Eric Jensen

Meet Eric Jensen

Design Manager at Bend Studio
Eric Jensen

About Eric

About Eric

Mentor of Game Design

Eric is a Design Manager at PlayStation's Bend Studio, where he has worked for the last 16 years. He has worked his way up from QA and has had his hands in just about everything from asset management, localization, motion capture and cinematics, to a wide variety of design roles.

Most recently, he was the Lead Open World Designer on Days Gone, where he worked on all the open world systems, population, missions, and more. He is excited to share his journey and knowledge he has gained with others.

  

Eric's work

Credits include Days Gone, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Resistance: Retribution, Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow, to name a few.

Days Gone
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Resistance: Retribution
syphonfilterlogansshadow-worktile

Q&A with Eric

Which city are you currently based in?

Bend, Oregon, USA

What did your pathway into the industry look like?
I started out in QA nearly 16 years ago. I nearly immediately fell in love with game development and wanted to know the ins and outs of everything. From there, I moved into general production work, ranging from asset management to localization, cinematic/mocap work, and then finally some low-level design scripting and population. That’s when I knew I wanted to pursue my design career, which I’ve been doing for the last 10 years. Now I’m a Design Manager and co-leading our team.
What has been the best experience of your career so far?
The greatest experience of my career has been working on a new IP from earliest ideation, to announcement, to gameplay reveal, to launch. That is such a reward.
What’s your advice for your students?

Never stop learning, and never stop creating.

Learn Game Design from industry pros 

Game Design Essentials

Game Design Essentials

3 months - Beginner

Find out what makes an addicting game, exploring game mechanics and systems, genres, level design and world building. Expect a mix of theory, paper design, concepting and hands-on practice.
Game Programming Essentials

Game Programming Essentials

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Ideal for beginners, you’ll start with the fundamentals, learning the basic syntax of C++. Gain and understanding of key programming concepts used in development, and create a simple game from scratch.
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Game Design
Bachelor of Game Development

24 months - Beginner to Advanced

Learn to plan, develop, and implement immersive and interactive games. Using industry software and practices, build the techniques and knowledge that will help you succeed in the video game industry.
<b> <br>Game Programming</br></b>Bachelor of Game Development


Game Programming
Bachelor of Game Development

24 months - Beginner to Advanced

Learn to program game systems using industry workflows and techniques. Guided by game dev experts, you'll create a playable game while building essential interpersonal skills and industry knowledge.
Game Design Foundations

Game Design Foundations

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Go from beginner to intermediate as you learn to deconstruct games, tackle design problems, create great user experiences, write design documents, and develop a game pitch. Finish with a playable game!
Game Programming Foundations

Game Programming Foundations

9 months - Beginner to Intermediate

Develop excellent game programming foundations in this comprehensive course. Using C++, learn to build fun 2D and 3D levels with fully interactive animated characters. Finish with a playable game.
What do you enjoy most about being a CG Spectrum mentor?
The moments in my career when I grew the most was when I had someone mentoring me. It's super exciting for me knowing that I can now be that growth for someone else.
How do you stay creative outside of work?
I love photography, woodworking, building and working on cars and motorcycles. It's never a dull day!
What excites you most about the future of game design?
As the technology advances, we are presented new and exciting ways to design games for a constantly evolving and growing audience.

Learn more about Eric's experience or connect with him on LinkedIn.

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