Meet the Sages - Jake Harris, COO
This week we are sitting down with Jake Harris, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO), here at Humble Sage Games. Jake's interview focuses on his journey to co-founding Humble Sage Games, why he joined the industry and where he sees HSG going in the future.
Tell us about yourself!
I am the Chief Operating Officer and one of the two founders of Humble Sage Games (HSG); I enjoy reading, writing (any genre will do) and playing games. Currently, the two games that I am playing are New World and Hearth Stone (specifically Battlegrounds).
My role is primarily to help make the business run smoothly and support the teams in whatever they need. In addition, I look at the individual and help them feel empowered and safe in the team environment, enabling them to complete their work to the best possible standard. Working with the teams is something that I find very natural as I have grown up playing and coaching team sports, giving me the necessary skills for the job.
What excites you most about this industry?
The growth of the Australian games industry is certainly something that excites me and HSG is playing a key role in that growth. The new games with a strong narrative focus interest me, such as Horizon Forbidden West and A Plague Tale: A Requiem. Another area of the industry that excites me would be the technical advancement, particularly when it comes to AR and VR. I am looking forward to creating more games utilising these technologies.
What led you to co-found HSG and join the game developing industry?
I was a professional cricketer until a bad sporting injury shifted my focus toward my other passion of writing. While I was celebrating the publication of my book, I met Dean Watkin and we noticed the lack of gaming communities and development companies in Australia. HSG started organically as a community, as we had a lot of friends that we were working on games at the time. The community naturally evolved into a business and continues to grow. We would love to grow the business to a point where we can be working on more large open world building games with room for even richer narratives.
What does your daily life at Humble Sage Games look like?
My day to day life at HSG consists of a variety of tasks, from 6-8 hours worth of meetings with different teams to budgeting and conflict resolution. However, my favourite days at work are when I'm able to sit and write new stories for the games we are working on.
What have you learnt on your journey to get here?
I have learnt a lot from my past career in professional cricket and coaching that has been incredibly helpful in my role here at HSG. Building team cohesion, improving how the team operates through the teaming phases and learning from dealing with issues as they arise. The writing skills that I developed while making my first book have helped me when writing the complex law, social structures and backstories for each of the games we've produced.
Whats next for HSG?
As we continue to develop our skills as a team, and continue to improve in all areas I don’t see anywhere that we couldn’t feasibly go. From working on VR, AR, and Blockchain, we really can say that we have the possibilities to go in whatever direction the team wants to. As someone that has worked with a lot of teams, to have one with such talent that we can move into any area of games is extremely rewarding, and holds a lot of exciting possibilities.
What game would you say is the most memorable from your childhood? Would you say that it has influenced your career path?
Final Fantasy 7 would have to be the game I found most influential; it was the first game that ever truly captured me. I played it and replayed it and played it again on the Playstation 1. I wouldn’t say it influenced my career path until I got into the games industry. Once I was in, it brought me a vast amount of inspiration and drastically influenced my writing. There is no better game, in my opinion.
