So you want to work in the video games industry...

[Nightshape]

My last job was high stress and high pressure, always trying to do more with less and do it faster. Not at all unlike game design I guess. I can tell you for sure that was not for me. Personally I don't see how these guys haven't picked up a drinking habit. Can you imagin having to make a Sponge Bob game?

 

Hardcore school night drinking, is common place - genuinely.

[Gorth]

Personally I think that working within any large organisation (>4 employees) sucks ass. No responsibility, never any sense of quality and precious little urgency.

Doesn't really match my own experiences

 

My last job was high stress and high pressure, always trying to do more with less and do it faster.

This is more like it.

 

Working in a 400+ people software company, trying very hard not to make wrong calls that may affect 100's, sometimes 1000's of peoples livelyhood. Lots of responsibility, lots of focus on quality and always frothing at the mouth in a mad dash to meet deadlines... (and yeah, winning more domestic, regional and worldwide awards for our work than you can shake a stick at)

 

I don't think size really matters, your corporate culture matters.

[Malcador]

Ahh I like my job in Initech.

[Orogun01]

:sigh: This is depressing me

[Darth InSidious]

I'll just pause here and remark that there are probably few problems in life that can't be solved by the odd bit of tunnel LARPing.

 

Just coughed a perfectly decent glass of claret on my keyboard.

That's an unusual ability. Are you related to the Aga Khan?

Edited March 16, 2011 by Darth InSidious

[Moose]

I'd employ that guy, and his game idea was good

[Nightshape]

Ahh I like my job in Initech.

 

I enoy my job working on Fifa, it really isn't all bad.

 

I've worked at good and bad places.

[Malcador]

I enoy my job working on Fifa, it really isn't all bad.

 

I've worked at good and bad places.

 

Are you the rubberbanding developer ? I think everyone's worked at good and bad places. My job is ok, dealing with whiney babies known as Repo traders, wish we had a coffee maker though.

[Nightshape]

I enoy my job working on Fifa, it really isn't all bad.

 

I've worked at good and bad places.

 

Are you the rubberbanding developer ? I think everyone's worked at good and bad places. My job is ok, dealing with whiney babies known as Repo traders, wish we had a coffee maker though.

 

Rubberbanding developer... No... Just some low-level tech goon. The thing about all industries, be it games or not, some jobs will expect you to work longer, and harder for nothing, this is one of the reasons why the games industry is considered immature. I've heard some seriously horrible stories, I've experienced certain things first hand, and I've also had some great times. We've all met someone like the cardboard box man in the video, and equivalents for other industries.

 

I do miss the Codies coffee machine, free latte was always nice.

[Syraxis]

I've heard some seriously horrible stories, I've experienced certain things first hand

 

Out of curiosity, are you willing to recount some stories?

[Nightshape]

I've heard some seriously horrible stories, I've experienced certain things first hand

 

Out of curiosity, are you willing to recount some stories?

 

I'm sorry, I can't.

[Blarghagh]

Not even if you change all the names?

[Nightshape]

Not even if you change all the names?

 

I'm very sorry, I hope you can understand that I cannot - despite wanting to.

[Orogun01]

Not even if you change all the names?

 

I'm very sorry, I hope you can understand that I cannot - despite wanting to.

Can we ask why you can't?

[Nightshape]

Not even if you change all the names?

 

I'm very sorry, I hope you can understand that I cannot - despite wanting to.

Can we ask why you can't?

 

NDA's and not wanting to be blacklisted. Also, its a bit like dishing the dirt on your drinking buddies... Some of these people are good friends of mine, I wouldn't want to upser them.

 

Edit: Please bare in mind that I will and do share as much as I can, because I really do think that the gaming public is one, interested in what happends behind closed doors... Like any culture of celebrity, (just not in the same way as say hollywood), and two, gamers are intelligent enough to actually understand and respect the process of games development, and hence why sometimes things turn out the way they do, and thiirdly, I'm a gamer like you guys, I love games.

Edited March 19, 2011 by Nightshape

[Nightshape]

There is also this perspective:

Edited March 19, 2011 by Nightshape

[Orogun01]

Not even if you change all the names?

 

I'm very sorry, I hope you can understand that I cannot - despite wanting to.

Can we ask why you can't?

 

NDA's and not wanting to be blacklisted. Also, its a bit like dishing the dirt on your drinking buddies... Some of these people are good friends of mine, I wouldn't want to upser them.

 

Edit: Please bare in mind that I will and do share as much as I can, because I really do think that the gaming public is one, interested in what happends behind closed doors... Like any culture of celebrity, (just not in the same way as say hollywood), and two, gamers are intelligent enough to actually understand and respect the process of games development, and hence why sometimes things turn out the way they do, and thiirdly, I'm a gamer like you guys, I love games.

I'm actually very interested for two reasons:

 

1-the game industry seems very secretive about their process, most of what I've seen about it comes indirectly from showings of a particular video game. Which is a stark contrast to the movie industry; to which is often compared, that has a seizable amount of documentaries and behind the scenes. In that respect I would be curious to hear more from developers as to what they think about the industry.

