legislative and regulatory negotiations: “ NECA government affairs remains fully engaged with Members of Congress, the Department of Labor, and OSHA on how to best handle the COVID-19 outbreak with safety being a top concern for our contractors and their employees. We continue to monitor legislation coming out of Congress to address the economic impact of this outbreak and will inform our contractors on how to best work with the new regulations when they are finalized.”

3. NLRB Chairman Testifies Regarding Funding      

On March 11, 2020, the House Committee on Appropriations held a hearing on the National Labor Relations Board Budget Request for FY 2021. Testifying on behalf of the NLRB was the Honorable John Ring, Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB budget request and justification documents can be found here.

NECA’s Look Ahead: The NLRB’s FY 2021 budget request funds their mission to protect the rights of employees, unions, and employers under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). NECA believes that lawmakers should continue to fully fund the NLRB and encourage their leadership to expedite the hiring of their regional offices.

On March 26, 2020, the Senate passed “Phase III” of the Coronavirus Response Package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in a 96-0 vote.

On April 8, 2020, members of NECA’s San Diego Chapter met with Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.)

1. Senators Release Water Infrastructure Legislation

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator John Barrasso (R-Wy.) and Ranking Member Tom Carper (D-Del.), released two NECA-supported water infrastructure bills, the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2020 (AWIA 2020) and Drinking Water Infrastructure Act of 2020.

NECA’s Look Ahead: These bipartisan bills address the critical need to secure water infrastructure. The are successor bills to the NECA-supported America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 that easily passed through Congress and was signed into law in 2018. NECA will continue to monitor this important legislation as it moves through Congress.

• Read the section-by-section of the draft AWIA 2020 here.
• Read the section-by-section of the Drinking Water Infrastructure Act here.

2. Senate Returns to Washington Next Week

The Senate is scheduled to return to D.C. on Monday, May 4, 2020, to begin filling judicial vacancies and continue work on new coronavirus legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), released the following statement on this decision. The House has decided to postpone returning until further notice. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is expected to release an anticipated return date soon.  

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA looks forward to the Senate being in session to work on additional coronavirus legislation. The government affairs team continues to advocate on behalf of our contractors during this period.

3. Register Today for the Upcoming Government Affairs Webinar

On May 5, 2020 at 2 p.m. EDT, NECA’s Government Affairs team will brief participants on NECA’s requests for Congress in the Phase IV coronavirus response legislation. During this webinar, participants can take action and send a letter to their Member of Congress requesting help for the electrical construction industry to remain viable during this crisis. Participants will also hear messages from key Members of Congress on the current legislative response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Register Today!

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA is committed to ensuring the voices of our industry are heard during this time. We continue to advocate for the needs our contractors daily and remain devoted to keeping our members well informed on the policies impacting them.  

Google has added an Undo Send feature to Gmail. Now you can finally unsend an email, although you have just a short time to unsend it.

Read more on howtoweb.com

AOL Instant Messenger will come to an end on December 15, 2017. It had a long run. It first arrived in 1997.

Read more on howtoweb.com

Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon offers a refreshing take on how toxicity needs to be dealt with in online games, and explores why a perfect solution is so difficult to create. ...

Game Closure is on the hunt for backend / systems engineers to help us build the services and infrastructure that power our social games that are played by millions of people every day. ...

First Encounter Assault Recon proved a breakthrough moment for game AI. So let's revisit what made it so special and explore how it works in detail. ...

In open world games, level design is the central feature, not the game system. Discover key issues designers must address when planning their open world. ...

Nintendo is making sure that a fan-made Super Mario 64 PC port cannot in fact, be found in another castle ...

Tripwire Interactive is looking for a lead gameplay engineer to help shape its engineering team. ...

