＼ Career Path ／
Built confidence through players' reactions to her work.
Q1What I Studied
I studied a broad range of subjects in design and engineering during college, and I worked with Unity on my own time. Mentoring teenagers at an IT education organization is what inspired me to get into game development. I would give technical support to the students working on games, and their enthusiasm stuck with me. Although I had been considering a career in IT, once I realized that I could express my imagination and individuality through game development, I knew that was my calling.
Q2Why I Joined SEGA
I've loved gaming since I was four years old, and I was especially fond of SEGA games like Puyo Puyo and Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure. Because I only began learning Unity in my third year of university, SEGA's support for new hires really appealed to me. I appreciated that I'd be paired with a mentor who'd train me throughout my first year.
Q3My First Assignments at SEGA
I took part in a training program for new hires, where I developed an original game and learned the basics of game programming. Once I got assigned to a development team, I gradually got the hang of the job by playing our live-service games, reviewing KPIs, and doing coding tutorials. Looking back on it, I received an incredible amount of support.
Q4Biggest Surprise After Joining SEGA
There wasn't a major gap between my expectations and reality, but I was pleasantly surprised by how open the company is to ideas from younger employees. Programmers don't need to blindly follow the planning team's requests. We can share suggestions on how to improve upon their ideas. I appreciate that SEGA encourages all employees, regardless of their roles, to freely exchange opinions on how to make our games better. On top of that, the employee benefits here cover more than I imagined, especially the allowances for community activities. I'm part of our model kit building club, and the fact that I can bond with colleagues outside of work tells me that this is a great working environment.
A.Y. chatting one-on-one with a new employee, discussing issues and bantering
Q5Current Duties
I develop new features and improvements for player-facing menus and systems, including character profiles and gacha screens. Though I've worked in the same development section in the five years since I joined, I still get antsy whenever new features go live because players don't hold back. Some players love the changes, while others prefer keeping the status quo. But we stay flexible, listening to the feedback and always refining our work. As a section leader, I also manage schedules and support team members. Some days are filled entirely with meetings about features, but even when things are busy, I make time for one-on-one meetings and listen carefully to my team's concerns.
