Guha Bala
Games Creator
What I do
As studio head of Vicarious Visions, I work with the creative team that made Skylanders: Swap Force. My job involves supporting the team to make the most magical experiences in bringing toys to life. A lot of my work is in building a great environment for new ideas to flourish and be brought to players.
How I got my job
My brother and I started our studio when we were in high school. Since then, our studio has grown through its creative work in making games. In a sense, it’s our customers who have really given me and all the developers at Vicarious our jobs.
What I love about my job
I love working with my creative team on new innovations that help shape the way players experience toys and games. Our work environment and our team makes all the difference in our day-to-day work, and our positive impact on our players makes our work worthwhile.
What’s difficult about my job
We have to continuously surprise and delight with our creative work.
What skills I need
There are many skill sets that go into making a Skylanders game. Teams of artists, designers, programmers and writers work for years to make each game. Whatever your school interest (maths, science, creative writing, art), it’s likely there’s a way it translates into making games.
Where should young people start if they want to do the job too?
There are so many ways to start making games today on mobile and PC platforms, and many tools to help you. Start with creative projects that you are passionate about and do them as hobbies. And use your school subjects to help learn how to make games, either through writing, programming, digital art, or science. Study the best games, like you would a good film, and see how the creators make and create experiences for the players. My hobby of making games in high school became my passion. I found that making games was even more fun than playing them. Of course, I enjoy playing games very much.
