So, as many of you know, Chris Avellone E-mailed me (well, I asked him) his advice on how to get into the game's industry. Considering the huge thing at the moment of maybe getting the chance to interview him, and considering this is kind of the answer to one of the questions asked, I thought you guys might be interested in this read. Please bear in mind this is mostly how to break into the RPG market (I want to start making CRPGs for a living, it seems like a hell of a lot of fun).
Anyway, enjoy;
Jamie, perfect! So here's my advice - in case this is too much of an info dump, here’s my top suggestions (focused largely on writing, but modding, imo, is more important). So for breaking in, here are my top suggestions:
- Volunteer for a Kickstarter. The important thing is you gain experience, regardless of $$$ (I worked for 5-7 years without pay just to get my foot in the door).
- Do ANY sort of development that can get you experience. For example, if you want to write, then get your writing out there – comics, web page work, pen-and-paper game writing (they sure need writers, eplus supporting work like novellas or short stories), editing, games journalism, interviews, anything.
- Get any sort of job in the industry, even if it’s not in programming and look for a way to move laterally.
A burst of high-level advice:
- Doing game design (mods, level building) is worth at least as much as an education (specific advice below). Often, it's more if you're developing a mod using the company's tools for the company you're applying for.
- You should network – if you can attend the Game Developer’s Conference in SF, you should, and introduce yourself whenever you can – the goal is to find the devs in their lairs and hunt them down.
- Join LinkedIn and do a search for developers who work at a company you want to work at and feel free to ask them the same question about programming and breaking into CRPGs – if they’re cool, they should be willing to help you out. If they’re jerks, then you don’t want to work there anyway. LinkedIn is perfect for that, and as long as you join a common group (Video Game Professionals) that are in the same group, that makes connecting to them a lot easier.
- Also if you have an IGDA – International Game Developer’s Association - chapter in the area, join that as well (along with their LinkedIn forums).
A longer answer (focused on RPGs):
- This industry interview breaks down what we look for in design applicants (you may have to fast forward past the Fallout stuff): Designer Advice on Getting Into the Industry
- We don't care so much about education, we care what you've done with it, or done on your own. Grab whatever editors you can, demonstrate knowledge of them, and demonstrate a finished product - and preferably, that finished product you already put up on the internet for people to check out. If you've taken their critiques to heart, iterated on your work, and made a superior product, all the better.
- I make RPGs and work with companies doing RPGs, obviously, so the more you can play of every RPG and be able to provide detailed, critical feedback on it (not your opinions of what you'd like to play - detailed critiques of inconsistencies, things that interfere with fun, things that support fun, etc.).
If I had to boil it down: Code, design or write a game/short adventure on your own. Fallout(s), Skyrim, and Oblivion all have editors that allow you to write your own characters, quests, etc. and then you can post them on-line and get reactions to them (the more critiques, the better). One of our area builders actually got hired because of this, and even if you make mistakes, you'll learn from them and grow. The worst thing is not to do anything - if you want to write for games, then my advice is to spend your extracurricular time writing for games.
More general advice below:
If you're interested in story and world creation, I would recommend trying to get established in the pen and paper game industry or in books or novels - game design requires a love of game mechanics, lists, and tons upon tons of rule sets. It's not for everyone.
If you're interested in computer game designing, then here's what we look for/what you should focus on:
1. A love of RPGs.
2. A critical eye for RPGs (and preferably, other games as well), including feel, interface, pacing, weapon balance, level design, and so on. Play a lot of them and be able to tell what you like and don't about each game. The more specific, the better.
3. Good design skills - not only do you notice the elements mentioned above, but you can also implement them well. Know and recognize game clichés.
4. Good writing skills - when not actually arguing and throwing feces at each other through our cage bars, a large portion of a game designer's job is design documentation or writing 5000 emails. That means you need good technical writing skills and an ability to organize your thoughts. You need to be able to pass a document off to audio, QA, marketing, the programming staff, and an artist, and they should be able to find out whatever information they need just by looking at the document.
If you want to prep for a job in the game design field, I'd suggest the following:
1. Play a lot of games and analyze what you like and don't like about them. If you interview for a game company, that'll always be part of the interview questions, and having smart answers ready beforehand helps them determine if you'll be a good developer or not.
2. You should play a lot of games, but just as importantly, watch a lot of other people play games. Pay attention to how the game is played, especially the interface and menus and the means by which the player interacts with the game. When you do, you’ll quickly start seeing what irritates players and what they enjoy - keep a running log in your head of successful ideas used in games and what made them work.
