How to get into the industry...

A lot of people ask how one gets into the game industry. There are a lot of different ways. One of the most common answers people give is for the person to get a job as a game tester (QA). These jobs usually don't pay well (not much more then minimum wage). The idea is you get your foot in the door, and then later work your way up into better positions. I'm not sure how well this works, in fact I know only a few people this worked out for. One thing a QA job will give you...you will know if this industry is for you. It's hard work, tedious, and not as fun as some make it out to be. Picture playing a game for 8 hours a day...sound fun? OK now picture the game doesn't work...it crashes a lot, you can't beat it, in fact you may not be able to do anything. But you have to keep playing it to find all the problems.

The way most people get in the industry is go to college first, earn a degree, and then apply for junior position. This way works well, if the company you apply for is looking for lower level people to train. The biggest pitfall is "you need experience, but without the job you can't get experience" Biggest catch 22 of the industry.

The final way to get in the industry (and the way I got in)...get lucky. OK, it wasn't just luck.

First you have to figure out what area of game development you want to work in. There are 3 main areas. Programming, Art and Production. Programmers write the code to create the game. Artists create the art, animations, models, etc that the programmers put in the game. Producers run the project, make design decisions, write documentation, and keep the project going.

Once you know this, study that area. It's not a bad idea to learn other aspects to have an overall picture of development...just understand in the industry, you do one job, not all.

If you choose programming (what I choose), learn C and C++ programming languages. Learn how to use DirectX SDK, learn what an SDK is. Start making your own games. This is really important. Make working games, not just demos of technology. These demos...are what will get you a job. Impress an employer with a good game, and you may have an in. This is how I got into the industry. I applied at a company...later found out the lead programmer there said, the first person who sends us a working game is hired. I was the only one who sent a working game (menus and all).

If you chose art, learn how to use programs like 3D Studio, Maya, and Photoshop, create models, artwork, sketches to build a good portfolio...send this to companies with your resume. If your style is good and consistent, you may just get an interview.

If you chose production, study up on game design, write some game design docs, get a job as a tester (tester sometimes leads into production work).

Good luck.