limit your job hunt to AAA at your own risk
polycounter lvl 19
I wasn't sure what to write here, I've been the opinion for a while that limiting your job search to AAA Console studios only will severely limit your job prospects - even more than not being up to date on current tech.
While it isn't an industry wide survey this GDC survey does paint a picture of mobile being the dominant platform followed by PC:
GDC State of the Industry
I wish I had a more eloquent break down like Kevin Johnstone's thread in 2006 about the lack of environment artists but there are some similarities here. There is a perception of AAA being the sexy place to be while mobile, web, f2p and the rest are the doldrums. People talk about how much competition there is for character art, now imagine 90% of those character artists competing for the sexy 50% of jobs out there (I just pulled these percentages out of my butt)
While it isn't an industry wide survey this GDC survey does paint a picture of mobile being the dominant platform followed by PC:
GDC State of the Industry
I wish I had a more eloquent break down like Kevin Johnstone's thread in 2006 about the lack of environment artists but there are some similarities here. There is a perception of AAA being the sexy place to be while mobile, web, f2p and the rest are the doldrums. People talk about how much competition there is for character art, now imagine 90% of those character artists competing for the sexy 50% of jobs out there (I just pulled these percentages out of my butt)
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Its also pretty cool to be in wal-mart or gamespot and point out 3 games you worked on on in the shelf, but thats more than a little vain :P In my experience working at smaller companies there is always some money trouble bullshit with either unpaid wages or delayed paycheques or the fear that the company will implode at any second if they dont somehow land this big contract...."so we need a big overtime push team"
in most cases if a big AAA studio goes tits up you will get some type of severance package better than the standard 2 weeks pay you are lucky to hopefully get at a small studio. the downside is you hear a lot more about big studios laying off staff or closing, but to be honest, thats cause they are big and in the media. plenty of small studios I know of are struggling or have dissapeared as well. if im gonna be jobless for a while id rather a nice cushy severance cheque to ride on for a while. hell I know someone who made an extra 25g in a year from ridining a couple layoff waves at various studios.
If you are at a AAA and somehow find yourself out of work, if you are good there is a solid chance you will find work quickly. The thing that always irks me here on polycount is people hearing about studio layoffs and saying "yea! now they can go indie" like its some magical easy band aide solution. it usually takes some start up capital or you have to go into savings to do that, which a lot of people cant just muster up some cash.
kinda back on topic though. I dont look down on f2p or mobile games at all, there are some awesome titles coming out and killin it financially and critically in those markets and they are blowing up. its always a gamble in this industry, so its nice to see it paying off. hell uncharted 3's multiplayer going F2P is a total sign of this. I would echo justin's point for sure, especially for anyone looking to get into the industry. the aside i would add to it though is go with what your heart tells you you want to work on. for me thats AAA, i know its what i get excited and motivated about.
I think that is slowly becoming a thing of the past now that smaller studios are going under or transitioning to mobile/tablet/f2p stuff IMO. But I definitely agree that a larger studio/publisher offers some sort of security for periods of time.
As PixelMasher mentioned AAA have a certain level of stability and benefits. what I like the most about working in a larger studio is the people. I'm lucky to be a part of a big enough team who are all fun and good to work with.
With that said I'm sure a small studio is more personal with smaller groups. I like variety
The panacea of a AAA is becoming even more illusory. The studios who send the choice work overseas to outsource groups appears to be growing exponentially and the companies who do that often adopt very mercenary contractor policies. There goes another compelling reason to bust your hump to get in at a big place. No benefits, royalty plans, accrued vacation (and in some cases, no paid overtime) or other perks and what you are left with is often a worse deal than if you went to a smaller company that paid less but offered more perks and benefits. Usually the projects are managed with a saner scope and better development time - and that can make for an overall more satisfying experience (possibly a more healthy choice, too).
I guess it all comes down to what you want and what you can get. The allure of being on a big-name, über-successful franchise is definitely attractive. Like a siren's call, it's hard to not want to be on the sexiest, most ambitious and awesome project going (at the time). It's natural for artists who really want to bring their A-game and who want to grow to set their sights on a high-profile gig, but the reality is that not everybody can work on those projects. And, often the smaller projects offer unexpected growth opportunities unavailable on higher-profile gigs, where you might have just one task you do until you are sick of it. You might have a chance to grow in many other ways at a non-AAA or make contributions you'd otherwise never have the chance to make.
