Meet the Sages - Coby Jennings

Tell us about yourself (what interests you? What do you enjoy doing ect…)

I lead our group of programmers who code all of the functionality of our games here at Humble Sage Games (HSG). When I'm not working, I enjoy experimenting with my own games, learning more about programming and general game development. I also enjoy creating and playing video games, listening to music, and engineering.

What excites you most about this industry? 

As I have worked in multiple areas of the industry, my interests are pretty diverse. I enjoy exploring and working with developing technologies, including graphics rendering, augmented reality, and virtual reality. There is always something new to learn in my field, which keeps my work interesting and the environment exciting and engaging. I love seeing how people react to the games that I’ve helped create; It gives me an immense sense of satisfaction and delight, which makes doing my day-to-day work fulfilling.

What led you into joining this industry and HSG?

I’ve been interested in modding games, with a particular passion for Half-Life 2 since about 2007 and ever since then, I've been hooked. I quickly realised that a sizable community of people shared my interests, which made me realise there was a possibility for further growth and development within the industry. Following high school, I founded a small games startup with the intent to create self-funded indie games before closing it down to focus on getting my bachelor's degree in programming. As a part of my degree, I needed to spend time learning from others in the industry, which is how I ended up working at HSG as an intern. After completing my internship, I stayed on, working in a permanent position and with time and hard work, I've enjoyed progressing to my current role.

What does your average day look like as Lead Programmer? 

As the Lead programmer, my days are largely spent working with our artists and designers to make sure that what we are creating fits the brief from the client, while remaining functional and interesting. I collaborate with the other project leads and support the  programming team to make sure they have what they need to get tasks done on time. My job also involves regular planning and prioritisation as the projects continue to evolve and we integrate feedback from game testers.

What have you learned on your journey to get here?

I've learned a lot about cooperation and the value of communication from working with several game development studios. One important skill I’ve learned is how to better communicate between the programmers and other teams. The industry forces you into challenging situations, which can be nerve-wracking but exhilarating. This teaches you a lot about the project as well as how you handle pressure and work with people. I discovered that supporting the team and going above and beyond to assist others is crucial while leading. Compassion in the workplace stood out to me as an important factor to drive team success ensuring client needs are met. 

What kind of games would you like HSG to work on in the future, where do you see HSG going in the future? 

I would like to create simulators such as Swat 4 and larger narrative based games like the Bioshock series. We love to talk about all the different types of games we would like to make and I can see us building a similar pitch process to Valve to make the most of our ideas. 

What game would you say is the most memorable game from your childhood? Would you say that it has influenced your career? 

I would say that Half Life is the game that  influenced my career the most. I spent plenty of time playing HL2 during my late highschool years, which led me to explore modding for the first time and see what a career in this industry could look like. Also, Swat 4 is a memorable game for me as it was the first game I played that didn’t have a lot of direct storytelling, rather relying on using the environment to speak through a more serious lens. This opened up my eyes to the idea that there are many different ways to tell stories and games have the ability to explore these ideas.