Well, it’s not my dream job, but I knew I’d have to start small and earn my chops. It’s a 3-month contract position with Microsoft working on one of their racing game franchises for the 360. I’m going to be doing grunt artist work, pretty much just fixing bugs in other people’s models and textures. I know I’m going to learn a lot just being part of a game development team. Even if it sucks big time and I walk after three months I can put “Microsoft” and a shipped next-gen title on my resume. Also, I won’t have to eat Ramen noodles for the rest of the year!
I’m pretty psyched. I love working on games. After this, it should be easier to get bigger and better positions with more room for creative input. I’m kind of nervous about how my skills will stand up in a professional studio, but at the same time I know that they hired me because I can do the job. I’ve just got to bust my ass and do it!
I think that it is extremely great that you got a contract job with Microsoft. A couple of friends of mine at the university are in the Gaming Design Program (various degrees, and it’s sad they hardly work together) but they have told me about how hard it would be to get jobs once out of college (of course, it’s a little harder for them in Southern Ohio, but they plan on moving once graduated…)
Welcome to the game industry! Testing is hard- hell, I hate it- but it’s a good way to get your foot in the door. Expect a LOT of overtime- but since you’re contract, you’ll actually get paid for it, right?
Yeah I went to school in Philadelphia, but there are only a couple game developers out there. Me and a couple friends relocated to Seattle mainly because it’s a major hub for game dev.
And remember that a lot of CSG positions at Microsoft can be treated as extended job interviews for a blue-badge job. Maybe not a short-term 3 month contract, but success at that contract makes it much easier to get another contract position. The thing about games is that most of the developers and testers don’t have any more work to do once the game ships. For PC titles some people can continue on for the patches, but most have to find another project. But this means lots of churn…so you’re not likely to be hired full-time by the same team you did contractor work for, but by another team.
Boy, that’s gotta be nice. I sure could’ve used time-and-a-half during last year’s crunch.
Huh… you and I will probably have at least one friend in common once you get to know people there- my old boss is a producer there, but I’m not sure what game she’s working on currently.
Anyway, excellent job. I’ve been trying to get in and haven’t been able to yet. do you have any tips, or suggestions? I’ve been doing some development on a long term game project in my free time, but it’s a slow process as not all of the other developers have as much free time to work on it as I do.
Well, mostly I just applied to any and every game company I could find in Seattle. I think I’ve got a pretty good demo reel and portfolio for being right out of college, so that helps. In one case I got an interview due to a fortuitous personal connection, but I didn’t end up getting that position.
The advice that I’ve heard and taken to heart is to pick a specific strength of yours to market yourself (i.e. artist, designer, engineer) and concentrate your reel or resume on that strength. Also I’ve heard quality is preferred over quantity in regards to reels and portfolios, so drop anything that doesn’t cut the mustard. Then I guess just apply to everything, even jobs you don’t think you’re entirely qualified for (i.e. not as much experience as they say they require). Anyway, that’s all just stuff I’ve heard and used, I’m obviously no expert. Good luck!
For those who are interested, I work at Cryptic Studios (makers of City of Heroes/Villains, now working on the upcoming Marvel Universe Online), and we’re hiring like mad. And it’s a great company, incredibly well run by smart decent people.
I’ve taken classes and taught myself programming languages since high school. I started with QBASIC then moved onto BASIC, PASCAL, and C++. Around that time I got into graphics and realized that that was what I was good at, so programming became more of a hobby. I also ended up learning Actionscript for Flash and a handful of scripting languages later on.
I went to Drexel University in Philadelphia where I majored in Digital Media. The focus was web design and 3D graphics (although I took some programming classes too). During my junior year the program started adding gaming classes to the curriculum, and after I took the first class, I fell in love with making games. I’ve programmed games, designed them, created the artwork for them, and even managed a small team (shudder). I chose art as my route into the game industry because that’s where I’m strongest.
Console games are usually created on a PC using a special SDK (Software Development Kit) that is liscensed to the developer from the console manufacturer, and then it is transferred to the console. Modern games are based on game engines, which are like frameworks for graphics, physics, AI, etc. There are many free or cheap game engines available to anyone who wants to try making games. These can be fun and easy to start with because you can get pretty good results pretty easily. I’d recommend checking out Torque and playing around.
Using a game engine the team can then program the game mechanics and behaviors on a much higher level using scripting languages without worrying about things like memory allocation. These scripting languages are usually simpler to learn than C++, but are also very similar in logic and syntax. Some programmers in game development work on the nitty-gritty level and do things like write the game engine, tweak an existing game engine to do specific things, and create proprietary tools for the team to use. Other programmers (or sometimes designers) create the actual game behavior using the scripting language. I personally can handle the latter but not the former.
A note about programming languages: once you’ve become fluent in one and understand the theory behind programming logic, learning new languages becomes almost trivial. It’s just a matter of learning a new language’s key words (“vocabulary”) and syntax (“grammar”).
I didn’t particularly want to work on the Xbox or even consoles. I applied to every game developer I could, and I would have happily worked on Xbox 360 games, PC games, or even handheld games. I’m entry-level so I can’t afford to be too picky.
As far as creating the storyline for a game, as far as I know that’s usually handled by a game designer or a writer. There are entry-level design positions, but I think it’s mostly level design. As you work your way up the designer ladder you start to work on higher-level parts of the game (i.e. game mechanics, overall story, etc.) Also like I said, some companies hire writers specifically to flesh out plot or dialogue.
Like I said in a previous post, once it comes time to market yourself to employers you’ll want to know what kind of position you want (i.e. programmer, artist, or designer). If you end up going to a school that teaches game development specifically as a program, you’ll probably be exposed to almost every discipline involved in game development, and that should help you figure out exactly what aspect you’re interested in.
Hope this helps some. Keep in mind I’m just starting out, so take this info with a grain of salt. Maybe some of the veteran game dev Dopers will swoop in and correct or elaborate. Anyway, best of luck!
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