I began my career at SEGA right out of university as a game designer. After serving as a manager, I became the senior executive manager of the division.

When SEGA Interactive merged with SEGA Games in 2020, I headed up the Development Technology Division and have been in that position ever since.

I joined SEGA in 2002, just after graduating. I had always wanted to make arcade games, so when I joined SEGA and was immediately put to work on arcade titles, it felt like a dream come true.

After gaining experience as a lead programmer, I worked in a supporting role on a variety of projects, similar to what I do now in the Development Technology Department. Those experiences paved the way for my current position under Hiroshi's leadership.

At the moment, I serve as both the manager of the Development Technology Department and vice manager of the Technology Management Department.

To elaborate further, our work can be divided into two main areas: infrastructure and technology. The infrastructure that we provide is similar to what you would find in most IT departments, with the exception that we utilize significantly more powerful technology due to the demanding nature of our field.

In terms of technology, we primarily create developer tools and game engines. In the past, it was the development teams that were responsible for creating these. Just as a car can't run when its wheels aren't in sync, a good game can't be made without development tools and technical support.

As you can imagine, providing the infrastructure to facilitate the development of a large-scale project requires a specific set of skills. We have a huge assortment of titles and each of them run events on a monthly basis. This is the ideal environment for someone eager to demonstrate what they can do.

For the technology side of our work, people who are passionate about working on a diverse range of games would be an excellent fit. Games used to take a year or two to develop. Now they can take anywhere from three to five.This can be great if you're someone who thrives on working exclusively on a single game. However, if you're someone who enjoys exploring the nuances of different technologies and applying them across multiple games, then I believe our department would be the perfect place for you.

Seeing tangible results makes me happy. The tools we develop enable game creators to make games more efficiently. Every minute and every second they save can add up and be invaluable. It's incredibly rewarding to know that our tools can save them hundreds of hours or even tens of millions of yen.

Of course, there are other things too that make the job wonderful, like getting to see your name in the credits or when other staff members come over to thank you directly.

Personally, I don't think there's a very big difference. At the end of the day, what I do leads to the creation of fun games. However, my perspective has evolved to some extent. Before, my focus was primarily on the content of the games I was involved in. Now, I place greater emphasis on the technology underpinning the game.

I'd even venture to say that our department might be better suited for someone who finds joy in the process of discovering the different nuances of a tool than someone who seeks the thrill of completing a game.

I'm sure it varies from person to person, but I'd have to say the moment we solve a problem. There's a certain joy to coming up with a solution for something that wasn't possible beforehand for whatever reason, whether it be due to time constraints or technical limitations. We're constantly driven by the desire to create new technology, and do our utmost to solve any problems that a studio or department may have. Whenever I successfully resolve an issue and see the results, I can't help but grin.

The problems that one department faces could be happening in other departments too. It's fascinating to see a solution that we've created for a single department be applied across other departments of the company!

I also feel a sense of accomplishment whenever I'm able to show what our technology is capable of. Nowadays, through online conferences, we have the chance to present our technology to people outside of our company. You never know who might be in the audience—perhaps an accomplished author of the topic or even an aspiring writer of the subject could be in attendance.

Proactive people are well-suited to our work. Our job is to identify and address issues faced by other departments. The ability to step into someone else's shoes and take ownership of their problem is something that we value.

We also need to be able to articulate potential issues we've noticed. While we typically don't write up reports, there are times where we have to work with individuals who might not have a technical background.

We welcome anyone able to effectively communicate their ideas in a way that is easy to comprehend. To be honest, we understand it's a difficult skill to acquire, and many of us are still striving to improve. We're very flexible, so if communication is not your strong point, you can always leave that part to someone else while you work on what you love most.

We have a lot of staff members with highly specialized technical skills. They really thrive in our department because they aren't confined to a single game.

We've also recently expanded our workforce by hiring more individuals from other countries. SEGA is incredibly popular outside of Japan, so some of our new hires are SEGA superfans—to the point where they even bring in their personal Dreamcasts or modded Genesis consoles to the office. They always mention how much joy it brings them to be part of SEGA.

No, we have some that don't speak Japanese. But it's never an issue. Anyone who's taken the time to master their field will find themselves in high demand. We expect our team members to work collaboratively with each other while drawing upon their own skill sets. For that reason, we value individuals who excel in a specific field over people who dabble in a little of everything.

Since our company provides a wide selection of services and products, we're always in need of different technical skills. Companies that exclusively develop games for a specific genre or platform will only require a narrow spectrum of skills. With us, the sky is the limit—I have confidence that no matter your skill set, we have the ideal environment to put your skills to use.

I find people who are passionate about technology tend to perform best when they're doing something they love. For that reason, I make it a point to give my team the freedom to pursue their passions. I've noticed they perform exceptionally well when they're completely engrossed in their work, so I strive to create the ideal working environment for them.

For some, the biggest and most pivotal moment is finishing the development process of a title, whereas for others, that moment might be discovering a breakthrough in gaming technology. As studios devote more time to the development process, there becomes less opportunity to learn how to harness different technologies.

If you're someone who loves video games and is just as passionate about working with technology, I hope you'll consider joining our division.