Not saying I would turn down a plum job, though. Just sayin' :poly121:
Look at your art and evaluate how it compares to the companies you are applying to, if its not going to knock the socks off the people at AAA studios that make incredible things every day then its time for a change of perspective. Its notoriously difficult to objectively evaluate your own skills and limitations but its also the single thing that can make you better and lead to the 'prized' jobs. I've found this trouble to be especially apparent among new graduates. They want to work on the blockbuster titles.
If you cant get into those places then working at a small studio is important for reasons other than just getting into the industry. You have to learn how to work with others, have a boss, and take direction. You have to learn that not everything is going to be magical all the time. And every game needs boring stuff too (and a lot of it) like grass. Working at a smaller place can help you get into the swing of things without suffering too much pressure or intimidation, and it helps some people grow up.
On the other side, working at a place with the best talent will make you a better artist faster and more effectively than anything else. There is nothing else quite like the shame of showing your work next to the best in the industry at a weekly crit to motivate you to get better. There is a strong correlation between the big studios and talent density. So working at a small place might lead to stagnation if you don't self-motivate.
There are definitely a ton of smaller studios now but how many people know that they exist so that they can apply there?
I also dont often hear of mobile/f2p artists going on to AAA work when Ive talked to recruiters they seemed to think it was a bad plan. I think that there is a common perception that mobile/F2P game artists are somehow inferior to AAA artists but I'm really not sure there is that much of a difference in skill set these days. Maybe its just a problem of mobile/f2p artists having loads of mobile/F2P quality artwork in the portfolio and the people hiring wanting to see some AAA quality pieces in there, which is rather time consuming but should be possible.
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So yeah, I'll continue to only work in the AAA space, or not at all. The exception being 'high profile' lower budget titles (e.g. high budget XBLA).
If people know the studio or the games we make doesn't matter to me that much. I think you can create awesome artwork everywhere and you can try to give your best everywhere as long as the studio itself is run in a professional manner. And if you do that you will still get awesome folio pieces out of it which allow you to move wherever you want. This is especially my advice for people out of college who limit themselves right away to let's say Blizzard or Naughy Dog, even though they have even less oversight of the market situation than we do.
If you mean agent type recruiters. Of course they would say that, its in their self interest. The companies they contract to would be larger budget studios. These other platform developers would have no need nor funding for a recruiter.
Obviously you should work on projects at a studio where you are happy; but I've seen a lot of examples of people with 6-10 years in the industry who have little to show for it. They've spent their time at places and in projects that are not pushing them artistically and even if the everyday work is passable the core skills are broken. They've ended up with mediocre portfolios and little chance of advancement to another location.
What I'm getting at is that it takes excitement to create motivation - often times you find that more easily on big-name productions because the gamers care more about the product, the media cares more about the product, and the entire company cares more with them. Find it anywhere you can, because a paper resume will only take you so far.
That chart was a survey of what platforms GDC attendees where working on, not market share.
I got out of games in 2006 and did scripting for slot machine games. In 2008 I went back as an env artist on Forza Motorsport 3 as a contractor. After my contract was up in 2009, I was unemployed for over 10 months. After that, Turn10 finally hired me back on another contract for Forza 4. Once my contract ended I was then out of work for 6 more months, before landing a "full time" job as an env artist at Timegate, down in Texas. I was there for 16 months before being part of a large layoff this past December. Unemployed a few months again and now I'm back at Turn10 for another contract, which is slated to end tentatively, in October.
If mobile, web or free to play can offer more work/stability, I'd be all for it. It's just a matter of finding a studio that's hiring. I really love working on big games, but it's also a huge amount of pressure and stress. In the end, so long as you get paid for doing what you love, it's a win.
Yeah dude, my studio doesn't advertise at all. My boss recruits through social media, friends etc
This is actually a very valid point in more than one respect. Sure there may be two or even three times as many mobile games in the works - but does that actually equate to a higher rate of employment for developers? I'm pretty sure the answer is a resounding no. How many mobile games employ 30+ artists and outsource additional artwork?
