Game Development Industry

part 3
Get your foot in the door
Along the same lines as the QA route, getting a job in a company's mail room or as an Administrative Assistant, tech support guru, accountant or other support staff position can help you get your foot in the door. This affords you the opportunity to make friends with the staff and get firsthand experience seeing how the company runs. If you make the right friends and learn the right things, you're one step closer to that development job.

Stefan Arnold of Stainless Steel Studios (creators of Empire Earth) can relate. "In 1997 I was living in Madison, Wisconsin, where my wife was going to Grad School, and trying to find an interesting job. I discovered that Raven Software was located in Madison and applied for any job they had available. It turned out they were looking for someone with writing and administrative skills right at that moment and so I was hired."

Secure an internship
Internships are not all that common in the games industry in general, but you can find them if you search hard enough. The best way to get an internship at a game company is to volunteer your services free of charge. Raven has often used unpaid internships as a low-risk means to gauge a potential developer's skill and passion for making games. Over the past six years, we've hired several artists and level designers after stints as interns.

Other useful skills

Be willing to relocate
Game companies are scattered all over the world, with large concentrations in California, Texas and a handful of major U.S. cities. If you're not willing to relocate, it's going to be extremely difficult to get a job with a game company. Work-from-home positions do exist, but are generally only offered to employees who have worked on-site at a given company for a number of years.

Be a team player Being able to work not only independently, but also as part of a team is crucial to game development. In the old days, there was a "lone wolf" mentality pervading the business with developers working alone in their basements and garages to produce game titles. In this day and age, however, teams are increasing in size to twenty or more developers per project. You need to be able to get along with a variety of people working in a variety of disciplines. Be prepared to demonstrate this ability to your potential employer.

Be persistent
As is true in all fields of entertainment, trying to get into game development is not for those who are easily discouraged. In many cases it can take years to hone your skills and break down that first barrier that gets you the job you've always wanted.

"Be persistent. If you get turned down for a job, ask why you were turned down," explains Tim Gerritsen of Human Head Studios (Rune). "More likely than not, it was because someone else just had more experience and showed a better portfolio than you, but if you ask what about your work didn't cut it, you can improve it and eventually gain that job."

"There is a fine line between persistence and being a pest," says Stainless Steel's Arnold. "Understand that developers are very busy; so don't get upset if you don't hear back from them immediately. If it seems like a while since you've heard from them, a quick email or phone message that says, 'Hey, I'm still really interested in that job,' is often enough to remind them that you are waiting for word from them."

It's never cut and dry Breaking into the game development industry is difficult. There is no "right" way or golden path to breaking in, but you do need to decide which way is right for you. Whether that involves making a demo, getting involved in the mod community or securing an entry-level position at a game company you're interested in, it takes skill, hard work and commitment. It also helps to have a bit of luck on your side. Don't give up. Don't get discouraged. And always have a backup plan.