How to "break in" to gaming & entertainment
The #1 question I am asked by young people looking to work in the games and entertainment industry: “How do I break in?”
I’ll give you a hint…it’s not by promising to clean our toilets or bragging about how much time you spend pwning newbs on Halo.
Breaking in takes hard work and commitment. If you are a 17-year-old and reading this, I hope that you are submitting your college applications. Because, the best way to start on your path is to graduate with a 4-year degree. Yes, yes…I realize that there are stories of people who didn’t go to college but have had successful careers and made a bazillion dollars. That’s all fine and dandy and very true. But, I consider them the exceptions. Often, they are ridiculously brilliant OR they have put in a tremendous amount of effort to accomplish their goals. Effort that others put into college. So…if you have the means to go to college, do it!
As for degrees: I recommend Computer Science degrees for everyone (producers and level designers included) except artists, who need to focus on their artistic endeavors and hone their creative skills with an Arts degree.
I am often suspicious of game degrees. They develop few practical skills and spit people out in 2 years (or less) into a competitive field full of other amateur, wanna-be designers.
Next…if you want to work in entertainment, you need to spend time working on entertainment projects. Very rarely will a company hire someone without some kind of relevant experience.
I already know what you’re asking: “How do I get experience if nobody will hire me without it?” Simple…take it upon yourself to gain that experience. Consider some contract work. Call up an agency that contracts with the companies you’re interested in and do a few short term projects. Guess what…now you have experience. Also…you can do things on your own. One of my favorite hires within Xbox LIVE didn’t come from a games background. She worked for the state of Idaho…or Iowa. One of those. She caught my eye by sending me her website which had samples of some personal gaming projects on which she'd worked. It was enough to convince me to put her in front of my managers and BAM! She is now part of the LIVE Services team.
So, in short…you gotta earn it. It’s not going to be handed to you. And, despite the fact that you consider your version of the Halo 3 ending to be superior to what Bungie did, you are not automatically going to be at the top of the list.
If you’re interested in learning more, consider attending come of the annual game conferences like GDC or GamesCon. You can learn a lot. And, network with a lot of people that are hiring.
26 Comments
Jonathan said:
Pwning newbs on Halo... that made my day! I like this post because it shows that you don't need to be good at playing video games to be good at making them. It might help fuel the passion somewhat, but before someone makes their thumbs sore with a video game, it takes teams of skilled programmers months, sometimes years to put a video game on store shelves. Also keep in mind: the first video game was built by people who had never played video games.
Lucas Teixeira said:
Hi my name is Lucas, I'm 19-years-old and I'm already in college but not at Computer Science, I'm studying Analysis Systems (I'm not sure if its name is right in English) in college, meanwhile I'm also studying English, XNA and 3D Design cuz my goal is to be a game producer, I already know how to program in C++ (C# is very close) since my 12, of course programming for games is a bit different but I'll get it soon, I'm still at the very begging of XNA Game Programming, as I'm learning on my own I got to learn all at once (programming, design, and of course the IDEA) game design for me is the most hard piece cuz I don't know nothing about it so I'm focusing on it by now.
This is it, I wanna be a Game Producer
as you might have seen by my English I'm not from US I'm from Brazil, I'm still learning English so please forgive me for a lot of wrong writing hehe.
Thank you.
Lucas Teixeira
Oktay Bahceci said:
Hello, my name is Oktay and I am a 17-year old guy who found this article
really helpful and I have to say, it had a lot of tips. I have made my "school
plan" until the day I've graduated College from KTH (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan in Sweden), where I'll be reading "Computer Technics", which I think is the same thing as Computer Science. I've come a long way from being a designer to programming applications for Windows Phone 7, and other kinds of programming. I want to say that I "suffer" from Low latent inhibition, but I think along the road it has helped me become more understanding and intelligent of diverse type of things.
Working at Microsoft would be my life's long dream coming true. Ever since I was
6 I've admired Technology and computers.
Thank you for making this article,
Oktay Bahceci.
CppProgrammer said:
>>> Consider some contract work. Call up an agency that contracts with the companies you’re interested in and do a few short term projects.
I'd be very interested in doing some contract work for Microsoft using C/C++ (not specifically related to game development, but may include gamedev as well...).
But what is the path? What exactly are these agencies to contact?
Could you please give some details?
Thanks.
Aaron Purslow said:
im an eightteen year old living in WA and I was wondering what are some goood schools to go to for a future career in game design ive looked at IADT at first was promising but i looked at the reviews for it and the accredation is bad ive also looked at ai but they focus on the art side I just wanted to find a school with rounded courses so i get a feel for other careers in the field
Andrew said:
You said "Often, they are ridiculously brilliant OR they have put in a tremendous amount of effort to accomplish their goals." I guarantee you that when you see somebody ridiculously brilliant, no matter what their age, they have done 10 years of hard practice to become that good (yes, Bill Gates included). A bachelors degree provides the typical person with the time and environment to put in 4 years of that 10 years and it also proves to an employer that that person has the motivation required for independent study that will be required to get the next 6 years of purposeful practice.
