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

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Kit, who asks “I live in a state where there is no real game development work around, which puts me in a pickle because when I graduate I will have a degree but nowhere to use it. I already know that my best bet is to move to another state like Washington, but how does someone like me who will be new to the industry land that first job when migration cost has to be a factor? I’ve heard that some companies will help with this if they really want you to work with them, but I will not have a reputation at this point so I don’t see that happening. Do you have any suggestions?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why you shouldn’t move until you’ve signed an offer
  • Why game studios might pay you big bucks to relocate, even without experience
  • The 2 most effective ways to ask – and get – free money to pay for relocation

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Derek, who asks “I’m interested in both game programming and general game design, my talents lying mostly with programming. Do game programmers often get much input in the game design outside of simply how the game functions? I assume this would largely depend on the size of the team. But I’m just wondering if it’s likely I’ll get to participate in both areas.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • How team size influences programmer input to game design
  • Why your choice of subject matter expertise affects your design influence
  • The #1 most impactful way to ensure you get your say in a game’s design

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Dylan, who asks “I want to use Game Designer as a career path and I was wondering if being a game programmer would help with that?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why programming is at the heart of every game project
  • 3 reasons why programming will help your game design career
  • How to stand out from the crowd when you apply for your first game design job

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Danielle, who asks “I’m looking to go into Game Design. Do you have a suggestion for the best laptop to use? What are some of the requirements a Game Designer would want in a computer?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why your choice of computer depends on your software
  • How to find out what type computer is needed for each game engine
  • How to make an informed choice for the best performance while you design games

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Mihai, who asks “I have a question regarding game art colleges. I’ve watched Marc Brunet and other artist’s videos and they strongly advised us not to attend any colleges as long as our portfolio is as strong as the Industry demands. Would you recommend attending a game art college if I already have a game studio quality portfolio?”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Whether you can get a job as a game artist without a degree
  • Why an art degree doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a job… or that you’ll be a good artist
  • How to get real, candid feedback on your art skills

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Andrew, who asks “Hello, I’m in 8th grade and I was wondering if USC was a good school to go to for video game design. I have heard good things about it.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why “the best” school may not be the best for you
  • The 4 key questions to ask yourself about each school you consider
  • A little-known way to find out how successful a school’s students really are

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In this episode of Game Industry Career Guide Podcast, I answer a question from Robert, who asks “I’m in high school and I was wanting to know how long you have to be in college to become a Lead Game Designer? So I was wondering if you could give me information on this career and the path to take.”

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why you’ll get conflicting opinions on this question
  • Which fields were studied by today’s top game designers
  • How long you should go to school for game design degrees

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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

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