PlayStation Summer 2022 Intern Spotlight
PlayStation’s Early Career Talent (formerly University Recruiting) program supplies the business with a pipeline of qualified and engaged talent by delivering an internship experience where the future leaders of SIE grow both personally and professionally.
This year, we successfully launched the first-ever hybrid internship program at SIE, welcoming 90 summer interns to the organization. Together, we are reimagining what an internship can and should look like.
Read on to learn more about the impact our interns are making this summer!
Elizabeth (Liz) Newgard – Generalist OS Review Artist Intern (San Diego Studio, Remote)
San Diego State University – Computer Science, Class of 2022
What has been a highlight of your internship so far?
The highlight of my internship has most definitely been the people I’ve worked with! I absolutely love the work culture here, the diversity of ideas and personality, and the way I am treated even as an intern. I feel like I am learning a lot and people who aren’t even an assigned mentor want to help me and push me forward in my career.
What advice do you have for future interns at PlayStation?
My advice is to ride out that imposter syndrome and not let it color your internship in a weird light. You deserve where you got, you worked hard to be here and you should just take the time to work hard and enjoy it. Ask as many questions as you need, your mentors want to help you and questions mean you care.
How has your experience at PlayStation professionally developed you?
It helped me figure out what I want to do professionally. I left college in a degree I no longer wanted to pursue, and my experience at PlayStation as an Artist Intern gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a field I really connect with. I always wanted to be an artist professionally, and now I know just how many avenues there are for that.
John Prince – Esports Content Intern (San Mateo)
University of California, Santa Barbara – Economics, Class of 2021
What has been a highlight of your internship so far?
When I was younger I used to look forward to watching EVO every summer and remember how exciting it felt to find a community that loves fighting games as much as I do. One of the craziest parts of my internship has been getting to be on the team that helps brings EVO to life and witnessing all the manpower it takes to bring the event together, especially after a couple years away. In-person events have always been a building block of Esports, and seeing the world’s largest fighting game tournament return in full-force under the PlayStation banner has been so awesome to witness. Getting offered free tickets to attend was a pretty great perk as well!
What excites you the most about PlayStation?
Something that sets PlayStation apart from other gaming companies for me is that it seems to have a foot in all aspects of the industry. We don’t just make consoles, we also publish our own titles, and make our own peripherals. We’re a global team that works with Esports, VR, movies, you name it. There are so many people to learn from and there’s always something new and exciting going on.
Why did you choose to intern at PlayStation?
When I applied for my first internship with Playstation in 2020, I was skeptical that I’d even hear back from the team. I spent my childhood playing PlayStation games so actually working for the company felt like more of a dream. Fast forward to now and I’m spending my second summer with the company. Above all the reason I wanted to come back was the sense of community that PlayStation fosters for its interns. I’ve made close friends that I can hang out with outside of work, found mentors who are always willing to help me, met awesome business leaders through our API Enet group, and gained so much experience that I couldn’t get anywhere else.
Ismet Jooma – Exclusive Games Global Summer MBA Intern (San Diego Studio, Remote)
NYU Stern School of Business – Business Administration, Class of 2023
What has been a highlight of your internship so far?
I was fortunate enough to be flown to the San Mateo campus for marketing sync week in mid-July, which was easily the best part of my internship thus far. It was a pleasure to meet the team I’ve been working closely with and get to know them personally. All the fun activities that the amazing early career team put together, like an excursion to a Giants game in San Francisco, made the trip so much more memorable.
What advice do you have for future interns at PlayStation?
If there’s someone at PlayStation that you want to talk to – whether it’s related to your work or if you have a burning desire to learn more about the company or the industry – reach out to them! Also, don’t schedule meetings to start before 10 AM PST if you can.
Why did you choose to intern at PlayStation?
