Richard 'Geldy' Geldard

Hey, I'm Geldy. I've been in the industry since 2005 but have moved around the engineering space touching UI, Gameplay, Physics, Cameras, Online and Tools with a stint at Technical Direction. My passions are mathematics and physics with a leaning towards gameplay but generally willing to try anything. Outside of work I'm an avid singer, both solo and as part of multiple choirs. My fitness regime is made up of bouldering, swimming and dog walking but generally love being outdoors. At the end of the day there's nothing I like better than having a board game evening with mates or curling up with a good fantasy book!

_favourite Game

Subnautica.

_favourite BOOK

Anything Brandon Sanderson.

_Currently learning

Picking piano up after 30 years off as i'd like to be able to accompany myself singing.

Questions & Answers

Earliest gaming memory?

Answer

Going round a friends to play Twisted Metal on Playstation or Dune 2 on the PC. I never had a PC / console in the early years.

What was the game that triggered you looking at games as a career?

Answer

My friend joked that you could get a degree in making computer games, so I applied and got in... It wasn't a specific game, more a general love of games.

What did you study at School or Uni that you feel was valuable for a career in games?

Answer

My uni course was Bsc (Hons) Computer Games Technology from University of Abertay Dundee. Previously i'd dabbled in QBasic but this gave be a good grounding in C/C++ as well as understanding of core concepts of how a game loop functions. It also gave me a great 3d mathematics foundation to understand critical maths concepts needed for general game physics.

Game that has inspired you the most?

Answer

Burnout Paradise was my first full start to finish game that technically still holds up to a lot of games 15 years later. With a year of monthly live service, real time vehicle deformation, high end graphics and rock solid frame rate it was a technical marvel.

What is the first game you worked on?

Answer

I joined just as Burnout Revenge had launched so started working on the XBox 360 port as my first gig.

Games you’re the proudest to have worked on?

Answer

Burnout Paradise & Battlefield Firestorm.

If you weren't making games?

Answer

I'd be a primary school / university maths teacher - i don't like the teenaged years.

Top 3 games of all time?

Answer

#1 - Subnautica #2 - Dune 2 #3 - XCom - Terror From The Deep.

Hardest game boss?

Answer

Too many to list. I'm not the best gamer so it's easy for me to bounce off a hard boss and give up quickly.

_TIME REMAINING