New game career guide site
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Join Date: 2002-11-04 Member: 6944Members
Join Date: 2002-11-04 Member: 6944Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">From makers of Gamasutra site</div>Reading my mail from <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com" target="_blank">Gamasutra </a> site, I see they are revealing a new site dedicated to game career guide ( "...<a href="http://www.gamecareerguide.com" target="_blank">Game Career Guide </a> (for the best in game education features and news), .." ).
I haven't checked it out in details but looks interesting.
So I invite whomever is interested in game career to go check it out and come back here to post evaluations.
How good is the site ?
Is is superficial ?
Does it have excellent news/tips to help you to have a game career ?
Does it convice you to go into game career ?
What services do they offer to help you into your goal ?
Does it offer a list of school or anyother types of learning method to help you acheive your goal ?
Do you recommand it to anyone wanting to have a game career ?
Do you have any negative points to report about this site ?
I haven't checked it out in details but looks interesting.
So I invite whomever is interested in game career to go check it out and come back here to post evaluations.
How good is the site ?
Is is superficial ?
Does it have excellent news/tips to help you to have a game career ?
Does it convice you to go into game career ?
What services do they offer to help you into your goal ?
Does it offer a list of school or anyother types of learning method to help you acheive your goal ?
Do you recommand it to anyone wanting to have a game career ?
Do you have any negative points to report about this site ?
Comments
I think more people are more interested in game designing, rather than actually fooling around with code. I know I have no understanding of code, but I think I would make a good game designer because I'm pretty good at creating fiction and visual themes.
I've read some of the guides there; the site seems pretty legitimate. It tells you how you should go job hunting, how to create your own demo, or what type of research you should be doing. The guide even goes as far as to point out that most of the time, the people reading your resume do not understand gaming, and you must put in specific pointers to help them realize whether you might or might not be a benefit to their company. The site also has seperate guides on the different branches of gaming careers such as journalism, art design, game design, sound, coding...etc.
Is it just me or does it seem that making video games for a living is the new "I want to be a professional baseball player!". It seems that half the people that think they can make video games only do so because they enjoy PLAYING video games. It's like somebody with no artistic talent at all trying to become a fashion designer because they enjoy shopping. Yeah maybe this was kind of off-topic, but I just needed to get it out there. I know too many flunkies who say they are going to make video games when they grow up, but haven't touched a programming language or modeling program in their entire life.
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I don't see how that's a problem. None of the baseball kids ever got a job playing baseball or anything; people with no talent aren't going to end up making games because nobody will hire them.
1: <i>Everyone</i> thinks they have a killer idea that would make a great game. <i>Everyone</i> wants to do the design work. Creativity is not what the industry needs - they've got more than they know what to do with. More than anything they're after talent, be it coding or art or actual solid level design.
2: By and large, the industry treats its workers like [excrement], especially compared to the rest of the IT industry. My original plan, through high school and uni, was to get into the games industry; this was the one that made me stop and reconsider. Terrible pay, terrible working conditions, forced unpaid overtime... Just <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ea+spouse&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8" target="_blank">google "EA spouse"</a>. For people who have the sheer passion and dedication to their technical field to push through all that, more power to 'em.
Most designers in the industry really don't know what they're doing if you ask me. Call me an armchair designer if you want but in both games I've played and in games I've worked on, the designers never fail to shock me with their lack in basic understanding of gameplay, interfaces and interaction.
In a title I was working on (won't say which :p ), I actually emailed the designer to point out the flaws in his button configuration choices and suggested some new ones. As a result the buttons were changed as per my suggestions and it was agreed alround that the new system was better (accidentally dropping your weapon when you try to reload is not fun).
The point I'm getting at is that I'm fairly convinced that the games industry is in desperate need of designers with a clue because I'm seeing a lot of titles released with very very silly design flaws. There's some gems out there still obviously and even some of these flawed games are still fun, but things could definitely be better; a lot better :/
meh, sorry scorps but I don't agree with your first point.
