Hey all, First of all, I'm not really sure where this thread really belongs, so if you feel it's more of a lounge, or business of game development thread I don't mind if you move it!! I guess this has been covered a million times before in some depth, but I thought it might be nice to get a concisive thread going on what things should be in your portfolio when seeking a job. Things I figure would be good are as follows, but I'd be interested in hearing any opinions, suggestions of further elements worth adding, things that need removing, etc. I'd also be interested in hearing peoples views of what kind of content to include. Anyway I'll explain: I am by no means an authority on this subject by the way, I'm just presenting my opinion base don advice I've receieved, and would like to brush up my portfolio in the process of this thread!

• 1+ fully working demos. By this I mean that I figure it is essential to show you are capable of completing a full game. From the advice I've been given, I would take this to mean that you should have something complete that is slightly more complex than tetris, but by no means a Doom 3 killer. That should give the right balance between showing you are capable, and almost killing yourself with too much workload!!
• 0+ tech demos. By this I mean that it would probably also be interesting (but not essential) for a developer to see some works in progress perhaps demonstrating some of the cooler stuff you are capable of but may not have time to finish as a hobby. This would just go to demonstrate what you may be capable of achieving if you were to have a career in games programming.
• Screenshots. I figure this is quite a necessity just to whet the employers apetite and give you a higher chance of having them browse your portfolio.
• Web address. Not a necessity, but a very nice addition to a portfolio to show you are capable of adding the trimmings that go towards a complete project. It's also something that is (or should be) quick and easy to look at just like screenshots.
• Source code sample. Source code should demonstrate clean and well commented code that demonstrates the best of your abilities. I have been advised that it is best to give a short sample of code (perhaps even printed), but also to include a copy of the full source for your projects so they can ensure that you've not just tailored a small section of code to their liking.

Anyhoo, as usual, I'm on my lunch break, so I'll have to cut this short. I'd be interested in trying to build a definitive list/guide to creating a portfolio if no such thing already exists (my quick google search didn't pick one up). I know the advice I've been given has helped me set my sights at the right level and I'm sure it would also be helpful to newbies wanting to get into the industry (which I suppose I still am in a way!). Cheers, Steve

I take your advice on board, and definitely agree, but the point of my post is to figure out somewhat of a good template for a portfolio. Regardless of how much time you spend on a resume/covering letter, I'm sure it would be worth much less without a portfolio.

So while I take your point, I'd still like to explore the portfolio side more than the resume/covering letter side as that is somewhat of a separate issue.

Cheers,

Steve

I would say split the portfolio into even areas. Break each part into languages/api used. Then have categories within that like:

c++

Software Apps:

Bank Application: Describe

Game Apps:

Pong: Describe


Python

Java

and so on. That way a company can browse the list and check out certain demo's that they are looking for. I hope that is kinda what you were looking for. I would say to keep it organized and also sort the demo's by date.