I'm in university, and I'm about halfway through my bachelor's degree in New Media Studies. I'm enjoying it well enough, but what should I really be studying? The more I read on the online forums and the game development websites, the more I worry that I've been on the wrong track up to now. Should I be focusing on programming? Should I switch to art? Or should I quit this school and go for a Game Design degree? I'm worried that I may be wasting my time here. When I mentioned this to my dad, he got all bent out of shape, but I have to be true to mine own self, as Polonius said. Besides, a lot of the courses this school makes me take are subjects I'll never use, like foreign language, psychology, philosophy... So please give me the words of wisdom that I need, so I can be sure I'm studying the stuff I need to study so I can get a job in games right after college without wasting a lot of time searching.

Johnny B. Student

A degree program that you enjoy is the right program for you

What you should really be studying is -- something you enjoy. You said it yourself, you gotta be true to thine own self. Who you are is what's important.

Let's say that instead of video games, what you wanted to be was a brain surgeon. But maybe you're not all that good at biology or anatomy, and your hands aren't the finely tuned instruments that are necessary for brain surgery. And maybe what you are always doing, your favorite activity, is making web pages with very friendly user interfaces. If this was you, hopefully you'd flunk out of brain surgery college, else you'd be a pretty sucky brain surgeon and probably hurt someone. If this was you, you'd be better off learning graphic design, web design, and the psychology of user interfaces. Not only would you be better off doing that, society would be better off too.

If you studied brain surgery but aren't really suited for it, later in life you might realize you need to get into a different line of work. And it might be something that requires you to have taken a different course of study. If you subsequently decided you wanted to become a lawyer, you'd have to go back to school and get a law degree, then take the bar exam. You'd think your medical degree wouldn't be worth that much - that you'd wasted time and money in med school. But later in life you'd probably find that it was useful after all, when involved in medical lawsuits. Very few endeavors that we give up represent wasted time.

I mentioned medicine and law above. Those are two fields that pretty much require specific degrees. But the game industry isn't like that. There are no specific degree requirements. Those who aspire to program games can study Computer Science or Computer Information Management or Information Technology or any of a number of technical degrees. Because the key to getting the game programming job isn't the degree - it's the portfolio. It's expected that you have a technical degree, but the portfolio is what gets you in. If you're technically inclined, and torn between CS or IT, go with the one that seems more interesting or more accessible to you.

Similarly, to get work as a game artist, it's expected that you have an art degree -- but it's the portfolio that paints the true picture of you.

Worrying that you might be on the wrong track is a waste of time

If you're sure you're taking the wrong path, that's one thing. When you know for sure, then you owe it to yourself to change paths. But when you are enjoying the path you're on, and you just have some small niggling doubts, why spend the energy worrying? Remember Alfred E. Neuman's famous words of wisdom: "What, me worry?" Besides, when you're on an enjoyable path, how could that be the wrong one for you? As long as you're applying yourself to an enjoyable course of study, you should stay with it.

The concept of "wasted time" is also a waste of time. Because very few endeavors that you embark on are truly wasted time, even endeavors that get dropped along the way without reaching the original intended conclusion. Because it's by trying stuff that we learn. I hope that simple concept has been sufficiently explained. Because I don't want to waste a lot of time harping on it.

Programming vs. Art

Which of those two should you study instead of the course you're already enjoying, you asked. Johnny, you gotta be kidding. The real question is, are you passionate about -- and good at -- either one of them? If you were passionate about programming and knew you'd enjoy a programming course of study more than the one you're in now, then it'd be right to switch. If you were artistically inclined and knew you'd get more enjoyment from an art program than the one you're in now, then it'd be right to switch.

But if you aren't already filling up your hard drive with algorithms and routines and programs or graphical environments or characters or vehicles and objects, then what makes you think you'd be better off studying one of those subjects instead of the course you're in now? Don't allow yourself to get sidetracked by red herring questions like this. Programming and art aren't the only kinds of jobs in games.

Game Design degrees

So-called game design degrees haven't yet reached the status of being required in the industry. For one thing, there's a problem in that game programming schools call their degrees "game design" when their degrees are really game programming degrees. Game art schools call their degrees "game design" when their degrees are really game art degrees. These degree programs are all young yet. This overly simplistic approach (everybody calling their degrees "game design") is bound to go away as the educational process of games matures.

