Colin Jackson

Developer BIO

A bona fide Games Guru: Evaluation, Procurement, Design, Customisation, Configuration, Deployment, Testing, Maintenance, Management, Community & Marketing.

A Team Builder: Project Manager, Team Builder, Educator, Communicator. Recruitment, Consultancy & Trouble-shooting.

I have been in the games business since 1988, at the sharp end of games creation. In that time I have been a Designer, a Graphic Artist, a Programmer (a bit), a Project Manager & a Producer. The last four years have been packed with learning the business of online gaming, as part of BT’s Wireplay &, subsequently, Gameplay’s online gaming strategy, of which Wireplay forms a part. As a general expert on Games Content & managing the delivery of material for the service, I have been exposed to every part of the business, from putting code onto servers to bringing new product concepts forward through the company. Answering directly to the board, I champion new projects & trouble-shoot in all aspects of the business.

About Me:

Age: 34 Born: Leeds, Uk in 1966 Education: Degree Level Computer Science Current Employment: Gameplay PLC, floating between Colchester Development Labs & London Headquarters. Salary Expectations: c£45-60,000 + benefits (depending on location and role), US$95,000 Status: Married but mobile

Key Competences:

Content Strategy, evaluation of potential content, marketing opportunities, test team management, contract & license negotiation, technical requirements specification & procurement, server deployment & management, content customisation, editorial & community management, game maintenance & management, game design, web design & publishing, team management, business & platform strategy.

Key Specialisations:

Retail peer-to-peer & server-based games, online-only browser & client-based games, some WAP & IDTv, some Console. Experience in alternative delivery mechanisms (games-on-dem&, streaming & pay-per-view), new platforms, new concepts & new strategies.

RPG, arcade, FPS, strategy, mind games, parlour games, MUDs, trading card – you name it.

My Team:

As content manager I lead a team of 10+ people, & report directly to the board. I also either manage or have a consultant role in several other internal projects.

Key responsibilities include:

Acquiring, deploying & managing new content for the Wireplay service, & other online gaming platforms. Designing & project-planning for new platforms such as IDTv, WAP, Consoles, the new soft-core & ‘mid-core’ content web platforms, & the Gameplay alternative delivery project ‘Instant Gameplay’ Game design & requirement specifications within the content strategy. Content Testing

The content team is at the heart of Gameplay’s online gaming strategy, & drives many other departments in its goal to become the leading online gaming portal. This has lead me to work with many of the key developers & publishers, both in the UK & abroad, & develop strong working relationships with both retail providers, online-only developers & technology innovators.

Employment History:

August 99 – Present Content Manager @ Gameplay PLC

July 97 - August 99 Partner Support Consultant, Partner Support Manager @ British Telecom Wireplay

May 95 – July 97 Graphics Artist, Game Designer, Project Manager, Producer @ Argonaut Software

Sept 89 – May 95 Graphic Artist, Game Designer @ Imagitec Design/ Dreamweavers Inc.

Development Softography:

Titles include: Croc, Buck Bumble, Creature Shock, TNN Fishing, Bubsy 2, Snow White, EA Hockey, Chartbreaker, Raiden, Tempest 2000, Ragnarok, American Gladiators, Humans, Dino Dudes, Wheel Of Fortune, Prophecy: The Viking Child, Daemonsgate. Some were great, some were garbage, some never saw the light of day, but I enjoyed doing every one of them (except Snow White).

Key platforms: PC, Playstation, Nintendo 64, Saturn, Jaguar, Genesis, Falcon, SNES, Atari, Amiga. In fact, most platforms all the way back to the Babbage Engine.

Referees:

On request.

Other Interests:

Aside from gaming & other internet-related activities, I’m interested in footy, riding, world war 2 history, reading, cinema & a few things too geeky to mention.

Websites

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Games Credited

Buck Bumble (1998), Ubisoft Entertainment SA
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (1998), Fox Interactive, Inc.
Bubsy In: Fractured Furry Tales (1994), Atari Corporation
Raiden (1994), Atari Corporation
Zool 2 (1994), Atari Corporation
King's Table: The Legend of Ragnarok (1993), GameTek, Inc.
Daemonsgate (1992), Imagitec Design Inc.
Human Race: The Jurassic Levels (1992), Mirage Software
The Humans (1992), GameTek, Inc.
Wheel of Fortune (1992), GameTek, Inc.