“so you want to make video games…” sponsored by the career development center press start to...
TRANSCRIPT
“So You Want To
Make Video
Games…” Sponsored by the Career Development Center
Press Start to Continue
Special Thanks /404040Jerri Dwyer
Angela Williams
J. Freer
Chris Allen
Also:
Beckye Clark, Gassan Soukaev,and all those in the industry who answered my questions
Welcome
Quentin Rezin
B. A. in Computer ScienceGame Developer’s Conference ’04, ’06Gamer since Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Favorite games: Legacy of Kain, Jak II, Oni, Septerra Core
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What You Will Learn
How to get a job in the game industry
What a typical day in the industry is like
Where to go for a graduate degree
What you can do right now
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Major Locations
Los Angeles, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, WA
Austin, TX
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Studio Structure
10~100 employees
Everyone works in teams
Generally a casual work environment
Sometimes a strict hierarchy, sometimes not
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Programming
Design
Production
Management
Art
TestingSoundManagement
Production
Design
Programming
Art
Testing
Small Studio
Large Studio
Publisher vs. Developer
Developer: a company that makes software under contract for a publisher. 1st / 3rd party
Producer: creates the physical products, handles marketing and customer service
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Initial idea
Choose developer
Create design document
Budget & schedule
Create prototypes
Greenlight and production
Game Designer
Level designer, feature designer, AI
scripter, interface designer, writer
Writes design documents
Skills and courses: written and oral communication, creative writing, art, history, sciences, literature, music
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Programmer
Engine programmer, tool programmer,
AI programmer, technical artist
Writes code
Skills and courses: C, C++, Assembly, Java, trigonometry, calculus, physics
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Game Artist
Concept artist, character modeler or animator, texture or background artist
Creates art assets
Skills and courses: digital painting, sketching, graphic design, 3D modeling or animation
Maya, 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, Flash
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Sound Designer
Sound designer, sound engineer, composer
Creates sound and music assets
Generally work on multiple projects
Skills and courses: self – educated
learn about MIDI, sampling / compression, Sound Forge, sequencers (i.e. Cakewalk),
physics, math, formal logic, scripting
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Producer
HR director, production coordinator, associate producer, marketer
Creates schedules and milestones
Works closely with marketers
Skills and courses: written and oral communication, computer basics, mathematics, foreign languages
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Quality Assurance
QA Tester
Creates test plan, manages bug database
Looks for crashes, typos, and other bugs
Skills and courses: mad gaming skillz, written communication, computer basics, follow directions, remain focused
Compatibility testing, customer service
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Common Career Paths
QA Tester – Designer
Associate Producer – Designer
Technical artist – Graphic or concept artist
Tools programmer – Engine or AI programmer
Focus on one or two complementary skills
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Salaries
Game designers are generally paid less than programmers. The average salary of a male designer is $53k
Females comprise 9% of the design force. The average salary for female designers is $48k
No overtime – only testers get overtime
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Salaries (entry vs. lead) /402626
44
79
54
115
42
64
45
66
79
53
118
33
61
Designer Programmer Artist Animator Producer Tester*
Thousands of dollars per year
Game Developer’s 4th Annual Salary Survey, 2005 Based on 2,091 responses
A Typical Day
Each employee is assigned to a particular project and will have numerous tasks in support of that. A 9- or 10-hour day is not uncommon
Meetings are held as necessary, with one full-company meeting per month. A typical day is 8 hours and is flexible, as long as the employee is present during “core” hours
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Interview responses
Common Misconceptions
First and foremost it is a business
Only 1 in 20 games breaks even, so companies rarely take a chance
“It's hard and it's fun and it's rewarding and it's a pain…” -Feargus Urquhart
Some industry vets hardly have time for playing games outside of work
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Interview responses
Misconceptions
NOBODY just sits around and plays games all days – not even testers
Crunch periods can last anywhere from two to six months: 80~140 hour weeks140 / 7 = 20 hours per day
Quality-of-life reforms
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Cap’n “Crunch”Interview responses
Misconceptions
It’s been estimated that 1/3rd of entry-level developers burn out before they finish their first game
Companies collapse every year
Don’t let this scare you – just be sure you love making games if you want a career in this industry
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Interview responses
Getting In
The Catch-22
Overcoming the Catch-22
4-year degree or grad schoolInternshipsPreparationPersistence
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Graduate Programs /402020
The Guildhall at SMUiD Tech Camps International Academy of Design & TechnologyITT Tech John Hopkins University Keiser College Miami International University of Art and DesignMinnesota School of Business / Globe CollegePlatt College Pratt Institute San Francisco State University Sanford-Brown CollegeThe School of Communication ArtsUniversity of Advancing TechnologyUniversity of Southern California Vancouver Institute for Media Arts Westwood College Campus Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
Academy of Art UniversityAl Collins College
Art Center College of Design The Art Institute of California
The Art Institute of Phoenix The Art Institute Online
Art Institutes International Brooks College
Brown CollegeCalifornia Institute of the Arts
Carnegie MellonBoston University
Collins College DeVry University
DigiPen Institute of Technology Digital Media Arts College
Ex'pression College for Digital Arts Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy
The Game Institute
“Game Design” Schools /401919DigiPen Full Sail
2-year Associate4-year Bachelor
Macintosh/SNES
Strict admission$ 26,000+
1-year Associate2-year Bachelor
Windows/Linux
Cutting-edge tech$32,000+24/7 class structure
Selected Classes /401818DigiPen Full Sail
Geometry / AlgebraCalculus 1-2High-Level ProgrammingData StructuresOperating SystemsComputer GraphicsComputer NetworksProject 1-2
Physics and MathC++Networks and OSsDigital TechniquesRules of the Game3D ModelingArtificial Intelligence
Questions To Ask Schools
Who sponsors the program?
