Meeting My Adoring Public Was Nearly the End of Me
Timed to coincide with Comic-Con 2006, my employer hosted a block party last Saturday. If you didn’t make it, it’s a shame, because you were invited.
Like many parts of the country, San Diego has been baking in ridiculously uncomfortable temperatures lately. Saturday was wretched, with hot sun and humidity haranguing those of us in attendance. We even managed to fry a couple of the computers used to demo the game in our outdoor kiosks. The heat really took its toll on me later in the evening, when I started feeling like I might have a mild case of heat exhaustion. Big fellas like me weren’t made to be outside in those conditions!
Despite my near-death experience, it was fun to chat with people while drinking foamy beer and eating grilled food. Tours of the offices provided a brief respite from the swelter, as our own Steve Kramer demonstrated some of the tools we use in design. It was good times, and as ever our players proved to be great folks. With hundreds of people coming on buses from Comic-Con, it was like a mini FanFaire.
Comic-Con, by the way, was insane. Shwayder and I went to the “professionals only” preview night on Wednesday, which was swarming with children who apparently somehow make their living in the industry. Stan Lee must be hiring them young these days! I picked up the convention-exclusive Uhura in “Mirror, Mirror” uniform, which will allow me to harken back to my adolescent lust for the lovely lieutenant. I also picked up a new Moon Knight figure, because he’s always been one of my favorite characters and the current Charlie Huston series is incredible.
Anyway, back to the block party. One player with whom I was chatting brought up a common subject that I thought was worth addressing here. He wants to get into the games industry but is finding it hard to get his foot in the door. He said he has written emails to various game designers and called HR departments, but isn’t getting much in the way of responses.
First of all, the way to get your foot in the door is not by emailing random people or even, in most cases, contacting HR departments unsolicited. Most game publishers will post any open positions on their websites and will explain how to get your resume to them.
Ah, but what if you are seeking your first job and don’t have a resume? Your best shot at an industry job is to get in on the ground floor through a spot in quality assurance or customer service. Some companies use a placement service to hire for these positions, so you might need to apply through one of those. After you’ve proven that you’re a generally smart person and a hard worker, eventually other opportunities will open up to you. But expect to pay some dues first.
(Alternately, you can start your own website and make an ass of yourself, hoping that you can trick someone into hiring you. But honestly, that’s a bit harder to pull off these days. Blogs have become so commonplace that it’s a bit tougher to stand out from the crowd. It might still work, though.)
Another question I get asked a lot is whether those game-design degrees advertised by more and more colleges are actually helpful. To be honest, I’m not sure; I can’t say I know of any MMO maker who would consider such a degree as the basis for offering someone fresh out of college a design job. It can’t hurt, but I really don’t think it will be as beneficial as real-world experience.
Basically, there is no guaranteed way to become a part of the games industry (or any other type of career, for that matter) except through hard work. Smart people who apply themselves generally end up where they’re supposed to be.
Correct me if I am wrong, but it has been my understanding that a large number of the designers and other people associated with large scale games dont generally intend to be anything of the sort when they start out.
It seems like most of them are “regular people” who happen to enjoy video games. Perhaps they have a background in some sort of computer science, engineering, english
, or whatever else, but through a combination of their chosen trade and passion for the game they end up making good canidates for the openings that the gaming companies have.
Also, isnt it true that game designers dont even need to know any programming languages anymore? Of course a working knowledge of them helps, but I beleive that most companies now have tools created by the programmers so that designers can design and use their imagination without having to go through long strings of code.
All in all, its probably better for the games the way it is now, but much harder for any random person to get into the business. The best I would say some passionate gamer could hope for is an entry level position for some game that ends up as a flop. Sure there are some cinderella stories, but I wouldnt hold my breath on that.
Serious question though. Do a lot of people at these events really ask you about getting into the business? I find that kind of amusing since basically all you would know about these people is their class/level.
[...] I was originally going to write about the new ideas for death penalties the folks over at Sigil are implementing for Vanguard. However, triggered by Moorgard’s thoughts on landing a job in the industry and spurred on by Michael French’s recent opinion piece on Next Generation I decided the time was right for my “Breaking into games” rant. [...]
here is my strategy that probably won’t work :
1. never actually admit you are looking for your dream vacation as working as a game developer to anyone. firstly, they’ll likely tell me no, which kills the fantasy.
2. Instead of going to the trouble of getting hired on in a CR capacity, just go straight to the forums and start relations with the customers on your very own, this shows self motivation.
3. have as many off the wall hair brained ideas as possible…however it is key to word those ideas as ploddingly descriptive as possible…much like the way legal documents read.
4. make people laugh as much as possible, carefully however that it is not too much at another’s expense, as being seen as crass and cruel is not an endearment to those whom must please the masses.
5. show a willingness through volunteered time that you are consecutively interested in the subject matter, have some intelligent things to say, and have at your command appropriately leveled communicative skills.
6. be a fan boi only when necessary, for example, fanboism is indeed appropriate when a developer has been insulted in public venue, and due to their own proffesionality, may want to say a great deal of things in reply and can’t…this is a chance to truly serve the development team on a personal level…hehehhe…mayhap they might appreciate it. (even if it only makes them laugh a bit, you have still been successful at step 4.)
7. play the game, keep up with current events and be involved as you can be in them. if you have an idea about the game, the game is the best place i feel, to sit and think about it at times…take notes as you play, then take those notes and draft an article…then post it.