Moe said:
Hey there!!
Listen, I just finished senior year at school!! and I want to make games! And movies as well! like Ice Age, Shrek, that kind of stuff!!
So, is this the right major to study?
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.gju.edu.jo/page.aspx?page_key=sabe_study_plan_guide_design_visual_communications&lang=en">www.gju.edu.jo/.../page.aspx</a>
Pankow said:
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
@jonathan...indeed, good point. Good blog, by the way. Keep that up.
@Lucas...you're on the right track. You can't go wrong with a computer science major if you want to work in games. Much easier to break in with that.
@Oktay...same thing. You're on the right track. Finish school and make sure your coding skills are top notch and you'll be fine.
@Cpp...I don't really want to "endorse" any particular agency, but they're out there. Look for placement agencies that focus on technology. They're out there.
@aaron...I am a fan of the traditional 4 year education. If you live in WA, check out UW. We have lots of people from there.
@Andrew...you said it very well. I totally agree.
@Moe...sure, if you want to be an artist or work on the creative side of things. Be prepared to work hard. It's highly competetive.
Mark said:
Hi,
I just read through the article and I found it intriguing and factual. I have recently finished my University degree (I’m from England it is a University :D). It helps a great deal by going to University and within my degree I took a year’s work placement (internship) with a game development studio. I was quite fortunate that my degree was a BSc in Computer Games programming and our lectures are all ex-industry vet's and the degree had a lot more work in it that a standard Computer Science degree (more practical work with programming that included C++, DirectX and PSP development on the PSP dev kits and others). So I just wanted to state that game courses should not be cast aside, just make sure the course offers everything you need.
Regards
Mark
Mark said:
Hi,
I just read through the article and I found it intriguing and factual. I have recently finished my University degree (I’m from England it is a University :D). It helps a great deal by going to University and within my degree I took a year’s work placement (internship) with a game development studio. I was quite fortunate that my degree was a BSc in Computer Games programming and our lectures are all ex-industry vet's and the degree had a lot more work in it that a standard Computer Science degree (more practical work with programming that included C++, DirectX and PSP development on the PSP dev kits and others). So I just wanted to state that game courses should not be cast aside, just make sure the course offers everything you need.
Regards
Mark
Mark said:
Hi,
I just read through the article and I found it intriguing and factual. I have recently finished my University degree (I’m from England it is a University :D). It helps a great deal by going to University and within my degree I took a year’s work placement (internship) with a game development studio. I was quite fortunate that my degree was a BSc in Computer Games programming and our lectures are all ex-industry vet's and the degree had a lot more work in it that a standard Computer Science degree (more practical work with programming that included C++, DirectX and PSP development on the PSP dev kits and others). So I just wanted to state that game courses should not be cast aside, just make sure the course offers everything you need.
Regards
Mark
Ian Healy said:
Excellent post! Starting a 4 year Computer Science degree in University College Dublin in Ireland this year, and going to do a Masters in game design for a year after that! Thanks for confirming that I'll be able to get into the industry with this!
Mark said:
sorry for multi post it appeared not to have registered before. Please fill free to delete the other two and this on.
Mathew said:
Hi, im a couple weeks away from starting a foundation degree in games and media thats 2 years then a possible 2 years to make it a full honours degree. How would you suggest someone from England get into microsoft/game industry i mean in the US you have so many different conventions and meet and greets but nothing like that happens outside the US
Shane said:
Hi there,
Im looking in a career in the gaming industry and I would like to know is this the right course for it?
<a target="_blank" href="http://ww2.dkit.ie/schools_and_departments/imcm/computing_mathematics/courses/dk820">ww2.dkit.ie/.../dk820</a>
Dan said:
"She worked for the state of Idaho…or Iowa. One of those." Wow really? That's a great way to make yourself look completely ignorant and discredit any advice you've just given.
Pankow said:
@Mark...Excellent comment and point. Game related classes do not need to be discarded as long as one makes sure they education is strong and the school is good.
@Ian...Good luck!
@Mathew...I am not as familiar with schools in Europe, but make sure that your school is going to help you get a job. That sounds like a very competetive space, so make sure you keep your talents honed and that you have help from your university. Also...there are plenty of opps for networking in Europe. GamesCom just ended in Spain. There's GDC London. You just have to search for them.
