Hey all,

my name is Dacre i'm currently in my second year studying computer science at the university of Bristol in the UK. I'm a keen programmer, of course, and my main interest is in real time rendering. I'm also a 3d art hobbyist when I need a break from programming!

I realise that the game development industry is super competitive and I've realised that if i'm going to get to where I want to be, I need a plan. This is why i'm posting here today, i'm hoping to gather some information about the industry to ensure I make an effective plan. I have made a few questions below, if you could answer any of these I would greatly appreciate it!

Hi Tom, thanks for the advice. It seems that I was a bit hasty is posting this before reading that section and there looks to be a lot of great content there.

If possible can I keep the thread alive to gather extra information and/or other opinions?

thanks, Dacre

Go read these articles, and consider your career options in general: http://kotaku.com/tag/video-game-layoff-stories

I realise that the game development industry is super competitive and I've realised that if i'm going to get to where I want to be, I need a plan.

And where do you want to be? Being able to effectively describe your career goals is an important part of being able to achieve them.

Hi josh, thank you for the response!

And where do you want to be? Being able to effectively describe your career goals is an important part of being able to achieve them.

The implication was that I want to work in the game industry, but thinking about it that is a very vague goal.

Yes, but it varied wildly from studio to studio. What is it specifically you're wondering about?

I suppose I probably shouldn't have phrased the question as I did, I maybe should have phrased it as "what is the application process for prospective game programmers like?". I'm curious about what stages there are in the process, do you get your programming knowledge tested? or do they gain an idea of your programming knowledge through your education/portfolio? Would the interview be one on one, or group interview? Also, is it likely that a prospective employee would have to attend multiple interviews/telephone interviews? I realise that it will significantly differ as you said, but any experiences or any info on the process would be awesome!

The industry has a deserved reputation for crunch. However, it is not necessary and you should not put up with it. Ever since my first job I have only ever worked in exceed of 40 hours a week on terms that were exclusively my own and by my own choice.

This is something that has always worried me, I fear that i'll get into a job that I love and then be taken for a ride! I suppose it is a case of putting my foot down at the start, although i'm sure I wouldn't have the gut to do so on my first job! Thanks for the advice and glad you don't have learned not to put up with it!

Practical work experience in the industry will generally be better than any sort of personal work experience, but both are valuable.

Unfortunately, it seems to take a pretty good portfolio to even get that experience. My portfolio is slowly but surely being built, last few years I have worked over the summer at a local web development company (which I do not have a massive passion for). I was thinking of taking the summer off work(by work I mean paid work) to really buff out my portfolio so that hopefully I can land a game development internship the following. What do you think of this? would further experience in a software development team not relevant to games be better than building a portfolio entirely based around games?

Thank you so much for the response, i really value your opinion! :)

Dacre

Go read these articles, and consider your career options in general: http://kotaku.com/tag/video-game-layoff-stories

Thanks for the warning but I really don't think there is anything that could put me off game development! Maybe i'm naive... Who knows

The implication was that I want to work in the game industry, but thinking about it that is a very vague goal.

• Review their resume, and a portfolio if they have it (only if that portfolio involves actual code I can read).
• Call them for an initial phone screen, which involves some simple technical questions.
• Give them a programming test.
• A video call for more in-depth discussion.
• A final in-house interview.

What do you think is more important when applying for a game programming role, a portfolio or a degree? (or is it a must to have both?)

Neither. You need to have skill and the ability to demonstrate it succinctly in an interview. Of course, to get the said interview, portfolios really help, and a degree insures a minimum amount of knowledge has been reached, so preferably both and more.

Game developers are often said to work upward of 80/90 hours, is this true? anyone experienced this at all?

I heard this is common in the USA. A little less so over here, though I've personally worked 80-90ish hours a week for almost 9 months once, so it still exists.

That being said, I've spent an entire year never breaking 50h/w also...

How hard do you feel it is to find jobs within the game industry at the moment?

Locally, we've just hired about all that we could potentially hire. Anyone locally that had sufficient experience to work in a production environment has been employed (quite peculiar in fact). I'd say 2 weeks ago was the best time to get hired in the last 5 years (locally, mind you).

What do you think is the best way to stand out to prospective employers?

Production experience that shows in your portfolio. Make sure you get feedback from credible sources and apply yourself.

Work experience (internships) or building a portfolio, which is more important in your opinion?

Internships. I rarely see people hired from portfolio experience alone.

Interships give you real work environment experience and allow you to possibly network a bit along the way (and know important people).

That being said, once you're through, you'll wish you've messed around more with your portfolio as it gives you quick experience getting things done.