tbone4690
07-29-2007, 03:52 AM
How To Get A Job In The Games Industry
I sat in on a panel at Comic Con titled "FTW!: Breaking Into The Video Game Industry" featuring Foundation 9's Chris Charla, Christian Svensson of Capcom, Jon Middleton of Mad Catz, Mark Vitello at Sony and journalist Gary Whitta. They had great insight and amusing anecdotes about getting into the gaming industry. It spanned the course of an hour, but I'll give you the whole thing in a one-minute read.
The bullet points:
Start writing. If you're not technical, try getting a job in the gaming media. Gary Whitta says it requires no real talent.
Make a friend in the industry. Talent matters, but who you know can get you in the door.
Go to GDC. If you can't get in, ask someone else for their badge or harass developers on their smoke breaks.
Drunk hunt. Buy developers drinks at GDC! A little shmoozing can go a long way.
Be a pest. Bug them until they hire you or at least look at your reel.
Start small. If you're not getting a response from the HR department at THQ, find a developer without an HR department.
Staple your resume to a donut. It really works!
Be creative. One Foundation 9 employee made a mock "Mike Salmon Fishing" box with his resume on the back. Cheesy, but he got the job.
Don't stalk. Seriously, be a pest, but don't stalk.
Improvise. If you've got a bad portfolio, leave your journal. One aspiring artist lost his portfolio, showing up with only photocopies. He "accidentally" left his personal journal, filled with sketches, which made a great impression.
Furthermore, if your talents lie outside of the programming or artistic fields, you can still work for a developer or publisher in other capacities. If you're a law students, database programmer or marketing type, there are plenty of opportunities in the industry.
http://kotaku.com/gaming/comic-con-07/how-to-get-a-job-in-the-games-industry-283073.php
I'm sure there are a few guys on here interested in knowing what to do. I think this could actually work in a lot of fields.
I sat in on a panel at Comic Con titled "FTW!: Breaking Into The Video Game Industry" featuring Foundation 9's Chris Charla, Christian Svensson of Capcom, Jon Middleton of Mad Catz, Mark Vitello at Sony and journalist Gary Whitta. They had great insight and amusing anecdotes about getting into the gaming industry. It spanned the course of an hour, but I'll give you the whole thing in a one-minute read.
The bullet points:
Start writing. If you're not technical, try getting a job in the gaming media. Gary Whitta says it requires no real talent.
Make a friend in the industry. Talent matters, but who you know can get you in the door.
Go to GDC. If you can't get in, ask someone else for their badge or harass developers on their smoke breaks.
Drunk hunt. Buy developers drinks at GDC! A little shmoozing can go a long way.
Be a pest. Bug them until they hire you or at least look at your reel.
Start small. If you're not getting a response from the HR department at THQ, find a developer without an HR department.
Staple your resume to a donut. It really works!
Be creative. One Foundation 9 employee made a mock "Mike Salmon Fishing" box with his resume on the back. Cheesy, but he got the job.
Don't stalk. Seriously, be a pest, but don't stalk.
Improvise. If you've got a bad portfolio, leave your journal. One aspiring artist lost his portfolio, showing up with only photocopies. He "accidentally" left his personal journal, filled with sketches, which made a great impression.
Furthermore, if your talents lie outside of the programming or artistic fields, you can still work for a developer or publisher in other capacities. If you're a law students, database programmer or marketing type, there are plenty of opportunities in the industry.
http://kotaku.com/gaming/comic-con-07/how-to-get-a-job-in-the-games-industry-283073.php
I'm sure there are a few guys on here interested in knowing what to do. I think this could actually work in a lot of fields.