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The IRS recently released guidance on the CARES Act employment tax deposit deferral. Below are the highlights of the deferral, including eligibility, timeline and use with other incentives.
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One of the biggest areas of CARES Act that benefits businesses is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). With big benefits, comes many questions around one detail specifically: loan forgiveness.
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President Trump recently signed a new coronavirus relief bill into law that will help replenish the depleted Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), among other initiatives. Below are the details of the relief package.
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We're currently working on an unannounced PC/console title (with an exciting pedigree), and need help bringing the game world to life. If you love building levels and bringing worlds to life for players, read on!Responsibilities Creating interesting, lived-in worlds with clever world building in Unreal Engine. Placing environment assets, VFX, lighting, and so on Establishing and maintaining technical requirements for environment assets and levels Working closely with designers to iterate on and finalize level layouts Utilization of 3DS Max or Maya, Photoshop, and other related tools to author environment assets Working with art leadership to review, critique and iterate on work Required Familiarity with the usual tools of the trade: modeling tools, game engines, source control, and so on. A keen willingness to adapt work as design iterates or evolves A do-whatever-it-takes mindset: flexibility to learn and grow to fill the needs of a small team Good understanding of how to create believable and visually memorable levels Good understanding optimization needs and other technical requirements regarding performance 5+ years of experience, demonstrating the above responsibilities in action Must be immediately eligible to work in the United States Pluses Titles shipped using Unreal Titles shipped across major platforms Affinity to learning new tools and techs Proficiency creating hand-painted textures Please note, due to a high volume of applicants we cannot reply to each individually. Only those in consideration for a position will receive a reply. Thank you!

Skydance Interactive – developers of the hit game The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners –is looking for Senior Software Engineers with specialties in AI, graphics, and low-level systems to help develop our next generation of groundbreaking games.   Duties include, but are not limited to: Direct development of major game systems and engine architecture Create efficient systems to deliver top tier experiences across a range of established and emerging platforms Research and implement new technologies to push the boundaries of what our engine can achieve Collaborate with the art and design teams to plan features and extend the overall vision of the game Advise and mentor other members of the engineering team Promote strong code discipline and engineering practice throughout the organization Work with other leads and producers to establish game related tasks and schedules Provide critical analysis of development practices with the goal of improving game quality, team efficiency, and cultivating a positive working environment Help drive the product to completion with the highest standards of quality, performance, and polish Requirements: BS/MS in Computer Science or related fields, or equivalent experience Mastery of C++11 Minimum of 5 years’ experience in AAA game development Previous leadership experience or demonstrated leadership potential Experience working with Unreal Engine 4 Shipped at least one PC/Console or VR game using UE4 Experience with code and data optimization Experience in the design and architecture of game systems Comfortable working within (and extending) an established code framework 

Moon Studios - award-winning creators of Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps - are looking for Senior Game Designers. After redefining the Metroidvania genre with the Ori series, our next goal is to revolutionize the ARPG genre.  Join our family, help us create some of the best games the industry has ever seen and work with some of the most talented individuals in the world! Please note that Moon Studios is a distributed development studio: Everyone at Moon works remotely and we accept job applications from participants all over the world! We're looking for: Individuals who can work autonomously - We don't count your hours, we won't babysit you. Your job is to enchant us with your raw talent and professionalism! Individuals who want to have a voice - Unhappy with the current state of the industry? Every person at Moon Studios has a voice and can help shape the games we're making. Individuals who believe in collaboration - We work together as a team, as a family, to challenge the status quo and raise the bar! Individuals who want to grow - Contrary to other AAA studios, our goal is to remain a comparatively small studio made of elite talent. We strive to only hire the absolute best talent in the industry and encourage them to further grow their skills with us. Tired of being the smartest gal or guy in the room? Join our community, inspire us, and be inspired! Since Moon Studios is a distributed game development studio, we work with talent from all around the world. To keep things personal and foster communication, we hold annual Team Retreats to touch base and figure out what challenges we want to tackle next. Drinks, dinners, flights, accommodations, and an overall swell time all included! We want you to be: A Designer by heart: While playing games, you just intuitively know how to improve upon the weaker aspects of a title. You indulge in analyzing things that don’t quite work and love to think about how this or that aspect could have been perfected. Experienced: You've worked in the industry before and know the ropes. You're looking for a no-bullshit studio to call home where you can voice your opinions and work with the best talent this industry has to offer! Passionate: You’ve played and studied RPGs your whole life and you still can’t get enough of them. You have a love for all things Diablo, Zelda, Dark Souls and other games in the genre. You’d love the opportunity to work on an RPG that dares to innovate and go far beyond what the genre has offered players thus far. Open to new challenges: We're constantly striving to raise the bar here at Moon Studios. We're not looking for specialists in one field or genre, we want you to be open to help wherever help is needed and be the well-rounded multi-talented creative genius you are. A cool dude / dudette: Life is too short to deal with Prima Donnas: You're cool, open-minded and always willing to learn new things. Simply send your Resume + Portfolio to jobs@moongamestudios.com Moon Studios is an independent video game development studio, founded in 2010 by Thomas Mahler (former Cinematic Artist at Blizzard Entertainment) and Gennadiy Korol (former Senior Graphics Engineer at Animation Lab). The company focuses on highly refined gameplay mechanics and prides itself on an excessive ‘iterative polish’ process. Moon Studios is a distributed development house: Our team members are spread throughout the world, allowing Moon to work with the best and most talented people in the games industry. In 2014, Moon announced it was working on Ori and the Blind Forest, which was released on March 11th, 2015 for Xbox One and PC via Steam, quickly followed up by the Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition a year later. Ori and the Blind Forest received overwhelmingly high praise, a fantastic debut for Moon Studios.   Ori and the Will of the Wisps is slated to be released on March 11th, 2020. Moon Studios is simultaneously also working on a yet uannounced title.

