Feature: 'Day in the Life: Fumiaki Shiraishi, Programmer, Square Enix'

In this feature, Tokyo-based Square Enix programmer Fumiaki Shiraishi, who previously worked on Final Fantasy XI, describes a work day that begins just before noon and is filled with meetings, upkeeping Front Mission Online, and a new, yet unannounced, project. Here, he describes why his day starts off so late: I arrive at work. The company requires us to be at work by 11:00am. I usually get to work closer to 10:00am, but I got distracted doing some reading this morning. On one hand, it's great to have time to do stuff at home before work. On the other hand, I would prefer to go to work even earlier if that meant I can go home earlier (having a newborn baby has changed my priorities quite a bit). As the company becomes larger though, I expect that we will start moving towards a more normal schedule. A few years ago, whole teams staying at the company overnight was not uncommon. Now, the vast majority will go home by around 10:00pm at night. You can read the full Gamasutra feature for more details of a day in the life of a Japanese Square Enix programmer (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).