AAA stable?
you guys know when to cheer me up with a good laugh.
Thanks guys.
You can cold call/email, it's not annoying just don't expect to hear back right away. It's about throwing out as many lines as possible, if you can CHOOSE between positions offered all the better. So, going back to what Justin said, especially for someone trying to get into the industry yeah, totally apply freakin everywhere. not just where you want to eventually work in your career, who knows maybe your priorities will change.
That's exactly how I read this at the start, I'm surprised at the number of Polycounters defending teeth and nail an invisible argument here of "What one should look into", this simply was a PSA on not to limit yourself to one side of the industry down to the single penny.
"Don't put all of your cocks in one Hen den" or as the saying goes.
I mean sure, the Thread title is abit iffy but other then that, yeesh, Kotaku flashback.
PS: Anyhow, everyone knows PC's are better anyway :P
I was just saying, that not being able to find SOME way of contacting them shouldn't be an excuse in most cases. There are lots of resources for finding small studios
What I use often is Gamedevsmap.com but some of the studios are clearly dead, and some might not have been updated with a new presence. If that is not the case, what is it? Word of mouth, a friend of a friend?
When i graduated i applied to a ton of studios on this list
http://www.candevs.ca/
but i know for a fact a lot of the ones on that list are also defunct.
Just talking from what i've heard from some graduates, getting a job at something not AAA is not a "failure" or accepting less or anything. There's absolutely nothing wrong with looking at every possible opening. I also don't want to make this thread into some kind of us/them big/small thing so.. yeah, I don't really have anything else to add.
What disciplines are the most in-demand in the industry atm any ways? Are riggers/animators in high demand even though character artists aren't?
As far as the highest demand, it's programmers.
That isn't very true. The size of a studio doesn't indicate they have weak or strong people working there.
AAA is such a shitty term to use, because everyone has a different definition for it.
Smaller teams kick ass. There is a powerful illusion about what the industry is really like, or what it's like to work at certain studios, as opposed to smaller or lesser known places. I'll take a small studio cranking out smaller scale, yet innovative, compelling and fun titles, versus filling a slot on a 400 man team and having "crunch" be a regular and accepted thing.
Saying "I'll only work on AAA or at these companies (games)" is stupid and shortsighted. While some big places are very fun to work for and may be what you want to do, be open to working at smaller places as you will often experience things you simply can't anywhere else. You might like it.
There are things you'll always have to weigh and make compromises with, but don't forget about quality of life.
Also the sum of total percentage exceed 100%..
They asked developers what platforms they were developing on - so a developer who is working on a multiplatform game would most likely say PC, 360 & PS3.
As far as the Vita, Sony has been trying hard to get developers on board, giving out free dev kits to indie studios and investing about $20 million on getting developers on board. Nintendo systems haven't been that great for 3rd parties lately so plenty of studios are moving away from them. And there's that whole PS4 + Vita interaction to take into account.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$ cream get the money $$$$$$$$$$$$$
hmmm my workplace Neonplay isnt on that indiedevmap as far as I can tell.
although it's all user submitted.
ROFL
I really do like the things I've seen coming out of the indie-market lately though. Lots of innovative stuff, games that feels like games without all the bullshit and honestly, I wouldn't mind working on something like em in my spare-time.
it's ok I guess!
Stability is changing as studios grow (off the millions of kids / housewives spending their pocket change).
Wayyyyyy too many cheifs, not enough indians is my experience so far with big studios.
Edit: And the red tape one has to cut through to get something done on a big team. That's not something I will ever miss.
Never before has the platform / opportunity for small teams of creative people been so freaking accesible. I agree with OP, dont limit yourself to the glitz!
For sure! It does feel like there are usually too many cooks with big AAA-development. Looking at the focus and intent the indies have with their games I can't help but be a little bit envious.
AAA-game development for artists can sometimes be like a big machine that only makes art and never really bothers or knows about any other part of the machine.
this. ive worked on smaller teams that LOVE what they are working on. when you have a team that loves what they are doing innovation in art and tech can happen without dramatics and effort.
Yeah, this was how I scored mine. Sorry I can't be of more help.
You could also browse games in the iTunes or Play stores and get company contact info from there.