How long has the program existed?
Placement rate?
Hardware/software?
Languages?
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Internships
Microsoft, Redmond, WA / San Francisco, CA
Electronic Arts, Redwood City, CA / Orlando, FL / Chicago, IL
Buena Vista Games, Glendale, CA
Many smaller companies
Check websites
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Preparation
Play games.
Know your favorites and talk about them
Beta test or write reviews
Build levels in UnrealEd / Half-Life 2
Role-play, read, write, draw
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Preparation
Get a four-year degree
If you can afford a game degree, it can help
Create game assets on your own
Put successful experiments in your portfolio
Artists: find ways to use your skills to earn some money
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www.sloperama.com
Conferences
Game Developers Conference (GDC), March www.gdconf.com
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Maywww.e3expo.com
Austin Game Conference, Septemberwww.gameconference.com/
www.womensgameconference.com/
www.otronicon.org/
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GDC Tips
Research
Prepare
Talk
Listen
Get names and take notes
Follow up
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Résumés
First thing: what job you’re applying for
Put the best stuff at the top
Make sure everything’s relevant to the job
Leave out negative experiences unless you overcame adversity
Write a NEW cover letter for each application
If you have samples, post them online
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Portfolios
½ inch, 3-ring binder, sheet protectors
Put the most striking material up front
Just the best material (20 pages max)
Put the material online
Name, address, phone # on the cover
Make a booklet to leave with interviewers
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www.sloperama.com
Interviews
Dress appropriately
Prepare an introduction
Keep the job description in mind
Highlight your relevant skills
SHOW ENTHUSIASM
Have questions ready
Ask about responsibilities, vacation / sick days
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Advice From The Industry
Be willing to work super hard to prove your worth
Be willing to be on a team in any capacity
Remember that a lot of entry-level positions are not advertised, since there are a lot of people trying to get them
Before the interview, ask what appropriate dress is
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Interview responses
Advice From The Industry
You can't afford to relax and let your guard down once you get a job. You have to both excel at your job and practice new skills in your spare time to continue building your portfolio
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www.planetquake.com
www.sloperama.com
You can’t get a job via email
If you’re sending a resume by mail, don’t include samples unless you’ve contacted the recipient in advance and asked first
Educate yourself about the company
First and foremost, everyone wants hard-working, capable communicators
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www.sloperama.com
After the interview:
Send the thank-you letter within 24 hours of the interview. Show your follow-up skills
Write to an individual. If you met multiple individuals, get their business cards so you have proper spellings and job titles
Restate why you are a good candidate
Spell check it
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The IGDA is working to improve the quality of life
Works against government censorship / regulation
Developed a curriculum for game schools
Provides GDC scholarships to 25 college students
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)AI, casual games, preservation, indies, mobile, online, sex in games, student, women, writers
www.igda.org
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Useful Sites
www.gamejobs.com
www.gamerecruiter.com
www.gamasutra.com – development and jobs
www.igja.org – game journalists
www.sloperama.com – advice
www.bluesnews.com – public betas
www.fileplanet.com – public betas
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Questions /400202
One Last Thing /400101
May 5th, 12-4pm
UofA Game Development Club
Annual Game Fair
Ozark Hall, Room 215
(CAST Lab)
www.uagdc.webhop.org
