Hello,

I am currently seeking a first job in the games industry, as a programmer.

I have a master's degree in computer science, but my professional experience is limited to the few internships that I've had, of which none were in the games industry.

Since the industry seems to value personal experience a lot for junior applicants (at least in my country...), I figured I'd work on some personal projects while looking for a job.

So, I was wondering, is there a general rule about the kind of experience that is deemed more valuable by game studios ?

I am more of a tech guy who is into C++ and low-level stuff, so far I've made a 2D platformer, and now I'd like to jump into 3D, but I'm not sure if I should trust my guts and tackle standard APIs, or use an engine instead. (Or should I do both ?)

Also, I really am more into tech than game design, are tech demos okay or is it really a bonus to have actual games to show off when applying for a programming job ?

Or is it irrelevant, and can I just go with whatever I feel like ?

I reckon I might be asking too much, as there probably isn't one universal answer, but still if you have any advice I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance :)

You've got a degree and an internship. Start applying at game studios.

Assuming you live in commuting distance to a game development hub, having a masters degree should land you at least a few interviews.

Personal projects show enthusiasm and interest in the field, but they aren't required. You write that you've written a 2D platformer, you could put information about that on your resume if you want to show that you've had some interest.

Employers are interested in two things: (1) will you do the job well, and (2) will you fit in with the creative culture. The degree is evidence of the first, you've done something with the master's program and know some things. It also provides some evidence for the second, since the creative people in a game studio are quite smart. Having built your own side project is minor evidence of both of them; it shows you have some knowledge of how games work which applies to both the ability to do the job and the culture of creating games. (While some people translate "culture fit" as "young white male", that is not what is meant here. There is a strong culture of creative intelligence that grows around the good game studios, which is important when building games.)

Mostly in agreement wtih Frob, you should start applying, in the meantime you may want to do something 3d, to demonstrate your understanding of 3d math. Doesn't matter too much if it's from scratch or an engine, as long as you can demonstrate you know the concepts that the engine is doing. (By expanding it or utilizing its 3d features in some way)

Thank you for the answers, I'm going to focus more on applications :)