Game Companies

[TheThoughtfulOne]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you out there work for or have some sort of a connection to a game company? If you do work for them, what do you do? Or what sort of connections? Just kinda curious about this, since I myself work for Multi Axis Games as their Customer Relations Director... So how bout it, anyone?

[The wingless]

Midway Games 2005-2007

Pandemic Studios 2007-present

[chumble spuzz]

I'm a character animator at Sucker Punch Productions. 8-) That's right, ladies.

I used to work at Surreal Software (on This is Vegas), but that game pretty much goes against everything I stand for. :? Also, mocap is not much fun to work with or very creative. You can crank out the content, but it's not very fulfilling. Best part about working there: resident Tetris Attack masters. Oh, the mighty battles we fought.

[The wingless]

Hey, I worked on Vegas too.

Oh, what a misogynistic world we live in

[chumble spuzz]

Indeed. After a look at your website, it seems you had a hand in just about all of Midway's big titles as of late. I got to work briefly on Blacksite, but only very briefly. Did some cool animation, though.

[Sinewav]

Hey, I worked on Vegas too.

Oh, what a misogynistic world we live in

Never heard of it. Is it basically another GTA knock-off?

I get this image in my head of Leonidas shouting "This... is...VEEEEGAAASSS!!!"

[sephfire]

Still trying to break in as a character animator. I've got a year and a half of Animation Mentor ahead of me, then the job hunt starts in earnest. I'm hopeful.

Maybe someday ... :|

[Kanthos]

I don't work for one now, but I did a 4-month co-op (paid internship) with Electronic Arts in their Burnaby, BC studio. I was a user interface programmer for MVP Baseball 2004.

[Hawkwing]

I don't work for one now, but I did a 4-month co-op (paid internship) with Electronic Arts in their Burnaby, BC studio. I was a user interface programmer for MVP Baseball 2004.


which school do you go to, cause my school does co-ops too, and not many schools i know of do that

[Kanthos]

University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Graduated with a BMath in 2005, MMath in 2006.

[The wingless]

Indeed. After a look at your website, it seems you had a hand in just about all of Midway's big titles as of late. I got to work briefly on Blacksite, but only very briefly. Did some cool animation, though.

I need to update my bio :/

Games I've worked on!

Ballers Phenom
Stranglehold
Unreal Tournament III
Blacksite: Area 51
TNA Wrestling
Ballers: Chosen One
This is Vegas
Saboteur

[chumble spuzz]

Yeah, Vegas isn't really a "secret project" anymore. :P

I guess I'll sum up the games I've worked on as well:

This is Vegas
Area 51: Blacksite (kind of, but not really--it's a bit complicated)
Infamous

[The Damned]

Ties? My cousin is married and has a kid with one of the writers at Bioware. I've been to their office a few times and got some free stuff the first time!

Aside from that... nothing.

[The Coop]

No video game work, no video game ties, and have not met even a semi-famous game maker.


'Tis sad, I know :lol:

[Nohbody]

No video game work, no video game ties, and have not met even a semi-famous game maker.


'Tis sad, I know :lol:
Same here, bub.

I'm taking four years of software engineering at FIT and then Ill be a communications officer or some bull in the Army for four years after that because of my ROTC scholarship... so do any of you guys think Ill have a good shot at becoming a game designer or something like that 8 years from now? Im looking for actual professional opinions.

[Elex Synn]

The only tie in I have will be taking classes in C++ this fall. I want to eventually learn to do computer game programming of some kind. Just need to figure out what I need to learn.

[danimal cannon]

I invented Castlevania.

[!Nekko!]

I inspired Captain Falcon

[The wingless]

Same here, bub.

I'm taking four years of software engineering at FIT and then Ill be a communications officer or some bull in the Army for four years after that because of my ROTC scholarship... so do any of you guys think Ill have a good shot at becoming a game designer or something like that 8 years from now? Im looking for actual professional opinions.

I'm reminded of the scene from Aliens where Ripley tells the CO she feels like a third wheel and asks if there's anything she can do to help. The CO replies, "I don't know, what can you do?"

So... what can you do?

