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IGN feature on entering the local games industry

Jane 'Truna' Turner – coordinator, IGDA Brisbane / co-founder, 48 Hour Game Making Challenge
John Passfield – Chief Creative Bloke, 3 Blokes Studios / co-founder and former Design Director, Krome Studios
Michael Dobele – Executive Producer, Halfbrick Studios
Leigh Miller - 3D Artist, Ubisoft Studios (Canada)
Hugh Walters – Art Lead, Halfbrick Studios
Dan Graf – 3D Artist, Dr D Studios / International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Sydney founder
Shainiel Deo – CEO, Halfbrick Studios
Matthew Ford – Co-founder, IGDA Brisbane / Guest lecturer in Games and Interactive Entertainment, QUT / former employee, Auran and Microsoft
Tony Takoushi – Submissions Manager, Halfbrick Studios / Game Design Lecturer and Tutor at Qantm College, Brisbane
Epona Schweer – 3D Animation lecturer and tutor, Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) Sydney

See all these people? They're local industry related types from a whole different range of areas of expertise, and they're giving you valuable games industry advice for free. You like free, don't you? Fantastic!

Andrew McMillen has compiled another great article for IGN, sourcing the minds of these great group on their best advice for those entering the games industry. Six years ago, we did our own feature on the same subject, and it's actually quite disheartening to see jobseekers make some of the same mistakes today as they did back then. I'm going to quote two of the big ones...

(John Passfield, 3 Blokes Studios) So many people come for an interview, but they don't really have anything to show. And clearly, if they're going for a particular job, it's really important to have something [to show] that applies to that job.

If you're going to apply at a, say, mobile / casual game developer, show them some low polygon work or 2D / illustrative work (depending on the kind of games the company puts out)! If they're making specific kinds of games (cars, racing etc), get them interested by putting in models and materials relating to that subject.

(Shainiel Deo, Halfbrick Studios) For any graduates, the key thing that I say is that they need to set themselves apart. If they're just doing their uni assignments, and nothing else, then when they submit their stuff, we'll see that same thing 10 times.

This has been a common issue since forever, and really, it needs to stop.

Recent graduates, and even those starting or still in their courses, this is for you. Do yourselves an enormous favour and don't make these sorts of mistakes. Check out the IGN feature now!

Submitted by NathanRunge on Wed, 22/12/10 - 1:05 AM Permalink

I hope I don't offend too many when I say that most of that was placating and self-serving drivel. There are exceptions, not all of which I'll name, but Shainiel and Epona gave some good advice as examples. Most of it, I can say from the position of the target audience, is meaningless.

As new entrants we get words like "passionate" thrown at us all the time, and perhaps it's necessary to say that informing us you look for passion is somewhat pointless. If you're passionate, you don't need to be told and, if you're not, being told isn't going to spark the fire. If I might quote Mr. Dobele:

"Right now, it's obviously going to be very tough for students to get jobs in the established industry. If they're talented and passionate, they'll get work."

That is exactly what I mean. I respect that maybe it was intended to be encouraging, but it's simply not true and is a tad insulting to-boot. I know dozens of talented and passionate people, and that simply doesn't translate to a job. There are many more passionate and talented people with a life-time of experience who can't find employment.

Further-more, there's a lot of self-serving comments we get back from industry professionals and educators alike - "Don't worry, follow your dreams and make what you love", and "The industry'll pick up again, don't fret".

Firstly, at least most of us know the industry will eventually begin recovering. The fact is, however, that recent graduates are in a particularly poor spot. We're competing with literally hundreds of laid-off industry professionals with experience. We're coming out of generally poorly conceived courses and, by the time the industry does recover, will be in competition with hundreds of more graduates with probably improved education. The number of new graduates, for the next few years at least, will far out-number new jobs and the labour market is already over-crowded.

Secondly, telling us to chase our dreams and do what we love is a nice ideal. When it comes from educators, the words are hollow as, generally, the old adage of "those that can't do, teach" can be found quite accurate. When it comes from industry professionals, it's just naive. Independent development is an avenue worthy of examination, to be sure. I, personally, am pursuing that option. The fact is, however, that life isn't that easy. New graduates are generally cash-strapped, mired in debt and understandably nervous of starting a business venture in a field in which they're entirely inexperienced. Furthermore, while a studio can easily afford a new Mac, iPhone and software licenses for a suite of development solutions from Photoshop to engine licenses, students often won't have that option.