Another reason they're not yet required is that the vast majority of people in the industry have non-game degrees. And there aren't any academic standards in place yet that fall in line with what the industry needs. An employer who looks at a game degree on your résumé has no way of knowing if you really learned anything that the game industry needs its applicants to know. Someday, when older industry people have been largely replaced by today's students, and academic standards are in line with industry needs, then we'll see a heightened increase in the expectation that new candidates will have studied games in school.

Those courses that you think you'll never use

Later in life you'll be glad you studied French. Or Chinese, or Russian, or even Latin. Knowledge of other languages comes in useful at unexpected times. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

It's funny that Johnny mentioned psychology. Psychology is everything! Effective game design depends on understanding the psychology of the users, and in order to be effective in his job, the game designer needs to understand the psychology of his coworkers, his boss, and other parties involved in the project. In fact, just about all majors include psychology as a requirement, and for good reason. Psychology is about understanding what makes people tick - including oneself. People are everywhere on this planet, and no matter what career you go into, you're going to have to deal with people.

Even philosophy is important. If not for working in games, then for living on this planet. You'll meet people with many different attitudes and approaches to life, and you'll need to deal with them and make choices about your own approach to life. An educated choice is better than one that someone else hands you.

You'll be glad that you know a smattering of biology, of political studies, of algebra and geometry (you will never get away from algebra and geometry - you'll need to use them your entire life!), of economics, of literature and mythology and music appreciation. You may even find yourself using these "useless" topics directly in game design. You might work on a game based on mythological beings, or you might need to design a balanced governmental system in a sim, or you might have to design the A.I. (the psychology of behavior) of a new species of living organism.

And besides, the more formal and broad education you get, the more you'll be able to "get" a lot more of those throwaway lines in The Simpsons that you didn't get when you were a high school kid. Oh, wait. You are a high school kid. I guess you'll just have to trust me on these too.

Getting a job in games right after college without "wasting a lot of time searching"

You probably won't. So fuhgedaboudit right now. The industry can only absorb so many new people in the months after you graduate. After college you'll need to spend more time building your portfolio. You'll need a job to support yourself while you're doing that, and it would be most lucky indeed if that job happens to be in games. And if you don't live in an area where there are game companies, you'll need to move to a game area when you're able. Game companies don't pay relocation expenses for entry-level applicants.

And if your targeted job is Game Designer or Associate Producer, you have to have an entry pathway. There's no such thing as an entry-level game design job or producing job. Years of game industry experience for these positions is usually required. So you need to prepare for a non-design, non-production pathway. If you have programming talent, programming is a perfectly fine entryway. If you're an artist, use graphics for your entryway. If you aren't talented, you can enter through a game company's QA department and eventually work in the studio in either design or production. If you have a business degree and marketing savvy, you can enter through a publisher's Marketing department and eventually become a producer, maybe even a designer. Internships are possible in the game industry, but internships usually don't pay, and there's no guarantee that one will lead to a full-time job at that company.

It can take time to get your foot in the door. And after you've broken in, it can take time to attain that coveted position that many students aspire to.

The bottom line for Johnny's question

A lot of young people think that the road to a chosen career is a straight line that depends on getting a specific degree. But it ain't so. No degree is a guarantee of a career. It all depends on the individual. It's common to study one subject in college and then go in a different direction afterwards. A lot of those wanting to get into the game industry believe that there's an equation that looks like this:

[Degree X] + hard work + perseverance = Game Biz Job

_{© 2008 Tom Sloper}

Basic Elements

A contract is basically an agreement between two or more parties. It can be to do or to not do something and sets out the duties and responsibilities of each to the other. It is the common agreement between the parties, what is referred to as the ômeeting of the mindsö that establishes the contract. Once this ômeeting of the mindsö occurs, the contract is formed. In general, oral contracts are just as valid and enforceable as written ones, though certain types of contracts must be written. The term ôhang shakeö agreement reflects the tradition of confirming the ômeeting of the mindsö by the mutual acknowledgment by the parties by the parties shaking hands to seal the deal. At the core of every argument is this acknowledgment, though we usually see it in the form of a signature on the bottom line.

ôConsiderationö is a term used by lawyers to describe the subject matter of the contract. By that I mean whatever of value that is being delivered or exchanged. The dollar for the candy bar or money for the source code are the easiest examples. It is basically what the contract is really about and is a necessary part of any contract. Without mutual ôconsiderationö itÆs not really a contract, itÆs a gift and as such may not be enforceable. Finally, the parties to the contract also must have the legal capacity to enter into the agreement. That means that they are competent to know what they are getting into. This goes back to the whole ômeeting of the mindsö thing...no mind, no meeting.

