d3t welcomes Will Booth, Art Manager
31st Jan 2024
Tell us a bit of information about your experience/career background?
I’ve been in the games industry for a little over ten years, the majority of that time in animation production. I started on the bottom rung of the ladder and worked my way up through the production team, going on to manage the entire animation department in my last role. I’ve been lucky to have been able to work on dozens of titles across my career so far and to have worked with some truly exceptional people, something I look forward to continuing!
Why d3t?
The biggest thing which attracted me to d3t is the culture. From reviews I’ve read of the company, speaking with the team I’ve met so far, and the multiple “Best Places to Work” awards, d3t is clearly a studio that knows its biggest strength is its people.
The varied nature of projects on which the studio gets to collaborate is another big plus. Being a co-dev studio means that you get to work on a huge variety of different titles, spanning multiple genres and platforms. No day is the same!
What do you love about games?
I love the inclusive nature of games, there’s something for absolutely everyone. Whether you’ve only got 20 minutes to jump online with your friends, want to spend the evening cosied up with a chill sim, or are hosting a horror night to amp up the Halloween spirit, there’s a game out there which fits the bill.
The engagement of games is something I love as well, when you’re playing a game you’re present in that moment and it can pull you in because you’re not just an observer like with a film or TV show, you’re actively there and can put yourself in the shoes of that character or situation more easily.
What games are you currently playing, and what is your favourite game?
I’ve been playing Starfield and Cities: Skylines most recently because I love a good RPG and sink too many hours into sim & strategy games. You could just as easily find me relaxing with some Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing, and I can’t resist something with a great story like Until Dawn or Life is Strange (especially if it has a great soundtrack!).
Picking a favourite game is so tough because it depends so much on my mood, but Red Dead Redemption 2 really blew me away with its world design and environments. I loved getting lost in the world and the story was fantastic. I ended up taking a break for a couple of months before picking up the prologue because the main story emotionally drained me so much!
Some of my older favourites include classics like Ocarina of Time and a lot of that era of Nintendo, plus The Simpsons: Hit and Run is a game I often find myself going back to.
Do you have any fun facts or hobbies?
I enjoy the outdoors, going for walks and hikes and taking the opportunity to be away from screens for a bit. I feel lucky living in the North West since we’re so close to so many national parks. If I want to go out into the countryside and I’m feeling too lazy to walk up a big hill, then chances are I’ll go for a pootle on my motorbike around some country lanes.
Closer to home, I have a couple of small hobby programming projects which, though gaming-related, aren’t your traditional “make a game” projects.
Recently, I’ve also become a keen DIYer, meaning I’ve spent far too much money at B&Q with not very much to show for it.