Telltale Interview -- Jeffery Crouse
TelltaleGames
Former Telltale Staff
This week I am beginning my task of interviewing the entire company, one employee at a time. This would be a larger task at another company, but a smaller task if I had started several weeks ago. I have decided to start with the newest employees and work backwards, in order to present a more well-rounded version of the nefarious activities that go on here.
This week we will be interviewing Telltale intern, Jeffery Crouse. Jeffery comes to us from that hotbed of nascent genius, the Information Design and Technology grad program at Georgia Tech.
Hello, Jefferey.
Hello Heather, and thank you for including me in this survey. I am honored to be part of Telltale, if only for the summer, and I look forward to getting to know everyone here. One thing you will learn about me is that I prefer not to be argumentative. However, I feel that it is important to point out that my name has 2, rather then 3 'e's - "Jeffrey".
Already getting uppity, and he just got here. Hmph. How do you like not spending the summer in Atlanta?
This was perhaps the best decision I have ever made. Atlanta has its charms, for sure, but ample parking and boiled peanuts happen to be topping my personal list at the moment, which just isn't enough to earn it a place in my heart.
What were the mosquitoes like this summer?
I think I got out of Atlanta before the mosquitoes arrived. In fact, coming from the temperate climes of New England, I hope never to experience an Atlanta summer, mosquitoes or no. On the other hand, I hear those mosquitoes are spreading some pretty exotic diseases this summer, and I do love all things exotic.
How long have you been working at Telltale?
I have worked at Telltale for 14 glorious hours.
What is your role here?
I am an intern, and yet, so far, I haven't fetched a single cup of coffee.
Hmm...we'll have to work on that. Describe an average day on the job.
In a strictly statistical sense, my average day so far (with accuracy approaching 100%) consists of roughly equal parts installing and configuring Windows and playing games for research, punctuated by the occasional chicken satay lunch. In the future, I will be working with the Telltale Game Tool to insert content for Telltale's games.
Who is your favorite employee? Nevermind, for your protection I retract that question.
I appreciate your concern, but I can confidently say that, if the person who pays me (and I'm not sure exactly who that is) can be considered an employee, then he is, by far, my favorite employee. Otherwise it's whoever makes the coffee.
Why did you decide to apply for an internship at Telltale?
I applied to Telltale on the advice of one of my classmates at Tech who met you at GDC, and on the strong recommendation of one of my professors. In a broader sense, I wanted to get into the game industry, and from what I knew about Telltale, it was a very good fit with my own interests in interactive narrative.
How has your experience so far differed from your friend's experiences who are interning for other companies?
Of those friends who I have heard from, my internship experience (admittedly, based on less than 2 days of experience on both sides) seems to be somewhere in the middle of a continuum, with intensely corporate one end, and extremely freeform on the other. This turns out to be a very good place to be, especially for a newcomer to the industry. It gives me a chance to be directly involved with the development of the game, which might not happen in a larger company, but also work in a relaxed, yet focused environment.
Did you tell them we have a hockey net?
Yes - foosball too. They were very jealous.
Do you feel your studies have prepared you for this summer's internship?
Yes. While this is my first foray into the video game industry, I feel that my CS and media studies background has prepared me to get the most possible out of my internship.
What do you want to be when you grow-up?
It's a tossup between an ice cream man and an astronaut, unless they open a Ben & Jerry's on the moon. Then I can be both.
This week we will be interviewing Telltale intern, Jeffery Crouse. Jeffery comes to us from that hotbed of nascent genius, the Information Design and Technology grad program at Georgia Tech.
Hello, Jefferey.
Hello Heather, and thank you for including me in this survey. I am honored to be part of Telltale, if only for the summer, and I look forward to getting to know everyone here. One thing you will learn about me is that I prefer not to be argumentative. However, I feel that it is important to point out that my name has 2, rather then 3 'e's - "Jeffrey".
Already getting uppity, and he just got here. Hmph. How do you like not spending the summer in Atlanta?
This was perhaps the best decision I have ever made. Atlanta has its charms, for sure, but ample parking and boiled peanuts happen to be topping my personal list at the moment, which just isn't enough to earn it a place in my heart.
What were the mosquitoes like this summer?
I think I got out of Atlanta before the mosquitoes arrived. In fact, coming from the temperate climes of New England, I hope never to experience an Atlanta summer, mosquitoes or no. On the other hand, I hear those mosquitoes are spreading some pretty exotic diseases this summer, and I do love all things exotic.
How long have you been working at Telltale?
I have worked at Telltale for 14 glorious hours.
What is your role here?
I am an intern, and yet, so far, I haven't fetched a single cup of coffee.
Hmm...we'll have to work on that. Describe an average day on the job.
In a strictly statistical sense, my average day so far (with accuracy approaching 100%) consists of roughly equal parts installing and configuring Windows and playing games for research, punctuated by the occasional chicken satay lunch. In the future, I will be working with the Telltale Game Tool to insert content for Telltale's games.
Who is your favorite employee? Nevermind, for your protection I retract that question.
I appreciate your concern, but I can confidently say that, if the person who pays me (and I'm not sure exactly who that is) can be considered an employee, then he is, by far, my favorite employee. Otherwise it's whoever makes the coffee.
Why did you decide to apply for an internship at Telltale?
I applied to Telltale on the advice of one of my classmates at Tech who met you at GDC, and on the strong recommendation of one of my professors. In a broader sense, I wanted to get into the game industry, and from what I knew about Telltale, it was a very good fit with my own interests in interactive narrative.
How has your experience so far differed from your friend's experiences who are interning for other companies?
Of those friends who I have heard from, my internship experience (admittedly, based on less than 2 days of experience on both sides) seems to be somewhere in the middle of a continuum, with intensely corporate one end, and extremely freeform on the other. This turns out to be a very good place to be, especially for a newcomer to the industry. It gives me a chance to be directly involved with the development of the game, which might not happen in a larger company, but also work in a relaxed, yet focused environment.
Did you tell them we have a hockey net?
Yes - foosball too. They were very jealous.
Do you feel your studies have prepared you for this summer's internship?
Yes. While this is my first foray into the video game industry, I feel that my CS and media studies background has prepared me to get the most possible out of my internship.
What do you want to be when you grow-up?
It's a tossup between an ice cream man and an astronaut, unless they open a Ben & Jerry's on the moon. Then I can be both.
This discussion has been closed.