Evolution and Iteration

ThatÆs it. Pretty simple huh? So, how do we end up with a 24 page written publishing contract with over 200 pages of attachments? No, itÆs not just because all of us lawyers are out here making things more complicated in order to make a living off of all your hard work. Well, maybe some of it is...but the real reason is that most industry business relationships are complicated and not merely a simple bargained for exchange of goods for dollars. Even the basic employer/employee relationships often involve multiple issues that ought to be considered and resolved in advance. This is especially true in an industry based on intellectual property like ours. And since these are not simple purchase and sale agreements, the relationships that most industry contract addresses are ongoing over time and involve numerous mutual duties and obligations.

In effect, they describe the parameters for these ongoing business relationships ands attempt to account for all of the foreseeable issues that may arise so that the partiesÆ expectations are met and there is a minimum of unknown risk throughout the relationship. We have all heard stories of the early days in the industry when a publisher would give several million dollars to a developer along with the simple directive, ôMake us some cool games.ö Now thereÆs a publisher contact any developer can live with. Unfortunately, those days are gone. And we all know why. Unforeseen events occurred in the course of the performance of these contracts and just like the way a game design iterates over time, the contracts in our industry have iterated as well. It is probably just a natural part of the maturation process of our industry.

Things to Watch

The problem for developers is that most of the folks we do business with, especially publishers, have just done so many more deals that developers do. That means that they have been able to address more problem issues that negatively affect them in these deals. However, they have not addressed the issues that have negatively affected developers. Why should they, thatÆs not their job. ThatÆs your job, or mine. For example, contract provisions addressing what happens if the developer goes into bankruptcy or receivership are in every contract. What happens if the publisher goes under is never addressed. Publishers go out of business all the time. And no business person should want to get tied up in a bankruptcy proceeding, especially someone elseÆs. ItÆs always a good idea to shoot for mutuality throughout these various contract provisions. After all, ôwhatÆs sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.ö

It is also important to realize that these complex ongoing contracts are not static. They represent the agreement regarding the ongoing relationship between the parties and just as things changed in the industry over time, thing change in any individual working relationship over time as well. The business relationship is an organic one that by necessity adapts to changes. Unfortunately, most written agreements are static and do not account for these changes. Keep in mind that even after the contract is signed, the deal is not done. The deal is just starting. Make sure that at the end of the relationship the contract accurately reflects that actual relationship, not the one you planned at the beginning. And since virtually all of these written contracts can not be modified by an oral agreement, make sure this gets done by memorializing any significant changes in the performance of the contract through written addenda signed by both parties.

Cowboy up

Everyone has to deal with contracts, both inside and outside of our jobs. Try to keep the basic elements in mind any time you make an agreement. Cowboy up and accept responsibility for making sure that you understand what you are getting into. DonÆt get so involved in performance that you forget to keep the terms of the contract in mind throughout the entire term of the agreement. Ultimately, there is no such thing as a good contract with a dishonest person, or a bad contract with an honest one. But even in the best situations, things come up that need to be dealt with. The more forethought you put into the process in the beginning and the more vigilant you are throughout the performance, the better off youÆll be.

Til next time, GL & HF!

Tom Buscaglia
The Game Attorney
www.GameAttorney.com
¬ 2006

_{[Tom Buscaglia, The Game Attorney, writes frequently on subjects of interest to game developers. The above article is for the information and education of members of the development community. Feel free to distribute or disseminate this article. But please include the legend "Copyright 200_, Thomas H. Buscaglia, Esquire" and an active link to in each article posted or published elsewhere. The sale or any other commercial exploitation of this article, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited.]} ]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:48:58 +0000 cb163ca892e056942e0e62c30953bd85 http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/business/breaking-into-the-industry/an-overview-to-game-development-r2370 So you want to make a great video game, huh? If you're going to make an amazing game then there are several things you can do to ensure your project's success. This article is designed to help out both small start up companies and freelancers bypass some of the pitfalls that claim many video game projects. I’ve been a part of over 50 projects in the video game, anime and production industries, and these tips are based off of my personal experiences and other situations that have actually happened. It is my hope that these tips will help more groups complete their game projects.

Setting Things Up

Know the niche or role of your project in the overall video game business before assembling a crew. A project post that has no concrete ideas or planning behind it doesn’t get as much positive attention. This has been proven time and time again. If you want to get good, reliable people then first spend some time really fleshing out your project idea. If you can’t create graphics for your project, then at least have a solid plot and game play scheme already set up.

