Seen several threads over a period of time asking about how to break into the gaming industry. There are several ways about going about this however ultimately it comes down to a set of a couple of questions. Answering these questions can be tricky and finding a way to fulfill your desire to get into the industry can be even trickier. However planning ahead can help you achieve your goal and doing research on the subject is the best way to go about it. Here's some info i've gleamed from trying to get into the industry myself when there were lots of opportunities.

First thing to do is decide exactly what you want to do in the gaming industry. Many people say they want to be a "Game Designer" well that can be be an EXTREMELY broad term to go by at times. Game Designers can do a variety of things and usually have harsh requirements put on them. However that isn't to say the position of "Game Designer" doesn't exist in the gaming industry. The best place to start is looking at 1 of 3 areas of Programming, Art, and/or Sound for an appropriate career choice.

Here's a short list of some of the sub categories within those 3 primary areas:

Programming

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  
• Dynamic Environments
  
• Graphics
  
• Database (For Online Games)
  
• Online Coder

Art

• Level Design
  
• Character Design
  
• Item Design (weapons, armor, consumables, etc... including 2d and 3d models)
  
• Model Design
  
• Animation

Sound

• Sound Effects
  
• Voice Overs
  
• Music
  
• Ambient Sound

Once you decide what to do it's best to start looking at job opportunities to see what they require from applicants. Programming, Sound and Artistry will all have broad varying requirements with a few "key crucial" areas. About 75% of the programming jobs that I have seen what 2 to 3 years of programming experience with a specific language or comparable language (C, C++, Java, Pearl, etc...) with a possible BA in computer sciences. It's always best to go to look up atleast 7 to 10 different jobs at several companies to get a general idea of what they are searching for in applicants. Some job listings are self explanatory wanting a "Senior" position filled or just a regular position filled.

For those looking for a bit more help I HIGHLY recommend the http://www.gamasutra.com/ website. I subscribed to this site after attending the 2007 Game Developer Convention (GDC) to help get me some insight as to where to go in the gaming industry. It has several useful hints as to where to go, who to talk to, and what to look at in the gaming industry with several useful links. Here's a link to the http://www.gamasutra.com/jobs/ listings of various companies and developers out there looking for people.



Second thing many people talk about or ask about are schools specifically designed for teaching people about the gaming industry. It's been close to 4 years since I talked to developers about this subject however the impression I got is these schools are fine however learning from a regular institution leaves you more flexible. Sad fact of reality is you might not be able to get into the gaming industry or it may take some time. If you leave yourself flexible learning about say C++ getting a BA in computer science you have a much better chance at a temporary job till you get into the industry opposed to just having gaming knowledge. When it comes down to it don't hesitate to contact the company that you are looking at for a job asking them questions.

For those that want to be truly professional think about your resume and business cards early. It was during a small convention at GDC that a professional told everyone in the room Keep It Simple when it comes to your card. Have your name, contact info and then if you like a boarder with a small image don't make things too glitzy on your card. With your resume you want a straight forward setup like you would see when applying for any other job. From what i've seen, experienced and been told a business card can tell an employer quite a bit about a person along with their resume.


The third and final thing I will talk about is actually going into the industry. Many including myself have fallen prey to the belief that we could get right to our jobs of Level Designing, Programming, etc... even entry level positions by just having our experience. Really this just doesn't happen and often you will be looking at QA testing as your first start in the gaming industry. This is really what gets you in the door because you get to know people in the industry and through this job can get into other areas. I don't have it on hand at the moment however there is a company out there that specializes in finding people QA positions within the gaming industry.

One thing that you might have to expect is to move to reach an area to do testing to get into the industry. Most jobs happen in Texas (Austin, Dallas), California, Washington State (see several jobs for Nintendo Here), and a few scattered state jobs dependent upon the company. Having familiarity with QA testing with public/private betas does get you noticed however I am unsure if it helps out your chances Talked to a lady at the Midway booth during GDC and mentioned to her I was familiar with the Non-Disclosure Agreement which got me some attention. Some QA positions will want you to have prior experience as a tester sometimes required experience just as a final mention.



Hopefully this will give some people info and help them out putting them on the right path for their fav job. I'll update this main area when I get more information to make it more streamlined.

Wow. Thanks so much for the info!! I really needed it!

Do you have in mind any good universities, either in the UK or the US that teach such stuff?

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/01/13/road-to-skyrim-the-todd-howard-interview.aspx
It's basically how Todd Howard got into the industry and it's very interesting to watch.

https://jobs.ea.com/roles/

Really helpful, they talk about each role.. and if you have more time to check the rest they provide A LOT of info!

Really the best thing I can say is look at what you want to do then start looking at colleges and universities seeing what they teach. As mentioned about 75% of the programming jobs i've seen ranging from programming tools to Senior Graphics Programmer want a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Sciences with atleast 2 to 3 years of programming. I'll update the top with some info about going to an interview, but if you are an artist you will be expected 100% to have a portfolio of your work. Programmers are tricky but if you've made little sample games or can provide sample work of your coding they will take a look at it.

Couldn't really say what universities or colleges have good courses and curriculum comparing one to another.

http://www.port.ac.uk/courses/coursetypes/undergraduate/BScHonsComputerGamesTechnology/

http://www.futureworks.co.uk/diploma-game-development.html

Would do you think about these one?

