Ollie Edge is a programmer for south London games designers Roll7. He tells Albert Harvey about modding Halo, why your brain can control a game, and coding games.
Hey Ollie. Would you say aspiring game designers or programmers should pursue their ambition as one of their hobbies in their spare time?
Yes exactly that. You should always have a portfolio of examples of all the work you’ve done and showcase your work. That’s what would get you into the video game industry.
You work for Roll7, who started training at-risk young people to build computer games. I read that you use neuroscience technology for your games, what exactly is that?
We use a headset, which is like a pair of headphones and on the headset there is a sensor that rests on your forehead and that reads your brain. Think of it like a circuit , your brain’s the battery because it produces electricity and the headset is the bit which reads the brain. We can also use these to control certain aspects of the game.
How did you know you would end up working in gaming?
I started a website called Halomods.com with this other guy from Australia and we got told by [Halo developers] Bungie we need to stop doing this or we’ get into trouble. That was very career-inspiring because it was the moment I realised I was definitely going to get a job in the video games field.
What is your favourite video game of all time?
Halo 2, without a shadow of a doubt.
What consoles do you own and what is your favourite one?
I don’t really play video games that much anymore although my girlfriend did buy me Assassins Creed for Christmas on Xbox 360 so probably that.
Who is your favourite video game Hero and why?
It’s got to be Mario because he’s chirpy and full of character.
Could you imagine the possibility of a social responsible game appearing in a current generation console and do you think it would appeal to video games fans?
It’s not going to be out there like GTA but it will be certainly be in education like schools, colleges and what not. I can’t see it being in mainstream or retail, however it’s definitely going down the government-funding route.
Would you ever work on a video game similar to Grand Theft Auto, where players are allowed to sell drugs, use guns, Car jacking?
In terms of I don’t agree with that sort of game if I have a kid and he buys GTA I wouldn’t like that. I do think that video games have a little bit of influence on life, but not as much as people think they do.
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