Most designers in the industry really don't know what they're doing if you ask me. Call me an armchair designer if you want but in both games I've played and in games I've worked on, the designers never fail to shock me with their lack in basic understanding of gameplay, interfaces and interaction.
In a title I was working on (won't say which <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" /> ), I actually emailed the designer to point out the flaws in his button configuration choices and suggested some new ones. As a result the buttons were changed as per my suggestions and it was agreed alround that the new system was better (accidentally dropping your weapon when you try to reload is not fun).
The point I'm getting at is that I'm fairly convinced that the games industry is in desperate need of designers with a clue because I'm seeing a lot of titles released with very very silly design flaws. There's some gems out there still obviously and even some of these flawed games are still fun, but things could definitely be better; a lot better :/
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WRONG
The game industry has more designers than I have sarcastic posts on this forum. Just because there are a lot of idiots doesn't mean there aren't a lot of non-idiots. I'm glad you managed to find a game designed by retarded monkeys but you actually can't get a job telling people what they've done is wrong and that they have to redo it. What actually happens is that whatever you have a problem with was shoehorned in at the last minute because the developer ran out of money and fired half the people, including the guy whose job it was to do all that stuff.
Though you mentioned that it's a game you're "working on", so I assume from that that you got in somehow. In that case, nice job. But from all that I've read, you'd be an exception rather than the rule.
I am very much trying to apply to Hollywood-esque colleges, with the SPECIFIC intent to a career in Sound Design. And if the sound design is for video games? GREAT. I am so bookmarking this.
I'm working to get in on a more permanent basis in level design though... we'll see how it goes ^^
heh, I don't know if I really count as being 'in'. I just do games tester gigs :3
I'm working to get in on a more permanent basis in level design though... we'll see how it goes ^^
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It will go a lot better than trying to get in on a more permanent basis doing game design.
We all know DigiPen is the best game design school ever! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /> RTIS Class of 2011, woot woot!
*Edit* Geminosity: Testing is always the first steps, but I wouldn't consider it "in" until you start doing more hardcore roles in the development. I was on an Activision external testing program for two years and we tested tons of high-profile games such as Quake4 and Call of Duty 2, but I still never really considered myself in the industry yet...
Oh, and if you want a really once in a lifetime opportunity, Bungie is looking for Halo3 testers.
<a href="http://www.bungie.net/Inside/Page.aspx?section=Jobs&subsection=Main&page=1#H3T" target="_blank">http://www.bungie.net/Inside/Page.aspx?sec...&page=1#H3T</a>
We all know DigiPen is the best game design school ever! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" />
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Well, you could ask all those DigiPen students working at Valve right now making Portal, or the ones at Nintendo, or any of the other students who graduated with something like a 95% job placement rate. Those guys get offers before they even finish school.
Yeh. Digipen is the kind of place where, once you go there, you're set for life.
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Heh, you make it sound so easy...
Plus, if they make it through the school, they damn well deserve it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
I'm hoping you're right though and once I finish dP, I'm "set for life."
Heh, you make it sound so easy...
Plus, if they make it through the school, they damn well deserve it. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" />
I'm hoping you're right though and once I finish dP, I'm "set for life."
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Oh, its not easy. Its a hell unlike any other. When 40% of your freshmen class drops out in the first 3 months, you know its hell.
Then again, once you're out in the world, its like Graduating from West Point as a valedictorian: You get bumped into being a major team member, instead of "random coding guy #953AF9".
Every time I've heard of someone leaving Digipen, its always been to a AAA studio. Heck, Gas Powered Games, which is less than a block away, almost permanently has fliers on the bulletin board in the school.
BTW: You live here now? Woot, NS is more geocentric than evar!
Oh, and what most students told me is that a lot of the people who will quit leave before freshman, and the others who are on the edge try to stick it out. They then leave after Sophomore year. Everyone said that once you get past sophomore year, you're pretty much in the groove and know what to expect and can past the next two years and the only things that would stop you usually are money or other personal issues.