Still, some of us make do and go for it. Anyone here should know the odds of success, however. It's all well and good to point to successes, but who remembers the thousands of failures? Those that say "go for it" know well that "going for it" will, in most cases, lead nowhere with money and time invested that may not be affordable. Sure, encourage people to pursue independent development, but don't be so patronising as to suggest it's a casual decision to be made on a quiet Summer's afternoon. Especially so if you want people to maintain their skills and build their portfolios for the next few years as the industry recovers.

I may be a little bitter, but I am passionate and I'm going to "go and make [my] own world.", as are others I know. We just don't need those sitting in the comfort of a full-time job and financial security advising us to take risks with our own. Maybe before you speak those hollow words, put yourself in the position of having $60 to your name and a family to support and see if you would still say the same. I doubt very much most of you would still be so cavalier about the affair.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 22/12/10 - 12:12 PM Permalink

Passion is something they definitely something they want from the artists. Without passion you will to strive to do better and improve. There is also another reason they look for passion. Without it you are not going to work for long hours for peanuts to get into the games industry. Once in, especially with a lot of work now being contract, you'll have to stay at those wages and continue your passionate overtime or be replaced by a newly graduate artist with passion to accept peanuts. Once you're good, best to move into movies or to the US.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 22/12/10 - 3:55 PM Permalink

Can anyone tell me why anyone would want to work in the games industry without having any passion? (Is there a person in the game industry at this moment who doesn’t want to be there?) If you have no “passion”, I doubt you would have anything in your resume or portfolio that would get you a job anyway. Thus, Passion is redundant. It’s a nice thing to refer to when you have nothing to say.
Oh and Employers, if for whatever reason, you still think that this “passion” thing is something you require from a person when it comes to hiring, fucking talk to them and don’t mistake a lack in resume and cover letter writing skills for a unwillingness to work.
It’s just another word become meaningless like journey and respect.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 22/12/10 - 2:58 PM Permalink

I agree that these are regurgitated sentiments of little comfort to graduates and people trying to break in. But what else can they really say? They're not going to discourage people away from the industry, that's just poor business sense. Some of it is probably just blind optimism, too. And 'passion' I think has become a buzz word to replace 'persistence'.

Most graduates are never going to make it - everyone knows that. My graduating class finished at a great time, when the industry was in the middle of its expansion bubble and hiring like mad and the idea of major studio closures was the stuff of doomsdayers. And you know what? Only ten percent of us made it into the industry. It was tough then too. A lot of us were dirt poor, on the dole or skipping from temp job to temp job for months on end while we tried to break in. The whole industry line rang really hollow then, too.

You say no one remembers the failures - I remember a lot of them by name. A lot of the people who didn't make it in were great - talented programmers, artists with a lot of potential. Many of them at the time a lot better than me. But the thing most of them had in common? A lack of persistence - or a 'lack of passion', which might have given them the gumption to stick with it and keep trying even though it seemed hopeless. They applied a couple of times, got rejected a couple of times, and gave up. Rather than keep struggling through, they turned to other more reliable work. I can't blame them, but honestly, I think a lot of them would have made it if they stuck with it. We've all heard the stories for 70-100 rejections before someone got in. I'm one of those stories too.

It's tough to swallow, but 'going for it and following your dreams' really is probably the single most important bit of advice they can give. It doesn't explain how you're going to do it when you can't afford to live or support your family - you have to figure that part out for yourself. Whether you get another job and work on it in your spare time, or if you take a crazy mad gamble and drive yourself into debt making a startup that might not even work. I think they've worded it wrong, painting a rosier picture of the journey than what it will be, and yeah, maybe it's even a little infuriating given the current state of the industry. But what did you really want from this article? You must have read these kinds of articles before. They're the same every time.

I've seen your name on Tsumea a lot, so I suspect you're not one of those going to give up - that's passion. In that respect, I think you'll make it eventually. If not by getting hired, by making your own startup. Yeah, some 90% of startups never get off the ground, but if you sprint down the runway ten times...

