Gaming careers

[acosn]

Oh, sure, I could see myself working in the gaming industry.

Only problem is the getting exposed part is a colossal pain in the ass. Typically you're not going to get anything but an entry level job trapped in the cube farm at a company like EA who treats you more like a bag of meat than an actual person unless you spend hours working on a labor of love.

A free labor of love.

There's two good ways to "break" into the video game industry- start with a new company (seriously- the big fish in the gaming industry that are not companies are people who started at companies when the companies themselves were new) or making a highly popular mod for a game. DotA put Icefrog on the map. Otherwise most of what I've heard is just that "working your way up" is not something that typically ever happens. Many companies are rife with bureaucracy.

 

[Lem0nade Inlay]

I think it would be cool, but I'm not really that interested in programming and I'm not good at anything 'arty' so that rules out basically everything.
Can I ask what would be so bad about playtesting? I wouldn't think of getting into it, I'm just curious as to why you think it would be bad.

I wonder what it will be like in 10 years or so, because now there are so many more people who 'game', even a little (thanks a lot, Cod...) and I assume that in years to come the increase of people who are wanting to go into game design will dramatically increase, therefore the competition will become fierce.

 

[Enkidu88]

I work as a freelance writer, never done any game reviews but articles for local papers, magazines and the like, and am also studying Veterinary Medicine. I've been playing games since I was 5 and I was never really interested in making them. In some ways I think helping write a video game's script/screenplay or whatever they call it in the gaming industry, would be an interesting experience. And if I ever got the offer, I would probably try my hand at it, but gaming has always just been a hobby for me, not anything I would want to spend time and money to learn how to make them, or spend the rest of my life making them.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

If I do get one it will be either in programming or software engineering side of it. I do want to go into Engineering not sure which branch although if I don't get the points for that I am going to do Computer Science. So either way for the game industry if I do go it will be programming or software side. I wouldn't mind to try something in the graphics side but I am not artistic so that is that out the window.

 

[sephiroth1991]

I like games and i'm studying game design at uni, so yay i might be makin my dream game(A rip-off silent hill)

 

[RaphaelsRedemption]

I'm studying game design. I know it will be hard, boring work. All those 3D models, and the animations, and the lip sychning...

The fun stuff is like, 2%, and that 2% is often done by other people and decided well before you come on board. But the joy of working on a model, and it becoming "your" model, and getting it right and pretty?

Priceless.

 

[Kragg]

I actually want to be a programmer. I have it in my head that the scary maths scare people off, creating a demand for programmers.

It really doesn't, there are so many developers out there these days it beggers belief. I count myself seriously lucky to have found a career that actually uses my degree.

yeah you were right the first time, it is alot more likely you'll end up in some call center helping an old lady open Outlook

 

[MentalBakura]

I was one of these people who thought a career in the games industry would be brilliant.

Fast forward two years, and I've just withdrawn from my games software development course. Programming is one of the most horrible things I've ever done in my life. No thanks.

 

[Lineoutt]

I don't know what I want to do. But I likes me my games and don't want to make them my career.

 

[PDizzle418]

So now I dunno what I'm doing, that was 4 months ago, now I am just bidding my time till life brings something my way. But working with computers in that regard, fuck no, not for me. I might try a design course, since 3d modeling etc is a hell of a lot different to programming, but time will tell.

Computer science is extremely broad, like really broad, the scope of the course is massive, but its very difficult and ultimately wasn't for me.

try somethign more IT related, being a net admin has less programming and math required, you still work with computers and basically anyone will hire you.

all you need to be an IT guy is some patience, and the desire to learn

OT: I always thought it would be fun to be on the design team, levels and story especially as well as character creation, that would be my fav, I like to think I'm fairly creative, however I also don't think it very practically, I'm from the midwest and I've really no desire to move out to Cali in order to start a career in gaming especially since gaming companies are treating their employees more and more like second class citizens every day.

it's a sad truth but there are so many people blinded by the glamour of working on video games that they never really see it until it's too late.

Same sort of deal as movies, people see the few people who have it good, mostly because that's the image the owners want portrayed, while everyone else is used, abused, and tossed aside for the next person down the line


Also what does C.V. stand for I know it's like a resume but It's not a term used here in the states

 

[KaiRai]

Not really. I like playing games. But then, I like running, sex, drinking, watching TV, drawing, cars......lots of things. And none of which I want to make a career.

Well actually....I want to be a mechanical engineer....but...


Anyhoo. No, I would not. That's pretty much what I was getting at.

 

[TPiddy]

Yeah, I did start out wanting to be a game developer, I sort of went along a similar path, into Flash development. I'm starting to head back towards the back end, as I'll be picking up C#, hoping it's a gateway to C / C++ that would allow me to get into full-on game development. We'll see how it goes.

Ubisoft recently opened an office here in Toronto but my ideal job would be to work for Bioware in Edmonton .

 

[Sephychu]

Well it's a good thing that games require thousands of programmers and the tears of grown, sweaty, middle aged men to be made now I guess.

Fixed that one for you.