Design Documents

Plan, plan and plan some more! You cannot over plan! Be original!!! Frankly, I'm getting tired of all of the MMOs popping up all over the place. Every single day I see a new indie team trying to gather a team to make another fantasy MMO. Why create a game in a market that is over flowing with these kinds of titles? Also, since there are so many titles out there (many by mega publishers) how much of a chance do these small titles have at success? A small team with limited resources (both in man power and funds) will do much better to carve out a niche that isn't being heavily saturated. Think back to all of the blockbuster movies or games and you'll notice they all have something in common: original concepts or techniques.

• The Matrix: Bullet Time amazed viewers and was a brand new effect.
• GTA 3: First major blockbuster game that features wide-open game play. While this had been done before, it hadn’t been done to this extent nor had it reached such a global fan base.
• Final Fantasy 7: With amazing cut scenes, plot and summon sequences, FF7 made RPGs cool for much of the entire video game market.

Gathering Up a Top-notch Crew

The people doing the work are extremely important. Make sure you pick people that have a solid track of seeing things through. Ask for samples of their work and also their educational and industry background. This can help you select the best person for your job. Great video games take a long time to create, so having a crew that can start AND FINISH a long term project is vital. The old saying is true: You’re only as strong as your weakest team member.

When posting ads for new crew members make sure the post is attractive and professional looking. Nobody wants to join a project when the ad lacks all punctuation, grammar and is misspelled. It gives a bad impression, a lack of attention to detail. Video games, great ones that is, are all about extreme attention to detail. Also try your best to provide any examples of work already done on the project. This can include sections of a game document, actual screen shots, and art and music examples. Remember the project that shows a great deal of preparation, thought, effort and professionalism will get the best responses.

NDA

Once you have the crew set up, you need to have everyone sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreements) and keep those on file. Please note that an NDA has nothing to do with ownership of rights. An NDA only protects your secrets and my secrets. Some project leads seem to confuse the two and think that just having a signed NDA means the project now owns any created material. It doesn’t!

Communication

Have good communication between the crew. From the start, set up a solid policy of communication and stick to it. This means set up the weekly meetings for the same time and day and don’t change it and also set up who reports to whom. I’ve been on some projects where one lead tells me to do one kind of job, while another lead tells me something completely different. Have a chain of command set up and stick to it. This will help bypass many problems and confusion later on. After doing some serious designing and planning you should have some realistic milestones set in place. Do your best to stick to these dates and make appropriate adjustments when a deadline isn't going to be met. Most projects die out for two major reasons:

1. The project's progress slows down to such a point that the crew starts to get bored, lose faith or fall apart.
2. The deadlines and concepts are unrealistic and the crew becomes frustrated and/or overworked.

Deadlines

Many crews make the mistake of thinking they can catch back up after missing a deadline. This is extremely hard to do because the amount of work just grows and grows. The crew will have to do double time, trying to hurry and fix the work from the missed deadline while trying to get to the work for the upcoming deadline. Be realistic, if you've missed one deadline then it might be best to push all others back some. Otherwise you'll just start missing every deadline. I was actually on a team for about 1.5 years and they missed 10 straight deadlines in a row. It was at that point I left the company. Also, since the company refused to work under contract (against my objections) I was able to take all of the content I owned the rights to with me. Learn from these mistakes!!!

Another important facet of a successful team is honesty. If the team is falling behind, be truthful with the crew. Let them know how things are going and work on solutions to fix the problem. The same company I was talking about in the previous paragraph had this problem too. The CEO and programming lead would say that things are moving along great and that the project was on schedule. This would happen right up until the deadline and then we’d need two more weeks to a month extension. This pattern happened 10 times before I left the company. The CEO confused positive leadership with straight up denial. The entire crew could tell the game was going nowhere, and yet the CEO was telling everyone “we’re doing great.” It was about as effective as a pilot telling the passengers that everything is fine while the plane is just about to crash into the mountains. Be honest with the crew and they’ll work harder for you. Lie to them (especially if you continually lie to them) and resentment and mistrust will seep in.

Contract

Always, always, always work under a contract. The contract doesn't have to be super complex, but projects and/or crews working without contracts are seriously unstable. Here is why: From a company's point of view, working without a contract means the creators of all of the content own the rights to that material. This is especially true if a crew member created all of a certain type of content on a computer and software that they own. If they own the hardware and software the content is created on, and they haven't signed the rights of the materials over to the company then THEY own the content. They can stop working, take the material and move on. Since there isn't a contract, legally there isn't much the company can do. This is a strong reason why companies need to put things in writing and have both parties agree to it and sign it. From a crew member's point of view is it vital that you have the agreement set in writing so you can ensure that you get compensated for your work. If you have no contract and the company doesn't pay you it can make fighting for what is owed to you much harder.

