1. I have this nagging feeling that I won't have enough spare time, outside of classes and being in college in general, to work on something truly spectacular to "wow" whoever is interviewing me, or that I won't be able to find a team/group to work with. For those of you in college, is that the case, or am I making myself feel a bit more worried than I should be. are there projects within the curriculum (both group and individual), and [are] those worth adding to your portfolio?

2. I've heard things about the hiring climate in the industry, and I'm confused as to whether it's better to have knowledge in a wide variety of areas or to specialize in something, such as UI Design or Network Systems. I was wondering which would not only appeal more to the interviewer, as well as what would aid me better in the working environment. Would it be a middle ground, such as having specialized experience but still have working knowledge of other jobs within the industry?

3. Exactly how much creative content is contributed to the game, say, by a programmer, to the game, in terms of gameplay ideas?

4. Is it better to look for an unlisted internship (such as what is written here: http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/business/breaking-into-the-industry/techniques-for-finding-unlisted-game-internships-r3130) or apply for an internship program, such as one at Riot Games or Blizzard? Which would provide a more honest experience as to what life is like in the industry?

5. if my goal is to become a game designer, through a programming job, when applying for an internship, if there is a game design internship available, do I apply for that, or would it be better to focus on the job at hand, which would be building skills in programming?

Hi, Mark.

1. Read http://legacy.igda.org/games-game-may-2012 - how good a portfolio you make is all up to you.

2. Too much analysis. Which aspects of game development are most interesting to you? Focus there. FAQ 40.

3. Some. Every member of the team has the ability to contribute to the design, within the constraints of the budget and the schedule.

4. Flip a coin. Or apply to both, and take whichever is offered you.

5. It unlikely you'll find a design internship. It wouldn't hurt to take one if you do find one.

Hi,

Hello there,

My name is Mark, and I'm brand new to the GameDev.net forums, and after lurking around a bit I decided it was best to make an account. I am a Junior in High School, and I'm interested in pursuing a future in the game industry. Up until about a year ago, I wasn't even considering pursuing a field based around developing software.

I was, and still am, fascinated with Architecture, albeit to a slightly lesser extent, because Architecture seems to consistently rank as one of the worst degrees to go into, primarily due to the high unemployment rate after undergraduate or graduate studies...

College or university education is very recommended by me, but not for the typical reasons that people enroll in them. Please let me explain.

One of my uncles was a successful architect for an interstate firm. He wanted me to get a degree in architecture and he offered to get me established in the industry, dependent on my college achievement. Architecture was one of my top 3 passions, so I carefully drew information and considered the offer.

You are correct: It is very difficult to enter the field of architecture and even a high grade point average results in slim odds of being hired. Degrees in most fields result in a career in that area only a fraction of the time, but the other benefits of finishing with a degree far outweigh the risks. I would only expect a graduate to enter the field if offered an entrance by a particular person or firm during or before starting college studies. In places such as Japan and Germany, this is standard procedure and very common but the USA is far behind. It sounds as if you live here in the USA.

My uncle offered a way of my entering architecture, which likely would have been my only opportunity to do so. My mother was chronically ill, so I dedicated myself to caring for her, which forced me to pass on university study.

Family, relatives, and friends of mine agree that the knowledge, experience, and networking which are gained from college or university are well worth the effort. Every one of them are doing well, despite not having entered the career that they wanted.

Some careers absolutely demand a degree, such a medical doctor, but others do not. For example, if you can pass the bar examination, then you can generally get a law practice permit. The game development industry is the same way. A degree would greatly help you, but not absolutely required. There are plenty of examples of people such as myself who have no degree and are progressing well in this field.

(http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/Unemployment.Final.update1.pdf - Page 7). I also looked into civil engineering, as it's closely related to architecture, but it didn't grasp my interest the same way Architecture did. At that point, I started to look into things I was passionate about. You may be thinking, "this kid's only 16, he has his whole life ahead of him, and he's worried about finding the right career," but I'm just the type of person who likes to plan ahead, and pursuing an education for a career that's both a passion of mine and has a fairly decent amount of job security is what seems to be the next step after high school, and choosing the right degree is a big deal in that sense. I am an avid gamer, both on PC and consoles, so I decided to look into the possibility of pursuing a job in the games industry. So while I began to educate myself on the topic, such as the types of jobs within the industry, as well as the work culture, and game industry news in general, I began to take a real liking to pursuing an education that would someday allow me to be a game designer.

In the majority of the most advanced countries, a new secondary school student is expected to know what they want to do and begin pursuing it actually earlier than your age of 16. Again, the USA is far behind the world leaders in education on this subject. It is not your fault, but the popular opinion of western countries really stinks in education. You must overcome the resistance in your culture with a made mind.

Choose carefully your post-secondary institution. It would be best to work in a company first in the game industry, even at your age as an apprentice or at least a modder of an existing game, then aim for a school which best fits what you gained from that. Sometimes a very promising apprentice is offered a scholarship by a company. By the way, I suggest avoiding student loan debt.

Recently, in my spare time, I've begun to study programming, which for me seemed to be a good fit, since I enjoy finding creative solutions to problems, and both my dad and my brother have extensive programming experience, so if I need help or don't understand a topic, they could help me get a better grasp of what I'm trying to understand. Of course, when it comes to programming, I'm still a "n00b," but I've also began to read books and articles on the theory and logic behind game design and what makes games "fun."