Submitted by NathanRunge on Wed, 22/12/10 - 3:46 PM Permalink

I'll agree that there's little that can be said to rectify the situation, and perhaps there are good intentions behind the regurgitated pleasantries. I'll even go so far as to admit I may have been more harsh than was warranted, tired of being spoon-fed nonsense from all directions. Perhaps even more so as a result of personal experiences with two particular individuals on that list. Still, I don't feel it's productive to continue a dialogue of such little substance. Shainiel Deo and Epona Schweer, as I mentioned as examples, gave practical advice amongst the encouragement. In these tough times, that sort of thing is really appreciated, whereas misleading assurances can only be found patronising and insulting.

I'd also say that I would encourage people to "pursue their dreams" and be persistent, but we all know it's not that simple. Especially so when it may well be a decade or more until the job to seeker ratio reflects what it once was, a time at which, as you have said, employment prospects were still thin. Prospects for developing a portfolio and maintaining, updating and improving your skills over that sort of period are poor, and ultimately you will be in competition with those that graduate later, who will likely have superior education.

Educational Institutions and Studios have an interest in convincing students and graduates that everything will be rosey and great. Educational Insitutions, most of which really have no clue what they're doing, need to convince students that their services are worth-while, and studios benefit from a flooded labour market and from a wider skill-base from which to draw. I wouldn't go so far as to accuse some of the individuals in the article of acting unscrupulously, but realistic advice is what's needed, not a utopian ideal. Giving advice to someone about their career is a serious responsibility, as it pertains to their financial security, health and well-being for, potentially, the rest of their lives. it would be nice to see people take it seriously and consider the consequences before spouting some of the fairy-tale nonsense we often hear.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 22/12/10 - 6:16 PM Permalink

I have been getting into public speaking lately.

And I've personally myself have hated it when other presenters have said "All it takes is passion".

I like to say realistically there isn't a chance at the moment that you'll get into the industry, the reality is a lot of talented people are out of jobs let alone hiring unexperienced people. In a few years the story can change.

I also recommend to people doing education to make sure they focus on a course that gives them a backup. Do a computer science or software engineering course if doing programming for example because it'll give you options during this hellish time for the industry in Australia.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 22/12/10 - 6:17 AM Permalink

Personally i thought for the most part they had it right.

The standard required to get entry level positions in games is extremely high. So you either step up and be better than the other applicants or you have a sook because you don't want to make the effort to be good enough.

Submitted by designerwatts on Wed, 22/12/10 - 4:03 PM Permalink

Another great article and some solid advice from some bosses and teachers in the Industry.

For me I think the core three take-a-ways for anyone here looking to get a job. Student or experienced is:

1: Make games. Regardless of your position and experience you need to continue making games. Big or small it doesn't matter, Just keep making games. Preferably ones that can be played online or played on a PC via a simple executable. Something a HR guy and project lead can scan over on their work computer in a few minutes. Programs like Unity3D and Flash can help you make that happen.

2: Get a website to show off these games in a playable state, or failing that some video content. Make the content easy to access. Your best game or video should be on the home page and be the first thing anyone sees.

3: Be realistic. Speaking from experience of how I thought of the industry 5 years ago when I was looking for my first industry job. I had a ridiculous sense of entitlement coming out of year 12. After spending your life in school you get the ideal that you "deserve" a job after that hard educational slog. The truth of the matter is that no-one ever owes you a job at any point in your life. You need to show studios that your skilled on your chosen profession and confident in showing it. Games are your asset in proving this.

Studios, especially in today's high-risk environment need staff they can count on. Staff that want to invest themselves into the studios and not use them as stepping stones onto the "better, greener pastures." Students are capable of confidently convincing studios of this. But your games will be the only thing studios can weigh in as a accreditation of your skill quality and engagement. So those games need to be as polished as possible.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 22/12/10 - 6:19 PM Permalink

I would add to that

4. You need to have alternatives while you are looking for games work. Nothing wrong with doing a science based job for a while dealing with graphics while the game industry is down in the dumps.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 24/12/10 - 2:45 PM Permalink

he managed to get a job at Longtail Studios as a 3D Environment Artist which he's suspiciously left out of his LinkedIn profile.

But yeah, I'm still scratching my head over this one too...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 24/12/10 - 3:01 PM Permalink

Can we not do the personal attacks thing yet again please.