[Dafydd]

I met the developers at Starbreeze, Avalanche and jDome this weekend at the Swedish game awards finals... but I doubt I'll ever work at either company.

EDIT: Curse the automatic youtube miniframes!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-IvzpFE7nc

[GeckoYamori]

AFAIK game designers usually end up where they are from handling other parts of development like programming or level design. It's important to have good insight in those fields so you can properly communicate your ideas with the rest of the team.

[The Pezman]

I signed up for an internship with Insomniac Games, but since I don't know C++ yet (next year...) I couldn't complete their project.

However, I WILL be implementing an educational computer game this summer (!) as part of USC's REU, so I'll see how that goes.

[Nohbody]

I'm reminded of the scene from Aliens where Ripley tells the CO she feels like a third wheel and asks if there's anything she can do to help. The CO replies, "I don't know, what can you do?"

So... what can you do?
In terms of schooling, approximately jack shiot. But that will change when I go to school. Right now I know a lot about music, HTML code, and just enough visual basic to screw up your computer.

I should probably learn myself some animation and C++ stuff, correct?

[Kanthos]

Same here, bub.

I'm taking four years of software engineering at FIT and then Ill be a communications officer or some bull in the Army for four years after that because of my ROTC scholarship... so do any of you guys think Ill have a good shot at becoming a game designer or something like that 8 years from now? Im looking for actual professional opinions.

Game designer? Good luck. To find a job as a designer (i.e. the people who come up with the concepts for the game, describe what the gameplay should be like, and so on), you'll either need a very solid connection to the industry and have proven skills to that person (to go the "I have this friend who would be perfect for this job" route), or you'll have to get in at the bottom as a tester or junior programmer, and work your way up.

As a programmer, which is what your degree will lead you towards, you'll have a better shot, although most people straight out of school have to pay their dues at a smaller game company or at a place like Electronic Arts that works you really hard before you can move on to a title that's actually fun. Places like Blizzard and Bethesda aren't hiring developers who are straight out of college; at very least, you'd have had to do several co-op terms or an internship with a game development company during college. The extra time spent with the army might work in your favour, but that would depend on the individual game company.

In terms of skills, it's unlikely any game company will want someone who's both an animator and a programmer. A programmer who has a basic knowledge of animation is valuable, as is an animator who has a basic knowledge of programming, but trying to balance your skills in both fields will cause you to be not strong enough in either. There's so much artwork and animation work that has to go into modern games that there's a need for full-time artists to produce it, and so much development that you need full-time programmers to get it done. By all means, try out animation and learn the basics, but don't throw too much time into it. Time spent trying to code your own game on the side or over the summer will be much more beneficial to you, given your degree.

[sephfire]

I frequently hear that getting involved with mod projects is also a great way to get some valuable experience and improve your employability. Even Portal started out as a small mod project. And those guys all work at Valve now.

[Nohbody]

I frequently hear that getting involved with mod projects is also a great way to get some valuable experience and improve your employability. Even Portal started out as a small mod project. And those guys all work at Valve now.
What skills does one need to become involved with these projects? Im pretty sure that I dont have them yet.

[zircon]

Seph, that's not true, as far as I know. Portal started out as a senior project at Digipen ("Narbacular Drop") and when it was presented at the end of the year, someone from Valve was there to see it. That's not quite the same thing as a bunch of people getting together on the net and working on a mod.

[sephfire]

Seph, that's not true, as far as I know. Portal started out as a senior project at Digipen ("Narbacular Drop") and when it was presented at the end of the year, someone from Valve was there to see it. That's not quite the same thing as a bunch of people getting together on the net and working on a mod.

Well darn, I think you're right. Perhaps Counter-Strike would have been the better example.

Regardless, I've heard numerous game people say that mod involvement is a good idea. It's worth considering, if you have the time and skills to contribute.

[The Author]

Meh, I doubt I could get in the industry with my training as a writer, other than maybe writing instruction manuals...

[Beatdrop]

Uh, I guess I have ties to and contacts in Konami. "Until Forever" licensed for use in DDR Supernova 2 (PS2) and DDR Universe 2 (360). "Burn Out" licensed for use in as-yet-to-be-announced DDR title(s).

