GOT A JOB INTERVIEW? BE PREPARED!

Is this your nervous job interview face? This has got to be the most helpful article I have ever linked to on GameCareerGuide.com. I had planned on skimming through the article and taking out a few key points to highlight, and then add my own advice or opinion since I have already completed a lengthy interview with Rockstar games, but the article touches on just about everything I could ever think of to prepare myself for an important first interview. I mean really, this article discussing interview questions and how to answer them is priceless. If you’re close to securing an interview, or if you just completed your first or second phone interview, hell, even if you haven’t gotten that far yet in the process, it will be a huge benefit to you to read this article now. Write down the questions provided, write down some questions of your own and start preparing your answers. The more prepared you are, the more likely your interview will turn into a conversation. And that’s what you want! It’s just a conversation. Keep thinking to yourself, you’re just talking games with other people who enjoy talking about games. And of course, how you can help them make their games better.

With interviews, I know your nerves get all whacked out. You start sweating. You wonder where the restroom is at in case your anxiety gets the best of you. You start constantly drying off your sweaty palms on your pants in order to present a dry handshake to the art director or lead artist.. I mean, geeez.. my hands are sweating right now just thinking about it. (Quick Tip: Keep some tissue in your pocket to dry off your hand right before the handshake) But the more you prepare, the more you mentally play out the interview in your head, I think the better your chances of a successful interview. Most important advice I could give you is, be yourself. Don’t be a prima donna. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, and don’t answer the questions with answers you think they want to hear. Chances are, they’ve heard them all before and they can pinpoint which candidates are being truly honest with their answers, and which candidates are playing them for fools.

Seriously, go check out this article. Bookmark it. Print it out. This is awesome information to have. If you’re doing a phone interview, print this out and keep it in front of you while you’re on the phone. Have your notes in front of you as well to refer to in case they ask one of the questions you prepared for. Ask the question out loud to yourself and then provide your answer as well. Practice in the mirror if that helps. There is nothing wrong with talking to yourself. OK, maybe there is.. but day time soap operas can’t be the only people in the world who consistently talk to themselves, right? Riiiigght. (Quick Tip: If doing a phone interview, try doing it while standing up. Your voice will project more confidence and clarity in your answers as opposed to sitting down. Also smile while doing the interview, even though the interviewers can’t see you smiling, they will be able to tell the difference.)

One last thing, not only should you think about what questions they might ask you and the answers to those questions, you also need to think about what questions you want to ask them as well. I absolutely love turning the tables on the interviewers and start asking them questions as if I’m the one conducting the interview. And in a way, you really are interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing you. Maybe after a couple of hours into the interview you start getting a sense that maybe this place isn’t what you expected. Make sure when it comes time for you to ask questions, you actually have some questions for them. It’s a negative sign when a candidate does not have any questions prepared to ask as it may show a disinterest in them or their company.

Like Rob Schneider would say, “You can do eeeet!”

Now go get that job man!

Good luck.

Read more at GameCareerGuide.com…

GAME CAREER GUIDE: HAVE NO ILLUSIONS

Interesting article over at GameCareerGuide.com today called “Student Illusions about being a Game Designer”. Basically, the writer of this article wants to crush any possible illusion a game student might have with regards to what the game industry is really like. While reading through the article, I felt like the illusions he wrote about are really not for students but are more for the ill-informed public, or the clueless gamer who thinks game design is an easy career path of playing video games for the rest of their lives. As if that’s all game designers do. Then they find out the hard way, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. It takes a special type of person to succeed in such a competitive environment.

If you’re currently a student of Game Art & Design and you don’t know some of these things mentioned in the article, then you’re attending the wrong school. Take what you can from the experience, cancel that tuition check and get the hell out of dodge. The instructors and your school need to be telling you exactly what Dr. Lewis Pulsipher of Fayetteville Technical Community College in North Carolina has neatly laid out in this GameCareerGuide article. But I want to make a point real quick, you shouldn’t have to hear it from him, (unless of course you’re in his class) nor should you be hearing about it only on the internet. You need to be hearing this from your school. Yes, the school you’re paying thousands and thousands of dollars to attend, they should be giving this information to you on day one. (Preferably when you tour the school campus and before you give them your deposit) No misconceptions, no misrepresentation… they need to tell you the truth and this article lays it out quite nicely. Some of it seems like it should be common sense if you’ve gone as far as looking into possible schools to attend and some of his points are brutally honest. Which I always appreciate.

Let’s take a look at a few key points real quick:

They’ll play games all day on the job. It matters that they’re expert game players.

“Even game magazine editors cannot play all day. Playing games is important, but that’s not something you’ll do much on the job. Game playing expertise is virtually irrelevant.” –GCG.com

Exactly correct. I can tell you since I’ve started my journey into this industry, my video game playing time has dropped dramatically. But it’s fine with me because I also enjoy modeling just as much as playing a game. Sometimes even more so.

Getting a degree is going to get them a job.

“They can do just what’s in the curriculum, and without any additional effort, they will have 100% of what it takes to succeed. A degree differentiates you from the thousands who want to work in the industry but haven’t taken the time to do much about it.”

“Still, students have to show what they can do, the degree alone doesn’t count for much yet. That means students need to be as fanatical about preparing themselves for a game industry job as they’re fanatical about playing video games. There are dozens of times as many industry wannabes as there are jobs available. Only those who prepare themselves fully will get the jobs.”-GCG.com

I have heard this repeated many times during my time at VanArts. Yes, a degree is definitely something you should strive for in life as it can only benefit you. However, it is not the be all end all requirement to get hired at a game studio. What matters most is your demo reel and portfolio. If you’re the best animator or artist a studio has ever seen but you don’t have a degree, chances are you will still get hired due to your quality of work, and the amout of effort and creativity put into it. Again, a degree is nice, but not required to get your foot in the door.

