So How Do You Start Making Games?
I have been some questions recently by a few people that I wanted to take a stab at answering. They basically boil down to this: How did you get started making games? How can I get started making games? How did you get a job in the videogame industry? And How Can I get a job in the videogame industry?

I'll answer the easiest and the toughest question first, though I'm afraid I might not have much of a useful answers. I'll answer the other two in a blog entry. This one will be about getting a job in the game business.

How did I get a job in the videogame industry? Preparation met with opportunity. I'd been writing little games while in college in my spare time. They weren't complete and syllable (that would have been a big plus), but they did show off some of my capabilities. I think the game that won me a job with Singletrac was this game I'd made for my networking class - a two-player 3D game called "Armorena" which really, really, REALLY sucked. It worked for the class because it was playable over the network. It worked for my job interview because of that, and because it showed that I did know how to do 3D graphics. Back in those days, you had to do the rasterization yourself (no such thing as 3D cards or DirectX), and I had flat-shaded, untextured, blocky polygons on tanks.

I'd also made a really crappy fighting game, and a conquer-the-world style strategy game that was incredibly incomplete and barely showable (but had a semi-nice interface with things like translucent windows). I also had a little Cyberpunk-style adventure / shooter game that I'm still pretty proud of. THAT one got me a job offer from another game company.

SingleTrac was also interested in my work in AI in college - making a game of Go that competed against other students' programs, for example. As I understand it, they hired me because of my experience programming games on the PC (there were plans to release both console and PC versions of our games), my experience with Artificial Intelligence, and the fact that I was well versed in so many games. SingleTrac was long on experienced engineers with extensive knowledge of developing 3D applications (mostly high-end simulators), but they had weaknesses in those areas where I had at least a small amount of experience.

My first day on the job I asked my boss about the plans for the PC versions of the games - for example, what graphics mode we'd be supporting (this was still the bad ol' DOS days... Windows 95 was barely on the horizon), and what our minimum machine spec was. He looked at me and said, "We want you to tell us." *GULP* No pressure!

I ended up working on the Playstation anyway, and more guys were hired to handle the PC end of things. Lucky me!

A lot of things have changed since then. But the basics of getting a job with a game studio (or any other professional career, for that matter) come down to the same things. It's not so much a matter of how cool you are, or what kind of amazing demos you have created. It's whether you fulfill a need (or multiple needs) that the company currently has. You may be an absolutely amazing 3D engine programmer --- but if the company already has more amazing 3D engine programmers than it really needs, they probably won't hire you. If they are looking for a junior programmer who has some experience doing UI programming, they'll take the UI dude.

In my case, the staff they had was overtaxed as it was, and they needed SOMEONE to take those jobs. I had some minimum understanding of what needed to be done, I apparently came off as being somewhat professional and easy to work with, and I was cheap.

In the end, I didn't end up doing quite what they hired me for. It turns out I had a good eye for game balance and crafting special effects algorithms to make things look visually cool and still play well. So they had me doing that sort of thing much of the time I was there.

The first trick is getting the interview, and I don't know if there are any magic incantations that can help you there. The best trick I can tell you is to customize your resume' to emphasize the elements that match the job description that they are advertising for. If they are looking for a DirectX programmer, it doesn't hurt to mention your mastery of OpenGL, but that should take second billing behind what you've done in DirectX. Assume that your resume' is going on a "slush pile" filtered out by a Human Resources person who doesn't know a pixel from a potato. They are scanning for keywords, and if you have one DirectX reference buried inside a bunch of stuff detailing what an OpenGL wizard you are, your resume may never get forwarded to the head of product development who will actually understand that all that OpenGL experience makes you a Well-Rounded Graphics Guru.

Do your homework on the company. Find out what kind of games they make. If you've cultivated any industry contacts, see if you can locate some friend-of-a-friend who works there who can tell you more about what the company is like, what they are working on (the industry is very secretive, so don't expect many details on this), and what sort of skills they are looking for.

Don't ever lie on the resume'. Not ever. The games industry is actually kinda small and inbred, and that kind of thing can poison your career permanently before it has even begun.

Once you get an interview, you are on your own. Hopefully you know your subject matter, and have developed some real people-skills when you weren't in front of your flat-screen. From my experience being on both sides of the interview in the games industry and in business app side of the fence, the folks interviewing you are trying to determine a handful of things:

#1 - How competent are you, REALLY? How well does what you have on your resume' really describe your abilities? Would you really be comfortable and capable if they threw you into the position you are interviewing for?

#2 - How professional are you? If you are given an assignment, would they need to babysit you on it the whole time, or would you be pro-active, disciplined, and effective at getting it done on time in a satisfactory manner?

#3 - How well would you fit in with the rest of the team? Would your skills, style, sense of humor, etc. fit in or compliment their own? Or would your mere presence drive the morale of the rest of the team down into the toilet? Do you communicate well in a team environment?

Okay - and maybe the last bit. SHOULD you go to work for one of these big, soulless publishers that I occasionally rant about on this site? Absolutely. I learned a TON during those six years that I'd have never figured out doing it on my own. I was taught by guys who were REALLY smart and knew their stuff inside and out. I was able to be in on the process of designing, developing, and actually releasing a game, and all the stages and challenges and dangers that go along with it. I learned the lingo, gained contacts and friendships that I still maintain, and picked up a lot of stories along the way.

It's a Good Thing. Good luck!
- posted by The Rampant Coyote @ 1:03 PM (Permalink)