Now that I've given you a hefty chunk of background, I was hoping to ask a few questions about the industry, and breaking into the industry.

1. I've been reading over Tom Sloper's Lessons/FAQ on pursuing a career in Game Design, and it's come to my understanding that in order to break into the industry you need a degree and a portfolio, among other things, such as work experience, and networking.

Please re-read his article. I'm sure that Tom is not saying that only people who have degrees are a success in the industry. Several of the top software developers of all time did not finish college. (I can name a half-dozen easily.) In game development software circles, more are found. Never the less, it is a huge advantage to have a degree that relates to this field and the long term success stories include graduating most of the time.

I'm hoping that while I'm at a University, I can begin to work on a few projects of my own to show in my portfolio, as well as hopefully find an internship so that I can gain some real-world experience.

I wanted to ask, I have this nagging feeling that I won't have enough spare time, outside of classes and being in college in general, to work on something truly spectacular to "wow" whoever is interviewing me, or that I won't be able to find a team/group to work with. For those of you in college, is that the case, or am I making myself feel a bit more worried than I should be. Also, relating to those who majored in Computer Science, I understand the answer to this question probably depends on whoever your professor was, but are there projects within the curriculum (both group and individual), and did you consider those worth adding to your portfolio?

Projects should be assigned by your school and/or a game development company. Likely you will not have time for much else, but keep working every day, even on vacations and weekends, perhaps filling unused time with your own project.

**Sorry about the long-winded question. I promise the others will be more concise.

2. I've heard things about the hiring climate in the industry, and I'm confused as to whether it's better to have knowledge in a wide variety of areas or to specialize in something, such as UI Design or Network Systems. I was wondering which would not only appeal more to the interviewer, as well as what would aid me better in the working environment. Would it be a middle ground, such as having specialized experience but still have working knowledge of other jobs within the industry?

Becoming skilled and effective in one area and move to the next to repeat the process. Become very skilled in what you need in the relative near future. Useful learning comes in research with a purpose.

All else is grasping at the wind. Keep it simple, focus, and apply!

3. Exactly how much creative content is contributed to the game, say, by a programmer, to the game, in terms of gameplay ideas? What is the creative climate within the industry? The reason I'm asking is that I'm actually a creative type, and for me, a programming job is something that I would enjoy, but is a means to an end, which in this case is becoming a designer.

I work as an artist for a game designer who is partner with a game developer. Often these are two different positions, but can be two roles by one person such as an indy game developer who wears all the roles in his or her organization. In teams, roles are assigned to different people. Sometimes, as in the case of my co-ordinator, the game designer has no coding or programming role but is responsible for concept, design, art team co-ordination - often filling some of the content creation as well. Some game designers also assist with coding at higher levels such as scripting the game functionality. All of this various wildly from company to company according to demand and team abilities.

Safe to say, the larger the game development company then the more demand for specialists. A programmer in larger companies is more likely to handle only coding and not create any art assets, though there are exceptions out there in the industry.

Bottom line is that it ALL depends on the particular company, with wide variations across the industry.

4. Is it better to look for an unlisted internship (such as what is written here: http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/business/breaking-into-the-industry/techniques-for-finding-unlisted-game-internships-r3130) or apply for an internship program, such as one at Riot Games or Blizzard? Which would provide a more honest experience as to what life is like in the industry?

Explore and pursue all channels until you find a keeper. You won't know what shoe fits best for the situation until you hike that trail.

5. Just for future reference (chances are an opportunity to apply the answer to this wont come for several years), if my goal is to become a game designer, through a programming job, when applying for an internship, if there is a game design internship available, do I apply for that, or would it be better to focus on the job at hand, which would be building skills in programming?

Usually work "job at hand" near term and gain all you can with the aim toward getting your foot in the door of a company long term, but don't wait to look for new opportunities because a great one could be had at any time if you have value to offer.

For those of you who read through this lengthy introduction/series of questions, thank you for taking your time with my first post. I really appreciate it and look forward to your answers.

- Mark Yampolsky

My hobby lead to my first position because a game designer friend of mine saw my 3D and 2D art work. He invited me to join the team. I had no portfolio or degree, though I recommend them. All I had was my skill, my proof in my work, and my network. You be the judge of what you need, but I suggest increasing your probability of entrance into the industry by completing a degree that relates to the game development industry in a direct way.

Summary

Mostly you will be creating opportunities as you gain skill and experience. Your value is what a company seeks, regardless of learning path. Experience must be demonstrated to a company with results that are obvious to appreciate. Education, portfolio, and networking will all increase your opportunities. Most of all, you need to show results to indicate your value to a company.

Based on your history, I can suggest some things from a lower level ( a noob to actual programming, but not a noob to software and 3D modeling and animation etc)

Have you ever heard of the application Google Sketchup? It is the easiest software to use for designing buildings, and I actually use it to make my game models.

You can also practice programming in the Ruby language (very easy language) to make your own tools for Sketchup to make things easier on yourself. Sketchup was used in the creation of Drakes Uncharted also!

With a CS degree, you can go between game programming and architecture easily, as a CS degree can apply to any area that may use computers to do tasks.

Computer Programming should be a high school course, because if anything, it teaches you logic and reasoning, which is something needed in all engineering fields.

You could actually mix your passion with your desire. You could perhaps make a game where you can build buildings? Or perhaps you might one day create a game that is really a training simulation for aspiring architects?

Hopefully some of those ideas will help.