“So You Want To Make Video Games…” Sponsored by the Career Development Center

1. “So You Want To Make Video Games…” Sponsored by the Career Development Center Press Start to Continue

2. /40 40 Jerri Dwyer Angela Williams J. Freer Chris Allen Special Thanks Also: Beckye Clark, Gassan Soukaev,and all those in the industry who answered my questions

3. /40 39 Welcome Quentin Rezin B. A. in Computer Science Game Developer’s Conference ’04, ’06 Gamer since Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! Favorite games: Legacy of Kain, Jak II, Oni, Septerra Core

4. /40 38 What You Will Learn How to get a job in the game industry What a typical day in the industry is like Where to go for a graduate degree What you can do right now

5. /40 37 Major Locations Los Angeles, CA San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Austin, TX

6. /40 36 Studio Structure Small Studio Large Studio 10~100 employees Everyone works in teams Generally a casual work environment Sometimes a strict hierarchy, sometimes not

7. /40 35 Publisher vs. Developer Developer: a company that makes software under contract for a publisher. 1st / 3rd party Producer: creates the physical products, handles marketing and customer service Initial idea Choose developer Create design document Budget & schedule Create prototypes Greenlight and production

8. /40 34 Game Designer Level designer, feature designer, AI scripter, interface designer, writer Writes design documents Skills and courses: written and oral communication, creative writing, art, history, sciences, literature, music

9. /40 33 Programmer Engine programmer, tool programmer, AI programmer, technical artist Writes code Skills and courses: C, C++, Assembly, Java, trigonometry, calculus, physics

10. /40 32 Game Artist Concept artist, character modeler or animator, texture or background artist Creates art assets Skills and courses: digital painting, sketching, graphic design, 3D modeling or animation Maya, 3D Studio Max, Photoshop, Flash

11. /40 31 Sound Designer Sound designer, sound engineer, composer Creates sound and music assets Generally work on multiple projects Skills and courses: self – educated learn about MIDI, sampling / compression, Sound Forge, sequencers (i.e. Cakewalk), physics, math, formal logic, scripting

12. /40 30 Producer HR director, production coordinator, associate producer, marketer Creates schedules and milestones Works closely with marketers Skills and courses: written and oral communication, computer basics, mathematics, foreign languages

13. /40 29 Quality Assurance QA Tester Creates test plan, manages bug database Looks for crashes, typos, and other bugs Skills and courses: mad gaming skillz, written communication, computer basics, follow directions, remain focused Compatibility testing, customer service

14. /40 28 Common Career Paths QA Tester – Designer Associate Producer – Designer Technical artist – Graphic or concept artist Tools programmer – Engine or AI programmer Focus on one or two complementary skills

15. /40 27 Salaries Game designers are generally paid less than programmers. The average salary of a male designer is $53k Females comprise 9% of the design force. The average salary for female designers is $48k No overtime – only testers get overtime

16. /40 26 Salaries (entry vs. lead) Thousands of dollars per year Designer Programmer Artist Animator Producer Tester* Game Developer’s 4th Annual Salary Survey, 2005 Based on 2,091 responses

17. /40 25 A Typical Day Each employee is assigned to a particular project and will have numerous tasks in support of that. A 9- or 10-hour day is not uncommon Meetings are held as necessary, with one full-company meeting per month. A typical day is 8 hours and is flexible, as long as the employee is present during “core” hours Interview responses

18. /40 24 Common Misconceptions First and foremost it is a business Only 1 in 20 games breaks even, so companies rarely take a chance “It's hard and it's fun and it's rewarding and it's a pain…” -Feargus Urquhart Some industry vets hardly have time for playing games outside of work Interview responses

19. /40 23 Misconceptions NOBODY just sits around and plays games all days – not even testers Crunch periods can last anywhere from two to six months: 80~140 hour weeks 140 / 7 = 20 hours per day Quality-of-life reforms Cap’n “Crunch” Interview responses

20. /40 22 Misconceptions It’s been estimated that 1/3rd of entry-level developers burn out before they finish their first game Companies collapse every year Don’t let this scare you – just be sure you love making games if you want a career in this industry Interview responses

21. /40 21 Getting In The Catch-22 Overcoming the Catch-22 4-year degree or grad school Internships Preparation Persistence