Testing is only about playing games.

“Testing is serious work; you have to write up results, contribute to bug databases, etc. If you test one game long enough, you’ll come to dislike the game no matter how good it is.”

“Given the increasing budgets for AAA titles, the majority of people working on games are not working on AAA games. The studios working on AAA games have few entry-level positions. Why risk a lot of money on inexperienced people? Do the math.”-GCG.com

I had one extremely short game testing experience that I can definitely admit saying, it is in no way shape or form… fun. I worked for a gaming company that made and tested games for cell phones. Let’s just say I only lasted 3 days. OK, so it was only 2 1/2 days but who is counting? (I was) During that brief period of time though, I learned a lot. Mostly, I learned that I did not like cell phones. I mean, I really.. really do not like cell phones. The 3pm-12am shift did not make it any easier for me to stay on board either. It’s definitely not like the movie Grandma’s Boy. I assume my experience would have been more positive had I been testing games on the 360 or PS3, but don’t even think for one moment that testing games in general, is all fun and games. Pun intended.

Read more at GameCareerGuide.com…

GAME STUDENTS/DEVELOPERS: DON’T GIVE UP! THINK INDIE

Do you find yourself on the verge of giving up sometimes trying to get into the game industry? Are you in the game industry already but are currently out of a job? Don’t give up! Well, that’s a lot easier said than done, isn’t it? I’m finding it hard sometimes in my current position in life to stay inspired. To think of an idea and run with it until completion is hard to do, especially if you’re the only one doing all the work. If you’re like me and you think too big sometimes and start a huge project you can’t finish on your own, maybe we should be thinking on a smaller scale. To stay positive in an environment that has such a negative outlook takes a determined and dedicated soul. Fortunately for many in the game industry and for many students who want to be part of this industry, there are multiple different paths to take to finally “make it”.

Which is where this GameCareerGuide.com article can come in as a good source of inspiration. It’s called, What I learned as an Indie, by German game developer Tobias Heussner. It’s not going to give you all the answers you’ve been looking for but it will provide a personal experience on what it’s like to start small and make your way to the top.

Makes sense to me. Start small, network with as many people in the game industry as you can, stay in contact with fellow students (you never know when your classmate may get hired and end up helping you get hired as well) and try to gain real world experience without getting hired at a major studio. But it’s so hard! Right? Of course it is. This industry is extremely competitive and even when you do get hired, you still have to battle to keep your job as there is always someone trying to take it from you. There will always be someone who thinks they can do your job, but better. Stay strong my friends. I’m in the same position you guys are in and all I can offer is my optimism. Oh, and a link this this article on GameCareerGuide and other similar articles. Take what you can from the information I present in here and take the right steps to making your dream career a reality. Think outside the box, think innovation, think indie.

GAME DESIGN: TOP 10 TIPS FOR ARTISTS

The last of Game Career Guide’s Top 10 feature series is for the professional game artists out there. Some very good tips from video game Art Director Robert Chang. I haven’t had the experience of working in an actual studio yet so I’m not aware of the procedures that take place between a noob artist and the Art Director. So these tips are pretty valuable to keep in mind and prepare yourself for what is expected of you at a game studio. Whether you’re a brand new hire or if you’ve been at the studio for years, these tips are still relevant. Here are a few tips I found interesting:

1. Never turn in work that has technical mistakes.

As a professional artist, your job is to give life to what exists only in the imagination, and other people rely on you to do this with a certain level of proficiency. When you turn in work that has obvious anatomy mistakes, incorrect perspective, or contradicting lighting, you are basically telling your co-workers that you are an incompetent artist.

Ideally, your work should contain as few technical mistakes as possible, and the only critiques you get from your peers and superiors should regard style and design, never your competence as an artist.

8. Brush up on your foundations.

Many artists get their first jobs before they have truly mastered the important foundations they need to know as professional artists.

From that first job on, they just tread in the same spot and virtually stop growing and learning as artists aside from what they do at work. Don’t be one of them. Keep on learning and strengthen your weaknesses, learn new tools, and try new methods.

10. Don’t be a prima donna.

At the same time, don’t be a difficult person. Realize that although you have your own artistic style and personal taste, as a production member, you have to work well with others and be able to follow orders.

If you disagree with every art direction, refuse to make changes, and march to your own beat regardless of what’s asked of you, then don’t be surprised if you’re the next person to be let go when it’s time for a layoff (if you don’t get fired first).

Read an older post on the Top 10 tips to greatness for Game Designers…
Read more tips for Artists over at GameCareerGuide.com…

Be sure to check out all the other features including tips for Producers, Programmers and Audio.

GAME DESIGN: TOP 10 TIPS TO GREATNESS

If you’re on your way to becoming a game designer or even if you’re just thinking of choosing game design as your new career path, you can count on GameCareerGuide.com to be there for you every step of the way. Their latest feature gives us the Top 10 Tips to becoming a great game designer, from Spin Master Studios’ Tim Lang.

I think a lot of us game artists get stuck in our own little ways, our own workflow or our own methods of creating our game art. We tend to learn one method and then stick with it until perfection. Which is what you should do we these 10 simple, sometimes common sense, tips to become a great game designer. Learn these few tips and try to keep them in mind for your next portfolio project or game mod. Including what I think is the most important, to go out of your way each and every day to learn something new. Even if it’s something as simplistic as learning about a new button in Maya or discovering a new brush in Photoshop. So stay connected, visit all the great educational and informative sites I have linked here and make yourself known. Show your art to the world and never stop improving.

Read more on the Top 10 Tips of Game Design at GameCareerGuide.com…

Check out the huge list of Game Student Resources I have linked to in the past…