Moon Studios - award-winning creators of Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps - are looking for Senior Character TD's. After redefining the Metroidvania genre with the Ori series, our next goal is to revolutionize the ARPG genre.  Join our family, help us create some of the best games the industry has ever seen and work with some of the most talented individuals in the world! Please note that Moon Studios is a distributed development studio: Everyone at Moon works remotely and we accept job applications from participants all over the world! We're looking for: Individuals who can work autonomously - We don't count your hours, we won't babysit you. Your job is to enchant us with your raw talent and professionalism! Individuals who want to have a voice - Unhappy with the current state of the industry? Every person at Moon Studios has a voice and can help shape the games we're making. Individuals who believe in collaboration - We work together as a team, as a family, to challenge the status quo and raise the bar! Individuals who want to grow - Contrary to other AAA studios, our goal is to remain a comparatively small studio made of elite talent. We strive to only hire the absolute best talent in the industry and encourage them to further grow their skills with us. Tired of being the smartest gal or guy in the room? Join our community, inspire us, and be inspired! Since Moon Studios is a distributed game development studio, we work with talent from all around the world. To keep things personal and foster communication, we hold annual Team Retreats to touch base and figure out what challenges we want to tackle next. Drinks, dinners, flights, accommodations, and an overall swell time all included! Reach out to us if you... Are a top notch Character TD who has production experience in creating character rigs and developing tools, pipelines, etc. Are extremely experienced with rigging in Maya and developing tools with Python. Have a solid understanding of animation principles and processes, know what animators need and can help create friendly and intuitive rigs and tools. Have at least a basic knowledge of game production, game engines and real-time limitations. Are knowledgeable in more than just rigging. We want as many multi-talented creative geniuses as possible in our studio! Simply send your Resume + Portfolio to jobs@moongamestudios.com Moon Studios is an independent video game development studio, founded in 2010 by Thomas Mahler (former Cinematic Artist at Blizzard Entertainment) and Gennadiy Korol (former Senior Graphics Engineer at Animation Lab). The company focuses on highly refined gameplay mechanics and prides itself on an excessive ‘iterative polish’ process. Moon Studios is a distributed development house: Our team members are spread throughout the world, allowing Moon to work with the best and most talented people in the games industry. In 2014, Moon announced it was working on Ori and the Blind Forest, which was released on March 11th, 2015 for Xbox One and PC via Steam, quickly followed up by the Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition a year later. Ori and the Blind Forest received overwhelmingly high praise, a fantastic debut for Moon Studios.   Ori and the Will of the Wisps is slated to be released on March 11th, 2020. Moon Studios is simultaneously also working on a yet uannounced title.