22. /40 20 Graduate Programs Academy of Art University Al Collins College Art Center College of Design The Art Institute of California The Art Institute of Phoenix The Art Institute Online Art Institutes International Brooks College Brown College California Institute of the Arts Carnegie Mellon Boston University Collins College DeVry University DigiPen Institute of Technology Digital Media Arts College Ex'pression College for Digital Arts Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy The Game Institute The Guildhall at SMU iD Tech Camps International Academy of Design & Technology ITT Tech John Hopkins University Keiser College Miami International University of Art and Design Minnesota School of Business / Globe College Platt College Pratt Institute San Francisco State University Sanford-Brown College The School of Communication Arts University of Advancing Technology University of Southern California Vancouver Institute for Media Arts Westwood College Campus Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

23. /40 19 “Game Design” Schools

24. /40 18 Selected Classes

25. /40 17 Questions To Ask Schools Who sponsors the program? How long has the program existed? Placement rate? Hardware/software? Languages?

26. /40 16 Internships Microsoft, Redmond, WA / San Francisco, CA Electronic Arts, Redwood City, CA / Orlando, FL / Chicago, IL Buena Vista Games, Glendale, CA Many smaller companies Check websites

27. /40 15 Preparation Play games. Know your favorites and talk about them Beta test or write reviews Build levels in UnrealEd / Half-Life 2 Role-play, read, write, draw

28. /40 14 Preparation Get a four-year degree If you can afford a game degree, it can help Create game assets on your own Put successful experiments in your portfolio Artists: find ways to use your skills to earn some money www.sloperama.com

29. /40 13 Conferences Game Developers Conference (GDC), March www.gdconf.com Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), May www.e3expo.com Austin Game Conference, September www.gameconference.com/ www.womensgameconference.com/ www.otronicon.org/

30. /40 12 GDC Tips Research Prepare Talk Listen Get names and take notes Follow up

31. /40 11 Résumés First thing: what job you’re applying for Put the best stuff at the top Make sure everything’s relevant to the job Leave out negative experiences unless you overcame adversity Write a NEW cover letter for each application If you have samples, post them online

32. 10 /40 Portfolios ½ inch, 3-ring binder, sheet protectors Put the most striking material up front Just the best material (20 pages max) Put the material online Name, address, phone # on the cover Make a booklet to leave with interviewers www.sloperama.com

33. /40 09 Interviews Dress appropriately Prepare an introduction Keep the job description in mind Highlight your relevant skills SHOW ENTHUSIASM Have questions ready Ask about responsibilities, vacation / sick days

34. /40 08 Advice From The Industry Be willing to work super hard to prove your worth Be willing to be on a team in any capacity Remember that a lot of entry-level positions are not advertised, since there are a lot of people trying to get them Before the interview, ask what appropriate dress is Interview responses

35. /40 07 Advice From The Industry You can't afford to relax and let your guard down once you get a job. You have to both excel at your job and practice new skills in your spare time to continue building your portfolio www.planetquake.com

36. /40 06 www.sloperama.com You can’t get a job via email If you’re sending a resume by mail, don’t include samples unless you’ve contacted the recipient in advance and asked first Educate yourself about the company First and foremost, everyone wants hard- working, capable communicators

37. /40 05 www.sloperama.com After the interview: Send the thank-you letter within 24 hours of the interview. Show your follow-up skills Write to an individual. If you met multiple individuals, get their business cards so you have proper spellings and job titles Restate why you are a good candidate Spell check it

38. /40 04 The IGDA is working to improve the quality of life Works against government censorship / regulation Developed a curriculum for game schools Provides GDC scholarships to 25 college students Special Interest Groups (SIGs) AI, casual games, preservation, indies, mobile, online, sex in games, student, women, writers www.igda.org

39. 03 /40 Useful Sites www.gamejobs.com www.gamerecruiter.com www.gamasutra.com – development and jobs www.igja.org – game journalists www.sloperama.com – advice www.bluesnews.com – public betas www.fileplanet.com – public betas

40. 02 /40 Questions

41. 01 /40 One Last Thing May 5th, 12-4pm UofA Game Development Club Annual Game Fair Ozark Hall, Room 215 (CAST Lab) www.uagdc.webhop.org

42. GAME OVER Thank you for playing! Winners don’t do drugs QJREZIN@UARK.EDUWWW.GEOCITIES.COM/QJREZIN