Shintaro Kanaoya - Head of MMO Publishing

What is your educational background? (ie where and what did you study?)

BA (Hons) Philosophy - University of Birmingham

What do you do at EA? And what are your main responsibilities?

I'm head of MMO Publishing for Europe, working on making EA as strong in Online Publishing as we are in the retail world.

What do you love about your job?

Being in the online world, helping to bring some great online games to market. I have a great team and love the "wild west" vibe that commercial online gaming has.

Why did you choose to work in gaming?

I wanted to work in a place where I'd enjoy spending all my time because, let's face it, you spend more time at work than anywhere else! It was the right decision then and I still feel the same way, 12 years later.

Why did you join EA?

I joined a studio called Bullfrog back in 1996, which had already been acquired by EA but very much had its own culture. It was a great place to work straight out of uni - very quirky and incredibly creative. For the first 6 months, I couldn't wait to get into work every day - I'm sure I broke speed limits getting in!

Describe life at EA?

The perception is that EA is a giant factory, where buttons are pushed and a new game pops out. The truth is very different - it's a lot of incredibly smart, creative people working very hard to achieve a common goal - to make EA the number 1 and stay there. I've been in and out of EA a couple of times, and I can honestly say that nowhere has pushed me as hard as EA. Staying in your comfort zone isn't really an option here, and I love that.

What are your future career ambitions?

I started as a work experience tester, then a level designer, and then a lead designer, producer, programming lead, marketing manager, and now I head up a department focused on online games publishing. It's fair to say I'm not one of those guys that maps out a career plan.

What are your favorite games/entertainment, both EA and non-EA?

I love movies and TV, though more TV these days. The shows that come over from the US are incredible: Dexter, The West Wing, Battlestar Galactica. However, with 2 young kids, the majority of my home time is spent watching Cbeebies and Angelina Ballerina DVDs!

In terms of games, I'll play anything and everything, but right now I'm playing World of Warcraft, Super Mario Galaxy, and just finished Call of Duty 4. I got hooked on Skate for a while and can't wait for Rock Band.