Yesterday was my one year anniversary at Hypixel Studios.
A lot of people tell me they thought I had worked there for a lot longer, which is extremely flattering, and fills me with joy. Mostly because its the best place I’ve ever worked, full of kind, passionate and incredible people, and so people considering me the kind of person that has always been among them is an incredible compliment.
When I first applied to Hypixel, it was actually 2019, and I applied as a QA tester, as that is what I had done in my last “real” studio job. I didn’t even get a reply… but thats ok! They got (and get) a lot of applications, and they can’t reply to all of them. Flash forward 3 years, its 2022, and I had just left the job I got instead as a Junior Game Designer at Innogames (because it was terrible) and was feeling really burnt out.
Working in games is hard. Really hard. The work, itself, usually, is the least of your issues. Crunch, office politics, brutal working hours, the isolation of remote work and more besides were slowly wearing away at my soul. I was depressed, still reeling from the isolation and misery of Covid lockdown while living entirely alone in a strange new town, and was kind of sick of working in games.
I had actually decided that I didn’t want to work in games (professionally, anyway) anymore when I fired off a “fuck it, why not” application to Hypixel. I was obsessed with Hytale, had a deep connection to the studios roots in modding and independent creativity, and deeply resonated with the goal of the project – its no exaggeration to say that getting to work on Hytale would have been a dream project.
I didn’t believe I would even get an interview. Somehow, 3 weeks later, after 9 interviews across the studio, they told me something I would never have believed if you’d told me a few weeks prior: We would be absolutely delighted to have you join us.
And so, thus began my journey at Hypixel, working on the coolest game ever.
Do I still feel the same way as I did back then, as an outsider looking in? Is this still somewhere I am delighted to be?
……
Yes! 100%.
Its been tricky, in parts, as all game development is. But Hypixel have treated me with an immense amount of humanity and kindness. They are respectful of my gender identity, and understanding about my ADHD and autism. They are strict about not overworking me, about ensuring my mental and physical health comes first. They have helped develop my skills and personal growth, to become the best designer I could possibly be.
What we are making together is meaningful, exciting and something I am proud to be a part of, a far cry from the manipulative mobile games and toxic work environments I had been worn down by. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Heres to another year, Hypixel. I can’t wait to show the world what we’ve been working on.
Cheers.