anyone here work in gaming?

[carlcarlson]

I ask because I will be graduating this spring with a degree in computer animation. I'm pretty open as far as a job after college, but working in gaming would definitely be cool. So, anyone have any advice on where to go, what to do, etc, to make this happen? I'm pretty clueless at the moment, I don't even know where to begin. Any and all help will be appreciated.

[ProgrammingAce]

http://gamecareerguide.com/

is a good place to start. One of the basics is to have something to show to the interviewer. Most companies will throw away your resume if you don't have an example of your tallents to show them. In your case, you should set up a short animation using your own IP (stealing other companie's IP is frowned upon).

I have a small site setup for a bit of insight into the industry (interviews with insiders etc). http://www.gamerhistory.com

[CartCollector]

Here's some sites to look at:

Sloperama.com (http://www.sloperama.com/advice.html) - Most helpful IMHO

David Perry's site (http://www.dperry.com/)

Make It Big In Games (http://makeitbigingames.com/)

And, of course, IGDA and Gamasutra.

[theshizzle3000]

I am doing the whole game programming thing right now, but its not really what I thought it was going to be so I am going to major in something else. Have you already looked at monster.com though you can find almost any job on there.

[mlambert890]

Work very hard to get an internship. Like any other career (and esp since this is perceived as a "fun" career), establishing a network of contacts and gaining some sort of edge is hugely important.

Build a portfolio of everything you do (the way an artist would) and be prepared to talk code if you want to code, art if you want to animate, audio if you want to do sound, etc with a lot of passion.

You'd be surprised what can impress on an internship interview. I cant stress enough how critical it is to get some contacts going *before* finishing school.

[robotriot]

There's a nice thread over here (http://www.pixel-arts.org/pixelation/index.php?topic=328.0) that contains a little insider information. It's very true unfortunately ;)

[Richter]

http://www.jobs.ea.com/

dont dog the company, it's still a job in the industry

[shadowforte]

One of these days...

[BydoEmpire]

While I'm a programmer not an artist, I have sit in on interviews with artists at previous studios. Make sure you have a high quality, professional looking portfolio/demo reel that shows off your style and best skills. Find out what types of tools you're going to need to use (since I'm not an artist I can't say 100% but afaik around here it's Photoshop, Maya, and Director). As an artist, you may also want to show off what you can do with a limited poly budget, or if you're looking at a 2d-focused studio or something, show off what you can do with 256 colors. Interpersonal communication is huge - no one wants to hire someone that won't get along with the team. Personality is often overlooked, especially in technical fields. But even getting your foot in the door can be tough, so if it's a choice between Person A who does good stuff but seems like a jerk, or Peson B who also does good stuff and is funny and friendly, Person B will get the job every time.

Be prepared to work long hours for little pay on a game or genre you may not be particularly interested in. The way I look at it, even if I'm working on a game I'm not psyched about, it's still more fun than programming business software. It reminds me of that bumper sticker "The worst day fishing is better than the best day working." And hey, maybe I can help turn the game around in some small way. Also, it's good to look at your career long term. You may have to "dig ditches" so to speak for a few years before you get much say, or before you have the experience to get into a studio you really want to be at.

This is just my experience , take it for what it's worth. Good luck! The internship suggestion was a good one, definitley worth looking into. I know a bunch of programmers here who were hired out of internships.

[ProgrammingAce]

It's a cool gig to have, but it isn't for everyone.

I'll give you a few warnings:

Be prepared to work on games you would never play, or actually hate. You may find your entire career in the industry consists of writing educational flash games.

Be prepared to have your work thrown away in the interests of the overall vision. I've had 8 months of work tossed in the trash because there wern't enough CPU cycles to handle the AI.

Be prepared to have your budget cut because some other game didn't sell well enough.

Be prepared to ship a game you know isn't finished.

Be prepared to constantly move from project to project. This is an issue most common in the art/modeling side of the business. You'll find a team of artists moving from game to game working on the artwork as needed.

Be prepared to be paid poorly. Contrary to what you may have heard, you end up making less money in the game industry then you would have made in a related field elsewhere.

Is it all that bad? Not really. I've had fun. Getting an internship is probably the best way to go

[carlcarlson]

thanks so much for all the input! I already feel much better about searching for a job, I finally have some direction now. i'm amazed at how many genuinely helpful websites and articles there are out there. It's almost overwhelming! (a good overwhelming though, believe me). there are a surprising number of companies that only make card games, so those are out for me, but I have also been pleasantly surprised a number of times. I'll be following a lead thinking that a certain company is crap only to find out they made one of my favorite games. here's hoping I get to work for a company like that, but if not I think that would be ok, I would still be doing something I enjoy. anyways, again, thanks so much for all your help. wish me luck!

[thehistorian]

David Perry's site (http://www.dperry.com/)
And you might want to checkout his forums DPfiles (http://www.dpfiles.com/)

Typically he will respond to you personally, very unusual in the gaming world, however he has been traveling a lot as of late and hasn't been responding as quickly as he normally does. I'm one of the moderators on the "2Moons" forums, and have been working with David P. and Acclaim for promote the MMORPG.