Comments on: How To Get Into The Games Industry http://www.intelligent-artifice.com/2007/07/how-to-get-into.html Games & interactive entertainment: design, production, industry and related topics Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:52:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Patrick http://www.intelligent-artifice.com/2007/07/how-to-get-into.html/comment-page-1#comment-1101 Patrick Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:19:55 +0000 http://intelligent-artifice.dreamhosters.com/2007/07/30/how-to-get-into-the-games-industry/#comment-1101 I'm surprised at how game design schools have really risen in prominence and acceptance over the past several years. It took a quite a while for them to really hone their programs and start to turn out the calibre students that we really wanted... My experiences only go back to 1993, but suffice it to say that there were no websites, no mod groups, and no easy way to meet (or even find) developers. As far as I was concerned, games were created by leprechauns in faraway magic castles... "Normal people" couldn't get a chance to do that sort of thing! It took a bunch of legwork wandering around CES that summer to even get a few names. One of Surreal's senior designers, Peter Carlson, just posted this somewhat tongue-in-cheek article about getting into the industry. <a href="http://www.surrealgamedesign.com/2007/07/24/breaking-in-to-the-games-industry/" rel="nofollow">http://www.surrealgamedesign.com/2007/07/24/breaking-in-to-the-games-industry/</a> I consider his story the most interesting because several years ago, he gave up a high-paying job at HP in the Bay Area and decided to ditch it all and work at Legend for free. In the end it worked out great, but I have nothing but respect for the balls that must have taken. I’m surprised at how game design schools have really risen in prominence and acceptance over the past several years. It took a quite a while for them to really hone their programs and start to turn out the calibre students that we really wanted…

My experiences only go back to 1993, but suffice it to say that there were no websites, no mod groups, and no easy way to meet (or even find) developers. As far as I was concerned, games were created by leprechauns in faraway magic castles… “Normal people” couldn’t get a chance to do that sort of thing! It took a bunch of legwork wandering around CES that summer to even get a few names.

One of Surreal’s senior designers, Peter Carlson, just posted this somewhat tongue-in-cheek article about getting into the industry. http://www.surrealgamedesign.com/2007/07/24/breaking-in-to-the-games-industry/

I consider his story the most interesting because several years ago, he gave up a high-paying job at HP in the Bay Area and decided to ditch it all and work at Legend for free. In the end it worked out great, but I have nothing but respect for the balls that must have taken.

]]> By: Darius K. http://www.intelligent-artifice.com/2007/07/how-to-get-into.html/comment-page-1#comment-1100 Darius K. Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:36:03 +0000 http://intelligent-artifice.dreamhosters.com/2007/07/30/how-to-get-into-the-games-industry/#comment-1100 Heh. I do remember meeting you; I didn't think you'd remember! Heh. I do remember meeting you; I didn’t think you’d remember!

]]> By: Mark http://www.intelligent-artifice.com/2007/07/how-to-get-into.html/comment-page-1#comment-1099 Mark Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:20:01 +0000 http://intelligent-artifice.dreamhosters.com/2007/07/30/how-to-get-into-the-games-industry/#comment-1099 IGDA? Do they have any intake functions? When people asked me this question I invariably said they should trek to the GDC and start networking. But that was back in the day. I have no idea what the GDC is like now, or whether the job fair is still a point of departure for people who are either new to the work force or new to the games biz. IGDA?

Do they have any intake functions?

When people asked me this question I invariably said they should trek to the GDC and start networking. But that was back in the day. I have no idea what the GDC is like now, or whether the job fair is still a point of departure for people who are either new to the work force or new to the games biz.

]]> By: Jurie Horneman http://www.intelligent-artifice.com/2007/07/how-to-get-into.html/comment-page-1#comment-1098 Jurie Horneman Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:14:10 +0000 http://intelligent-artifice.dreamhosters.com/2007/07/30/how-to-get-into-the-games-industry/#comment-1098 Thanks Darius! I don't know if you remember, but we briefly met at the GDC in 2004. You are the second game developer I know who's last name is Kazemi :) Thanks Darius! I don’t know if you remember, but we briefly met at the GDC in 2004. You are the second game developer I know who’s last name is Kazemi :)

]]> By: Darius K. http://www.intelligent-artifice.com/2007/07/how-to-get-into.html/comment-page-1#comment-1097 Darius K. Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:54:14 +0000 http://intelligent-artifice.dreamhosters.com/2007/07/30/how-to-get-into-the-games-industry/#comment-1097 Hey Jurie, I write a series of articles called Effective Networking in the Game Industry. It's for people who are trying to break in. <a href="http://tinysubversions.blogspot.com/2005/10/effective-networking-in-games-industry.html" rel="nofollow">http://tinysubversions.blogspot.com/2005/10/effective-networking-in-games-industry.html</a> Hey Jurie,

I write a series of articles called Effective Networking in the Game Industry. It’s for people who are trying to break in.

http://tinysubversions.blogspot.com/2005/10/effective-networking-in-games-industry.html

]]>