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big_bad_buff
New member
for pc? go to school for 3d modeling or what? i dont even play video games anymore but i think that would probably be the best job ever...someone hook me up, i have 5 years experience with photoshop......DO IT
how do you get a job making video games?
- Thread starter big_bad_buff
- Start date
Basic_wonder
New member
computer science degree from a top school ....
go to a top art school .....
go to fullsail or vancouver and hope you can get a job afterwards .....
everyone wants to do it, no one spends the time .....
go to a top art school .....
go to fullsail or vancouver and hope you can get a job afterwards .....
everyone wants to do it, no one spends the time .....
redsamurai
Banned
you would go to a school with a video game design program. FYI, it's hard as shit to make it in that business. Game companies come and go overnight. You need so much money for development costs and one badly received game can bankrupt you. It's become almost impossible for startups to exist. You basically have to hit paydirt on your first game, otherwise no one will fund another go round. How many great games have their been that didn't do well in sales?? It happens actually quite alot. The big boys of the industry are basically self perpetuating at this point. They can put out crap because they can absorb it. All EA has to do is update madden every year with new players and stats and they can basically live off that. I met a kid in Toronto who was trying to break in............he graduated top honors from one of the best programs in North America and was not working in the field a year and a half after graduation. He got to intern at ubisoft.......but that was it. You almost have to come out of school with the notion that you aren't going to get picked up by a big company.........you gotta get a group of guys together and make a project on your own that you can either sell........or show to a major company in hopes they see something worthwhile and they'll fund you. They won't actually hire you, they'll just fund the project and you operate as a standalone company. Of course, if the game does well...........the will be taking the lions share of the profit.........but that's how you'll make a name for yourself. Probably best to start out making PC games too. PC's are easier to code for.......like an order of magnitude easier. Only the pro's, and I do mean the pro's.........tackle the individual nuances of game systems. It's very expensive to make a game for the PS3 or 360 mainly because you're spending so much time figuring out how to make a tennis ball fit through a garden hose. Game systems are very hard to program for because you're running alot of information through much smaller bottlenecks. So the extra coding you have to do to make the hardware properly talk to all it's individual components so that your game runs smoothly..............giant fucking pain in the ass.
chris302001
Banned
LOL @ the devry commercials for video game design......
redsamurai
Banned
ortiz34 said:
With the tools they have now, it's not "techically" difficult anymore......it's just VERY time consuming and it requires an artistic talent that not alot of people have. You can't make a good video game just because you like to play video games. I like listening to good classical music...........but put me on an instrument and I'm a giant douche/tool.
Razorguns
Well-known member
1) Skills
2) Good Demo Reel
3) Don't have kids or buy a house - you'll be moving
4) Prepare to work as a rat with tight deadlines and low pay.
The "fun" is what these companies offer in exchange for not having to pay you much.
There's a zillion people wanting to work at a video game company. Few have uber skills, so if you can get them. You have a far better chance.
However like I said, they purposely live far away from each other. It's a tactic. So EA cannot grab Blizzard's guys by opening up a shot in the same city. So if you hate your job, your only option is working for another company far away. Not an easy choice. Not like leaving one IT dept at a company, and working for another one in the same city.
Reason why IT folks in corporate america make more than video game folks. Supply and Demand. You won't find many techie 40 y/o guys at video game companies. But all over the place in corporate america (don't get me started!).
As for learning - you'll have to go to school unless you're damn good. I mastered Maya by myself, but now only use it on my own projects. 3dbuzz.com has a great dvd tutorial series. I also suggest learning photoshop and after effects over at lynda.com. Programming? Learn XNA or whatever else they use nowadays.
Look into it first. It may seem exciting, but the pressure and deadlines and pay and politics can ruin an otherwise fun experience. Some companies are better than others. Do your due diligence.
r
2) Good Demo Reel
3) Don't have kids or buy a house - you'll be moving
4) Prepare to work as a rat with tight deadlines and low pay.
The "fun" is what these companies offer in exchange for not having to pay you much.
There's a zillion people wanting to work at a video game company. Few have uber skills, so if you can get them. You have a far better chance.
However like I said, they purposely live far away from each other. It's a tactic. So EA cannot grab Blizzard's guys by opening up a shot in the same city. So if you hate your job, your only option is working for another company far away. Not an easy choice. Not like leaving one IT dept at a company, and working for another one in the same city.
