Today’s site visit took us to Glass Egg Digital Media, and I can say without hesitation that it has been my favorite of the entire trip so far. Walking through the studio floor by floor was genuinely impressive. Each level was dedicated to a different area of game development, with sections focused on car design, landscape creation, and character modeling. Seeing the level of detail and craftsmanship that goes into each of those disciplines up close gave me a whole new appreciation for what actually goes into making a video game.
What made it personal was realizing how many of their projects I had grown up playing. Glass Egg has contributed to titles including Rocket League, Call of Duty Black Ops, and Demon’s Souls, all games that were a significant part of my childhood. Standing in the studio where work on those games was done was one of those moments that is hard to fully describe. These were games I spent countless hours with growing up, and seeing the process behind how they were built is an experience I would not trade for anything.
We also learned about the Blue Jacket Award, an internal recognition the company gives to employees who have delivered outstanding work throughout the year. The benefits that come with it are substantial: a one month salary bonus, interest free loans for life, and a spot on company sponsored trips. It was a good reminder that investing in employees in meaningful ways builds the kind of loyalty and quality that shows up in the final product.
Lunch was a long time coming. We finally had pho, which I had been looking forward to since before the trip started. It lived up to everything I had been anticipating and ranks as one of my favorite meals of the entire trip.
The afternoon was set aside for sports day with the UEF students, and it was a great way to close out the day. We started with warm up stretches and a round of exercises including pushups and squats, then moved into boxing, which was as entertaining as it sounds. Team games followed to wrap everything up. After several days packed with lectures, site visits, and a fair amount of reflection, an afternoon of just competing and laughing with everyone was exactly what was needed.