I worked with the artists in question in the past at Krome. He had strong strengths in some areas, weaknesses in others. I would assume that he found a role which focuses on his strengths and if so good for him.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 26/12/10 - 9:12 PM Permalink

Honestly, I don't see how that is a personal attack.

The people commenting are just pointing out the plausibility of this guy jumping from Krome (a company that didn't exactly have a great reputation in making AAA console games) to a high profile company: Ubisoft (that consistently makes high quality games). As I understand it, Canada has really high standard criteria for overseas jobseekers which means you need to have years of solid experience as well as some impressive credits under your belt. A portfolio alone will not get you there. So I think it warrants fair questioning as to how he landed the position in such a short amount time since he left Krome.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 27/12/10 - 2:15 AM Permalink

It's not unusual, I personally know of a good half dozen or so people who have gone from Australia to Canada, some with similar experience levels.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 27/12/10 - 3:09 AM Permalink

Uhmm..not that so much. I was actually questioning his professional level and skills - from what i saw i don't rate him as an artist.

That's still not quite a personal attack though in my book..And anyway it's just one opinion.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 30/12/10 - 5:45 PM Permalink

Well,

I guess I would have to ask what are your qualifications for making such a claim, are you a artist with many years commercial experience?

i.e. Leigh Miller has successfully gained employment at Ubisoft and retained that position. I imagine there were many very experienced commercial artists making the evaluation on that employment and subsequent reviews.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 27/12/10 - 6:19 AM Permalink

I have hired many artists in different video game companies both in Australia and the US.

Here are some thoughts that will hopefully help someone who wants to get there as an artist.

The best guys and gals are those who are self taught. There are some really good schools (VFS, CalArts, SCAD) but they frankly are all in North America. Seeing that could be tricky, spend a lot of time in the really good industry related forums - cgtalk, conceptart.org, tech-artists.org. Read these a bunch because that is where people who are doing the work go to contribute and ask questions too. You can learn a ton there pretty quickly and what is the latest and greatest.

Focus on one area that you want to excel (e.g. concept, animation, modeling) but try to have an understanding and familiarity of the others - spots are generally specialised but you need to communicate with other discliplines and understand what they are doing. It's all well and good to be a concept artist, but someone who knows a bit of 3D on top of that is way ahead of the others unless you are just awesome.

Make your work relevant to where you are applying. e.g : an Iphone studio will generally not care too much about doing architectural renders, but they will care that assets are efficient and optimal. A AAA game studio will want stuff that looks really good, but still really optimal in its construction and rendering. Studying existing game assets are an awesome way to learn.

Except for concept artists/animators : having an understanding of how the consoles draw the graphics (like PS3/XBox 360) and their limitations are really important. This is where character and enviroment artists spend a lot of time getting things working right.

Artwork that you can show works in a game engine that is tight and optimal is a critical thing to see if you want to work in games. It's all well and good to assemble a scene in 3D, apply ten mental ray render passes but it's not an area where many games artists spend a lot of time unless they are working in cinematics. Download Unreal or Unity - it's a good start to working in a good environment.

You may not land the role you want straight away, but keep trying to contribute to the community. A realy quality rig, model or shader that stands above other peoples work will get you noticed. Fundamentally you are coming up with a solution to a visual problem, and this industry is more about problem solving then anything else.

It is a competitive industry. Good luck :)

-M

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/01/11 - 9:07 AM Permalink

To necro this a little:

"When it comes from educators, the words are hollow as, generally, the old adage of "those that can't do, teach" can be found quite accurate."

With so few jobs out there at the moment there are people who certainly "can do" who are teaching just to stay vaguely in the industry. The industry's loss may well be education's gain.

Submitted by NathanRunge on Tue, 11/01/11 - 1:15 AM Permalink

While certainly the future may prove those words true, there are few that currently sit within those roles or have in the past. QANTM seems to be doing reasonably well in this respect, but the Universities are certainly lacking and have been since day one. QUT has recently hired one individual with industry experience in Matt Ford. Putting aside his qualifications, QUT has no-one else and Mr. Ford is simply a tutor. QUT's Games course is being coordinated by an architect. There are similar situations in most other tertiary institutions and, as always, there are exceptions, but the exceptions are rarely the ones from whom we hear.