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By Posted in Culture 6 Comments

[Graphic] Periodic Table of Video Games, by Jason W. Bay, GameIndustryCareerGuide.com
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Have you ever had an awesome idea rattling loudly around inside your head for months, or even years, but for some reason you can’t bring yourself to start? I’ve had this idea for years to make a poster of all the best games ever made. It would be organized like a periodic table of elements, grouped by genre, with each game’s release date instead of atomic weight.

It would be an incredible (and incredibly geeky!) conversation piece. My friends and I could debate about which games made the cut and how they were organized into which genres, and get excited about which games were our favorites from childhood (or, ahem, college). It would spark so many great memories–I couldn’t think of a better way to explain my life-long love of games with the people around me.

Well guess what? This year, I finally started making it… and today, I finally finished it! Gimme a high-five! Read more »

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By Posted in Applying, Careers 25 Comments
Which game companies make hit games AND treat employees well?

Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry, and the largest companies are home to thousands of employees. If you’re looking for work as a game developer, you might be planning to start by applying at the companies that make your favorite games.

But when it comes to your job search, making hit games isn’t all you should care about. Are those companies great places to work? Do they treat their employees well? Do they care about their impact on the environment and on the World? Will they still be around in 10 years, or are they on a downward slope to mass layoffs and bankruptcy?
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By Posted in Careers No Comments
For game developers, job burnout can be a real risk.

So you’ve been working extra hours lately — a lot of extra hours, actually — trying hard to finish and launch your new game. You’re living the dream, building a game you love, working with a team of people you adore… so why do you feel so anxious? Why are you having trouble sleeping at night? Why do you feel so irritable with your friends, your family, and yourself?

This feeling has a name: it’s called burnout. To some, burnout is the game industry’s dirty little secret. Driven by a deep passion to create the best game under seemingly-impossible deadlines, the hours can get long and, for some developers, burnout can become a real risk.

Fortunately, burnout is easy to spot if you know how to read the signs. And once you spot it, there are simple steps to pull out of the nosedive and get back to a happy place before you rage-quit. In this article, professional job coach Edward Mellett teaches you how to spot burnout, and offers advice on how to get things back under control. Read more »

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By Posted in Podcast, Tools No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Jesse, who asks “My biggest question is how does the game industry adapt to new technologies?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why the game industry has a love-hate relationship with new technology
  • How a game studio gets their hands on prototype hardware of pre-relase consoles
  • Why it takes years for game developers get the hang of “new” technology, and how they do it

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By Posted in Careers, Podcast No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Anthony, who asks “One concern I have is, what if being a game designer makes me hate gaming? A friend of mine said that he has talked to developers and they have told him that it’s like eating your favorite food 20 times a day. Is that true?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How “crunch time” can affect your interest in games
  • Why I went for several months without wanting to playing games, and how I got over it
  • How learning to make games can actually increase your love for gaming

Read more »

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By Posted in Careers, Podcast No Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Hy N., who asked “I am good in math, I love coding, and I have a strong passion for gaming. So I think being a game programmer fits the best for me. I want to know, What are the disadvantages? I found out that programmers have to sit in front of a computer all day, that really scares me. Any advice for me?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How “knowledge work” is fundamentally different from other jobs
  • Why game programming is a bit less… social than other game jobs
  • How to tell whether you’ll be cool with game programming, or whether it will drive you crazy

Read more »

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By Posted in Podcast 11 Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Ahkanu who asks, “I’ve come upon a lot of upsetting articles about the game testing jobs that are out there. They state how badly people get treated at work, are shown low respect, and have their contracts terminated or not extended for unacceptable reasons. How many of these negative views of the business are true, and can you give me an honest answer about the bad side of the life of a game tester?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why some game testing jobs are great, and why others are kinda terrible
  • How you can specifically avoid the drawbacks that other testers have to deal with every day
  • Why game testing is a rewarding job and a great way to start your career in games

Read more »

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By Posted in Careers No Comments
A game programmer commits code from a pleasant, grassy field
When you work remotely, you could commit code from a grassy field and no one would ever know.

Gene Walters had his dream job: programming graphics and special effects for video games. What could be better?

Well, how about this: Programming graphics for video games… from home? No frustrating morning commute. No clatter and distraction of a hectic game studio. No need to slip out of your comfy pajamas. Doesn’t that sound even more perfect than perfect?

When Gene made the leap from an in-studio programmer to an at-home programmer, it was the solution to many problems – but it also caused new ones he didn’t expect. We’re speaking with him today to learn how he launched his at-home video game career, how he wrangles the ups and downs of remote employment… and why he might give it all up, if given the chance. Read more »

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By Posted in Careers No Comments
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Women in game development fight “a battle on two fronts.” How can you become part of the solution?

Last month, I opened an email sent to me by an aspiring video game developer named Esther. She was just starting on her degree in Game Art, but something was troubling her – she’d watched a documentary about women in the game industry, and many of them said their work was valued less than equivalent work done by male teammates.

So Esther had written to ask me about equality: “Have you ever seen a woman having more problems finding a job or being appreciated for her work? Have you ever noticed that a gender inequality exists in the game industry?” Read more »

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By Posted in Podcast 29 Comments

In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Mpho S., who asks, “The main thing I’m worried about when it comes to considering a career in gaming, is wondering what a day to day cycle looks like. What is a typical day as a game developer?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • What a typical day is like for a video game developer
  • The common stereotypes of a game development studio
  • Where the common stereotypes come from, and why even the bad ones have a grain of truth

Read more »

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