If you’re anything like most people, the position ‘Server Engineer’ probably means one of two things to you: it’s either a critical role that keeps the entire machine running, or it’s a mysterious technical position you don’t really understand. At KIXEYE, it’s the former. For those of you in the latter camp, a Server Engineer is, essentially, the one who keeps everything a user doesn’t see running. All data needs to be stored, and Server Engineers make sure where it’s stored is fast, cost-efficient, and reliable. With the huge number of people going to KIXEYE.com, playing its games, and filling up servers with more data, going down is not an option. One of the people who protects a stable experience for our players is none other than Senior Server Engineer Peter Potts.
"I’ve interviewed places where people look depressed. Why would I take that job?” Peter reflects. “This is a good environment. There’s pressure as well, but everyone’s working together as a team. Everyone is understanding and realistic.” He enjoys that server engineering is the antithesis to airplane software. You don’t get to experiment with airplane software for obvious reasons, but server engineers are encouraged to be creative. They can work on small parts of the system and try new things without bringing the whole infrastructure down. What may initially sound like not-the-most-exciting role is anything but at KIXEYE - and Peter is living proof.
Each morning, Peter runs from the CalTrain station in SoMa to KIXEYE in the Financial District.
After a run like that, it’s only natural that Peter would need to refuel with some espresso.
Many people don’t think about how their data is recorded, but Peter thinks about it all day, every day. His systems need to immediately show that a player’s unit was killed, upgraded, or built. Players are constantly creating new data that needs to be stored and then readily accessed by several teams at KIXEYE. Should one of those teams need to talk to Peter, they may find him teaching his fellow co-workers about his favorite programming language, Scala.
Day in and day out, Peter and his entourage of Server Engineers build solutions for one game that can be used in others. Each solution needs to solve a specific problem, but be generally applicable enough to help the entire company. From experimental A / B tests to new ways to store a player’s information, Server Engineers are the frequently unseen heroes who create the backbone of KIXEYE’s titles.
KIXEYE is hiring Serving Engineers now. If you want your day to be more like Peter’s, apply here now!