Another issue about contracts is to make sure that the contract is correct. I actually had a company state that there were mistakes in the contract and it shouldn't be counted. This was after they and I signed it. Legally at that point it doesn't matter what mistakes are in the contract. The contract, once signed, is a legally binding agreement. Proof read, then proof read again. Have several people proof read it and make sure each detail is what the company wants to state. Otherwise, the company may find itself in a situation it doesn't want to be in.

Money

I once had a project leader tell me that I was making video games for the wrong reason, simply because I wanted to get paid. He said that I didn’t care at all about the art of making video games and that I was just out to get as much cash as possible. He couldn’t be more mistaken. While I do want to get paid for my work, after all this is how I make my living, I love video games. I love reading about them, creating them and most of all, playing them! This leader has forgotten that video games are a major business! The video game industry has surpassed the annual earnings of Hollywood year after year! For small teams, money is often a sore spot so here are some thoughts to help even the most modest teams (or freelancers) navigate the money ocean.

Payment

I strongly urge projects to avoid the equity option as much as possible. Why? For many reasons! First off it makes everyone on the crew work for the possibility of payment. There is a risk that the project will not see the light of day and that means all of the time and energy put into the game is for naught, at least financially speaking.

Another potential problem is having the initial crew setup to receive a percentage of stocks and earnings. What happens if the more people are added to the crew at a later time? The percentages have to change because there are more people to pay. Is it fair to change the numbers after the contracts are signed?

While I understand many crews cannot afford to pay their members, it is important to recognize that a talented crew member may not be willing to work for free forever. Everyone has to start somewhere, and that usually means working for free, but as that person's resume and experience grows they'll probably start expecting some form of compensation. It is also common practice to give projects that are paying first "dibs". This means if you have a hired musician that is working on three projects, two paying and your project isn’t, then your project may get the least amount of attention and time. It only makes sense, since these other projects are willing to put forth cash for his time and energy. This also applies to the amount of money offered. How would you split your time between two projects: one paying $500 and one paying $12,000? Most people would do more focus towards the higher paying project.

Rates

Make it a priority to know the industry standards! This is important for both the company and the freelancing crew member. I find a formula works best when working with companies. Having a set formula will show the company that you’ve thought things through and have a system. It will also allow them to estimate how much material they can afford to purchase from you. I’ve actually had a company opt for more material because they could afford it. For example you can state:

"$20 per each model generated. $10 for each background."

"$20 per each level designed."

"For each minute of audio created, I charge $40."

(These rates are just examples that I thought up. For accurate rates with today’s industry standards, do some research before setting your formulas.)

Exclusive Rights

I do quite a bit of consulting and I tell everyone I work with that exclusive rights always cost money. If you're a freelancer, never let a company have exclusive rights to your content for free. It is also important for companies to understand common practices as they relate to rights. It is standard in the industry to charge 10 times the normal rate for exclusive rights. This is fair because exclusive rights means the creator is giving all of the rights to the buyer. This means the buyer can use the content as much as they want without paying any royalties or other fees to the creator. Since this is the only time the creator can profit from their content, they should make sure they get a fair amount.

For the sound designers out there: Unless it is a highly customized and unique sound effect, I usually only offer non-exclusive rights for sound design.

Funding

Use your funding well and be conservative with it! I was on a team once that got $50,000 funding for the game. The team was ecstatic! This was for a MMO that had great promise. The CEO then decided to rent out an office building when the team was still spread all over the US and working remote. Then he also decided to get a server farm of 20 computers. These two choices ended up costing the company $1100 per month. Meanwhile the employees were not getting paid at all. Months pass by and the funding runs out, the game is still far from even beta testing and the CEO had to start funding it himself. Now the game is still not finished, no funding in sight and the CEO is just about broke. Meanwhile the office building only has two people in it: the CEO and his secretary and the server farms are completely empty. Any employees that voiced any concern about the status of the game or company was labeled as negative and was either ignored or removed from the team. Not a good business plan for success!

