game industry!? :( Tell me the truth.
polycounter lvl 8
I have been reading/hearing a bunch of negative things about the game industry on here and other sites recently. For the past few years I have been looking forward to graduating so I could finally get to do what I have always wanted, to work on a game. All I want, is to be able to make awesome things and provide a means for my family one day.
I'm a student who will be graduating in about a year and half. I am already very nervous about whether or not my portfolio will even be good enough to get an entry level position somewhere (Also I live in Ohio so I have that against me).
But no worries! I will work super hard, sacrifice everything and land that awesome job I have been constantly dreaming about for the past few years right?
Tell me am I ignorant for thinking the video game industry can be a fun place to work? Are these rumors I hear true? All this stuff about crappy working conditions, crazy hours and what not is making me worried. I don't want to slave away, sell my soul and realize its all been a false hope.
I'm not dumb, I don't expect to get paid to have Nerf gun fights. I guess I just want to be able to say at the end of the day that I enjoy my job.
So tell me, does anyone have any good experiences working in this field? Can someone tell a student who knows nothing about the inner workings of this industry, what they should expect? Are my future kids going to grow up fatherless because I was forced to spend all my time in the studio?
I'm a student who will be graduating in about a year and half. I am already very nervous about whether or not my portfolio will even be good enough to get an entry level position somewhere (Also I live in Ohio so I have that against me).
But no worries! I will work super hard, sacrifice everything and land that awesome job I have been constantly dreaming about for the past few years right?
Tell me am I ignorant for thinking the video game industry can be a fun place to work? Are these rumors I hear true? All this stuff about crappy working conditions, crazy hours and what not is making me worried. I don't want to slave away, sell my soul and realize its all been a false hope.
I'm not dumb, I don't expect to get paid to have Nerf gun fights. I guess I just want to be able to say at the end of the day that I enjoy my job.So tell me, does anyone have any good experiences working in this field? Can someone tell a student who knows nothing about the inner workings of this industry, what they should expect? Are my future kids going to grow up fatherless because I was forced to spend all my time in the studio?
Replies
Thing is, the lower level jobs in our industry are often factory like - you've being told what to do and you deliver on time, then rinse, repeat. Again, this doesn't have to mean it cannot be fun. If you enjoy what you do and if you get different concepts it can be quite fun.
The studios I worked in had proper hardware, decent bosses and most often a plan of what they wanted to do. There were people who were married, people who had kids and family. What gave me a bit to think though was that almost nobody was over 40. The oldest guy we had was 50, in a studio of 300 people.
If you're good you can also see a bit of the world, if you desire - I love that about my job.
Right now, your portfolio is a tree. Get on that. Skill is a sacrifice.
Working in games is fun if you're passionate about games. I get emotional playing games, new builds are exciting, Traveling to game shows is great because I get to see all my pals from previous companies and the internet. The horror stories are real. Crunch in a dirty room full of smelly dudes falling asleep at your desk to wake up painting promotional garbage only to show up at E3 with a screen saver lopping old screen shots. The ups and downs are extremes of adventure and emotions. If that's the ride you're looking for, hop on. These days, most of the people around me are kids fresh out of school. While the industry is small, it's growing fast.
Understand that although it is work, if you are passionate about making games then it will definitely not feel like work. You are the one who is making the choice to get into this industry, no one is forcing you. Look for studios you want to help make games for and try to do their art or better and if you get hired by them, then you are hundreds of steps beyond most people and loving what you do.
If you are at a studio and you feel your face melting off then quit or look for something else. No one is ever forcing you to stay at a job. I know as we go on in life we get strapped with responsibilities just try to see the bigger picture at all times.
WORK ON YOUR PORTFOLIO NOW!!! Having the mindset from the get go of making yourself better than people you see on polycount is priority 1. You are not only competing with those super awesome artists at your school, you are competing with everyone on this board plus more on all the other sites and people currently at studios. As long as you have a strong portfolio and do not smell of douche, or act like a slam pig, you will always be able to find work..
Good luck and remember work and life are what you make of them. Cry and whine and you will never hear or see clearly behind your whaling and those tears in your eyes.
Really, though, it depends on the company and the project.
For every bad studio, there must be 10/20 good ones. Get a good folio and find a good one.
