Meet David Pierce, Senior Designer at Bethesda Game Studios

Say “hello” to David Pierce, a Senior Designer here at Bethesda Game Studios who got his start modding.

With experience stretching back to the Morrowind days, David let his RPG background and love of creating guide him from hobby to professional.

How did you get started in modding?

I had just finished building a PC for my college dorm room, and a copy of Morrowind was included with my graphics card, along with the Construction Set. In the game’s intro, you’re awakened by a stranger from a dream in the hold of a prison ship, with visions of the night sky and the rain dancing in your head. Once you step outside, it’s daytime, and you’re greeted by a clear blue sky. I said, “I wonder if I can make the game start at night instead, in a thunderstorm!” I managed to get it working, and that’s when I discovered how awesome it feels to see something you made working on the screen. I was hopelessly hooked after that.

What did you enjoy most about creating mods for Skyrim? What were your favorite mods to create?

Creating content for games has always been a creative release valve for me. I was that kid that always had a stack of graph paper to create reams of tabletop RPG dungeons in his spare time. Making content for video games was just a matter of time.

I think the most enjoyable part of modding was engaging with the folks that took the time to download and use something I made. Having a direct connection with an audience helped mold me into the designer I am now. The feedback loop is incredibly fast; if you’re doing something awesome, or less than awesome, you’ll know very quickly and you can learn from it.

My favorite mods to create were Frostfall and Campfire, hands down. Those were some of my most ambitious work as a modder and started me on the path of designing things as systems that others might build on top of. Designing in those terms puts you in a totally different headspace.

What about Bethesda Game Studio’s worlds drew you to it for modding?

The promise of “be who you want, do what you want” has always made Bethesda’s games amazing sandboxes where you can really project yourself onto your character. Modding takes that a step further: projecting yourself onto a new weapon or item, a new feature, or even the entire game world. And the Creation Kit is accessible enough to make that an attainable goal. Very few other games afford you the freedom to change, remove, or add almost anything you can dream up. Modding is also great because you’re not starting from scratch; you’re building on top of rich and massive game worlds.

When did the possibility of becoming a video game developer become a solidified career path in your mind?

Once I started to consider making the shift from hobbyist to full-time Designer, the fear was that I might not like doing the work as much as I did when it was just for myself. I spent several years as a contract Designer through the Creation Club, which gave me a sense of what this might be like if it were my day-to-day work. I’m happy to report that I loved it even more. It still took several years, but eventually I took the leap. It’s been a blast so far!

What made you stick with Bethesda Game Studios?

Easy: the people. I have the privilege of working with some of the most creative and relentlessly talented people in the world. It’s something that I periodically stop and remind myself not to take for granted.

What type of projects are you working on now as a professional developer? Is there any overlap on the skills you developed as a modder and the skills that you use in your day to day as a developer?

Since I joined Bethesda as a full-time Systems Designer, I’ve been working on the massive open world games we’re most known for. I get to do the two things that I love the most: build things, and solve really hard problems.

Everything that I learned as a modder translated into my professional career; I feel like I came onboard with a broad perspective on our games and how they’re built. It also taught me how to be resourceful; when there’s no one else but you and you run into a game development roadblock, you have to come up with really creative solutions. It’s different now that I’m on a team, but every so often, I run into a unique problem that makes me reach into my bag of tricks.

What advice do you give someone who wants to be in this industry? How long have you been with Bethesda?

I’ve been with Bethesda as a full-time Systems Designer for 2 years; 7 years if you count my time as a contract Designer. The advice I give is always the same: Build something. It doesn’t matter what it is or how long it takes you. Just start, and start small. The feeling of victory seeing something on the screen that you made will carry you through the frustration. Go easy on yourself and give yourself opportunities for small victories to enjoy. Before you know it, you’ll have the one thing that every interviewer wants to see from a promising applicant: a portfolio.

What’s your favorite game or game(s) that inspire?

As a Systems Designer, I’m often obsessed with games that showcase mechanical elegance. The Last of Us 2 has long stuck out to me as having an inspired crafting system that presents players with difficult and interesting choices; the very same components that make a powerful Molotov cocktail can also be used to make a Health Kit. Decisions, decisions!

Do you have any fun development stories while working on Bethesda Game Studios games?

While designing Saints and Seducers for Skyrim’s Creation Club, I was putting the finishing touches on the boss, Thoron. His whole thing was that he was supposed to be a wizard that’s been driven mad by his connection to the Shivering Isles. I painstakingly picked out the outfit he should wear; I wanted him to look awesome. However, because I missed a step when setting him up, he was wearing only a helmet and a loincloth in-game. This fit his “crazy wizard” vibe perfectly, so… we kept him that way!

What are you working on next that you’re excited for everyone to see?

I’m currently working with an amazing team on The Elder Scrolls 6.

What types of stories grab YOU when you play games?

Human-scale stakes. The world (maybe even the galaxy) needs my help, but at the end of the day, there has to be something that I can connect with on a personal level. I’m a sucker for character drama and seeing how my choices have consequences (intended or not) for the world and the characters I’ve grown attached to.

Having a ride-or-die companion character also does wonders for keeping me invested. When everything’s gone sideways, at least we’ve got each other, right?

Thank you so much to David for taking the time to answer our questions. Check out more from our team here at Bethesda Game Studios. If you want to work alongside David or anyone else at Bethesda Game Studios, visit our careers page and apply today!