Some Final Thoughts

Be Realistic

Know your limitations and do your best to plan out a project that will not surpass them. I’ve lost count of how many new projects claim to be the “next, most amazing MMORPG for the Xbox360!!!” Most of the time if you dig a little deeper into the post you’ll learn that this is a three-person crew that have no funding and cannot offer any compensation to the crew. Odds are this project will be dissolved in two months and never see the finish line. It sounds harsh, but there is so much that goes into game development, not to mention next gen development that most teams require a full time crew of at least 30 people with a big budget. Many indie teams are part-time and have little or no budget to work with.

Baby Steps to Greatness

Lets say that you still have your heart set on making an amazing game for next gen consoles. Notice I didn’t say it was impossible! It is a much better track to make several games before your dream project. Create some interesting, creative and original games and market those. Make the projects appropriate for a small crew and get a solid track record of several completed projects. Having finished, published material speaks volumes more than just a game idea. To put it bluntly, many teams can have great ideas… very few can follow through and make the ideas reality.

Learn to Think Like an Investor

This point actually dove tails the previous one, but shows why taking baby steps is so very important. Lets say you have to invest your life savings of $50,000 into one of two projects. You have no choice; I’m pointing a gun to your head. :)

Choice one: Three man crew, no funding, no games completed. A few art samples.

Or

Choice two: Three man crew, small funding (roughly $10,000), have completed and published (available for download) three casual games, have screenshots and demo levels ready to play.

Which project feels more stable, more like a safe bet? After all, investing is a risk and an investor wants to pick the project with the best odds of success. What you want to do is have the best presentation of your project out there. Give a solid track record and you can start to land bigger contracts and get funding. It will be easier to make baby steps and prove yourself (or team) before trying to make a huge project from the get-go.

Be Professional

In everything that you do, always recognize that it will come back to your reputation. Don’t take things personally, take them objectively. If someone doesn’t like your game, don’t get angry ask them why they don’t like it. Perhaps they have some valid reasons why they didn’t like it. Maybe these reasons could be tweaked and make the overall game a better experience. If you act professional, always try to learn more and work really hard you can go far in this business.

Be Prepared

This applies to both companies and freelancers, always be prepared. Always have a demo ready to go and keep your resume updated. These kinds of jobs pop up quickly and get filled even faster. It is no fun to scramble and throw together a last minute demo reel for a job opportunity. Odds are the demo reel will not be as up to date; it will take you longer to put to together and will probably stress you out. Having something ready to go at all times just makes it easier.

Understand IP and Copyright Laws

We’ve all see projects from “newbies” that want to remake Zelda or making another Dragon Ball Z game. Do some research and read up on copyright laws. It is important to understand that even if you’re making a free game the companies that own the rights to these franchises can (and usually will) seek legal action. This is a fight that you don’t want to get into and will not win! If you have your heart set on making one of these games, it is always best to write the company and ask for permission to make the game. They may say yes, but odds are they’ll say no.

I’ve found if a game is part of an on-going series, about to be made into a movie or selling really well then the odds is very high that you’ll not be allowed to remake or use the franchise. If it is a game that is quite old (more than five years at the least) and has no sequels or movie rights then you might have a chance at it. It is always better to ask first before getting a cease and desist letter from the company lawyers!

I hope that helps, now go make some great video games!!

Nathan Madsen is an active composer and sound designer with over 75 credits in various forms of media. His work has been used in video game, anime (both TV, film and DVD) and other production projects. He also teaches a college class “Audio in Video Games” at DeVry University. His music can be heard at: www.madsenstudios.com

• The Waite Group’s C++ Primer Plus by Stephan Prata
• The Waite Group’s Object Oriented Programming in C++ by Robert LaFore
• Thinking in C++ by Bruce Eckel (this is more for programmers who want to convert from C to C++, it has some interesting coding tips for C++ coders too
• Effective C++ by Scott Meyers
• More Effective C++ by Scott Myers
• The C++ Programming Language by Bjarn Stroustrup (C++’s creator)

• C by Example by Greg Perry
• The C Programming Language by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie

• Tricks of the Windows Game Programming Gurus by Andrè LaMothe
• Windows Game Programming for Dummies by Andrè LaMothe

• The designers meet (over the internet or in person) and get a feel for the game
• A design document is written
• Explains every aspect of the game including menus, items, actions, the world etc.
• Shown to all members of the project for review and editing
• A final design doc should be written

• All the programmers (and others, if necessary) should read the design document together
• Explain what the engine is going to be like and how it is going to implement the design
• All the code should be broken down so it is able to be easily understood

• Programmers will be working very hard at this point
• Program every important aspect of the game (graphics, sound, input, output, terrain etc.)
• Usually called the 'framework', the first version should include everything for an alpha
• Keep as bug free as possible and test everything one step at a time

• A simple GUI should be created
• Models needed for an alpha release created
• Nothing needs to be 'final' art
• These should prove what the engine can do
• Excite the team even more (no screenshots on the internet, yet!)

