Meet our alumni
Jon Wiedemann - Visual & Game Programming
Original program: Visual & Game Programming
Alumni Information
School: LaSalle College Vancouver
Grad Year: 2010
Program of Study: Visual & Game Programming
Degree: Diploma
Employment/Professional Information
Company Name: Capcom Game Studio
Location: Burnaby
Job Title: Software Engineer
Primary Responsibilities: Build Engineer.
Describe a Typical Work Day:
I work with the build team to maintain, optimize and improve stability of our Automated Integration Build Pipeline.
What accomplishment(s) are you most proud of?
Having ownership of our DLC pipeline and game side code for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. I helped develop and maintained our process of generating the digital package files, ensuring everything worked with the retail game, and verifying that we met certification requirements.
What are your creative inspirations or influences? Who are your heroes?
Someone who started from nothing and made a name for themselves. Don Mattrick is one of my heroes. When he was 17, he founded Distinctive Software Inc; which was bought by Electronic Arts and eventually became EA Canada.
What do you enjoy the most about your career?
I’ve always enjoyed video games, and being a part of creating world class games feels great. I love what I do, and it’s rewarding when you get to see your months (or years) of hard work pay off when people are playing your game.
How did your education at LaSalle College Vancouver help prepare you for your career?
I was taught by people who eventually became my co-workers. Having instructors who are actively working in the industry helped me to focus my attention on what companies are looking for.
What advice do you have for people beginning their careers in your profession?
The biggest thing that helped me get any job was networking. Meeting people in the industry that you want to work in helps when you’re looking for work. Try building a network of contacts through LinkedIn, its a great way to find out about new opportunities.
Your profession is constantly evolving, from the technology you use to new career opportunities that didn’t exist five years ago. What trends do you see on the horizon that will affect how you do your job or your profession at-large?
There’s a lot of opportunities for people to make their own independent games thanks to digital distribution on PC and iOS and Android. With a lot of the big publishers closing down studios, I feel that there will be a rise in smaller developers creating their own games.