[The wingless]

In terms of skills, it's unlikely any game company will want someone who's both an animator and a programmer.

Yes... I guess all those UI artists I hear about in the game industry are just old-wives tales meant to frighten children away from Flash.


To Radical Dreamer: You'd be surprised. There's always a need for excellent writers in the industry, since it's come to a point now where, in order to stay competitive, you need a narrative beyond "Space marines get pissed". The goal, however, is to write gamey, and not like any other medium. Writing for games is as genre-specific as writing for stage or radio.

To Seph: Mod making is a very good way to break in, but there's a huge catch: your mod has be conceptually brilliant to the point where Industry paragons turn their heads (Portal's precursor, Team Fortress, Line Rider, Tower Defense), or it has to have quality that is on-par with the Industry (Red Orchestra).

Here's the skinny, boys and girls.

The Industry, much like the movies, has a dizzying array of disciplines at work at any given time. Some of these jobs rather self-explanatory about how to break into the industry. Want to program? Learn programming. Want to animate? Start rigging. Want to do concept art? Learn how to paint. Etc. etc.

But it seems most people are only concerned with one thing: being the guy at the tippy-top who makes the command decisions. And here's where things break down, because there is *no* Industry standard way to wear the mantle of Game Designer... hell, if you brought 10 designers in and asked them how they got to where they are, you'd get 10 radically different stories.

Which, believe it or not, is your godsend.

Your first major obstacle is to get your foot in the door. After that, it's purely a matter of making sure the people at the top A.) know you're interested B.) know you're talented C.) know you won't make a shit game and D.) know you. D is probably the most important. This Industry is roughly akin to the Mafia or Hollywood. Favors for favors. You screw up, you'll never work in this town again, and you will wear cement shoes, cat-fish?

But, first things first, get inside the building with a title other than Game Designer, and you'll have a much better shot of ascending the throne like King Conan of old

...Ah... but that is another story!

[Kanthos]

@Glitch: I'm answering your PM here since other interested people may be reading this thread.

In terms of languages, learn C++. Learn it in-depth. Try to figure out not just how to make the program work but *why* it works. Find a project for yourself, probably remaking some classic game like Pac-man or Tetris, and figure out how you'd organize the code and the logical parts of the software. How does it all fit together? Teach yourself to plan up-front: a programmer who starts writing code without the end goal in mind is a liability, not an asset.

For software, Microsoft has a free edition of Visual C++ you can download, and there are a few others out there as well. For Mac, I don't know what's available, but it's generally not hard to find tools and tutorials online.


Yes... I guess all those UI artists I hear about in the game industry are just old-wives tales meant to frighten children away from Flash.

Depends on your toolchain and process, I guess. At EA, we had two or three artists who did strictly 2D UI design for my project. They had a tool that let them lay out the assets visually and export to a format the game could understand, but it was the UI programmers, none of whom did any art for the game, who wrote the code that could use the assets and layouts produced by that tool and wrote the code to give it functionality.

When I made my comment, I was thinking mainly of 3D animation. Certainly, there are some positions at some companies that use 2D graphics skills in conjunction with programming, but it's probably fair to say that in most larger companies, many people who program or create art assets do not do both, and it's probably fair to say that unless you're put in the time to master both (a huge time commitment unless you're a programming genius with great art skills), you'll be less valuable than someone who has mastered one or the other.

[Theory of N]

Well, seeing as I just graduated high school, I'm obviously not part of the industry, but I'm hoping after I graduate college I can make music for games. I don't really think I need to worry about it that much right now, seeing as I have 4-5 years of college to go through first, but to those of you who do that, what would be the best way to go about getting that sort of job?

[zircon]

Talk about opening a can of worms with that question. Seriously? My advice is don't even try. It's so unbelievably competitive and high-stress and the music end of the industry is getting increasingly smothered right now. If you want to compose music professionally that's one thing but I would say don't get your hopes up on VGM and focus on just refining your compositional and production skills as much as possible first.

[Nohbody]

Wingless, I wont quote you because holy crap but thank you for the advice. The truth is I really didnt know anything about the gaming industry other than I want to be In it. Id heard it was competitive, sort of, but now I know the truth.