I like it that they start with a general overview and then branch off the second year, so they introduce you to everything and this way it's much easier to see what you're good/bad at...


The only problem is that I want to study in the US, not in the UK... but universities there are really really expensive and the chances of me getting Financial Aid are slim...
So the chances that I'd work in the US are very slim too :/ Or is there still a chance of someone who worked/studied outside of the US get a job in the US?

Much of that falls under concept art.
And level design is more for Designers than artists. Artists just model those assest what are needed to build levels. And design part is done by other people who specialize to level design.

I am more interested in the (imho) more important question of what it is like to work at most games companies. For example working (as a programmer) at Rockstar North is apparently hellish (I only know about Rockstar north given my proximity to their offices)

Well I prefer first-hand evidence from an actual worker...

I hope I didn't give the impression that I was replying to you.

I'm sorry I didn't mean to sound offensive :/

The only problem I heard is that you don't get paid for working overtime, even though its required of you to do that to finish your part in the game before the due dates.

http://jobs.zenimax.com/

What's interesting to note are job listings like http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/viewjobrss.asp?cjid=27432&accountno=351 Those are the kind that one might jump at. They don't need someone with experience, they don't need someone with a prior job or prior work on ANY engine. They JUST want someone who knows good C++ skills and OOP skills. That's the kind of job that can get you into the industry if you can get your foot in the door and also show them that you know your stuff and keep pestering them.

Yup those jobs are so few and far between however when they come up they can be considered honey pots. When I was trying to go for a level designer position I found one of the "Honey Pot" position at the studio that made Quake 4 *Think it was Raven Soft/Raven Studios*. They wanted a person for an entry level position with moderate knowledge of level design and had ideas/concepts dealing with flow through, architecture, etc... . Knew about the concepts and all from using hammer to design my own maps however I didn't get the position.



Personally if it were me I would stay away from diplomas/colleges specifically designed for game programming. While these are quite nice and courses are more robust than they were 4 years ago it can still limit your abilities. Now if they offer a small course in game design and you get a degree in Computer Science with a programming language then that might be useful. Right now the biggest problem is the economy throughout the world is suffering and that means the gaming industry isn't what it used to be. I've followed gaming careers as well as looking at investment opportunities and have seen how "Quarterly Profits" for companies like EA are tricky at best.

These profits can translate to laying off employees, downsizing, eliminating jobs that have been posted, etc... . If you have a diploma specifically for creating games it make it hard to get a job. However if you have a diploma in computer sciences with a background in say C++ as a programming language you can get a job to tide you over. This way you can replenish your monetary pool and then if a position opens up in the gaming field you can try to apply for it. Biggest thing i've learned is its about biding your time then striking trying to get that job and if it doesn't work out having to move onto the next possible job.

One thing I forgot to mention about QA positions is that they can vary greatly and 95% of them are temporary jobs done by local people. This is what made it really hard for me to try to get into the industry since i'm far away from most jobs. Closest area to me is Orlando which is a 2hr drive to and from a possible work which wouldn't be great (Office for Electronic Arts).


I'm tempted to grab some links from different companies to post up however i'm not sure if the mods would allow that or not since it might be considered advertising.

What about studying Level Design? or Motion Capture and CGI?

And does level design require really good art skills or are you just well, build the levels from stuff you get from the 3D artists?

You forgot to include the business category. You know, the one full of MBAs that decide what platforms a game goes on, what draconian DRMs are included, and what marketing schemes to use.

Oftentimes the level designers are also capable of 3D modelling and/or texturing, and will either build their levels up from scratch or tweak the models they do get to best fit into the environment. Either that, or they'll have the programming know-how to script events within that level. Point being, they're usually doing more than just playing with lego pieces.

Though, beyond that, generalized art skills are useful for a whole bunch of things that relate to aesthetics in the final product. Things like focal points, contrast, clutter, pathing, lighting, and visual story clues all come into play in level design... And some of those things can indeed be taught.

But what should I study if I want to go into that?

I omitted the Business category due to a few factors. The primary factor is I really don't know enough about that field to talk about it and felt it best to leave it out opposed to half-ass talking about it. Second reason is with the business side of things while it can be considered part of the "Game Development" phase personally I just see it as corporate management position. These positions can be filled with anyone that doesn't have a background in gaming or doesn't even like gaming.



Level design is a whole different beast than programming and can require a person that has an innate talent for artistry. Even though a person maybe a great artist they could be shot down when applying for a job due to a lack of creativity. Motion Capture is a field I haven't truly explored and don't know where it might fit in. I can only surmise it might fit into model area since model designers/animators will take that data in then convert it to a working armature in 3D space.

With level design it requires more intuitive knowledge then simply "Building" a level.

Having played around with hammer, Maya, and Fallout's GECK program it really takes some finesse to get into the level design field. There are also different areas of level design which some may do all of them or focus on 1 specific one. While I was practicing with Hammer one thing I became adept at was optimizing levels where I would have to find points within a world that would cause unneeded hindrance on a processor. Other artists may focus on AI pathing to ensure smooth streamlined effects which is where I had ease of use in the GECK.


Best thing I can suggest Magico is going to the Gamasutra website and seeing what each profession does. After you find one you like try to delve into it seeing what jobs similar to that profession do as well as what they require when applying for the job.

What about writing and story-telling? Are writers part of the development team?

Art design of environment, and items.

Would love to try out my idea of some kind of medieval/western feel of a post apocalyptic world.