• Intro music to set the tone
• Nothing final or time-consuming
• Just create a semi-realistic world for the alpha

• After the alpha release is perfected
• Add most if not all levels of the world
• Almost all final art should be completed
• Sound should be complete or very close to completion
• As bug free as possible

• Release the beta publicly or privately for a beta release
• Bugs should be able to be reported easily
• Get skilled gamers and preferably people who know about the game dev. industry

• All bugs should be out
• Everything perfected and the full team excited
• Publisher contacted and ready for distribution, whether online or on shelves

• Programming
  • Choose a compiler/editor/debugger
    • Dev-C++ for Windows, Click Here
    • Octopod C++ for Windows, Click Here
    • Rhide for Linux, Click Here
    • Glimmer for Linux, Click Here
    • Borland C++ for Windows, Click Here
    • CodeWarrior, Click Here
    • Visual C++ 6, Click Here
  • Learn C++
    • CPlusPlus.com Tutorial, Click Here
    • CodeWarrior University, Click Here
    • Cprogramming.com, Click Here
  • OpenGL or DirectX
    • Microsoft DirectX 8 SDK, Click Here
      • Learn DirectX 8
        • Mr. Snow DirectX 8 Column, Click Here
        • 3D-Graphics, Click Here
    • OpenGL, Click Here
      • Learn OpenGL
        • NeHe Productions, Click Here
        • GameDev.net OpenGL, Click Here
        • OpenGL SuperBible, Click Here
• Art
  • Choose your category
    • 3D Modeling & Animation
      • Choose your software
        • 3ds Max, Click Here
        • Gmax, Click Here
        • Milkshape 3D, Click Here
      • Learn It
        • 3D Workshop, Click Here
        • Photo Realism Tutorial, Click Here
        • NeverWinter Vaults, Click Here
    • Texture Art
      • Choose your software
        • Adobe Photoshop, Click Here
        • Adesign, Click Here
        • Microsoft Paint
        • CorelDraw, Click Here
        • Corel PhotoPaint, Click Here
      • Learn It
        • Designs by Mark, Click Here
        • Phong, Click Here
• Music
  • Choose your software
    • Cakewalk Pro Audio 9, Click Here
    • Cakewalk Home Studio 9, Click Here
    • Steinberg Cubasis PC, Click Here
  • Choose your hardware
    • Lexicon Core2, Click Here
    • M-Audio Audiophile 24/96, Click Here
  • Get familiar with it
    • Record sounds, edit and see what happens
    • Create sounds from scratch
    • Try to recreate other effects
  • Download sound effects
    • Stonewashed, Click Here
    • Sound Ideas, Click Here

• The first way is through QA. (Quality Assurance, where the games are tested before shipping.) Get a job as a tester and kick ass and you may get promoted to the test lead. From there you may become a producer and continue climbing the ladder. Bear in mind that you probably have to live in a town where there are development studios nearby. FYI, this technique seems to work best at large companies. Small companies tend to outsource their QA.
• The second way is to make cool shit and self-promote. Make a website, and email the various companies that are out there with links to your work. Developers get a lot of email, and nearly every one I know reads it. If someone sends me a link with their portfolio I always take a peek.
• The third way in is via a friend. If you know someone who already works at a company or has a friend at a company then you might have an “in” for QA or having your portfolio looked at.

• The "Legal Reasons" that everyone speaks of revolve around legal possession of an idea. Let's say that a company had a similar idea a year ago and they've spent a million dollars or more developing that idea up until this point. The company says, "Sure, I'd love to hear your new, innovative game idea." It turns out the idea is the same as the one the company has been working on for the past year and, when the game comes out, you have a "he said/she said" lawsuit on your hands over whose idea the game was in the first place. That is a hassle that no company wants.
   
  
• A lot of people don't understand the fundamentals of the games development business. They don't understand technology limitations, development times, financial concerns or any of the other headaches of developing a new product. Their idea proposals say things like, "You would recreate New York City to scale and have 4 million unique looking and sounding individuals that you can interact with and you can have 500,000 of them on the screen at the same time when you join them in Times Square for the New Year's Eve ball drop. That's when the aliens attack and severely damage the city, so all of the buildings have to be half-destroyed as the city is plunged into chaos and eternal night. Then you and your band of 10,000 resistance fighters lead the charge with 50 different weapons and squad based tactics and the game would toggle between first person, third person, top down and map views" and on and on and on and on and on... You see what I mean? A vast majority of game idea submissions suffer from this problem. I call it "Newbie Ambition." Game Development is mostly about figuring out "what cool stuff you can do in a limited time period with limited cash."
   
