Golden Ticket Thread

I've ranted about this in the past, and will likely rant about this again in the future. Every so often, I get people who proclaim they have a golden ticket to game development. Usually when the get into, or graduate from, some university or course that guarantees success for whatever reason. Be it they met a famous designer, some big company like Pixar or EA recruits from there, it's a university some famous designers came out of (Digipen is often cited here). Whatever the reason, they are on the easy road to success and fame.

In a classic case of Cassandra complex, when I try and warn them that it's unlikely to pan out, or at very least that coasting by on the virtue of some tangential connection won't get them that dream job, I'm written off as a jealous, bitter, stupid, etc. Just today I was told that I was just- "bitter because you've had your game plans dashed to pieces". This is true to an the extent that I was denied a university position, but it's also false as I decided to make these games in my spare time, qualifications be damned.

A user by the name of TabKey said something on this that stuck with me over a year later.
"Going and getting a degree in game design will not win you a job simply by the virtue of your diploma. Shown experience has proven itself just as valuable (if not more so in some cases) than a piece of paper (remember the phrase 'C's get degrees!' Some diploma holders are not all that talented or hard-working)."

And even after the fact, they still deny this happened. When the try out for Activision falls through, or they are still waiting for a call from their big name contact several years later, they will still boast of their credentials, and that big name contact is going to phone them up any day now, you'll see. The job at a fast food place is just to keep the lights on until that day arrives.

It might be tempting to write off these people as lazy or stupid, but some seem smart, hard working and passionate, but get suckered in anyway. Either that, or I have it wrong and this is actually how game devs get hired. After all, I never got the chance to go through the process. This seems to keep happening, and I keep getting told that the problem is me being cynical, bitter and jealous.

I think there are only two ways to get a job in the game industry. 1) is your portfolio and 2) is a company looking for your particular style of artwork or 3D (or whatever else it is you do). The reason students from certain Universities might have a better entry to the industry is that they may already be schooled for all the crap that awaits the future developer. However, if that is the case they most likely study at a Gnomon School or at Feng Zhu's or a similar institution; two words: insane fees! They are in debt when they finish their studies, but they are quite ready to work that debt off by doing the job they learned and excel at it; future leaders of the industry. I think there are few state universities that actually offer game development that is deep. Most just scratch the surface, like a beginner's tutorial. And I don't think an SAE degree for example would help you more than a good portfolio; can't hurt to have both, but truly only the portfolio says it all.
I think it's probably a combination of resumee (experience, commercial titles worked on) and of portfolio that stands the best chance to get recognized.

Studios don't like taking risks. Every new game project already is a risk, so why put additional peril into the equasion? Play it safe, recruit people, who worked on commercial titles and who know how to adapt to problems that may arise with the technology. Sometimes studios offer internships and recruit from the institutes they work with; in Hamburg, e.g. people from SAE get the walkaround through Bigpoint studios and some of them may be offered or earmarked for an internship; it certainly helps knowing people, if you are looking for that kind of studio job.

Of course there is another way, let's call it 3). The game industry isn't at all about individuality. People may dress funky and look like hipsters, but in their core they are sheep, grazing the meadows. They do as they are told, are reliable in their "function" and basically don't strive for much more than their salary. That's what the workforce of a game project looks like. There is no glory in game development, it's too much pressure and too much business for that.
What I learned the hard way is that you are alone with your talents and you can either find reliable people equally alone and start working on a project of your own. Or you can try and hassle every idiot you met and who now works at a big studio, only to find out they are not interested in helping you at all.

Another factor is simply perseverance. You have to apply for every position, anywhere and hope someone replies. You have to be willing to leave everything behind, friends, family, that other job you had, to become a modern slave, I mean game developer. And then the studio goes bancrupt and you start all over again.

You seem idealistic and romantic about the idea of developing games. That's admirable, but not realistic. Studios will hire you, if they can use you. They won't hire you for your philosophy or broad knowledge. As I see it, there is no use trying to appeal to any of the big studios around the globe. I could not fit in anyway, and I do believe games should be personal and not just a collection of features that sold well in the past. Indie studios however, rarely have money to hire artists on a permanent base. They will much rather outsource tasks to India or China than to look for a 3D modeler in the vicinity. And harsh as it is, I can understand that.

Personally, my biggest problem is that I like to know everything, so I widen my scope towards too many things (2D, 3D, Animation, World Building, Rendering) and end up with that Jack of all trades, master of none problem. But that's because I want to make my own games. It would be more efficient to do just one or two things and get extremely good at them, e.g. creating characters and animation. That puts you in a slot the game studio can recognize. It makes you an asset to the production and reduces the risk. Talented people always worked hard to bring out that talent; it's never there from the start. "Hard-working" people are important, but what they want more are persistent workers. People, who won't complain or rise up against decisions. Who can fit in a chain of command or a hierarchy, giving input when asked for and otherwise keep their mouth shut. These are ideal traits for a game developer, as well as for a soldier.