So, my plan is to teach myself Japanese until I become fluent, get a job at Nintendo of Japan as a janitor, and hope to God that someone realizes my brilliance. Got it.

EDIT: Zircon, I like your music, but your seriously killing my buzz right now.

[Kanthos]

I'm sure zircon wasn't trying to kill anyone's buzz. It's just reality that the music industry, however you want to get into it, is very tough to make a living on unless you do teacher's college and teach music, give private lessons, or have some other day job and gig at night. Particularly with lower-budget games finding it cheaper to use licensed tracks than hire a composer, there's not a huge market for game composers.

[Knives]

So, my plan is to teach myself Japanese until I become fluent, get a job at Nintendo of Japan as a janitor, and hope to God that someone realizes my brilliance. Got it.

Haha, that's also my plan... okay, maybe not exactly. I'd like to become a video game localization specialist, and translate japanese video games to make them more acceptance to western audiences. Ideally I'd like to work for Capcom, but Nintendo and Atlus are good runner ups.

Anyone here ever worked with or know any video game localizers?

[The Pezman]

Here's a follow-up question.

Do those of you in the industry have dreams of being a bigwig designer one day? Why or why not? I, personally, do not know whether the idea of giving up ownership to your creative IP is enough of a reason for me to stay out of the entertainment industry as a whole. Edward Albee told me it was enough for him. But then again, Albee is an arrogant prick. So I don't know. For now, I'm going to see where this game design project this summer takes me.
I'd like to become a video game localization specialist, and translate japanese video games to make them more acceptance to western audiences. Ideally I'd like to work for Capcom, but Nintendo and Atlus are good runner ups.
If Working Designs ever has a successor, spiritual or otherwise, work for them. That company had the most fantastic reputation when it came to localization and I love all their RPGs for it.

[zircon]

I'm sure zircon wasn't trying to kill anyone's buzz. It's just reality that the music industry, however you want to get into it, is very tough to make a living on unless you do teacher's college and teach music, give private lessons, or have some other day job and gig at night. Particularly with lower-budget games finding it cheaper to use licensed tracks than hire a composer, there's not a huge market for game composers.

Yeah, I wasn't really trying to hurt anyone's hopes here. But that's the reality of the industry and you need to know if you want to go into it. Programmer? Animator? Modeler? No problem. I cannot tell you how many jobs I have seen for these positions. Basically every other area of the game industry is far, far easier to break into. Music ALWAYS gets the shaft. It's ALWAYS the last priority, and musicians get paid the least (or close to it.) Look at the Gamedev "Help Wanted" forums. Countless posts looking for programmers and artists. Countless posts with musicians offering services. The supply outstrips demand by several orders of magnitude.

[Knives]

If Working Designs ever has a successor, spiritual or otherwise, work for them. That company had the most fantastic reputation when it came to localization and I love all their RPGs for it.
Maybe I will, to quote wikipedia: "On December 12, 2005, Victor Ireland, President of Working Designs, announced via the company's message board that it was closing its doors. He will start a new company called Gaijinworks."

w00t?

[Wintermute]

Speaking as an artist attempting to get into the games industry right now, it is definitely a difficult process. If you're trying to get your art recognized, the best thing to have is 1) a good showcase of your work, and 2) apply to everything entry-level that you can possibly think of. Also, being on people's goodside is very useful.

I will probably be applying at EA pretty soon.

...Wingless, have I ever told you how much I LOVE YOU?

[Nohbody]

@Glitch: I'm answering your PM here since other interested people may be reading this thread.

In terms of languages, learn C++. Learn it in-depth. Try to figure out not just how to make the program work but *why* it works. Find a project for yourself, probably remaking some classic game like Pac-man or Tetris, and figure out how you'd organize the code and the logical parts of the software. How does it all fit together? Teach yourself to plan up-front: a programmer who starts writing code without the end goal in mind is a liability, not an asset.

For software, Microsoft has a free edition of Visual C++ you can download, and there are a few others out there as well. For Mac, I don't know what's available, but it's generally not hard to find tools and tutorials online.


Way ahead of you. I bought this book, very relevant. Learning C++ through Game Programming, second edition by Micheal Dawson.

