Games come in many genres.

Only covering two genres which are tightly-knit may only match a small number of those game genres/styles.

I think it's best to attempt to compose for a broad range of musical genres to cover as many of the game genres as possible - thus increasing your chance of getting a job.

I guess this is the whole: "Specialist vs Generalist" argument. If you're just starting out/attempting to enter scoring for games, you'll probably need to be a generalist and accept very minimal fees before you can choose to be a specialist within a genre.
The good thing about exploring each genre of music is - it's challenging, and you'll learn a lot - which can then feed into your more comfortable genre compositions.

These are just my thoughts, you can accept or disregard them eitherway. =)

Ok, that makes sense. My initial thought was to build on my strengths. I don't think i would have any problem writing guitar driven rock tracks. What other genres should I explore?

Sounds like a good plan. I'd suggest something you've probably never tried before - try taking one of your favourite games (It must be your favourite for reasons other than the soundtrack) - and attempt to arrange what you hear. E.g take the soundtrack to Braid, and attempt to copy it. Then attempt to make your own composition in that style. You might learn some new techniques which you can use/mix with other genres.

Second, I assume the field is very competitive for video game scoring. How did you guys get your first gig?

I think doing what you're doing now is the best way to get your name on a game's credits - posting in gamedev forums, or indie game dev forums about your willingness to write/license your music for games is the best entry route. (In my opinion) Though I can't say this is truth - as I'm not a composer/scorer. There's a composer named Garrett Beelow, who might offer some great advice: http://www.garrettbeelow.com/, I've seen him around the gamedev forums.

Hello.

I like your album, very distinct sound you've got there!

Well, scoring... where to start?
It really really helps to play an instrument. Keyboard/piano skills are obviously the best prereq as MIDI keyboards and piano rolls are the most common way to input the music playing in your head into your sequencer of choice and have them played back by sample instruments.

Scoring/arranging is, like any other craft, perfected by practice. [size="1"](Thank you, Mr. Obvious...)
There are a lot of clichés and common ways to arrange video game and film music, just as there are in electronic music. My advice would be to analyse some songs and start with simple sound-alikes. That way you can simultaneously check how different sample libraries/instruments sound/behave in terms of velocity, tonal properties, articulation etc., without having the trouble of starting with a completely empty slate.

Most likely, some really concrete questions will then pop up, e.g.:

• "What kind of harmonic progression is this and how do I spread it across the instruments to make it sound this way?"
• "How do the violas achieve that tremolo sound?"
• "Where do I get those epic drum sounds?"
• "When do I call a musical piece finished?"
• "Why does my mix sound thin compared to the reference?"

That's the time you can take another deep dive into the abundancy of information offered by books, teachers, tutorials and, well, forums like this one.

Just one last thought on notation.
I often hear producers and composers say something along the lines of "John Doe can't read music, and he composed the whole soundtrack for 'Epic Interactive Movie 2: Electric Boogaloo' !!"
While it may be true that there are people who compose solely by ear, I think many musicians (especially drummers) use that fact as an excuse not to deal with notation. It's definitely nothing to brag about, though. Knowing some theory can be extremely helpful and speed up your workflow immensely, especially when you're working with other people, have to rearrange a track, do sound-alikes, transpose songs...
...which reminds me of Irving Berlin, who composed every song in F sharp major because he couldn't read music and that way he could play most of his stuff only on the black keys. Later, when he could afford it, he even went so far as buying a custom-built piano that could transpose the black keys with the flick of a lever so he could play in other keys as well. What a looney!
While I deeply admire this stubbornness (and of course, Berlin's music), I can only imagine it must have been pretty frustrating at times. Especially for the horn players who had to deal with six sharps. (or six flats)

But I digress.

What I actually wanted to write is "Just do it, man!"

Bit late to thi thread---
Here's a great blog post by Lennie Moore on getting into the industry
http://www.audiogang.org/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=How-To-Get-A-Gig.html&Itemid=47


As with most other music gigs, your network of people can be your best asset (provided you can kick-a** musically).
Join organizations-- hang out on forums like this one. Go to conferences like Game Developers Conference (www.gdconf.com), GameSoundCon (www.GameSoundCon.com). Look for Game Audio Network Guild (www.audiogang.org) mixers. While there don't be a wall flower (don't be obnoxious, either ).

Play some games. If you were a movie director, would you hire a composer who gave you a blank start if you asked them what they thought of Williams' work on Harry Potter vs Star Wars. A game producer may well ask you what your favorite game and game score are; it'd be good for you to have an (intelligent) answer..

Brian Schmidt
Executive Director, GameSoundCon

Really good stuff Brian! Couldn't agree more!