Academia Week keynote speaker Jade Raymond addressed a packed crowd last Tuesday, on everything from killing aliens to stresses in the workplace. A McGill alumna, Raymond spoke of her experiences as a game programmer, television personality and producer of Ubisoft Montreal's action-adventure game, Assassin's Creed.
Raymond advocated professional networking as crucial to any career.
"I've noticed that most 'big breaks' happens thanks to relationships," she said. "That's why I always put a high priority on putting people first. You have to build connections."
Raymond learned other important lessons while producing Assassin's Creed, her biggest project to date. The game was a monumental task, requiring three-and a-half years, 300 employees and the largest Ubisoft development budget in history.
"I realized that organic processes that worked fine with 70 workers did not work as well with 100," Raymond said. "Since managing a large team is tricky, I had to adjust my own managerial style. I used milestones and external success to keep the team motivated."
While Ubisoft knew that Assassin's Creed would be a financial success-the company originally projected a sales volume of 5-million copies-the game's cumulative sales have surpassed original predictions. In its first six weeks, the game has sold 5-million copies, becoming the fastest selling new intellectual property. Raymond believes that risk-taking and the high amount of effort resulted in the sizzling reception.
"We took so many chances with Assassin's Creed," she said. "We tried many new gameplay mechanics, and we worked incredibly hard. Seventy-hour work weeks were typical toward the end. We even consulted historians to make the game historically accurate."
Academia Week organizer Nathan Winata, U3 biomedical science and vice-president of academic affairs of Bachelor of Arts and Science Integrative Council, envisioned Academia Week to be an informative five-day marathon of lectures, workshops and symposiums showcasing all types of career paths pursued by science undergraduates after obtaining their degree.
2008 Woodie Awards
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