8. if all else fails take to posting on different developers private websites…they will either like what you have to say or not…either way, as they consider your post as worthy or edit fodder, they surely also note the name of the individual putting it there.
9. don’t take it at all seriously. the chances of me being a game developer are so vast it isnt even funny (lol to me at least)…enjoy the cerebral nature of the thinking process, let that be your main staple as far as reward…and you will not be disappointed.
10. sheer self agrandization ftw.
Preview night was actually open to professionals and anyone pre-registered for a 4-day pass.
http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_preview.shtml
I only made it to Comic-con for Saturday and Sunday, but I wish I could have gone on a weekday too. The weekend is so crowded that it’s impossible to see everything I want to see.
Thanks for having us over for the Block Party though! I was a bit late and didn’t get to talk to anyone but the tour of the offices was really cool.
- Forums posting… check. –Though I’m not subscribed to EQ2 currently due to health problems that keep me away from the computer. Any chance you could hook me up with posting privileges, Moorgard? I would also like to change my handle. In retrospect, “SpryYoungElf” just sounds too gay for this manly… erm, gnome.
– Sense of humor… check. Crass and cruel? Meh.
- Total fanboi here.
- Posting on devs’ private websites… check (obviously).
- There is nothing more serious than MMO design, Greenion. /bonk
- Starting my own website and making an ass of myself? Check.
- …and I’ve got self-aggrandizement covered wide.
I would obviously be the perfect candidate for SOE customer service if I had but one important quality: legal drinking age.
“Correct me if I am wrong, but it has been my understanding that a large number of the designers and other people associated with large scale games dont generally intend to be anything of the sort when they start out.”
No, most people I’ve talked to made this choice quite deliberately. I think it’s just that such folks don’t get their stories publicized as much as ones like mine, so most of the time you wouldn’t hear them. The schmuck off the street getting a dream job is a more memorable tale than that of the person with a clear goal who works hard and achieves that goal. Which is too bad, really.
“Also, isnt it true that game designers dont even need to know any programming languages anymore?”
Not true. You don’t have to be able to program in C++ or anything, but you do need to be able to do basic scripting. That requires at least being able to muddle through a scripting languages like Lua, and it helps to have some background in any kind of programming just so you understand the logic flow.
I hadn’t done any programming since college, and never anything beyond BASIC, Pascal, and 6502 Assembly. I’m still learning the finer points of scripting, but luckily we have a lot of designers who are extremely fluent and could probably work as coders if they chose to do so.
While on the subject, it’s worth noting that being a really good coder is where the money is. A skilled coder can command a sizable salary in the games industry. So stay in school, kids!
i really hope my above glibness was not taken to be advice exactly.
it is simply how i see things from my very own personal perspective, not advice to others really, and, a bit of an attempt at being comedic…
i only take the prospect semi-seriously because of my own personal predicament.
if i had more freedom of movement in my life i would be in college.
in fact i plan on continueing my current efforts of prying open that gaming biz door for awhile, and hopefully will be enrolling in a related college course of study to actually somewhat qualify me.
for me this is difficult at present, i have a wife, four children, a small business, and my own home to take care of…
regardless of the future i do enjoy postulating on the possibilities of ingame features, it gives my mind a bit of something to do while i perform my rather menial daily routine, and this to me is its own reward, i know to some this may sound corny and patently false perhaps.
i dont take it seriously because i am not at the stage in my own personal development to do so…if ever offered me, i see the gaming industry as the possibility of a lifetime…
i feel i have a small chance, but feel it crucial to be properly educated to ever make a serious attempt.
one of the problems someone like me faces is i really dont know where to begin and exactly what to study, it isnt like the local community college has programs set up for hopeful game designers, not in my neck of the woods.
to me i see this industry and know for sure i have missed my calling in life, this is why i simply just enjoy being the part of it i am, a vocal player, it is a small part for which i actually pay for the privaledge, but it satisfies my real need for intellectual stimulus that my mundane life lacks.
btw, lol mooregard i have actually taken more computer classes than you had (prior to your game industry employment per your above post) i bet you have gained a bit more insight since then.
i just wanted to repost to make clear that the above is not at all intended as advice, lol, why would anyone take advice on getting into an industry from someone whom hasn’t been successful getting into it really?
it was meant as being a bit tongue in cheek, i do apologize if i have at all offended.
I came late to the block party so I missed the excitement of seeing Moorgard fanned to near-death.
When folks ask me about getting into games, in addition to what MG said, I recommend that folks start networking early on. An easy way to begin networking is obviously with the game(s) you love. You can also become a join-er, and sign up for various game development listservs or organizations (IGDA has local chapters everywhere).
It also helps to work on social skills
Once you’ve networked, schmoozed and elbowed your way into a possible interview, it can come down to whether or not the interviewer thinks you’ll fit in with the team. Games are made by teams, so we want to team up with folks we don’t mind spending all our waking hours with!
thank you very much for the IGDA suggestion, that website is packed with interesting things to me.
working on those social skills…is difficult while posting on the pvp forum, however the advice is highly noted.
games are indeed created by teams.
i began reading an interview of a designer on the IGDA site. under the advice he gave those looking at the industry, i believe he said to “check your ego at the door, games are made by teams” made me immediately think of the post that had sent me there in the first place.
thx for the advice, both of you.
furthermore, thx for allowing me to post here moorgard, i do appreciate the privaledge.