The game industry isn't a school, it's a company that can invest 10's of millions of dollars into a product. It's very serious business at the higher levels. Your leads are making multi-million dollar decisions, that can effect entire deadlines. If I told people i am a lead of one of the departments at a game company, they would shrug it off. If i told them I am a lead of a department on a 40 million dollar product development, they would sit up and take notice.
Game development is a business. They want to make money. But it is a creative business, and quite a few companies try to support an environment that fosters creativity. I think we are approaching a shift in managers though. We are such a young industry. We have people now with 10-15+ year of production experience, that can soon replace these out of industry managers. We are currently seeing too many decisions being made by people that have not done thier trail by fire in a production team. It can only get better.
oh no u didn't!
Yeah this. I've worked in two studios for about 3 years total and it's been great.
Some people simply love making games so much, that they are willing to put up with the abuse just so they can make games for a living. If you get into this career and like it, there is a good chance that you will do almost anything to keep working in games.
It's just unfortunate that some corporate douches are willing to take advantage of their employees passion just to squeeze a few extra dollars.
http://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm
If you don't like working long hours at times, then crunch time might get stressful. Unless you're a super-mega-3d-modeling-speed-concepting-coffee-making-ninja-robot-thing.
But the dementors... man oh man, the dementors... they'll take your soul.
Yeah sure it wont always be amazing when you have to work long hours sometimes to hit a milestone, but your reconized for you hard work after a big milestone its not out of the ordinary to get a day or two off work to let you relax. its like any other studio but like 100x better.
oh and the parties there pretty amazing!
Working at a Studio is kind of like being in a relationship,, is the way I like to think about it
thats all, really
If you want a company that has a scooter or a segway for each person to use so they don't have to walk to get coffee then you probably need to start that company up. Most of those places spend more money on decorations and the office then on the staff and promptly go tits up when the cash advances run dry.
Personally I work very reasonable hours and we hardly ever crunch. I have a lot of creative freedom and the projects I work on are short and varied so I'm never really bored of feel stuck in a rut. My bills are always paid and I have enough extra cash to do the things I love. I can't imagine working at a place where everyone has dark circles around their eyes and gets by on raman and stale coffee, no thanks there are easier ways to make the same kind of cash in other industries. I've been there, I would go back if anyone ever tried to put my balls in a vice.
People need to realize that they need you more than you need them.
For me I give it my all when I work on something. I take it seriously and try to get it as close to perfection as my abilities and knowledge will allow. That's why I love this forum and you guys, because I found a bunch of people with my general mindset and passion. Well most members at least, there are a few on here which I'm not sure what they are thinking (not naming any names).
We give it our all when we do our work or at least most of us do. So we should be rewarded with a fun and inspiring work environment. I guess I was curious to know if most companies take advantage of their employees or if there are still some cool companies out there that strive for an environment like this.
@Reverenddevil: thanks for the lengthy response I agree with everything you said. Definitely makes me think about a few things.
@Acr0: Insightful, I hope for everyone that things do in fact only get better!
@Snefer: I wanna be you when I grow up.
@Alberto Rdrgz: I know what you mean, at this point I would suffer anything to do what I love especially when getting paid for it, but I'm wondering if a environment can change that? I cant see myself hating what I do but I wonder if its possible.
ok enough about the negative side what are some of the coolest things that have happened to you because of the game industry? or what are some of your best moments while working in the industry? Brag and excite a ambitious student.
Work hard.
There are countless kids with the same exact dreams.
But yeah, once you get into a good studio, it's awesome.
-m
Other than that good luck and post a lot of WIP's on polycount. You learn a lot here.
All the best in your future!
My only real gripe about working here is that I've been contracting here for like 2 years now and I'm still not regular full time, but considering the job market in the Bay Area right now I'm pretty happy.
I think a lot of it is perspective. I have known kids that were lucky enough to have game dev as their first working experience in the real world who were utterly shocked by deadlines and adapting to working with others.
It's hard work, but it's generally fun and fulfilling and being around so many people with common interests is just bonus.
Most important thing in the world in bold letters.
Hi Rob, we are neighbors.
I am on the same boat as him, still contractor at EA.
i AM looking for something alittle more hardcore though. a bigger studio,which im sure would result in OT and stricter deadlines. which is fine. its what i want. bigger gamessss