It does seem that the ages-old mantra of getting in at the ground level may not apply nearly as much as it used to, at least to hear recent accounts of bug hunters. But there are several points that seem to reoccur:
Friday, July 07, 2006
Fighting for a Job
It's interesting to see how people "in the biz" have offered advice on how to get into the gaming industry. Ever since Kenn Hoekstra first wrote his article (which used to be hosted at Ravensoft's Web servers) on "Getting A Job In The Game Development Industry", several developers, project managers and have jumped in to offer their advice, including Tom Sloper's "Game Biz Advice". Just recently Chris Avellone offered insight on what employers actually look for nowadays and Steve Bowler retold his anecdotes to talk about how to stay in the industry.
It does seem that the ages-old mantra of getting in at the ground level may not apply nearly as much as it used to, at least to hear recent accounts of bug hunters. But there are several points that seem to reoccur:
Be professional. You aren't applying to be a lifeguard at the community pool. Treat this like a real job, because it is. Evidentally 90% of the people fail at this task.
An impressive portfolio and experience is better than a degree.
Don't have an AOL e-mail address.
Know people in the industry. Shine their shoes.
Don't beg. Make people think, at least until you land a job, that you have some dignity.
It does seem that the ages-old mantra of getting in at the ground level may not apply nearly as much as it used to, at least to hear recent accounts of bug hunters. But there are several points that seem to reoccur:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Actually I just read or listened to something recently that stated you would have a pretty good chance of getting a job with a game company applying for their "regular" business type jobs. I.E. in the HR department of EA or Accounting department. I mean, if you aren't qualified for the glamorous jobs, but have the ability to do the regular jobs, atleast you can say you work at a game company regardless. I'm sure a lot of those type of positions get overlooked.
ReplyDelete