Who We Are: At Visual Concepts, we believe great games are made by diverse and empowered teams with a shared passion for play. As one of the world’s top game development studios, we have shipped over 100 mullti-sku titles to critical acclaim and commercial success. Our teams are independent and entrepreneurial. Our studios in Agoura Hills, Novato, Orange County, Budapest, Shanghai, and Seoul are committed to artistry and technical innovation, offering top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry.  What We Need: Do you live and breathe combat design? Do you decode games into strikes, blocks, reversals, range, damage and combos the moment you pick up the controller? Do you love designing archetypes, inventing amazing signature moves and infusing combat with personality and spectacle? If so, we’d love to have you join us to help deliver amazing experiences for our players. Our Agoura Hills studio is looking for a Senior Combat Designer for the next iteration of the WWE 2K franchise. In this role, you’ll help define core combat philosophy as we translate the amazing spectacle of the WWE into the arsenal of moves our players will take into the ring. You’ll script movement trees, architecting advantage and vulnerability into range, combinations, setups, baits and throws. You’ll dream up signatures and spectacular finishers, differentiate archetypes, and balance a massive roster of Superstars to help deliver accessible, deep, spectacular combat. You’ll work in a creative environment with a diverse team of designers, artists and engineers, touching everything from combat to camera to the emotion and spectacle of one of the greatest shows on Earth. What You Will Do: Develop a combat vision integrating intuitive control, kinetic move sets, meaningful differentiation and strategic depth Work with design, animation and engineering teams to conceive, implement and polish character vs. character combat Play and reference both classics and contemporaries to build on what works while driving new innovations in combat design Design and implement systems for combat depth, strategy and spectacle Identify and document tools and systems that make creating character vs. character combat more efficient Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit: 4 or more years of game design experience, 2 or more in a combat designer role Experience implementing and tuning animation and timing windows for attacks, blocks, branching actions, hit reactions and other related combat actions Experience scripting combat in LUA or similar framework Experience conceiving and differentiating characters, developing signature moves, and balancing asymmetrical fighter types Experience working across disciplines, including animation, art, VFX, audio and engineering to produce a great result Outstanding written and verbal communication and collaboration skills Advanced Qualifications: Experience and love of combat driven by character stats and role-playing elements Experience designing and improving gameplay editing tools Direct experience and understanding of key distinctions of wrestling games Programming/technical experience

Game Closure San Francisco, Mountain View, Tokyo, Remote  -  Full Time Game Closure is on the hunt for backend / systems engineers to help us build the services and infrastructure that power our social games that are played by millions of people every day on Facebook, Viber, Line and other messaging platforms. We are a growing team with offices in Mountain View and San Francisco, California, Tokyo, Japan and some possibilities for remote work. If you want to join us to make great games on our cutting edge technology and truly make an impact, then we want to talk to you! As a Systems Engineer at Game Closure, you will play a pivotal role in creating a platform to revolutionize the instant games development industry. Our engineers are generally amazing at something and great at everything else. We write scalable backend systems, cross-compilers, JavaScript / TypeScript game APIs and tools, and whatever else it takes. No matter what you work on each day, you will work with the best engineers in the world; we have top talent in every part of our stack.   The Role: Be a key member of a high performing software engineering team. Architect and code sophisticated client/server systems for instant gaming. Play a critical role in day-to-day coding, performance profiling, optimization, and general troubleshooting. Collaborate with design, engineering, and production teams to devise optimal engineering solutions to game requirements. Learn from and mentor other engineers on your team. Take ownership of your projects to make them the best they can possibly be. Provide valuable input on the company’s long-term engineering roadmap and help identify areas of opportunity for improvement. Define the cutting edge of social gaming!   Desired Skills: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience. 3+ years of professional software engineering experience. Experience writing clean, testable, high-quality code and designing highly scalable systems in production. Solid familiarity with deployment on cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure, etc.). Strong Computer Science fundamentals in software systems design, algorithms, and data structures. Ability to interact with peers in a constructive and productive style. Familiarity with git, svn, or other VCS. Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively on shared projects with designers, artists, testers, product managers, and other developers. Strong team player with a positive attitude.   Bonus: Expert knowledge of NodeJS and ES6 / TypeScript. DevOps experience -- setting up CI/CD environments, orchestrating deployments, creating monitoring dashboards, anything that makes the development process easier, more enjoyable and more accountable. Experience in game development and shipped titles.   GC Perks: Medical, Dental, & Vision: Top quality insurance options with 100% of premiums covered Social Events: Weekly team dinners, quarterly team excursions, game nights, karaoke, and more Commuter Pass + Free Parking: Your commute and parking to the office is on us! PTO: Unlimited vacation policy Meals: Free daily lunches, well stocked kitchen, healthy snacks and drinks Pet-Friendly Office: Bring your pets to work to foster a friendlier and happier workplace Fitness: Free onsite yoga classes   Play our games! www.gameclosure.com

