Interview with Software Developer David Mergele

Who are you and what is your role at BioWare?
My name is David Mergele, and I'm a Software Developer at BioWare.

What is the best part about your job?
The best part of my job is making other people's jobs easier, less error-prone, and/or faster, which inevitably leads to more awesome in our games.

What does an average day look like for you?
Get myself coffee and possibly some breakfast. Take a quick glance at my inbox for critical emails, and send responses. Stand-up meeting with the team. Review new emails in-depth. Coffee again! Backlog and feature planning and/or discussions about improvements for the team. Lunch/gaming break. Bug triage. Bug fixing or feature development. Go home.

Can you tell us about one of your proudest moments working in game development?
It really happens on a daily basis. We are always finding new ways to improve on existing systems, and finding unique and interesting ways of removing impediments from the developers daily workflow.
What's a geeky thing about you?
I track which video game I'm going to play next and I have installed and purchased more games than I will be able to play in my life.

Do you have any advice for those wishing to get into the video game industry?
Keep trying to get your foot in the door. Dependent on your experience, you may need to start at the bottom or the middle, but get in! Until you get in, keep working on your skills and keep your passion for gaming. We really do love hiring gamers with skills. Oh, and if you're a programmer, then knowing C++ is a must.

If you weren't working in the industry, what would you be doing?
Some sort of software development or consulting. I enjoyed that before working in the games industry, but there's really nothing better than doing what I'm currently doing with the people here.

What are you currently playing, reading, or listening to?
Currently playing Diablo 3, with some occasional Mass Effect 3 runs. Still in progress on Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings, Trine 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Baldur's Gate 1, Assassin's Creed, Final Fantasy XIII, and Dead Space to name a few.

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