Igniting Passion in Future Coders: A Dragon Devs Open Source Initiative

Image by plan of Ryu Ga Gatoku/SEGA.

Earlier this January, Ryu Ga Gatoku (RGG) debuted Enjoy a Dragon: Heaps of Wealth, the eighth primary installment in the crime drama franchise. Weeks prior to its release, technical director Yukata Ito shared a glimpse of the game’s source code. This is an unusual move for triple-A developers, and in a late November interview with Automaton Media, Ito mentioned it was his way of providing motivation to aspiring programmers.

“I started an X account because I noticed there weren’t many game developers sharing technical knowledge for those aspiring to become programmers,” Ito told Automaton. He acknowledged the challenges that emerging developers face when trying to learn from their established counterparts, and expressed hope that his thread would help future creators understand that programming can be “surprisingly straightforward.”

Programming supervisor Tomoaki Nakamura similarly noted the prevalent secrecy within game development, and the misconception that “some sort of special programming” was used for the Enjoy a Dragon games. He wishes to demonstrate that RGG utilizes “ordinary” C++, showing that the language “is sufficient for anyone to create a game.”

According to Ito, graduates coming into Sega often lack knowledge of C++. However, he believes they should, as many “high-end titles” are crafted using this technical language. “If you aspire to be involved in console game development,” he advised, “it’s essential to gain experience making games in C++ during your studies.”

By his own account, that thread “pushed the boundaries” of what RGG is allowed to share publicly. Nonetheless, he emphasized that the sharing was coordinated with the entire team prior to revealing the source code, including the programmer who authored it. The aspects he chose to share were “relatively clear,” which he hoped would lead to positive reactions and be purposefully beginner-friendly.

Enjoy a Dragon, like a programmer

Enjoy a Dragon games are released almost annually, and occasionally two games in a single year. To help onboard newcomers and “resolve challenges as soon as they arise,” RGG veterans (in programming and other roles) are often paired with newer team members to encourage easier communication.

“I consistently advise our new programmers to respect people in other departments,” Ito shared with Automaton. “I encourage them to… be considerate of others. This kind of respectful approach makes the designers and planners more willing to communicate with the programmers, which I believe is very advantageous for interpersonal dynamics in the studio.”

“We require our programmers at RGG not just to follow directions,” he continued, “but to develop and express their own thoughts on the game’s design and contribute to its improvement, so we also train them in this regard.”

To aspiring programmers, Ito stated the field is open to anyone “as long as they have grasped the fundamentals of programming. [It’s] not just for those who have studied it formally. […] If you are in a different industry with the ambition of becoming a game programmer, we encourage you to apply for the mid-career job openings at RGG Studio.”

You can read Automaton’s complete interview with Ito and Nakamura about programming for the Enjoy a Dragon series here.

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