Game Closure San Francisco, Mountain View, Tokyo, Remote  -  Full Time Game Closure is on the hunt for Senior Game Engineers to help us build the social games that will be tomorrow’s biggest hits on Facebook and other social media platforms. We are a growing team with offices in San Francisco and Mountain View, California, Tokyo, Japan and also some possibilities for remote work. If you want to join us to make great games on our cutting­ edge technology and truly make an impact, then we want to talk to you! Game Closure game engineers make polished, high-performance HTML5 mobile games. We want people who are proficient with JavaScript and who are passionate about making fun social games to be played by millions! As a Game Engineer at Game Closure, you will build games internally on top of our cutting-edge and open source devkit. In addition to building kick­ass instant games, you will play a pivotal role in creating a platform which will revolutionize the future of game development. It's always a bonus if you know more than JavaScript! We write cross-compilers, GPU shaders, NodeJS back­ends, JavaScript game APIs and tools, and whatever else it takes. You will work with the best engineers in the world; we have top talent in every part of our stack.   The Role: Be responsible for designing, developing and deploying major game features Own game feature areas from end-­to­-end Be the champion for the user! Insist on the highest standards and create functional and engaging features that will delight our users Be part of a tight game development team looking to iterate fast on a fun concept and then building it out Have real input on end-user product Be a key member of a high performing software engineering team Collaborate with design, engineering and production teams to devise optimal engineering solutions to game requirements Hands­ on architect and coder for sophisticated client/server systems for mobile gaming Innovate and iterate on process, systems and technology to deliver world­-class social games Be a leader; Identify and articulate technical and production risks and obstacles, as well as generate solutions!   Desired Skills: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience. 3+ years of professional software engineering experience, working on cross functional teams. Proven effectiveness in directing or delivering production software for high quality games with at least one shipped game product of which you were a primary contributor (self­ published titles are acceptable). Capable of JavaScript + HTML5 to create custom, interactive, user experiences that are enjoyable on all HTML5 browsers. Proficient at using script debuggers like Chrome Debugger. Strong Computer Science fundamentals in object­-oriented design, algorithms, and data structures. Advanced software engineering skills, including the ability to write maintainable and robust code in a p popular object oriented language. Solid familiarity with analytics and A/B testing in mobile games Familiarity with git, svn or other VCS. Self starter, analytical and creative Strong team player with a positive attitude. Good communication skills and the ability to work effectively on shared projects with designers, artists, testers, product managers and other developers. Check out Everwing on Facebook Instant Games in Messenger. Can you build this game? Understanding of the reactive UI paradigm and experience building UIs using reactive UI frameworks (such as React, and state management Utilities like Redux).   Bonus: Canvas animation work 2+ years of game development experience with multiple shipped titles Specialized skills in a particular area of game development (for example: UI, Physics, graphics, multiplayer, game logic, etc.) Expert knowledge of TypeScript   GC Perks: Medical, Dental, & Vision: Top quality insurance options with 100% of premiums covered Social Events: Weekly team dinners, quarterly team excursions, game nights, karaoke, and more Commuter Pass + Free Parking: Your commute and parking to the office is on us! PTO: Unlimited vacation policy Meals: Free daily lunches, well stocked kitchen, healthy snacks and drinks Pet-Friendly Office: Bring your pets to work to foster a friendlier and happier workplace   Play our games! www.gameclosure.com

