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This is the first episode of my new Game Industry Career Guide Podcast. I answer a question from Michael M., who asks “I’ve wanted to become a video game designer for awhile but I also wanted to be able to do everything else like art and programming. How hard would it be to do that, if it’s even possible at all?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why working with a team to make a video game is better than going it alone
  • Why the best game designers also know about game programming and game art
  • Which classes you can take in high school to give yourself a head start on becoming a game designer

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By Posted in Resume 1 Comment
This article is part of our Video Game Job Hunt Guide. Read the full guide to learn how to write a strong resume, build a winning portfolio, ace your job interviews and more.
Screen shot from Particle + Noise shader demo, Brandon Fogerty
A graphical programming portfolio can make your resume mesmerizing.

If you’re searching for a job in the video game industry, it’s important to have an online portfolio to showcase your work. That might be easy for artists that already work in a pixel-based medium – but how can video game programmers make their code into something visually appealing that looks great on a web page? Read more »

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By Posted in Careers No Comments
This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Portrait of Brandon Fogerty, Video Game Graphics Programmer
How does Brandon get coders and artists working together to make breathtaking graphics?

Meet Brandon Fogerty, Video Game Graphics Programmer

Brandon has been engineering interactive 3D graphics since 2006. From his early days programming avatars for clients like Motorola and NASA, to his recent cutting-edge games for Nintendo 3DS and smart phones, Brandon has been pushing the boundaries of 3D hardware for nearly a decade.

We’re speaking with him today to find out what it’s like to code professional 3D graphics, how to work successfully with artists and designers on a game team, and how you can start your own career as a Video Game Graphics Programmer.
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By Posted in Careers 19 Comments
This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Bill Schneider, Video Game Tester
“Game testing can be an incredibly fulfilling career.”

Meet Bill Schneider, Video Game QA Tester

Of all the jobs in the game industry, testing video games might be the one that gamers around the world dream about most. Today we’re talking with a guy who’s not only tested games on just about every platform, but he’s also turned the job into a rich and rewarding career.

Bill Schneider has worked as a game tester for over a decade, and you can see his name in the credits of over 40 shipped titles – everything from Harry Potter to The Sims, and from Bejeweled to Assassin’s creed. Let’s find out how his career has taken him from a front-line game tester, to a manager and leader of entire testing teams at major game studios. Read more »

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By Posted in Podcast 10 Comments

Welcome to the Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, where I answer your questions about getting a job, and building your career making video games.

You can listen to the podcasts from this page, or you can subscribe using the links below:

If you like the show, please return the favor by leaving me a review on iTunes by clicking here. It will help the show rank higher in search, so more people can find it. Thank you so much for listening!

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By Posted in Careers 2 Comments
This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Big Data isn't just a buzzword - it makes games more fun.
Diana analyzes data from millions of players to make games more fun

Meet Diana Hsu, Video Game Product Manager

Of all the jobs in games, the Product Manager might be the newest. Forged in the rising popularity of online and free-to-play games, Diana Hsu is among the first generation of “digital native” product managers: She’s shipped several titles in her career, none of them boxed products, all of them online 24×7.

And it’s exactly that “always online” nature of modern games that enables the Product Manager to work her magic. Always online means there’s always a stream of big data coming in from millions of players – and somebody has to make sense of it all. Somebody who can filter the data through a rare mix of talent in game design, human factors, psychology, and economics, and use it to improve the live game. That person is Diana Hsu.

We’re talking to Diana today to learn how she got started, what she does at her job every day, and find out whether being a Product Manager in video games might be a good job for you. Read more »

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By Posted in Schools 3 Comments
Graduation hat in a grassy field
What can college teach you, that you can’t learn on your own?

I recently got this question from Jim, regarding his son’s game development career:

“My son is a freshman at a university with one of the Top 10 video game programming curriculums in the US according to Princeton Review Magazine. He says that he wants to drop out and self-teach himself to be a video game programer. I totally disagree with dropping out of college. What do you think?”

I don’t know Jim and I don’t know his son. But this question resonated with me in a big way. Not only because his son is about to make an important life decision that will tangibly impact his future. But also because I, myself, dropped out of school during my 3rd year of college and have been reflecting on that decision ever since. (That was back in 1995, so I’ve had ample time to think it over.)

So here are my thoughts on whether Jim’s son (or anybody else – maybe even you?) should or should not drop out of college and “go it alone” before starting a career as a professional game developer.Read more »

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By Posted in Careers 40 Comments
This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Brian Schmidt, Video Game Music Composer
What could you learn about game audio from a guy who’s shipped over 130 games?

Meet Brian Schmidt, Video Game Music Composer

You’d be hard pressed to find a more accomplished composer in the history of the video game industry, than Brian Schmidt. Brian has been making game audio for nearly 30 years, and his credits include music, audio, and sound effects for well over a hundred shipped titles. He’s worked on top franchises like The Walking Dead, Madden NFL, BattleTech and more.

As if that didn’t keep him busy enough, he also runs a premier annual game music and sound design conference, GameSoundCon, and has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Game Audio Network Guild.

You can learn from this guy. We’re speaking with Brian today to find out how he got into games, what he does at his job, and which skills and talents it takes to succeed as a video game music composer.Read more »

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By Posted in Careers 2 Comments
This article is part of the Video Game Developer Salary series. See the annual pay for all video game jobs here.
Game sound designer works a mixing board
When it comes to game audio, the toughest part might be landing the gig.

Table of Contents

  1. Game Audio salary: Overview
  2. Game Audio salary: Factors
  3. Search for Game Audio jobs
  4. Game Audio salary: Details
  5. Other factors that affect Audio salary
  6. Demand for Game Audio
  7. Should I become a Game Audio Engineer?

Of all the jobs in the video game industry, the audio engineer might be the most rare – there are significantly fewer audio jobs, compared to most any other role. Why? Partly because it’s common to have a single audio engineer to handle all the game projects for a studio. In fact, many studios don’t employ full-time audio staff at all – they contract their audio work to external freelancers.

But even freelance audio engineers can be paid very well compared to other game jobs. How much do video game audio engineers make? And how much could you make as an audio engineer?
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By Posted in Careers 8 Comments
This is one of more than 30 interviews with professional game developers. For more, visit Which game job is right for you?.
Profile photo of Brian Gish, tools programmer
“You have to prove you’re passionate about the games industry.”

Meet Brian Gish, Video Game Tools Programmer

Brian Gish has been programming video games for a decade, but not in the way you might think. He’s more of a “behind the scenes” coder. It’s Brian’s code that enables the artists, designers, and game programmers to do their jobs quickly and efficiently – and that means players get more game, and better game, for their buck. Brian is a Tools Programmer.

Today we’re talking to Brian about his experience in this little-known but critically important job. We’ll find out how he got started, why he loves it – and why you might, too.Read more »

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