Edited by: SinKing

Don't worry. I don't hold an idealistic view of gaming development, but trying to warn people away from their rose tinted view gets me labelled as a jealous, bitter, cynical, etc. That's what I'm asking about. Am I really just jealous, cynical etc. or is there a way to stop people falling for the same trap over and over again?

Off topic, but hipsters are funny in that it's a mainstream fad that claims to be about about individuality and rejecting the mainstream. Unironically demanding people be just like them in order to be non-conformist.

If you work in game development, you are bound to be bitter, cynic and jealous. The question is just about what? You can't be jealous of friends that achieved nothing, so there isn't even a cause for it. And you can't really be jealous of people who made it in the industry, because they still are what I described above. So, you should check for other sources for your emotions. I think a huge factor in all of this is disappointment. I know, for example, a guy who got to Crytek through models he made of some concepts I drew for a common project. Do you think this guy would ever have offered to help me in any way? Of course not! As soon as they are comfortable, they forget all about you. Another similiar event was the Rise of the Triad game I worked on. Of course it is nice that I got the chance at all (without payment and with a slavery contract), but do you think anyone from management tried to keep in contact, after the work was done? No, of course not.

You are alone in this, useful as a tool to someone else's plans. You can make some money, but someone else will always make money off of you. It's not a confidentially or trust-inspiring situation, so if any negative emotions arise out of the insecurity of this setup, it's understood. Your friends, on the other hand - none of them is going to make it anywhere. Because they don't hate enough! All the shit I went through, all the negative experience made me really want to change things for myself and the team of people I work with and trust in. We are not cool, we are not trying to have a fun time, we are working on changing the whole process into something meaningful, exciting and less superficial. We are returning loyalty, friendship and community to the equasion as a counterweight to mere efficiency, disregard of others and complacency. And the difference to all the people I cursed about in the above paragraph is that we actually mean it. I hate the thought of being a tool for others or using others as a tool. That can only make you cynical and bitter. Step out of it, forget the whole asshole industry and the billlions of dollars made and focus on the human part. Sure, this could also be seen as romantic, and it's most likely we will fail yet another time. But I am trying to say neither "yes" nor "no". I make my own decisions and they are honest decisions. I don't fake for the sake of keeping myself floating. Once you reach that point whatever your friends think or do doesn't matter. You probably won't even care much about them any more, but about the people you deal with and work with, instead.

If you work in game development, you are bound to be bitter, cynic and jealous. The question is just about what? You can't be jealous of friends that achieved nothing, so there isn't even a cause for it. And you can't really be jealous of people who made it in the industry, because they still are what I described above. So, you should check for other sources for your emotions. I think a huge factor in all of this is disappointment.

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Edited by: aamir100

Someone wrote: I don't hold an idealistic view of gaming development, but trying to warn people away from their rose tinted view gets me labelled as a jealous, bitter, cynical, etc. That's what I'm asking about. Am I really just jealous, cynical etc. or is there a way to stop people falling for the same trap over and over again?

I almost never log on here but i just had to after eyeballing this thread a bit. First thing i have to say is that you just need to chill.. People i've worked with during the past few years have not been bitter or cynic but quite the opposite of that :)

For an artist to get hired, portfolio > everything else. If you got nothing to show to a potential employer or your stuff doesn't stand out from the rest, it's pretty sure to say they won't hire you. If that happens, then you need to polish that portfolio, learn, study and work hard (and it never stops even after hitting that dream job). These things aren't that complicated and there's no need to be so gloomy about it. Game designers for example almost never get hired directly, especially if they haven't worked in the industry before. They often work in QA, programming or some other area before moving to design.

Also: Joshsinghblog.blogspot.fi

Edited by: Sixton

SinKing's Got the right idea. Having worked in the industry for as long as I have and now teaching it, I'm trying to bring some bolted down realism to the kids I'm training up.. sadly most of them are still overly optimistic head in the clouds mentality. Its good having ambition.. but if you don't have the talent and the right frame of mind for making the goal a reality, it'll never get made.

Too often am I finding most people entering the industry just think its an easy instant success thing that you can pull off in a week. What they don't realize is that I've been doing this since I was in Highschool, and on the way got exploited really badly by employers. This left me extremely resentful towards those in charge of studios and the general publisher culture. Too many suits in the biz nowdays. Kinda needs to stop. We need more creatives that are based in reality. That's where I find being a jack of all trades is freaking awesome. You have the ability to say to yourself.. "No... that's going to take to long and cost to damn much.. hows about we try to get this game out in a year or 2 rather than spend the next decade on a single art asset" lol.

I started in QA btw. Now I'm a game design teacher teaching 3D modeling, Coding, 2D Photoshop work ect. Pretty crazy. But you only get to this point after years of neglect and being pulled through the mud just for the sake of someone else's glory. It pisses me off that my former CEO bought his house using the wages he owed myself and my team... all of us whom were still living with our parents and we're almost 30. Dick move.

More so than ever, people will exploit you. Because the industry is for the most part ethically bankrupt. I refuse to ever work for another studio again. After this I'm strictly indie. I've had my Warren Spector Junction Point moment LOL (Ie. Being screwed by Disney so instead becomes a teacher). Best decision I've made yet.