  
• Another reason for not accepting game ideas is a question of who takes the risk? The game company is spending 2-3 million dollars on the development cycle for the game and, in turn, they are taking all of the risk. Why, then, should they pay someone from outside the company for their game idea when they aren't taking any of the risk? Generally speaking, every game company has more ideas of their own on the back burner than they will ever have time to produce and thus, there's no reason to accept outside ideas.
  

• Get a job at a game company. If you're on the inside, your chances of getting your ideas noticed or accepted are much greater because most of the legalities disappear.
   
  
• Get a team together and make the game yourself. If not the whole game, make a solid, working demo. This will show publishers that you're serious and it will give them something concrete to look at. Game development is a very visual business and it's a lot easier to judge a game idea from a demo than from a piece of paper or a wordy verbal description.
  

• Schools? What Schools?
• Digipen | Full Sail
• So what will I learn?
• What about regular college?
• Things to look for.
• Final Thoughts
• School Index

• Ask yourself "What am I going to get out of this?".
• If you're looking at a game development school, make sure to ask them how long they have been running their game development program. I once looked at a school that had a game design program; however, one year after the program started, they canceled it and all of the people who started classes got shafted.
• What kind of equipment am I going to learn on? It's true that you should always optimize for slower computers, but that doesn't mean you should learn how to design games on a year old computer. By the time you get out of school and are ready to start working, those computers you've been working on are going to be even more out of date than what you started with, imagine if they had been 2 year old computers!
• Find out what the job placement rate is.
• What programming languages are you going to be learning? (C and C++ are a MUST, Java would be useful, and so would Delphi).
• Take a look at the school, while you're there - go around town and ask people if they've heard of the school & see what they think of it. You can get some of the most honest opinions out of complete strangers.
• The final bit of advice I can give is this. Ask yourself the following question when you visit the school. "Can I picture my self here? Are there others like me here? Will I fit in?". This question is one most people never ask when looking at colleges, but it is one of the most important. If your not happy at school then your grades will suffer, your attitude will deteriorate, and you will be miserable.

• Programming: For portability your games should be programmed in a high-level language. C and C++ are the most popular. Most importantly, learn how to learn new programming languages - you'll be doing it for the rest of your life.
  
• Assembly Level Programming: Device drivers and core code may have to be programmed in assembly code. So look for basic and advanced courses on assembly level programming.
  
• Computer Architecture: For speed you will have to take advantage of advanced hardware features. You need to know about peripherals, clocking, cache design, DMA, interrupts, bus architecture, RISC and superscalar design, just to name a few things.
  
• Software Engineering: This course teaches you how to work on big software projects. Make sure you get some hands-on experience maintaining or expanding old code, and working in a group of programmers.
  
• Computer Graphics: Look for a syllabus containing elementary 2d material plus advanced 3d material including polygon mesh, shading, and texture mapping.
  
• Data Structures: In this class you will learn a lot of standard data structures and their implementation - this will save you from having to constantly reinvent the wheel.
  
• Algorithms: Even though you are the C programmer from hell and can hand-optimize assembly code, your programs may still run slowly because you chose the wrong algorithm. This class will teach you how to design and analyze the best algorithm for almost any type of problem.
  
• Communication Networks: This is a must if you intend to work on a multiplayer game.
  
• AI and Expert Systems: Single player games need opponents, and you need to know how to program them so that they are realistic and challenging.
  
• Human Factors: Here is where you learn how to make a drop-dead user interface.
  
• Mathematics: Games programmers are not afraid of Mathematics. In addition to the normal math prerequisites, make sure you take Linear Algebra - polygon mesh games are little more than linear algebra engines. If you plan on being a polygon mesh guru, Vector Calculus is sure to come in handy.
  
• Physics: It's a good idea to satisfy the Physical Science requirements for your degree by taking a few introductory Physics courses. You're going to be building virtual universes in your game, so it makes sense to figure out the laws that make the physical universe function.
  

I recently applied for a job with a game company. They first gave me a three-day programming assignment via email, and then called me for a phone interview. I'd suggest you do something similar, as it saves everybody time and money.