1. The EA work conditions are the extreme end of the suck metric. There are times at every game company where you will most definitely have to "crunch" and put in almost all of your waking hours. But for the most part, game industry jobs are the most relaxing I can think of. My brother and I both work in the industry for different companies and have both been in a groove of getting to work around 11-12.
2. Everyone wants to be a game designer. Your chances of getting in are extremely low if that's your only target. Most companies hire game designers from within their existing pool of employees. At least that's what I've heard. One company I worked for was too small to have a "game designer", so the co-founders did the design work. And at Valve, design is a collaboration of everyone working on the project.
3. Even though I think DigiPen is the place to go. Getting through the first two years just shows that you're not one of those "I like to play games, I should make them" types. Junior and Senior year are still hard as hell. Hard enough that you'll meet a few students on the unofficial 5,6, and 7 year program. Even with the difficult program, I should mention that not every graduate gets a good job. I can think of a few people from my graduating class that just didn't have any flair and are doing what I'd consider "crap jobs". Remember that it's not the degree that gets you the job. It's a demonstration of just how well you can do the work that does it.
1. The EA work conditions are the extreme end of the suck metric. There are times at every game company where you will most definitely have to "crunch" and put in almost all of your waking hours. But for the most part, game industry jobs are the most relaxing I can think of. My brother and I both work in the industry for different companies and have both been in a groove of getting to work around 11-12.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well... crap. Maybe I should think about trying to switch jobs in a few years, then...
3. Even though I think DigiPen is the place to go. Getting through the first two years just shows that you're not one of those "I like to play games, I should make them" types. Junior and Senior year are still hard as hell. Hard enough that you'll meet a few students on the unofficial 5,6, and 7 year program. Even with the difficult program, I should mention that not every graduate gets a good job. I can think of a few people from my graduating class that just didn't have any flair and are doing what I'd consider "crap jobs". Remember that it's not the degree that gets you the job. It's a demonstration of just how well you can do the work that does it.
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In this vein, what're the odds of getting offered a job if you had no relevant qualifications, but made a very successful mod for a game like half-life 2 in your spare time?
In this vein, what're the odds of getting offered a job if you had no relevant qualifications, but made a very successful mod for a game like half-life 2 in your spare time?
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1. Successful is a relative term.
2. Even if everyone can agree that the game was successful. If the work required on your part was trivial in nature. Then it doesn't really <i><b>show</b></i> that you can do the work required on a average game.
If it was successful, and it shows you're capable of doing the work. Then you've gotta start applying to places and listing it in your resume.
Odds really only come into play when someone with hiring capability actually knows that you're looking for a job and how impressive your work in the past is.
Getting hired is the main focus of the yearly projects class during DigiPen's senior year (programming side). That's right, the whole freaking year.
Just out of curiosity, how much does it cost to go to such a school ?
Because after all, even if lots of people want to go to such schools, they would still need the money to enter it. I don't think these schools are all public (meaning private school not funded by the normal school system).
$414 per credit and there's 154 credits in the RTIS program to graduate. That's almost $64,000 on tuition alone and not counting a single other expense.
DigiPen is an arm and a leg cost-wise.
$414 per credit and there's 154 credits in the RTIS program to graduate. That's almost $64,000 on tuition alone and not counting a single other expense.
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Im totally uneducated about digipen, but if it's 64k for 4 years that's not bad.
Obviously there are tons of fees, books, living expenses, etc etc if you want to get a more accurate number of how much it really costs to attend school there. I don't have a guess on that though.
Im totally uneducated about digipen, but if it's 64k for 4 years that's not bad.
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It's actually pretty bad. Your average 4 year liberal arts education in the US will run you almost 30-40k, but that's including housing and food and stuff. 64k just for the credits is crazy expensive. DigiPen isn't the average for gaming schools though. It just happens to be super mega money.