Hello,
My name is Michael Charge. I’m currently employed by Rockstar Games as Online Mission Flow Designer, working out of the Rockstar North office in Edinburgh. Before joining the company, I spent 18 months at BigBit in Brighton, working as a programmer on mobile games for clients such as Channel 4 and Bossa Studios.
I studied my undergraduate at Tesside University, achieveing a First Class Honours degree in Computing. Wishing to expand my skillset, I then went to Abertay University to take part in their renowned MProf Games Development program.
Although I have studied general games programming, I am more interested in the design and creation of gameplay systems. I enjoy creating the overall aspect of it and working how to accurately balance it. To improve these skills, I’m constantly working on new prototypes and projects in a selection of engines and languages.
Outside of programming, I also have a great interest in the analysis of games and as part of this I have written reviews for various online outlets. This hasn’t quite yet ruined my enjoyment of games and I’m still a keen collector and player of them. I primarily play on PC and Xbox 360 but I have interest in a wide variety of platforms, including traditional tabletop and roleplaying games. I also enjoy writing for my own personal blog.
On top of all that, I’m a keen reader, an avid tech head and enjoy cooking (and then eating) good food. When I can, I play Airsoft, a game similar to Paintball but using more realistic equipment and firing plastic pellets rather than paint. I often film these trips via GoPro and upload the footage online.
While at Teesside University, I played an active part in both the Gaming Society and the Airsoft Club, acting as the Treasurer of the Gaming Society 2011-2012 and the Chairman of the Airsoft Club 2012 – 2013.