    Who We Are: Visual Concepts is one of the world’s top game development studios with a flat, entrepreneurial, and non-corporate work environment. We have a proven track record having shipped over 100 multi-SKU titles to great critical acclaim. Our studio in Foothill Ranch, CA is committed to gaming and technical innovation and offers top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry. What We Need: We are seeking a Senior Systems Designer to join our development efforts on an exciting new game! Within this role, you’ll be focused on creating, maintaining, and balancing engaging gameplay systems. You’ll work with engineers, artists, and other designers to build innovative mechanics and economies that form the backbone of our new project. What You Will Do: Document, build, implement, bug-fix and “own” your ideas, overseeing them from concept through to final release Design, write, and prototype new systems and some of the meta-game such as player progression, character creation, game balance, economies, and other related systems Evangelize core gameplay features to the rest of the team and help develop best practices Collaborate with game and world designers, gameplay engineers, artists, and animators to implement, tune and balance gameplay systems Prototype and pitch your own design ideas to the team Analyze, validate, and incorporate feedback from the team, as well as from external user testing, as needed Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit: 5+ years’ experience within the video game industry Shipped at least 1 AAA game within a Game Designer role Experience in system design for console or online games, such as player progression and advancement, social mechanics, rewards, economy, or customization/in-game editors Experience with scripting (proprietary or third party)  Strong understanding of development processes, workflows, and tools Experience working in-engine, either prototyping or implementing your ideas Comfortable with a development that is playtest-driven and focused on iteration and polish Ability to find new opportunities for improvements and additions within a game Ability to work in a team and collaborate with engineers, artists, and other designers Good communication and presentation skills Self-motivated and proactive What Will Help You Shine: Experience working with analytical data sets for balancing and fine-tuning  Experience with Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) and working knowledge of UE4’s Blueprint system Experience with programming (C++, Python)

Tripwire Interactive is looking for talented, dedicated, and passionate individuals to join the Tripwire Interactive family! Tripwire Interactive is an independent video game development and publishing company, famous for shooter titles like Red Orchestra and the wildly popular Killing Floor series. With its next project poised to blow previous projects out of the water, Tripwire has solidified its spot as one of the brightest rising stars in the games industry.  At Tripwire Interactive, we pride ourselves in our ability to move to the beat of our own drum. Our existence as an independent studio and publisher means we are able to develop games on a schedule that reassesses what has become the status quo in the industry as a whole. We’re located in Roswell, GA just north of Atlanta; where cost of living is relatively low and opportunities are high. So if you’re looking to work in an environment that changes the game in more ways than one, look no further than Tripwire Interactive. *Note: During this unprecedented time, we are looking for individuals who are able and willing to work from home until all restrictions have been lifted in relation to COVID-19. At such time, the position will be located on site. Responsibilities: Utilizing your technical skills, you will collaborate with designers, artists, audio designers, and various other specialists to design and develop best-in-class game experiences Exemplify and promote standards for code, design, development, debugging, optimization, reviewing goals, testing and documentation Interface between multiple departments with varies approaches to game development. You are responsible for translating creative intent into code tasks Help to lead development teams to meet high-level project goals. Understand the intent of the creative direction and translate it into actionable descriptions of work Participate in hiring process to grow our engineering team with an ever-rising quality bar Identify technical and developmental risks/obstacles and generate solutions to overcome identified risks Design and Implement engineering solutions in many areas of game development such as procedural generation, game mechanics, AI, animation, physics, rendering, localization and UI Keep up to date on state-of-the-art software engineering methods, practices, and technologies Write well-architected code with an eye towards performance and re-usability for multiple experiences. Evaluate other engineers code to make sure it meets the department’s expectations Empower and guide the career(s) of your direct reports to promote their growth as engineers. You are responsible for providing feedback for your team to assist in their growth Establish workflow pipelines and cost/time analysis required for taking a game from early prototype stages all the way through to pre-production, production and release  Qualifications:  BS (or higher) in Computer Science or similar discipline Minimum 6 years game industry experience with 3+ shipped titles Excellent C++ programming and systems design skills Experience with implementing network gameplay, AI, or physics Ability to judge feature quality in relation to other current competing games Adept at working with designers and artists to implement gameplay features Experience in reviewing code and work to provide critical feedback used in career management Benefits:  Profit Share Medical, Dental, & Vision 100% of premiums for the family covered by Tripwire Up to 30 days of PTO 16 paid Holidays Short Term Disability & Long Term Disability 401k Match Flexible Spending Account Flexible Hours Employee & Family Team Building Events Volunteer Days   Preference to applicants with:  Significant Unreal Engine experience Passion for first person shooters Proven ability of tackling challenging projects Experience in full software development lifecycle of shipping a game Excellent written and verbal communication skills Ability to work well under pressure, flexible, positive and focused    