 

2-I'm actually majoring a Bachelor in Game Art & Design, although if the game industry is such a horrible place I might reconsider.

 

P.S: your link is broken.

[Nightshape]

I'm actually very interested for two reasons:

 

1-the game industry seems very secretive about their process, most of what I've seen about it comes indirectly from showings of a particular video game. Which is a stark contrast to the movie industry; to which is often compared, that has a seizable amount of documentaries and behind the scenes. In that respect I would be curious to hear more from developers as to what they think about the industry.

 

2-I'm actually majoring a Bachelor in Game Art & Design, although if the game industry is such a horrible place I might reconsider.

 

P.S: your link is broken.

 

1- I guess it's to do with marketing, I'm actually dead set against it, I think the games industry should be open. What I can say is, there are alot of office politics at some places, and also some pre-madonna moments, due to stress exhaustion etc... I actually think what you'll find is, people love working in this industry or they leave. The ones that leave do so because they don't love it enough to put up with the negatives.

 

I would love to be part of a behind the scenes documentary in which a development team was followed for a full dev cycle till release, and this is exactly how I think it should be, sadly everyone seems to be worried about image.

 

2- It isn't horrible, there are just occasionally bad projects, that turn into death marches... Its sad, but it happends. There is something to be said in seeing a project to the end, and there is something to be said for knowing when to move on. If you really want to work in games, you can make it, but it isn't easy getting that first shot, and it never seems to get easier, but stick with it and you'll end up finding a balance between work and life that works for you, and part of that is finding the right company to work for.

 

The link should be fixed. I hope it inspires you.

[Orogun01]

1- I guess it's to do with marketing, I'm actually dead set against it, I think the games industry should be open. What I can say is, there are alot of office politics at some places, and also some pre-madonna moments, due to stress exhaustion etc... I actually think what you'll find is, people love working in this industry or they leave. The ones that leave do so because they don't love it enough to put up with the negatives.

 

I would love to be part of a behind the scenes documentary in which a development team was followed for a full dev cycle till release, and this is exactly how I think it should be, sadly everyone seems to be worried about image.

 

2- It isn't horrible, there are just occasionally bad projects, that turn into death marches... Its sad, but it happends. There is something to be said in seeing a project to the end, and there is something to be said for knowing when to move on. If you really want to work in games, you can make it, but it isn't easy getting that first shot, and it never seems to get easier, but stick with it and you'll end up finding a balance between work and life that works for you, and part of that is finding the right company to work for.

 

The link should be fixed. I hope it inspires you.

 

1-I'm not even in the game industry and I feel the same it seem that the medium has matured faster than the companies handling it

 

2-Thanks for your answer, I'm just trying to grasp anything to keep me in the run. After our "Intro to Game Development" class, where hopes, dreams and expectations are shattered by a rude awakening I need something to keep me motivated.

I can work through bad projects, I can put up with long work hours and high stress environments. But what I need to know is, if there is room for self improvement? Is talent appreciated and rewarded and put in a position where it can actually shine?

 

I'm sorry if i'm bothering you, I'll try not to put you in a position where you have to break your NDA or you feel uncomfortable. But I would really like to get a "feel" of what expects me and most of what I've seen it's game related and not development related.

[Malcador]

Rubberbanding developer... No... Just some low-level tech goon. The thing about all industries, be it games or not, some jobs will expect you to work longer, and harder for nothing, this is one of the reasons why the games industry is considered immature. I've heard some seriously horrible stories, I've experienced certain things first hand, and I've also had some great times. We've all met someone like the cardboard box man in the video, and equivalents for other industries.

 

I do miss the Codies coffee machine, free latte was always nice.

 

I wouldn't put that as one reason for immaturity of the industry. Plenty of corporate positions expect that of the workers (coveniently, not management, heh). My current position is like that, I guess you do get something out of it, thumbs up and the EOY review or something along those lines. Almost all of my developer friends are still in a similar situation, varying degrees though but generally it seems we're all working over 45-46 a week.

 

Hm, I feel kind of bad for leaving a former company's entire financial report on a park bench.

[Gorth]

Almost all of my developer friends are still in a similar situation, varying degrees though but generally it seems we're all working over 45-46 a week.

Lazy bastards, get a real job

[Malcador]

Lazy bastards, get a real job

 

Well some work 50-60, other just do 42-46 or so. I normally do 50 and maybe 4-5 on the weekend, but at least 5-6 hours of that is just hanging out here due to Peter Gibbons' Syndrome.

[Blarghagh]

2-Thanks for your answer, I'm just trying to grasp anything to keep me in the run. After our "Intro to Game Development" class, where hopes, dreams and expectations are shattered by a rude awakening I need something to keep me motivated.

 

This column is about screenwriting but I think it pretty much comes down to what these types of "reality check brick to the head" things are for - seperating the "man, I love playing video games, how hard can it be to make them?" people from the truly dedicated and determined. Most of them don't work well enough, I think. I know far too many ex game design students who only realized how hard it was going to be after two or three years.