3. If a game comes with level or map editors, play around with them, try out levels or scenarios with your friends and use that as an acid test for your work. There are tons of editors out there, like the level editors for Fallout, Skyrim, Warcraft, Arcanum, Neverwinter Nights, or any others you can get your hands on. Put your levels or mods up on the net, get critiques, and try to make a name for yourself as a good level or map designer before you even go to a game company - it helps when the interviewer's already seen your work on the internet and perhaps even played one of your levels.
4. Persistence and enthusiasm mean a lot in the game industry, so if you get knocked down once, just get back up and try again. You’ll get noticed.
5. If you're looking for college classes to take, I'd suggest some programming courses and creative writing courses, maybe a little bit of art, and any classes that deal with interface design or layout for computer programs. Learn how to write critically and technically, and become familiar with Microsoft Word and Excel. Programming classes are a bonus because it helps designers understand how computers “think,” and gives them better avenues of communication with programmers in general.
6. Game development is a very team-oriented process, so I’d also recommend taking as many college classes as possible that reinforce teamwork and communication (or if not in college, finding the opportunity to work with teams). If you have difficulty with working in teams or communication, your job in game development will end up being more difficult for both you and the people you work with.
7. A lot of designers did not start out as designers. If you want a door into the game industry, try manual writing, web design, quality assurance, or any of a bunch of other jobs in the game industry. Make your interest in becoming a designer known, and if you have the skills, somebody should give you a chance.
Then there’s the application process. A lot of this information you can find on the web, but it can’t hurt to stress it a little more:
1. Always include a cover letter with your résumé.
2. Spell-check and proofread anything you submit. Ask your friends to look over your cover letter and resume, too. We have rejected numerous applicants because they don’t proof their work – in the game industry, that kind of attitude creates bugs and makes people mad.
3. Research the company to which you are applying. If possible address your cover letter to the specific person who will be reading it. Customize your résumé and cover letter to suit that company and the position to which you are applying. You don’t have to know everything about the company, but know enough so you speak intelligently about what they do and why you’re interested.
4. Carefully read and follow the company’s submission criteria. For example, if they ask for a writing sample, be sure to include one. Again, we have rejected numerous applicants because they can’t follow directions, which again, is a bad thing in game development, since it causes bugs and makes people mad.
5. Touch base with your references before you give their contact information out. Sometimes relationships sour – or dim with perspective. Or, in some cases, aren’t even there anymore.
In any event, hope this helps, Jamie. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask – I’ll do what I can to help (I always valued those who did the same for me when I was trying to get a job in the industry).
Anyway, enjoy;
Jamie, perfect! So here's my advice - in case this is too much of an info dump, here’s my top suggestions (focused largely on writing, but modding, imo, is more important). So for breaking in, here are my top suggestions:
- Volunteer for a Kickstarter. The important thing is you gain experience, regardless of $$$ (I worked for 5-7 years without pay just to get my foot in the door).
- Do ANY sort of development that can get you experience. For example, if you want to write, then get your writing out there – comics, web page work, pen-and-paper game writing (they sure need writers, eplus supporting work like novellas or short stories), editing, games journalism, interviews, anything.
- Get any sort of job in the industry, even if it’s not in programming and look for a way to move laterally.
A burst of high-level advice:
- Doing game design (mods, level building) is worth at least as much as an education (specific advice below). Often, it's more if you're developing a mod using the company's tools for the company you're applying for.
- You should network – if you can attend the Game Developer’s Conference in SF, you should, and introduce yourself whenever you can – the goal is to find the devs in their lairs and hunt them down.
- Join LinkedIn and do a search for developers who work at a company you want to work at and feel free to ask them the same question about programming and breaking into CRPGs – if they’re cool, they should be willing to help you out. If they’re jerks, then you don’t want to work there anyway. LinkedIn is perfect for that, and as long as you join a common group (Video Game Professionals) that are in the same group, that makes connecting to them a lot easier.
- Also if you have an IGDA – International Game Developer’s Association - chapter in the area, join that as well (along with their LinkedIn forums).
A longer answer (focused on RPGs):
- This industry interview breaks down what we look for in design applicants (you may have to fast forward past the Fallout stuff): Designer Advice on Getting Into the Industry
- We don't care so much about education, we care what you've done with it, or done on your own. Grab whatever editors you can, demonstrate knowledge of them, and demonstrate a finished product - and preferably, that finished product you already put up on the internet for people to check out. If you've taken their critiques to heart, iterated on your work, and made a superior product, all the better.
- I make RPGs and work with companies doing RPGs, obviously, so the more you can play of every RPG and be able to provide detailed, critical feedback on it (not your opinions of what you'd like to play - detailed critiques of inconsistencies, things that interfere with fun, things that support fun, etc.).
