So, you want to be a game designer?

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    • So, you want to be a game designer?

      Hey guys, this is a FANTASTIC article by our lead designer, Ray Mazza, about game design and game development in general. It mirrors a lot of the advice I give. For example, his #1 piece of advice is to actually make a complete game and to stat simple; don't try to make a hardcore 3D triple-A project because it's very hard for a simple developer to do it.

      Even if your goal is to be an engineer, this is a fantastic and very applicable read. Remember, gameplay programmers are at least 40% designer.

      raymazza.com/1/post/2013/01/breaking-into-game-design.html

      -Rez
    • Thanks for the article Rez! It's really nice to keep reading the same advice over and over again. It helps me to really solidify the advice. The article is especially nice because he's got links to other good stuff--e.g. gamejamcentral.com/ --something I'd like to participate in :-P. Sounds like a ton of fun.

      There's a couple things the article brings up in passing, but seem to be not discussed very often: networking and internships.

      I've seen a few internship programs around for current students or recent grads (fortunately, I will still qualify as a recent grad for a while). How useful are these to getting a job in the industry? I've been under the working assumption that they're very helpful, but I've also been under the working assumption that internships are just as hard to get as a regular job.

      I read an article at some point on gamedev.net (by someone who recently broke into the industry) saying that it's near impossible to break in without extensive networking. How true is this?
    • It really depends on the company. Two summers ago, we had an intern working with us on the gameplay team. We made him an offer and he accepted and is now a junior engineer on the team. Last summer we had two interns and we made an offer to one of them. Internships are a great way to get experience and to get your foot in the door. At EA, we treat them like any other member of the team. We also pay our interns, though I'm not sure how much. Neither of these things are givens, each company is different.

      If you're a new grad, you probably don't qualify for an internship, at least not at EA. We have a totally different program for hiring new grads. Different teams are given new grad slots to fill that aren't taken from their budget. This is unique to EA; I've never seen a company actively seek out new grads like that.

      Networking is very important to success, though it's not impossible to break it without it. It certainly helps. Knowing someone doesn't automatically get you a job, but it might help you get the interview. James probably got the interview at EA because I recommended him, but he got the job completely on his own merits. I got the interview and the job at Super-Ego Games completely on my own, though I got the interview at Planet Moon due to my friend Mark. So no, it's not impossible, but networking is very important. This is especially true for someone without any experience.

      So how do you get contacts? Being on message boards like this can help, but your best bet is to get out to GDC and talk to people. That's probably the best thing to do. Once you get a job, your co-workers will become network connections.

      -Rez
    • Ah okay. Well, I'm going to GDC this year, so hopefully that will help me :). By that time, I'm hoping to have my current demo in a good place. Hopefully being unemployed for a couple months while I work on my game demo before GDC won't be a huge detriment to me.

      I think "internship" was a bad word choice on my part. I've seen 2 companies with "new grad" programs which basically sound like extended internships (e.g. no guarantee of full-time after the program is over, and I'm not sure if they are paid).

      Thanks again Rez!
    • The New Grad program at EA is a good place to apply if you qualify. As Rez stated, New Grad hires don't come out of the project budget, you're only competing with other New Grad eligible people, and as far as I'm aware all of the New Grad positions are regular full time (as opposed to temporary full time or contract).

      James
    • That's correct, new grads are RFT's (Regular Full-Time).

      I'm heavily involved with the University Relations group here at EA if anyone's interested.

      -Rez