Heh heh I could drive down the road and apply at Activision

[GSH]

There's also a huge difference in mentality:

Perl: There's always one more way you can accomplish what you're trying to do. And, perl code can look like total line noise -- all punctuation and non-alphanumeric characters.

Python: The Switzerland of languages, where there's only one way to to things, you will follow all the orders, and you must be very polite and well-mannered about it.

(Yes, I've done more in Perl than Python)

-- GSH

[OvermindDL1]

Yep, quite accurate.
The Zen of Python describes Python's mentality well:
The Zen of Python, by Tim Peters

Beautiful is better than ugly.
Explicit is better than implicit.
Simple is better than complex.
Complex is better than complicated.
Flat is better than nested.
Sparse is better than dense.
Readability counts.
Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
Although practicality beats purity.
Errors should never pass silently.
Unless explicitly silenced.
In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.
There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.
Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch.
Now is better than never.
Although never is often better than *right* now.
If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.
If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.
Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!

Do note the "There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it." line, it does not say there should only be one way, just that there should only be one 'obvious' way.  Actually in Python there is generally as many ways to do one thing as there is in Perl (if not more actually, due to being able to mutate things, including the language itself), it is just that the interface is geared toward that 'obvious' way.

They are named as such for a reason people.  (Them Python can slither through anything.)

Actually Python was named after Monty Python, not Python as in the snake.
Generated by OvermindDL1's Signature Auto-Add Script via GreaseMonkey

[Warfreak]

That works too.............. i'd come up with another stupid explaination, but i think "Monty Python" sums it up.

[Red Devil]

 I thought about it and decided to go for it, so I applied...and they hired me.

[GSH]

I thought about it and decided to go for it, so I applied...and they hired me.

Is this a late April Fools joke? If not, congrats! Good going.

(And remember to ask them whether you can work on BZ2 in your copious free time... which will probably shrink. Working at a gaming company is the wrong way to have tons of free time)

-- GSH

[Red Devil]

Yes, sorry. A belated April Fools, but thanks anyways.    I thought it might inspire BS'er to go down there and throw his hat in the ring so he could get paid to do what he loves to do. 

[BS-er]

Working at a gaming company is the wrong way to have tons of free time

Yeah, I do enjoy having my free time.  I strongly believe in keeping it to 40 hours a week and no more.  Weekends are mine, unless there is a work emergency or I haven't made important plans.  I would put in some overtime in a crunch.  I give a lot in my 40 hours, and feel its unfair to try to get more out of me, at least on a routine basis.

I'm not sure how I would respond to a job where they ask for overtime.  In an interview I think I would say "yes" to my willingness to work overtime.  But how much I put in would depend on how well I'm treated (or how badly I'm being used).  If treated poorly, I think I would have a lot of unbreakable plans, and toss them an hour extra here and there.

I generally like to prove myself too valuable and productive in my 40 hours to be treated poorly or to be threatened with termination because I won't come when they call.  So far it has worked.  However the game development industry might have a different view.

[anomaly]

You guys always make out jobs as programmers as working long stressful hours with little free time as you race to complete your deadlines.  I mean, even if you like programming, does such a job stay enjoyable?  Are those accurate descriptions of your jobs in terms of workload or are you exaggerating?

And what about the other jobs in game development, like 2D and 3D art designing?  Are they also generally working on creating content right up towards the end of development?

Edit: So I guess it isn't so much that programming in general is very time consuming, but rather mainly the game industry that makes it so?

[technoid]

I'm not sure how I would respond to a job where they ask for overtime.  In an interview I think I would say "yes" to my willingness to work overtime.  But how much I put in would depend on how well I'm treated (or how badly I'm being used).  If treated poorly, I think I would have a lot of unbreakable plans, and toss them an hour extra here and there.

I generally like to prove myself too valuable and productive in my 40 hours to be treated poorly or to be threatened with termination because I won't come when they call.  So far it has worked.  However the game development industry might have a different view.

Yeah that overtime question that employees ask in a job interview generally makes or breaks your hiring, hehe, as they always want to squeeze as much work time out of you.   

I guess the question for you is if you want to sacrifice development of MAD if you did seriously think of going into Activision or some other corp.  And who knows, down the line they may be interested in acquiring your work.

Speaking of that (acquisitions, etc), remember when I mentioned Project Offset (first epic fantasy FPS, if anyone forgot, see links below) a few months back and how you commented that was how you would similarly like things to grow with MAD?   Well, they and their engine software were just recently acquired by Intel Corporation.   The team is excited about it.  Of course, as always, we'll just have to see how that 'corporate takeover' will go. 

http://www.projectoffset.com/news.php
http://www.projectoffset.com/team.php
http://www.projectoffset.com/game_overview.php

[Red Devil]

My experience with programming in a business environment about burned me out.  Constant fires to be put out, egos, deadlines, a job that followed you around in your head (always thinking about how to solve a nagging problem, being on call with a pager/cell phone/lap top, cleaning up someone else's mess, etc.)  It was easier transferring 20 bill worth of accounts 5,000 miles away to people who didn't know English or how to use a computer.

[Avatar]

It's not the programming, or the programmers.  Programming is music, programmers the performers.

It's the marketing weasels that are the true problem...

-Av-