Game/AI

Mark Haigh-Hutchinson and Real-Time Cameras

I need to take a moment to discuss the news about my friend and colleague Mark Haigh-Hutchinson.

Mark was not only one of the finest engineers I have ever had the honor and privilege to work with, but one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever known.

Although the IGN article I linked to above is accurate, it is also incomplete – Mark did much more than the camera systems. If you've ever played Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and wondered who it was that created the player control and Wiimote aiming systems that received so much praise: you’re looking at him.

I sat next to Mark whenever possible during Retro’s weekly company meetings. I remember that once, during the final weeks of Metroid Prime 3’s development, we got to talking before the meeting started, and he mentioned problems with inflammation. He said, “The doctors did an X-ray, and they say it’s inflammation of the digestive tract, and they’ve prescribed some Nexium for that ... But thankfully, the blood tests ruled out cancer.” His eyes grew wide. He continued: “Cancer! I had no idea it could be something that serious.” If only the blood tests had been correct.

I am thankful to have been able to go to Mark's home and meet with him a week before Christmas. He sat upright in his chair, and in spite of everything he had been through in the hospital and the bit of muscle mass he had lost from his time there, he seemed healthy, and he spoke lucidly, with strength and confidence and a crystal-clear consciousness. We talked about his ordeals, about his upcoming book on real-time game camera systems, about Retro Studios and the Metroid Prime games, about the industry, about movies, about a singer with a lovely voice whose music he found very soothing. He seemed to me to be full of inner strength and calm. Another Retro engineer had given him a copy of Super Mario Galaxy, and I promised him we would play it together when I got back to Austin after Christmas. He could play Mario and I’d help collect star bits for him.

I left his house feeling upbeat, with no doubt that his strength would see him through and I would see him again soon. I wonder if my mind simply refused to admit the possibility that this might be the last time I would see him.

To say that Mark approached the craft of game engineering like a scientist is a comparison that I suspect gives many actual scientists far more credit than they deserve. Mark approached every problem with a deep understanding of the craft and a thorough and meticulous exploration of all the ramifications of every engineering decision. I have never met anyone in my life so willing to explain a problem until it was fully understood, or so able to translate maddeningly complex technical problems into terms that non-engineers could understand. To say that Mark was a rare breed would be inaccurate – Mark was an entirely singular individual. In an industry with more than its share of hacks and charlatans, Mark was the real deal -- an unsung hero who quietly and patiently got the job done and found ways to raise the bar for quality at every single opportunity. He never held anyone to a standard higher than that to which he held himself. His dignity, extraordinary work ethic, passion, professionalism, sense of humor, and genuine human warmth paint a picture I will never be able to explain to those who still see videogames as childish pursuits created by childish individuals.

Mark was also working on a book titled “Real-Time Cameras,” which was very close to completion. I am thankful for having been able to read a few chapters last year and provide some feedback. I don’t know what the plans are for the book’s publication in light of these events, but I can say without hesitation that every designer and engineer in the industry should read it. Mark held the key to overcoming so many of the challenges that our industry faces with in-game cameras, and he was passionate about cameras that functioned smoothly and intuitively. The book brilliantly illuminates the problems and their specific solutions in detail.

The book is very nearly finished, and I am told that many Retro engineers have volunteered to help complete it. I hope to be able to participate in that effort as well.

I'm deeply and eternally grateful for having been able to know Mark, to work with him, to play board games with him, and especially to have been able to learn from him -- and although I learned a great deal from him, in the end, it was nothing more than taking a few buckets from an ocean, or checking out a small stack of books from the Library of Congress.

Rest easy, Mark. If there is a heaven for game developers, I know I will see you there, because your name will be engraved on the front gate, followed by an apostrophe, and then the letter S.

And if I ever make it there, my friend, I look forward to being able to keep my promise. You can be Mario and I’ll collect the star bits.

-Paul Tozour

Posted by PaulT at January 17, 2008 02:52 PM