O btw Dawson says not to use Microsoft C++ 6.0 at the beginning of the book.

[The Pezman]

Maybe I will, to quote wikipedia: "On December 12, 2005, Victor Ireland, President of Working Designs, announced via the company's message board that it was closing its doors. He will start a new company called Gaijinworks."

w00t?
Yeah (http://www.gaijinworks.com/), but (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172306)...

[Kanthos]

Way ahead of you. I bought this book, very relevant. Learning C++ through Game Programming, second edition by Micheal Dawson.

O btw Dawson says not to use Microsoft C++ 6.0 at the beginning of the book.

Good enough then. Just make sure you actually do the exercises, if there are any, or write similar stuff to what they're coming up with in the book if there are no exercises. It's extremely difficult to learn a language without hands-on experience, without the nights of banging your head against a problem to leave it and come back to it.

Good luck! There are a few of us here who are experienced programmers, so make a thread if you run into language problems and need some help or another opinion.

[Nohbody]

Good enough then. Just make sure you actually do the exercises, if there are any, or write similar stuff to what they're coming up with in the book if there are no exercises. It's extremely difficult to learn a language without hands-on experience, without the nights of banging your head against a problem to leave it and come back to it.

Good luck! There are a few of us here who are experienced programmers, so make a thread if you run into language problems and need some help or another opinion.
Ya id figured out to do my own excersises. I made a program that calculates the derivative of a function at a given point all by myself, and wow it works!!! I feel smrat!

[TheThoughtfulOne]

Hey, more than I expected to get out of this thread ^_^;;

Been busy with data entry *shudders*

Hearin all you guys talk about your education is making me sad, and want to go back to school...

I don't know ANY level of programing or animation... Guess that's why I'm in customer relations, right?

How well do you think a Psychology and Therapy Degree would do my in the gameing industry?

[Guy In Rubber Suit]

I'm a QA tester for THQ out in Phoenix. I was originally on assignment through Acro, an outsourcing type of firm, and recently got hired for a permanent QA position. About damn time as I've been there for a year and four months. However it's thus far been my favorite job. There is also a QA Test Lead position open and I'm applying for that. A cool thing is that we are in the same building as Rainbow Studios, they're in the floor below us so we generally get their titles and interact with the developers far more than usual.

I went to school for 'Multimedia' which basically boils down to that I didn't know what I wanted to do at the time. I thought I wanted game design but then realized that it's not what I really wanted, it's harder to get into it and it's extremely specific which would decrease my chances for any other sort of work should that fall through. I started focusing more on animation, which in retrospect I wish I focused on that earlier and went to a more art centric school. I do have strong art skills that I'm trying to improve more and more. I know modelling, basic textures and basic rigs as well as animating in Max and Maya. I also do some character animations for a MMO, Infernal Worlds from Forever Interactive.

One thing that I would suggest to artists wanting to break in, having strong traditional skills would help tremendously. I've noticed on a lot of job postings that companies generally want a traditional art background. Granted if you have a demo reel that knocks their socks off and can do the work in a timely fashion then it won't be much of a concern. The good thing about the game industry is that it's growing which means more job opportunities, you just need the skills for them.

One day I hope to do is own my own company, preferably remain independent but whatever. Right now it's in the back of my mind and I'd like to gain more industry experience before I make that plunge. I know it would more than likely end in failure, it'd still be a fun endeavor to do.

[Nohbody]

I'm a QA tester for THQ out in Phoenix. I was originally on assignment through Acro, an outsourcing type of firm, and recently got hired for a permanent QA position. About damn time as I've been there for a year and four months. However it's thus far been my favorite job. There is also a QA Test Lead position open and I'm applying for that. A cool thing is that we are in the same building as Rainbow Studios, they're in the floor below us so we generally get their titles and interact with the developers far more than usual.

I went to school for 'Multimedia' which basically boils down to that I didn't know what I wanted to do at the time. I thought I wanted game design but then realized that it's not what I really wanted, it's harder to get into it and it's extremely specific which would decrease my chances for any other sort of work should that fall through. I started focusing more on animation, which in retrospect I wish I focused on that earlier and went to a more art centric school. I do have strong art skills that I'm trying to improve more and more. I know modelling, basic textures and basic rigs as well as animating in Max and Maya. I also do some character animations for a MMO, Infernal Worlds from Forever Interactive.

