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Game Industry Jobs: where to look?

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jpserrett
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Joined: 11/18/2009

Hi there. I'm graduating from college in about a month, and I have a strong desire to work in the gaming industry in one manner or another. Any sort of game design will do. My problem is, aside from going to each and every game manufacturer's website and looking, I haven't been very lucky in finding a good place to look for jobs in the field. Also, my knowledge of companies is limited to, well, the ones I know. I'm sure there are tons of obscure small-scale companies out there that I have never heard of.

So, my question is: is there a good place to see job listings for the industry? Or even a place that has links to a large number of companies. I'm just having problems digging them up myself it seems.

Thanks in advance.

scifiantihero
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Joined: 07/08/2009
Hard nut to crack into . . .

I would imagine; Who doesn't want to work with games?

Can you write? That's one way to make a name for yourself. A popular blog or reputation as a reviewer might open some doors for you.

Seeing as you say you would want any sort of job, the best bet probably is to just keep investigating each company. Many companies have a place on websites where they list job openings. I have seen Blizzard Entertainment do that, for example.

Troll and Toad was looking for someone as of a little while ago, which i read in their newsletter. That's probably another good way to hear about openings, if you don't mind a little game related spam in the inbox.

Getting jobs is so often about who you know. So getting to know people is a good idea. Network at conventions, stores, etc.

Are you on good terms with a FLGS? Perhaps you could find some small, part time work there to learn about the industry, or maybe just volunteer to help out with organizing, running events, etc. It would give you some experience, at least.

:)

jpserrett
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Joined: 11/18/2009
Eh?

I guess by saying that I don't know what a FLGS is (or maybe I've just never heard the acronym before), should tell you the answer to your question.

Full-time school, family, and work have kept me from being to involved with my local gaming scene, which unfortunately isn't much anyway.

Thanks for the reply.

scifiantihero
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Joined: 07/08/2009
FLGS=

Friendly Local Game Store.

So, you probably know what one is, even if you've never seen the acronym ;)

Willi B
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Joined: 07/28/2008
If you have the right skill sets -

and perhaps are willing to travel and do not care what game company it is, the digital games usually have occasional listings through Gamasutra.com (you can get the jobs email sent to you).

CloudBuster
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Joined: 04/14/2009
Did you try Googling it?

I just Googled "game industry jobs" and got a zillion potential places to look. This one looked especially good:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/

Good luck!

Dralius
Dralius's picture
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Joined: 07/26/2008
?

CloudBuster wrote:
I just Googled "game industry jobs" and got a zillion potential places to look. This one looked especially good:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/

Good luck!

That one seems focused on digital products. I wonder if there are any listings for analog game design jobs.

twotofour
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Joined: 11/13/2009
Industrial Design

If you are interested in mass-produced games then you are talking about product design.
Many design companies deal with toy and game companies as part of their portfolio. Take a look at most design consultancies and they'll have at least one project working with a toy company.
Specific in-house games design jobs do exist, you will want to keep a constant eye on job listings on websites such as www.designweek.co.uk, core77.com etc

Often big companies seem to be a bit slow in adding available vacancies to their own websites, but it's still a worhtwhile use of your time to check them out.
And of course, it completely depends on what kind of work you want to do.

Good luck!

CloudBuster
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Joined: 04/14/2009
GAH! You're right...

Dralius wrote:
CloudBuster wrote:
I just Googled "game industry jobs" and got a zillion potential places to look. This one looked especially good:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs/

Good luck!

That one seems focused on digital products. I wonder if there are any listings for analog game design jobs.

Sorry about that. Okay...I Googled "board game industry jobs" and "board game jobs" Not much out there really....Nothing that I could see that specifically targets the board game industry. However, I DID come across this site: http://www.sloperama.com/advice/bulletinbd.htm

There are some very good tips here for finding a job that'll be useful to you. For example, one piece of advice he gives is as follows:

"9. The interview. Don't put on a 3-piece suit. Nobody in a game studio (aside from some top executives) wears a suit. Wear clean presentable clothes. Long pants. A shirt with no holes in it except those needed for your head and arms to poke out of. Shoes and socks. Bring your package (maybe 2 or 3 copies of the resume and cover letter; you might or might not be leaving your sample behind, most likely, depending on what's in your sample).

The main goody, the best thing you bring to the interview, is you . Be eager, attentive, charming. Your goal is to get a job, any job, so that you can eventually be a game designer. As discussed above, don't hold out for the highly-sought-after "Game Designer" position. Find out what job openings are available. Figure out which opening is suited to your skills and interests. That's the job you should be angling for.

What the company is looking for is hard-working, smart, capable communicators first and foremost. That's the impression you want to convey, through your appearance, your eye contact, and what you say during the interview."

There's a LOT to read here, but it seems like good advice. He does mention board games, but it seems a bit like an afterthought: "...even boardgames"

Once again, good luck!

schtoom
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Joined: 08/31/2009
Well, I'm not a professional

Well, I'm not a professional in the field, but I'd still question the part about suits. At the very least some khaki's, button down shirt, and a sport coat would be in order for a job interview. A tie couldn't hurt either.
I wouldn't think that the gaming industry is so laid back that it's totally bypassed all of that stuff. Nitpicky, I know, but still a valuable protocol in my opinion. So one day when I'm rich and famous and rule the world through my board game publishing empire, don't think of coming to me for a job while wearing a t-shirt. :)

boardgameguru
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Joined: 05/11/2009
KID

I would wear a kids type outfit with cartoony pictures on etc as this would show your

STILL A KID and KNOW WHAT KIDS WANT and also AC like a KID as in BIG MOVIE

raji.hkcs (not verified)
How do you get into the video

spam removed

-seo

ha41
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Joined: 05/10/2010
spam removed -seo

spam removed

-seo

Louard
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Joined: 02/09/2010
Video Game Industry Perspective

I can only answer form the perspective of the video game industry, but here goes.

I totally second the no suit interview garb. But still, keep it clean, nice and presentable. A button up shirt over a nice T (maybe a game related one) with a nice pair of jeans or dark pants can't fail. I actually have an anecdote about this from former colleagues who, in an interview, played a joke on the applicant by wearing suits. The poor kid totally got laughed at showing up in a full 3 piece on his first day.

As for what positions to apply for. There's a trend growing in the video games industry to basically not hire anyone who shows too much interest in jobs that aren't the one being applied for, ESPECIALLY game design. The logic being that if the company is looking for, say, an engine programmer, they want a game engine programmer, not a wannabe game designer. They also want to know that this person won't be shirking their programmer duties and bugging the designers all the time because that's what they really want to be doing. So, apply for jobs that are, or directly lead to what you really want to do, and concentrate on applying for the jobs you find in company listings, because those are the people they are actively looking to hire.

georginaW (not verified)
Video game industry gives the US economy a needed boost.

Our economy has long been affected by the global recession. Many companies wanted to do something about it just to be able to avoid the worst that could happen to the economy. There has been a clear change in the views about video gaming now against the days with Pac Man and Space Invaders. Video games have added $5 billion to the economy as shown in a study called "Video Games within the 21st Century: The 2010 Report," for Entertainment Software that was done by Economists Incorporated. Annual growth for the industry went up 10 percent between 2005 and 2009, or seven times the growth of the U.S. economy alone. Having a big boost given by the big sales of the video game industry, the economy has given its big wave of hello to the world.

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