The best career advice I’ve received has been to think critically about the future, where an industry is heading, and how to position yourself as a critical part of that transition. The opportunity to intern at PlayStation, to learn more about building brands that players are excited by, and how the company is embracing and readying itself for the future, is why PlayStation was at the top of my internship wish list, and it’s exceeded all my expectations.
Nancy Li, Product Management – Media Intern (San Diego Rancho Bernardo)
UCLA Anderson School of Business, Class of 2023
What advice do you have for future interns at PlayStation?
Take advantage of all the intern events at PlayStation! The speaker series is a great opportunity to hear about someone’s career path and get insights into how they’ve made decisions that get them to where they are today. Take the internship as an opportunity to set up meeting with people from various departments at the company. You never know if you may want to switch careers and learning from other teams will help you in your own internship!
What excites you the most about PlayStation?
PlayStation is such an exciting company to be at because it’s one with such loyal and enthusiastic customers. It’s exciting to be building products and making decisions that impact such fans. Being a part of Sony also lends an interesting perspective because there’s so much cross-platform potential with a gaming IP being turned into a movie, or Sony Music artist tracks being used in a game. On top of that everyone at the company has been super kind and collaborative. There is no ounce of competitiveness or people trying to up each other!
Why did you choose to intern at PlayStation?
I did my MBA to move into the entertainment tech space and PlayStation was the perfect fit because its dominance in gaming and the exciting things it is doing with game IP in the film and TV space.
Alfredo Sequeida – Software Engineer in Test Intern (Aliso Viejo)
California State University, Long Beach – Computer Science, Class of 2023
How has your experience at PlayStation professionally developed you?
My experience at PlayStation has helped me understand that my profession is more than writing code. The interaction with multiple teams of varying disciplines and varying cultural backgrounds has helped me develop my interpersonal communication skills.
Why did you choose to intern at PlayStation?
Out of all my interviews for this summer, my interviewers for PlayStation were the nicest people ever! I felt very welcomed from the second I met my interviewers to the second I received the congratulatory call. Ultimately, my decision for choosing PlayStation was based on how much I liked the people.
What project(s) are you working on?
I’m working on a title/game testing project to automate testing PlayStation Now titles with the goal to automate as much of the testing process which is currently being done manually. The code-base is written in Python and makes use of Apache’s Airflow to automate workflows as well as Amazon’s S3 to store data for reporting.
Malik Larkin – Graphic Design Intern (San Diego Studio)
Maryland Institute College of Art – Graphic Design, Class of 2022
What has been a highlight of your internship so far?
The highlight of my internship was seeing my work released on PlayStation’s social channels. I worked on the God of War Ragnarok Release Date graphic that conjured millions of impressions. I was very proud to play a small part in the overall experience for fans and peers.
What advice do you have for future interns at PlayStation?
Network, Network, Network, make the most of this internship by meeting people. It’s surprising how small the games industry is. Everyone knows everyone. Talk to other departments, studios, interns, and teams because you can always learn something you haven’t considered. Second, always ask for feedback and set goals. It’s important to know what you want from the internship to make the most of your time here.
How would you describe your team?
I worked on the PlayStation Studios Creative Art team. I would describe my team as a ragtag group of amazing creatives. It’s a unique group that works with all facets of PlayStations products and games. Almost like an agency, we work with all PlayStation-owned game studios and support them in development, creative, motion, marketing, and more. I wouldn’t have imagined being able to contribute to so many amazing games and studios in a short amount of time.
Claire Zhou – UX Designer Intern (San Francisco)
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor – Master of Science in Information, Class of 2022
What has been a highlight of your internship so far?
I would say there are two highlights – the Design Systems Office Hour and the R&D Demo Showcase. In our Design Systems team, we have a weekly office hour to help PlayStation UX designers review their design works and answer questions. As an intern in the Design Systems team, I feel lucky to see other team’s projects and understand the PlayStation ecosystem. These projects are across different product areas such as Core experience, VR, mobile/web, etc.
In June, PlayStation Global Design Center(GDC) hold an R&D Demo Showcase to present designers’ innovations for Extended Reality. Seeing how these designers use the latest technology, I saw how creativity flows in this company.
What advice do you have for future interns at PlayStation?
The first advice is to be open-minded. PlayStation has a long history, and many designers have been working here for a long time. Always share your work and ask for feedback because you might get insights or ideas that you never thought of.
The other advice here is to embrace creativity. Don’t be afraid to propose new ideas beyond requirements, because you never know what will happen next. Try to Inspire other people , then others would also inspire you. This is how creativity and innovation flow.
How has your experience at PlayStation professionally developed you?
I have collaborated with the Design Systems team before but this is my first time working on Design Systems. Compared to working on a specific product or feature, sometimes I can be focused too much on details. While working on Design Systems, I am learning to think about how these design guidelines can be applied systematically. For example, design for all use cases for these design patterns or for multiple products within the organization.
Julie McLaughlin – Music Production Intern (San Mateo Studio)
Temple University – M.S. Music Technology, Class of 2022
What advice do you have for future interns at PlayStation?
My advice is to not be afraid of trying something new. I’ve grown so much diving into audio programming topics coming from a more creative music background. It can feel scary to take on unfamiliar projects but the greatest challenges are often the greatest points of growth.
What excites you the most about PlayStation?
I’m most excited by the quality driven playfully irreverent attitude at Playstation. I want to be in a position that pushes the possibilities of music technology and production in new and exciting ways to deliver the best possible gaming experience. Playstation on a company-wide and team specific level seems to align itself with this goal.
What project(s) are you working on?
In the past few weeks I’ve worked on some exciting projects including music production for Call of Duty: Vanguard Season 4, play testing for Uncharted 4 PC Remastered, and music style guide sourcing on Wolverine. I also had the chance to work on internal audio tools development, which has really helped me grow as an audio programmer.
Derek Afriyie – Junior Cloud Engineer Intern (San Diego Rancho Bernardo)
Baruch College – Computer Information Systems, Class of 2022
What has been a highlight of your internship so far?
Meeting my manager Alex and mentor Ryan and hanging out with the San Diego Studio: MLB The Show team has been the highlight of my internship. I’m still amazed that I have this unique opportunity to intern at PlayStation. I love that Alex and Ryan provide a safe space for me to bring my full self to work everyday.
What excites you the most about PlayStation?
This might be an unpopular response but I love the eNets at PlayStation. Engaging with various eNets and their members at PlayStation is a joyous experience. It’s nice to know that PlayStation doesn’t just hire the best and brightest but amazing people with such big hearts.
How would you describe your team?
I work on an extremely supportive team. Meaning that WE get this done! Heavy on the “WE” because there is no blame game on our team.
Charlotte Le – Software Development Engineer Intern (Los Angeles)
University of California, Berkeley – Computer Science, Class of 2024
How has your experience at PlayStation professionally developed you?
I’ve developed professionally so much at PlayStation—it’s almost embarrassing looking back at my code from the beginning of summer! Every time I started a new task, I constantly needed to learn new technologies. Moreover, I gained exposure to best practices and standards to ensure better performance and scalability, such as a multitiered architecture design. Finally, standup meetings and an agile workplace taught me software development processes.
Why did you choose to intern at PlayStation?
Working at PlayStation is honestly a dream come true for me! After all, the gaming industry is what attracted me to computer science in the first place. Moreover, learning opportunities and impact were high up on my list of priorities. Everyone here prioritizes my personal growth over anything else and I never felt like I was wasting my time with tasks that would be forgotten. I really value being able to contribute to projects that have meaningful results.
What project(s) are you working on?
There are many running services on the Sony Content Pipeline platform that have their own availability, connections, and authentication. The goal of my project is to develop an application that monitors data and status of all these services through RESTful APIs. I love that I’m creating a tool from scratch because I get to dive deep into backend development to truly understand everything.