We're currently working on an unannounced PC/console title featuring a new and original IP, and need a veteran gameplay programmer to help bring it to life. If you've got the experience and enjoy working with a focused group of talented and passionate game devs, then we're the place for you. RESPONSIBILITIES: Gather requirements based on stakeholder input Provide reasonable time estimates, and communicate when adjustments are needed Collaborate iteratively with designers, artists and other team members to deliver polished gameplay Create internal tools as needed to improve and support workflow Deliver clean, efficient and well-documented code Fearlessly and relentlessly debug difficult problems   REQUIREMENTS: Experience on at least one commercial game title At least 3-5 years commercial game development experience Solid knowledge and experience using C++ Motivated self-starter; complete tasks without intense supervision Good oral and written communication skills Proof of eligibility to work in the United States   PLUSES: Experience working with Unreal 4 Experience working on a live-service game Multiplayer programming experience in Unreal 4 Latest generation console development experience Recent time travel SOME OF THE BENEFITS WE OFFER: Full health benefits including medical, dental and vision Profit sharing Generous PTO PLUS... Office movie lunches Snacks on snacks on snacks Ping Pong with a leaderboard One sick mame cabinet Please note, due to a high volume of applicants we cannot reply to each individually. Only those in consideration for a position will receive a reply. Thank you!

Airship is currently seeking a Senior VFX artist to help drive the creation and quality of VFX across the studio on multiple projects. If you have the experience and enjoy working with a focused group of talented and passionate game devs, then we're the place for you!Responsibilities Creation of stylized, hand-crafted 3D VFX for characters, action combat, and supernatural environments Implementation of, and technical setup of all work using Unreal and related tools Troubleshooting work and optimization of effects for performance on multiple platforms (PC and consoles) Collaboration with art leads to collect feedback and iterate on work Collaboration with other disciplines to ensure timelines and coverage across the game Self-regulation of time and resources to keep pace with project needs Oversight on outsource VFX resources, including direction, feedback, and integration Required Experience building 3D VFX in Unreal 5+ years of commercial game development experience At least one notable shipped title, demonstrating the ability to take a project to completion Proficiency with all tools necessary to create (from scratch) stylized, hand-painted 3D VFX assets Knowledge of modern 3D game engines and the tools required to implement VFX in-game, including the creation and use of shaders and/or scripting A demo reel that shows significant relevant work Pluses Shipped titles on PC and consoles Airship is located in sunny, thriving Austin, Texas. If you have experience making games and want to work on compelling, creative multi-platform titles, this might be the place for you.Some of the benefits we offer: Full health benefits including medical, dental and vision Profit sharing Generous PTO 401k plan Relocation packages Plus... Office movie lunches Snacks on snacks on snacks Work on a small team of experienced devs with a lively atmosphere Please note, due to a high volume of applicants we cannot reply to each individually. Only those in consideration for a position will receive a reply. Thank you!

Volition is looking for an experienced Environment Artist to help us build the world for the next Saints Row title! You will work with a tight, collaborative team of artists and designers to create environments that are both beautiful and fun to play in.  You will be making major contributions to our world using our unique approach to world building with our proprietary world editor.  Responsibilities: Create environments from initial rough layout to completed polished spaces Build urban, interior, and natural spaces using our in-house world editor Author game ready assets that work well within given technical limitations Collaborate closely with level designers to create spaces that adhere to gameplay requirements Focus on the "big picture." Understand when details matter, and when broad strokes are more important Qualifications: 3+ years of experience in game development creating environments Strong communication skills. Must be able to be a master collaborator Ability to work with a library of assets to build visually interesting, dynamic gameplay spaces Strong understanding of form, shape, structure, and silhouette in regards to scene composition A keen eye for developing a visual mood as it relates to storytelling Comfortable working within technical limitations such as vertex and object counts, materials (draw calls), streaming conditions, etc. Fluent knowledge of at least one major 3d package (3dsmax preferred) Experience building environments in a game engine (Unreal4, Unity) Well-versed in PBR workflow Pluses: Strong foundation in the traditional arts, including but not limited to figure drawing, environmental development and/or architectural illustration Familiarity with procedural content authoring tools (Substance Designer, World Machine, Houdini) Basic Level Design Knowledge Sample Work Required: Portfolio should demonstrate ability to build fully realized environments. Fully fleshed out spaces are more helpful than examples of individual assets To apply, please send your resume, portfolio/sample work, and a cover letter to jobs@dsvolition.com with “Environment Artist” in the subject line. At Deep Silver Volition we believe in fostering an open, collaborative and diverse environment, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without attention to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, or military status.

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