Hello, I’m Jimmy Senechal, currently generalist programmer on an unannounced project at Ubisoft Montreal since May 2017. On that project, I mainly worked on tools to help the production moving forward, my automating basic daily tasks and checks at the time of the submit.
In this project I had the opportunity to work with people from different fields of the production environment(programmers and artists). I also learnt a lot about a game production cycle and pipeline.
Before Ubisoft Montréal
Before starting to work at Ubisoft, I arrived in Quebec in September 2014 to spend 3 years at the Univeristy of Quebec at Chicoutimi(UQAC). 1.5 year for a Computer Sciences’s Bachelor (with minor in video game design) and 1.5 year for a Master in the same field.
During those classes, I’ve developed my knowledge about various video game fields.
- AI programming
- Game Design
- Basic VR programming (using an heaset and haptic arm)
- Basic 3D programmation(working with OpenGL)
- Project Management
- Game Engine fundamentals
For my last semester, I’ve been selected to work in the Ubisoft GameLab Competition with 7 friends, which allowed me to use all the skills I’ve learnt during all my years of study. We won the jury special award with our game, « Ambulance Express », despite being 8 programmers with no artists, which we thought was really an accomplishment, and we all felt proud about our work.
My participation in that competition granted me an internship of 6 months at Ubisoft Montréal as a tool programmer. This internship concluded my Master’s year and also represent my first step in the gaming industry, as I kept working on the same project at the end of that internship.
Before moving to Canada
I was studying computer sciences with a major in software engineering at the IUT of Lannion(Bretagne, France) when a representative from the UQAC came to my university.
The representative came to present us IT programs available, including a programming program with a game design specialization.
Those were two fields that I was found of, so I took the opportunity and signed all the papers that would officialise what was supposed to be a year of exchange with the UQAC.
I’m just a guy that loves judo, swimming the outside but as expected :playing games, especially JRPGs and story driven games.
My most favourite games of all time are probably:
- Nier: Automata
- Final Fantasy 7
- Xenoblade Chronicles
- Spinter’s Cell: Chaos Theory
There is no particular reason outside of the enjoyment I got, emotions I felt when playing those.
Jimmy Senechal - Programmer 