@Shane...the courses look good. But, like I mentioned above, make sure the school is reputable. There are a lot of "get them in and spit them out" schools right now that take your money and quickly kick you out without any real help. Don't settle for something that won't benefit you as much as it should. Not saying that school is one of those, just make sure to do you homework on it.
@Dan...could have been Indiana, I guess.
Jared said:
As someone who just landed a job at Microsoft, I'd say this post is right on the money. Granted, I'm going into mobile phone development, not game dev, but the mobile field is extremely competative right now since it's the "next big thing." The point I'd like to drive home is getting real world experience. I spent my free time in college developing as many side projects as I could. So when I went into my interviews, I had the webpage I designed with all my projects laid out and that was a fantastic starting point to start discussions. About every interview I went into, I got at least some comment on my website and most interviewers wanted to hear more about a specific project I had done. It really got people engaged in who I was and the kind of work I had done.
The other point I'd like to make, for the other commenter/readers who specifically mentioned wanting a job at Microsoft (or Google, Apple, etc.) is that the interviews are VERY tough. They are almost entirely skilled based and you are asked coding/design questions and expected to write out your answers on a whiteboard. The advice I would give you, if you're trying for a position at a company that interviews like this, is to think out loud and really convey to the interviewer where your thoughts are and how you're trying to solve the problem. The interviewers really don't expect you to be able to solve the problem they give you without any help. They want to see how you think and how you tackle problems. Help them do that by being as clear as you can about how you're trying to solve the problem and let them help you through the process.
Good luck to all you programmers out there!
Vinny said:
Hey Jason what about the non-technical jobs in the gaming industry? I've loved gaming since I was a kid but never thought about working in the game industry until recently. Unfortunately for me I just graduated college (UConn) with a psychology degree so tech jobs wouldn't really work. I've been looking into the non-tech careers in gaming like marketing and pr, what would be a good path to get into something like that?
DW said:
You say undergraduate game design programs aren't so great, but what about graduate programs?
I'm in my senior year of undergrad at the University at Buffalo, majoring in Media Study and Philosophy. The former has a very broad department and it includes some game design courses. I took a class last Fall (before I studied abroad last semester) in which I made games using Python. The same semester, I used Flash/ActionScript for projects in a different class. In my final year, I'll be taking as many games-relevant classes as possible and I really hope I can get into the Game Design & Development program at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Do you think I'm on the right track for a career in video game development? Would an M.S. in Game Design & Development be valuable?
Lorn Hole said:
Unlike most of the other people posting I am not young and will probably not manage to go back to school to upgrade my Computer Science Deploma to a degree. I'm 41 now and have a wide variety of experience from operating systems, hardware, software, development, database management, project management, but with the competition out there that might still not be enough. The clock is ticking and although my body gets older my heart and sole still yearn for an opportunity to design games. Someday I'll run across the right person and set of circumstances to let me participate in what I consider of most exciting industries of this time. One can only dream.
Sincerely yours,
Lorn
Pankow said:
@Jared...Congrats, and welcome to Microsoft! Thanks for the tips!
@Vinny...well, I went to school to be a teacher and ended up working in HR for Xbox. So, it's possible, just a bit harder. Likely, you'll have to work your way up the ladder with someone else before getting your video game break. I spent 2 years recruiting for a tribal casino and 2 years recruiting at a bank before I fell into my Xbox job. Good luck!
@DW...Honestly, experience is more highly valued than a Masters. Higher education will improve your knowledge base, but it still won't give you the experience. If you decide to go for a Masters, I would focus on something more technical. Game designers are a dime a dozen. Unless you're really really good, I recommend breaking in another way.
@Lorn...The Xbox team has an Operations group. Someone needs to keep the LIVE servers up and running. Good luck!
SaMaN said:
hey everyone...
Im 16 and from tehran,iran (plz dont pay attention to my nationality Im not one that moslims)
I loved playing games science i was 3years old and being in love with game designing in my 10years old. game designing in microsoft was only dreem for me because of my country, but now I realy wanna learn and im trying hard to learn English for studing my university in malayzia
plz anyone tell can i improve my self there or not?
(sorry for my bad languadge its only 8 month that im studing English)
Best Rigards...
Saman khani...
SaMaN said:
thx for ure helpfull helps, I realy enjoyed!
Brendan said:
Hey JobsBlogger,
I'm 17, and looking at colleges for a Computer Science degree (mostly at Purdue and Penn State)
I really wanted to be a map/ level designer because I think i'd be able to create some nice multiplayer maps, and maybe some campaign levels.
The thing I'm wondering is 1. I am not very artistic, is that going to be a major probelm? 2. Am I starting way too late?
thanks for helping me out! Really appreciate it.
Ken Robol said:
I am a Professor at a college in North Carolina. Does anyone ever Skype with a class? I would love to ask about something speaking to a department of mine, but don't know who to ask?