The best advice I ever got was: There's more to the games industry than code, art, and music. I got in via marketing & PR and have been a pro in the industry for over a decade now.

That is true advice, there are more options available.

A studio needs many different jobs than just those.

A given project may have 20 programmers and their leads, 30 art folk and their leads, 1-3 producers, 1-3 designers, a few audio people that are shared with other projects, and shared other groups for IT, HR, legal, studio management, business relations, marketing and other stuff. QA comes and go through contracts. The approximate ratio scales up and down for large and small projects. By far the most reliable way to enter is through programming and art fields.

Seeing as the original post wrote "Just completed my degree in CS and wondering what to do next." then the programming track seems the most reasonable one in this case.

I dont have any portfolio yet.

And that's a problem with my advice that you should build one, because...?

Sorry late post.

Because I have to show the employer ofcouse. But now, the only game I can do is pong. Not sure if thats good in making a portfolio

Consider attending conferences as well, especially as a volunteer. Aside from getting access without paying the costs (which can be pretty steep for something like GDC) it is great for networking.

The volunteer application for GDC Eu in August is open for another week, and while it is smaller than the show in San Francisco, it has it's benefits. Ask me if you'd like me details on that (just don't take my spot as a CA ;) )

There are other conferences going on all the time all over the world, including New Zealand to check out.

I'm not a pro by any means, but I've learned a lot trying to break in (as a concept artist coming from Israel, I knew the odds were stacked against me.)

For instance, Europe has a good number of game studios, a lot of whom speak English, since employing people from all over the world is common practice.

Japan and South Korea on the other hand have much bigger language barriers (but in Korea studios list addresses, and a lot are super nice when you give them a surprise visit, toting your portfolio. The locals don't do that kind of thing )

You shouldn't limit yourself to AAA studios. It would be the way to go if you wanted to move to the US, as they would be better prepared for immigration issues, but you can get just as much valuable experience at an indie, mobile or outsourcing studio.

Hi, Thanks for the link.. Ill sure check them out. Can i get the CA sit? :D

The best advice I ever got was: There's more to the games industry than code, art, and music. I got in via marketing & PR and have been a pro in the industry for over a decade now.

i dont know. for me i just like to be a game programmer or a gameplay, or something related to the development.

Seeing as the original post wrote "Just completed my degree in CS and wondering what to do next." then the programming track seems the most reasonable one in this case.

Yeah, Im more of a programmer person, although i like 3D stuff and animation.

The FAQ has this link to a fairly comprehensive mapping of game studios. You may not need to move, the site lists about 16 game companies in NZ with links to their company sites. Prepare your information and start applying to any of them that are close enough you would be comfortable with. Network with those individuals and let them know you want to work there.

Thanks for this link.. This is very useful for job hunting.