One thing that I would suggest to artists wanting to break in, having strong traditional skills would help tremendously. I've noticed on a lot of job postings that companies generally want a traditional art background. Granted if you have a demo reel that knocks their socks off and can do the work in a timely fashion then it won't be much of a concern. The good thing about the game industry is that it's growing which means more job opportunities, you just need the skills for them.

One day I hope to do is own my own company, preferably remain independent but whatever. Right now it's in the back of my mind and I'd like to gain more industry experience before I make that plunge. I know it would more than likely end in failure, it'd still be a fun endeavor to do.
What is QA testing? Sorry, too lazy to google.

[GeckoYamori]

Quality Assurance, ie beta testing.

[TheSnowStorm]

I need some connections, badly. I'm going to the University of Advancing next fall and I'm majoring in thier Game Design program (Interactive Media). However, from what I heard from somebody who work as an programmer, being a "game designer" is a bit bad if you don't have much skills.

I'm doing Music Composing at a local community college, so if any skills are needed in Game Design, I am perpare.

[Guy In Rubber Suit]

I need some connections, badly. I'm going to the University of Advancing next fall and I'm majoring in thier Game Design program (Interactive Media). However, from what I heard from somebody who work as an programmer, being a "game designer" is a bit bad if you don't have much skills.

I'm doing Music Composing at a local community college, so if any skills are needed in Game Design, I am perpare.


University of Advancing Technology? I went there.

Yeah for game design you want to pad it out with something like level design, some knowledge of programming and/or scripting or maybe some art of some sort.

Depending on the size of the company you might wear many hats. At a smaller company it'd be expected that people know several disciplines whilst at a larger company it'd be best to specialize in something. And while it's good to do some scripting with an exciting game engine, a lot of companies will have their own proprietary software to work on. But in general it's good to know the fundamentals of programming and scripting.

[TheSnowStorm]

University of Advancing Technology? I went there.

Yeah for game design you want to pad it out with something like level design, some knowledge of programming and/or scripting or maybe some art of some sort.

Depending on the size of the company you might wear many hats. At a smaller company it'd be expected that people know several disciplines whilst at a larger company it'd be best to specialize in something. And while it's good to do some scripting with an exciting game engine, a lot of companies will have their own proprietary software to work on. But in general it's good to know the fundamentals of programming and scripting.

I was thinking on level design/world building, and maybe writing for games. I may study art, programming, and music to get a general idea in each subject.


How UAT? Is it a nice school for game design?

[Guy In Rubber Suit]

Some of the teachers are cool. But most of them unfortunately teach via giving you an online tutorial, one that could be found at home without going to school, and using that as the teaching assignment. Most of them know their stuff, just don't know how to really teach. However you do have a ton of software at your finger tips such as Unreal, Neverwinter Nights, Torque, Source Engine and more. They might've added more software since I've been there. I haven't been there since December 2006 so quite a bit might of changed.

That said, the best thing for you to do is find some dedicated students, that could be tough and do a mod project. A simple one. The best thing to have on your resume is a finished mod regardless of how small. I have the unfortunate fortune of being on a few unfinished projects but I did get on board a couple of finished ones as well. Granted it won't be your fault all the time if they fail, companies just love to see that you see things through to the end.

[TheSnowStorm]

Some of the teachers are cool. But most of them unfortunately teach via giving you an online tutorial, one that could be found at home without going to school, and using that as the teaching assignment. Most of them know their stuff, just don't know how to really teach. However you do have a ton of software at your finger tips such as Unreal, Neverwinter Nights, Torque, Source Engine and more. They might've added more software since I've been there. I haven't been there since December 2006 so quite a bit might of changed.

That said, the best thing for you to do is find some dedicated students, that could be tough and do a mod project. A simple one. The best thing to have on your resume is a finished mod regardless of how small. I have the unfortunate fortune of being on a few unfinished projects but I did get on board a couple of finished ones as well. Granted it won't be your fault all the time if they fail, companies just love to see that you see things through to the end.