Reason why IT folks in corporate america make more than video game folks. Supply and Demand. You won't find many techie 40 y/o guys at video game companies. But all over the place in corporate america (don't get me started!).
As for learning - you'll have to go to school unless you're damn good. I mastered Maya by myself, but now only use it on my own projects. 3dbuzz.com has a great dvd tutorial series. I also suggest learning photoshop and after effects over at lynda.com. Programming? Learn XNA or whatever else they use nowadays.
Look into it first. It may seem exciting, but the pressure and deadlines and pay and politics can ruin an otherwise fun experience. Some companies are better than others. Do your due diligence.
r
No idea, and a little OT, but i met an old friend at a recent wedding who plays video games for a living. I thought that was pretty cool if you're into that stuff. Eight hours a day, 5 days a week, breaks, lunch, medical insurance, vacations... lol and plays all day long and comments about them, points out their faults, etc... Like i said, if you're into that stuff, I guess it's cool. He seemed to love it.
Razorguns said:
I like playing videogames.
Actually I could probably design a great game but lack the skills/money to develop my masterpiece. *sigh* if only people could see into my mind I'd be set for life.
redshirt27se
New member
"So my son got into DeVry.."chris302001 said:
"What'd he have to do? open the door?"
Razorguns
Well-known member
hanselthecaretaker said:I like playing videogames.
Actually I could probably design a great game but lack the skills/money to develop my masterpiece. *sigh* if only people could see into my mind I'd be set for life.
Words prove nothing. Action does. If you're sitting in front of an employer right now, how would you convince them? Words??? Words are cheap.
When I got hired over the phone for my first job at a big tv network - my action did all the work. They saw my 3d animation / toolkit / programming work I did from age 13 on. They saw my engine being used by companies worldwide. I didn't even have to say anything - my work spoke for itself.
You want to be *that* guy. It all boils down to how "badly" you want a job.
And now I'm a position where my skills are so great, it's a tragedy for me even working for someone. My talent would be wasted, so I work for myself now. I'm sitting here at home, listening to Skynyrd doing some 3D NURBS modeling using mental ray. How awesome is that.
amazon.com <-- buy and read books. start here.
r
Razorguns said:
Where did you go to school though? Does it even matter as long as they're impressed with the finished product? How did you finance all your equipment?
mrplunkey
New member
1) Be gifted programmer. The best ones aren't 50% better than normal ones -- they're 10x better
2) Have creative and artistic skills. Things need to look real!
3) Be very good in math. Especially vector algebra. Lots and lots of transforms.
I think in today's market you have engine providers and content developers. So you either develop the core reality engine or you do the artwork and content that users experience while playing.
Its a highly coveted field.
2) Have creative and artistic skills. Things need to look real!
3) Be very good in math. Especially vector algebra. Lots and lots of transforms.
I think in today's market you have engine providers and content developers. So you either develop the core reality engine or you do the artwork and content that users experience while playing.
Its a highly coveted field.
Razorguns
Well-known member
hanselthecaretaker said:
At age 13 school isn't an option. So library, books, videos, radio shack, etc. I went to college mainly to get a stupid paper and to party. Everything else I learned myself through hard work.
School is great for average people with average skills who want to get through HR's gate and make average salaries while having enormous debts.
r
big_bad_buff
New member
i'd want to work for blizzard
Razorguns said:
It's encouraging to read things like that. I've always hated school but rarely ever had the focus to pinpoint one interest and unwaveringly pursue it. School just always compounded that problem.
Razorguns
Well-known member
nimbus said:
Some canadian place, computer science. Right off the gate i could blow the crap out of every I.T. fattie working in corporate america. I got bored real quickly. I had an emmy nomination for my TV technical work within 3 years. After that I did consulting and now do my own crap. I've never found an office monkey who could hold a stick to me.
Now they *could* blow me away, don't get me wrong -- but when you're burned out, hate your job, dealing with loser bosses, it kinda ruins your motivation to learn more, and which is why so many office monkeys spend 80% of their time dong the same repetitive shit every day. That is a big no-no for me, i want to keep learning new shit and keep trying to figure out how to do things better. Good money in that.
r
LOL where is Tweakle when you need him?
Razorguns
Well-known member
EnderJE said:
Don't get into any creative art, eg: filmmaking - for money. Money comes from excelling at what you love and owning it. Which could be anything. If you want comfortable money like most people, 9-5 is the way to go. But the price you pay is freedom and lack of control. So pros and cons in everything.
r
No a candle stick makerEnderJE said:
