Owner: Breakout! The Blog For Game Industry Career Seekers URL:http://gamecareer.blogspot.com Join Date: Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:14:21 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Breakout! is a blog for those seeking a job in the game industry. It includes articles, interviews, reviews, and weekly job postings for the entry and graduate level job-seeker. Site statistics:Click here
Game Job Ads That Suck 2007-08-06 13:18:00 Since Monday is when I post new entry and graduate level job opportunities in the game industry, I thought I'd direct you to the most awesome post ever written about game job ads. Seriously, you have to check this one out. Here's a pull from the article, and my personal favorite section:The "We're Looking For a Few (More) Good Men" adWebsites that have photos of the entire company proudly displayed in the "team" section of the studio's website. Fine, you say - but there's a bizarre twist. Every single photo is of a man. No explanation is furnished, not even an acknowledgement in fine print at the bottom of the page that yes, this is a bit weird. There's something creepy about a medium sized company that's all white men between the ages of 20 and 45. It's not their fault or anything, but most people don't go about splashing their faults all over their website now do they.I always wonder why the don't just lie like big corporations do: from the legal arse-covering (we are an eq
Job Postings July 31st - August 6th 2007-08-06 00:47:00 I’ve decided to start tracking trends in the entry and graduate level game industry job market as represented by Gamasutra, so this week is my first dip into that. As you can see, programming took the cake this week, offering up a total of 9 jobs for entry and graduate level applicants. I’m not terribly surprised, as there tend to be more job offerings in programming than anywhere else, with art jobs coming in a close second. Still surprised at the lack of QA jobs available, though I suppose I shouldn’t be considering the fact that in a few months as developers prepare their Christmas releases, QA job openings will be off the charts. Still no jobs for audio or production departments. It continues to amaze me just how many small companies require several years’ industry experience for entry level positions. I’m all for shooting for the moon, but some of these are really quite ridiculous. I’m not naming any names, of course. You know who you are! As always, all j Read more:August
5 Reasons You Should Keep A Blog 2007-08-05 22:14:00 You’ve got the unforgettable portfolio, the killer demo-reel, the professional website, and the perfect resume. You’ve got self-promotion down to a science. But could you be missing something? Blogs are quickly becoming the single most popular venue for self-promotion and networking, replacing the personal website in terms of readability. While a blog alone isn’t going to rocket you into the forefront of the game industry networking scene, it’s a great addition to an already solid self-promotion package. Drawing Attention To Yourself There’s something about a blog that just seems far more inviting than a stodgy portfolio site. Perhaps it’s the personal narrative of a blog that makes readers feel as though they can relate to the author. Perhaps it’s the friendly, audience-oriented format that helps promote a connection between blogger and reader. Whatever it is, it’s worth tapping into. Start up a blog and write about your d Read more:Reasons
Book Spotlight: Get in the Game by Marc Mencher 2007-08-05 12:51:00 In a sentence, Get in the Game is a book about the strategies you can use to get a career in the game industry. The focus is on those who are just starting out and have not taken much time to research the industry, but the book itself is far from useless to the informed job-seeker or the reader who has been in the industry for a few years.When considering a book of this nature, it’s natural to wonder about the author’s experience. Writers by nature are pretty good at pulling information out of various orifices. It’s how I managed fair grades on essays for which I did little actual work. So believe me when I say, it’s worth knowing what kind of experience an author has before buying a book that’s supposed to teach you something as important as getting a job. Rest assured, with ten years industry experience, as well as additional time spent as a recruiter, Marc Mencher is more than qualified to give advice on getting a job in one of the most competitive job markets.Like most bo Read more:Spotlight
Degree Spotlight: Westwood College Part 2/2 2007-08-05 12:40:00 In the previous article, Degree Spotlight
: Westwood College
Part 1/2, I introduced Westwood Online's Game Art and Design program, giving an overview of the degree as well as a look into the typical week at school. Now it's time to explore the pros and cons of this degree and deliver my final verdict.The ProsI do believe Westwood is helping prepare me for a career in the industry, and not just through the coursework. I have certainly learned a great deal, including industry practices and process, a large amount of art theory applicable in many different areas, mastery over industry-level software, and much more. But I have also learned things that no textbook could teach. Through taking classes at Westwood, and in particular, taking online classes, I have learned the necessity of time management and proper planning. I have become self-motivated and highly dedicated thanks to a passion for my program, only fueled by enjoyable courses. And this from a lazy student who barely graduated h
Degree Spotlight: Westwood College Part 1/2 2007-08-05 12:25:00 When I found Westwood Online I was at the end of my proverbial rope. Jobless and disillusioned with the local college scene, I started to seek vocational training in IT. I knew I would never be truly happy with my job, but at least it would keep the bills paid, and being under such a tight money crunch at the time, I was willing to give up anything just to relieve the pressure. So I started searching for a quick program in which I could get certified. And while doing so, I just happened to stumble across Westwood College
Online.I admit I was skeptical at first. After seeing a few ads for ‘game design’ programs online and finding many of them to be just a few programming classes with a History of Electronic Media course thrown in for good measure, I wasn’t counting on finding anything worthwhile at Westwood. But I signed up to receive information, and within the next two days I was awoken by an admissions representative. That afternoon, I was enrolled in Westwood College Online’ Read more:Spotlight
Web Spotlight: GameCareerGuide.com 2007-08-02 13:00:00 I originally found Game Career Guide from a link in the magazine of the same name, an industry review released annually. I had picked up the 2006 edition at a bookstore in Ocala, and I remember wanting to check out the online content. I’m glad I did, as it led me to what I consider the single most useful resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the game industry, including how to get a job there. If you’ve ever visited Gamasutra, the format of Game Career Guide will look rather familiar. As a sister site of Gamasutra, Game Career Guide has many similarities, including the quality of content. But despite these commonalities, there’s one key difference between the two. Whereas Gamasutra is mostly targeted to game industry professionals, Game Career Guide is specifically for those who have not yet broken into the industry, with a nod to students in particular. What will you find at Game Career Guide? As a very general outline: game education news, feature article Read more:Spotlight
, Web Spotlight
Job Postings July 22nd - July 30th 2007-07-30 22:53:00 All job postings are personally selected by me with attention to the position requirements. Every posting is open to entry level or graduate applicants. Click the link to review the details of the position and additional requirements. And remember – most industry jobs are acquired by word of mouth. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see a position here for you. Get out there and start networking! Quality Assurance Quality Assurance Tester – Activision – Santa Monica, CA http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/viewjobrss.asp?cjid=11373&accountno=101 Quality Assurance Tester – SCEA – Foster City, CA http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/viewjobrss.asp?cjid=11210&accountno=280 Art 3D Artist – GolemLabs – Sherbrooke, PQ, CAN http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/viewjobrss.asp?cjid=11090&accountno=22649 Environment Artist – Treyarch – Santa Monica, CA http://jobs.gamasutra.com/jobseekerx/viewjobrss.asp?cjid=11339&account
How Modding Could Land You a Job in the Game Industry 2007-07-30 22:45:00 Many people trying to break into the game industry seem to think they need a relevant degree or internship, and while these things are certainly helpful, the true goal of employers is to find candidates with experience creating games. But how do you get that experience without already having a job in the game industry? It’s the standard Catch 22 of many industry job postings, but there is a very real, very relevant solution: computer game modding. Before purchasing any software or doing any research, you need to take a realistic look at your goals. What do you really hope to achieve from modding? If as this article suggests you would like to get a job in the game industry with your talents, then you need to be aware of the commitment that lies ahead of you. Working on a computer game mod is not unlike working on an actual game’s development. It requires discipline, organization, a strong work ethic, and a love of the craft. If you’re modding for yourself or for a hobby then
Write For Breakout! 2007-07-29 22:31:00 This blog was created with one goal in mind: to better educate the game industry career seeker. But that's not something I can do alone. Sure, I could research every school with a game development degree, and ingest article after article about game industry jobs to form my own cohesive thoughts and opinions, but that's all they'd be - thoughts and opinions. There's only so much experience I can pass along to you, and that's why I want to hear YOUR experience. If you attend (or attended) a game development degree program, have read a book that is potentially useful to the game industry job seeker, visited (or run!) a website that's useful to the game industry job seeker, or are currently employed in the game industry, I want to hear from you, and so do the readers of Breakout
!Fill out the form below, or simply leave a comment to this post with your email address and the article you're interested in writing and I will get back to you within 24 hours. Please note at this time I can Read more:Write
About Breakout! 2007-07-28 22:59:00 If you're reading this, let me first say thank you, as by taking an interest in this blog, you're doing me a big favor. You're giving me one less instance of talking to myself. And if you only knew how many instances I had racked up, you'd know the kind of effect your interest actually has. But you're not here to learn about my personal habits. (Besides, those can be found in this post.) You're here to learn about this blog. The History (brief as it may currently be)I started Breakout
! out of a void. You see, when I was first researching ways to get a job in the game industry, I found that aside from an article now and then at Gamasutra or an advice post in a developer's blog, the informational turnpike for that particular topic had yet to be laid. When I found Game Career Guide, I was far more excited than a person likely should be, because it was a sign of things to come. There was more information available about the industry, and suddenly people were no longer content with t
About The Author 2007-07-28 18:32:00 My name is Courtney Keene and I'm the author here at Breakout!. With the exception of guest posts labeled as such, everything you read here was written by me, for better or worse. I've been blogging for several years now on a personal and artistic level, but this is my first venture into information blogging.I'm 21 years old, living in Gainesville, Florida, and currently attending school online through Westwood College. I've just completed one full year of my three-year Game Art and Design degree, and I'm very pleased to say I've somehow managed to keep a 4.0.My aspirations for my career are to work as either a game designer or some sort of artist - preferably involved in 3D modeling, though I would love to try out different areas to get a feel for the various jobs. Currently I'm working part-time as a bookkeeper at Michaels Arts and Crafts store, and part-time as a freelance writer.GamingI've always loved video games. My first console was an NES, and I'm pretty sure my first Read more:Author
Quick Update 2007-08-11 21:58:00 I wanted to thank those of you that are checking back in on this blog. Don't give up on me just yet. I posted a high amount last week due to a week free from school terms, and to give myself a cushion in case something like this happened. So yes, this week has been post-less and will be over the weekend. Monday will start with a new job listing and hopefully I can get back on track. This week has just been really tough.Thanks for keeping interest! Read more:Quick
, Update
, Quick Update
Breakout is Returning! 2008-03-11 17:17:40 A dense work-load has kept me from updating Breakout
, but I have decided to return to posting articles that will help those of you looking to turn your passion for video games into a career.Here's a preview of what's to come:Writing the Perfect Cover LetterMy Parents Think I'm Wasting My Time: How to Sell Your Family on Your Career ChoiceGuest Articles!Did you enjoy this post? Subscribe to Breakout!
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