Thanks for the insight once again!

I'm speaking with a few students via the Intranet about UAT and one of them stated some of the issues with some teachers.

I have a question to ask about music composers and the video game industry: How many hours do they work? What's the entry level sallary?

[richter]

Who I know: My brother was recently promoted to a senior graphic artist position at EA. His current project is Dead Space (http://deadspace.ea.com/). A good friend of mine is the Nintendo editor at Games Radar (http://www.gamesradar.com/f/about-gamesradar-us/a-20080319234425185086#belston). I also work with a product manager at Yahoo! Games (http://videogames.yahoo.com/).

My brother spent a lot of time designing Quake levels and the like from the ground up before he was a professional graphic artist. He ended up using stuff like that as his portfolio, which got him hired at Outrage.

My advice is don't even try. It's so unbelievably competitive and high-stress and the music end of the industry is getting increasingly smothered right now. If you want to compose music professionally that's one thing but I would say don't get your hopes up on VGM and focus on just refining your compositional and production skills as much as possible first.
Shame on you, zircon! You and I both know many people who make game music professionally. It's not the primary source of income for all of those musicians, but it's still doable. Sure the competition is nuts, but "don't even try" is lousy advice. Everything else you said is good stuff though. (Seriously people, really know your shit before you try doing it professionally.)

For programmers: learn C++ like the back of your hand. Keep in mind that game programming is the most complex, difficult programming out there. Physics, AI, 3d libraries... you've got your work cut out for you. But if you're good at it, you shouldn't have any problems finding employment (so long as you're willing to relocate :D).

[Nohbody]

Who I know: My brother was recently promoted to a senior graphic artist position at EA. His current project is Dead Space (http://deadspace.ea.com/). A good friend of mine is the Nintendo editor at Games Radar (http://www.gamesradar.com/f/about-gamesradar-us/a-20080319234425185086#belston). I also work with a product manager at Yahoo! Games (http://videogames.yahoo.com/).

My brother spent a lot of time designing Quake levels and the like from the ground up before he was a professional graphic artist. He ended up using stuff like that as his portfolio, which got him hired at Outrage.


Shame on you, zircon! You and I both know many people who make game music professionally. It's not the primary source of income for all of those musicians, but it's still doable. Sure the competition is nuts, but "don't even try" is lousy advice. Everything else you said is good stuff though. (Seriously people, really know your shit before you try doing it professionally.)

For programmers: learn C++ like the back of your hand. Keep in mind that game programming is the most complex, difficult programming out there. Physics, AI, 3d libraries... you've got your work cut out for you. But if you're good at it, you shouldn't have any problems finding employment (so long as you're willing to relocate :D).
Can I trade families with you? My dads a neurosurgeon, it will be fair.

[The Pezman]

Anyone do much programming with the C# XNA framework? I've been working with that this summer...

[Guy In Rubber Suit]

One thing I've been reading from various professional game designers via Game Developer magazine, Edge, etc is if you're going into programming get a computer science degree. It'll teach you more and it's basically the same thing as game programming. So far not many game design specific schools have the programming aspect cut out with the exception of maybe DigiPen. Regardless it'd probably be best to get into an actual computer science class.

Oh yeah and any ads from Collins College, Westwood, UAT, etc are generally bullshit and crappily done. I've heard a lot of things about Collins screwing people out of money and such from the guys I work with. So just do your research carefully when picking a school.

[Nohbody]

One thing I've been reading from various professional game designers via Game Developer magazine, Edge, etc is if you're going into programming get a computer science degree. It'll teach you more and it's basically the same thing as game programming. So far not many game design specific schools have the programming aspect cut out with the exception of maybe DigiPen. Regardless it'd probably be best to get into an actual computer science class.

Oh yeah and any ads from Collins College, Westwood, UAT, etc are generally bullshit and crappily done. I've heard a lot of things about Collins screwing people out of money and such from the guys I work with. So just do your research carefully when picking a school.

Sweet, Software Engineering and Computer Science are basically the same thing. Actually with adding another semester I could get both majors. Obviously fate guided my hand as I arbitrarily selected a major.