If I had to boil it down: Code, design or write a game/short adventure on your own. Fallout(s), Skyrim, and Oblivion all have editors that allow you to write your own characters, quests, etc. and then you can post them on-line and get reactions to them (the more critiques, the better). One of our area builders actually got hired because of this, and even if you make mistakes, you'll learn from them and grow. The worst thing is not to do anything - if you want to write for games, then my advice is to spend your extracurricular time writing for games.
More general advice below:
If you're interested in story and world creation, I would recommend trying to get established in the pen and paper game industry or in books or novels - game design requires a love of game mechanics, lists, and tons upon tons of rule sets. It's not for everyone.
If you're interested in computer game designing, then here's what we look for/what you should focus on:
1. A love of RPGs.
2. A critical eye for RPGs (and preferably, other games as well), including feel, interface, pacing, weapon balance, level design, and so on. Play a lot of them and be able to tell what you like and don't about each game. The more specific, the better.
3. Good design skills - not only do you notice the elements mentioned above, but you can also implement them well. Know and recognize game clichés.
4. Good writing skills - when not actually arguing and throwing feces at each other through our cage bars, a large portion of a game designer's job is design documentation or writing 5000 emails. That means you need good technical writing skills and an ability to organize your thoughts. You need to be able to pass a document off to audio, QA, marketing, the programming staff, and an artist, and they should be able to find out whatever information they need just by looking at the document.
If you want to prep for a job in the game design field, I'd suggest the following:
1. Play a lot of games and analyze what you like and don't like about them. If you interview for a game company, that'll always be part of the interview questions, and having smart answers ready beforehand helps them determine if you'll be a good developer or not.
2. You should play a lot of games, but just as importantly, watch a lot of other people play games. Pay attention to how the game is played, especially the interface and menus and the means by which the player interacts with the game. When you do, you’ll quickly start seeing what irritates players and what they enjoy - keep a running log in your head of successful ideas used in games and what made them work.
3. If a game comes with level or map editors, play around with them, try out levels or scenarios with your friends and use that as an acid test for your work. There are tons of editors out there, like the level editors for Fallout, Skyrim, Warcraft, Arcanum, Neverwinter Nights, or any others you can get your hands on. Put your levels or mods up on the net, get critiques, and try to make a name for yourself as a good level or map designer before you even go to a game company - it helps when the interviewer's already seen your work on the internet and perhaps even played one of your levels.
4. Persistence and enthusiasm mean a lot in the game industry, so if you get knocked down once, just get back up and try again. You’ll get noticed.
5. If you're looking for college classes to take, I'd suggest some programming courses and creative writing courses, maybe a little bit of art, and any classes that deal with interface design or layout for computer programs. Learn how to write critically and technically, and become familiar with Microsoft Word and Excel. Programming classes are a bonus because it helps designers understand how computers “think,” and gives them better avenues of communication with programmers in general.
6. Game development is a very team-oriented process, so I’d also recommend taking as many college classes as possible that reinforce teamwork and communication (or if not in college, finding the opportunity to work with teams). If you have difficulty with working in teams or communication, your job in game development will end up being more difficult for both you and the people you work with.
7. A lot of designers did not start out as designers. If you want a door into the game industry, try manual writing, web design, quality assurance, or any of a bunch of other jobs in the game industry. Make your interest in becoming a designer known, and if you have the skills, somebody should give you a chance.
Then there’s the application process. A lot of this information you can find on the web, but it can’t hurt to stress it a little more:
1. Always include a cover letter with your résumé.
2. Spell-check and proofread anything you submit. Ask your friends to look over your cover letter and resume, too. We have rejected numerous applicants because they don’t proof their work – in the game industry, that kind of attitude creates bugs and makes people mad.
3. Research the company to which you are applying. If possible address your cover letter to the specific person who will be reading it. Customize your résumé and cover letter to suit that company and the position to which you are applying. You don’t have to know everything about the company, but know enough so you speak intelligently about what they do and why you’re interested.
4. Carefully read and follow the company’s submission criteria. For example, if they ask for a writing sample, be sure to include one. Again, we have rejected numerous applicants because they can’t follow directions, which again, is a bad thing in game development, since it causes bugs and makes people mad.
5. Touch base with your references before you give their contact information out. Sometimes relationships sour – or dim with perspective. Or, in some cases, aren’t even there anymore.
In any event, hope this helps, Jamie. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask – I’ll do what I can to help (I always valued those who did the same for me when I was trying to get a job in the industry).
