Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 11:34PM The emotional journey, for me, looks like a seismograph, says Greg Kasavin of Supergiant Games.
It's not a curve with peaks and valleys; it's a violent jagged series of near-vertical lines. I don't know how emotionally stable I appear to be, but I know I'm less so than I appear to be.
Check out this excellent insight into the emotional rollercoaster of game development.
Friday, October 12, 2012 at 10:18PM When considering a job in the games industry there are a number of factors that you must weigh in your decision to pursue this career. Things like salary expectations, family-related requirements, and specific job duties are typically at the top of most people's list when they research job openings. Another critical element to keep in mind is the proximity of other game development studios to the one you are applying to.
While the industry as a whole continues to grow in many directions, any given place of employment can be quite volatile. Even studios doing well one day can suddenly be closed the next. With that in mind it makes sense to place an added emphasis on finding a job in an area flush with opportunity should the current role not work out.
By calculating both the number of, and size of, studios in a given area, gamejobhunter.com has published a handy analysis of the "Power Rating" of North American game development hubs.
Here's what they've found:
| #11 | Dallas | ||
| #10 | New York City | ||
| #09 | Chicago | ||
| #08 | Toronto | ||
| #07 | Boston | ||
| #06 | Montreal | ||
| #05 | Vancouver | ||
| #04 | Austin | ||
| #03 | Seattle | ||
| #02 | Los Angeles | ||
| #01 | San Francisco |
California continues to be the NA capital of game development as both the Bay Area and LA hold the #1 and #2 spots for most game development opportunity today. Click each city above for detail on existing studios, and for more information on the process used to create these ratings click here.
Friday, June 8, 2012 at 7:00AM What was your first job in the gaming industry? 
My first job in the industry was as a Junior Artist for a government contractor looking to get into the game industry. While the contracts kept us busy, I was more interested in our Xbox and PC game development projects. After two unreleased products, I knew it was time to move on.
Did you find it difficult to get your first job given that you had no prior experience?
Getting my first job was a difficult task. Years ago, it seemed all entry-level artist positions required at least ‘2 years experience’. Even though I had a solid portfolio, I couldn’t see anyone wanting to hire me without any real-world experience. But I took any and all internships I could get my hands on. Each one helped build my portfolio and gave me the experience I needed. Fortunately, one of those internships landed me my first gig.
What sort of training or education did you complete in advance of applying for your first position?
I studied art with a concentration in media arts. It gave me the basic skills I needed to understand how to create 3D art. But in no way did it prepare me to get my first position.
I can’t stress enough how class work alone will not get you a job. A potential employer receives a flood of applications around graduation. Think of how many students submit the same class assignment to the same employer as a portfolio piece.
What is your job today?
I’m currently a Senior Artist at BioWare Mythic.
For someone interested in starting a career making games today what is the main piece of advice you would offer them?
Don’t lock yourself in a basement playing games and occasionally adding something to your portfolio. This industry has exploded with talent in recent years. Learn and expand upon your skills. Jump on a modding team or download a free engine to build your own world. There are countless resources available online to anyone looking to make games. Lastly, get yourself onto a game development forum. Post your work and ask questions. Who knows, you might just get noticed and receive an unsolicited job offer.
Friday, June 8, 2012 at 6:48AM Destin Bales
IGN has begun deconstructing the preview to highlight the known gaming characters. Check it out!
Destin Bales
...and now a link to a cute promotional Wreck-It Ralph game:
Friday, June 1, 2012 at 7:00AM What was your first job in the gaming industry? 
I started out quite by accident at a studo called Stormfront, in San Rafael, CA. It is defunct now but at the time it was a third party developer for many EA and Atari games. My job was building NASCAR tracks for NASCAR '99 for the Playstation and Nintendo 64. Imagine building an entire race track and stadium for around 10,000 triangles. And a 256 texture was a luxury!
Did you find it difficult to get your first job given that you had no prior experience?
I sure did. At the time there was no schooling for making video games, no way to learn unless you A) knew someone or B) had incredible perseverance to learn the art. I didn't have the first, and the second didn't come easy either...not to sound like an old guy but back in those days, there was no Gnomon Workshop DVDs, CGsociety.com, or PSDtuts.com. Everything came from reading through enormous instruction manuals and trial and error.
My demo reel was laughable and I am still grateful to the hiring manager who first gave me more than a cursory glance before rejecting me and who was able to look past the lens flares, chrome teapots, and flying logos to see fledgling talent. Thank you Bill, where ever you are!
What sort of training or education did you complete in advance of applying for your first position?
My school (San Francisco State University) had a computer lab - and by lab I mean a closet with three old Amiga computers loaded with 3DStudio DOS. I bought a book that purported to cover all key aspects of the program. (It didn't.) And I met someone who was kind enough to take me under his wing and teach me the actual ins and outs of game art creation, the stuff a book cant teach you. I was able to generate some content for my demo that probably gave me one tiny leg up over other folks. But it would be a very tiny leg up.
What is your job today?
Like a Virginia Slim, I've come a long way, baby. One thing to remember when you are trying to break in is: once you are in, you are in. What you do with it from there is up to you. I worked my way up from track building to team lead, to Environment Lead and did a small stint as a Producer. I eventually became Art Director and did that for 7 years at LucasArts and then at Paragon Studios making some truly inspiring and original stuff. Now I'm a Project Lead and part time Art Director. I'm still learning, still looking to move up and still loving every minute of this crazy biz.
For someone interested in starting a career making games today what is the main piece of advice you would offer them?
Be specific. Your school will want you to have one of everything on your demo reel. I dont agree. (And I wrote the demo reel and artist hiring guidelines for LucasArts.) I feel you should put the following on your demo:
A. only the stuff relevant to the position you desire. Want to be a Character Modeler? Dont put that one and only animation exercise you did on the free rigged character you got off CreativeCrash.com. Or those life drawings from Sketching 101. That stuff is good, but it's not relevant and it gets in the way.
B. Put the best stuff first. You only get one chance to catch the reviewer's attention.
C. Only put the good stuff. Or in other word, do not try and pad out your demo to make it look like you have more. The bad stuff is jsut as memorable as the good stuff. Resist the temptation.
D. No Flying logos, Chrome Teapots, or Lens Flares! ;) Seriously, you know what doesn't matter? Production value. We watch reels with the sound off, and just want to see the content, not an intro vid, screens of text, or a convoluted DVD menu. I'm not saying dont make the demo site or disc clean and presentable, just dont waste time trying to add pizazz.
E. Be confident! You've worked hard, you've got great ideas, and you are talented. Your work will speak for itself!
Good luck! We may be working together someday!
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