advice from games programmers please

Yes it was the case
As for the games I showed, they're all the ones on my webpage underneath Castle Underwe, as well as some examples I did with the Torque game engine to show I understood 3D math, and a chat server/client to show I knew the basics of network programming.
I was told the fact I had a portfolio was why I was chosen for the position, they didn't even look at my diploma, and didn't even know I graduated with honors until I worked here for a month.

i think the most important thing is to show that you are extreemily passionate and love developing games.

If you love developing games then you should be developing examples for the sheer hell of it.

i'm not a game developer but I would say with example work you have a better chance of getting a job which is entirely the point. Its a tough industry, you need every edge.

from what ive seen/heard examples should be finished, polished and not necessarily 3d.

Personally i'm going to stay on the indie path and if a good game dev opportunity crops up I might go for it. Web development is less stressfull imo.

I'm not a game programmer by profession, but I nightly converse with someone who is (who I've spoken with since before he was hired). I also had some of the same questions and visited Raven for an informational interview asking about applying for jobs and stuff just the same as you are asking. Here is what I've found.

My friend applied to numerous game development companies with a portfolio containing a few home-brew tools (small level editors) and some images of some demo's he made while working on a game with myself and a team. He got many responses and eventually got hired. He dropped out of college to pursue his job at the company and everything he had worked on was done in his spare time. After being hired, he told me his boss mentioned over half of the applicants didn't show anything in their portfolio. Check on YouTube, there's a presentation by a guy from EA that says the same thing, the best thing you can do to have yourself stand out from the crowd is to have any kind of demo or game to show. Just make sure those demos show off what you are applying for.

When I visited Raven I asked, "What do you guys prefer applicants use? OpenGL, DirectX, some other API?" The response was similar to, "It doesn't matter what applicants use, as long as they can demonstrate what they know in it. We personally use DirectX, but that has no real bearing on the applicants." Again, Raven reaffirmed the fact that having a demo or a small game is priceless when it comes to portfolios.

Loads of companies say they prefer people who graduate from generic CS degrees rather than from game development degrees. This obviously shows you don't have to be a game programmer to get a game programmer job. But, if you have 1 year of C++, don't expect to get a Lead Programmer position.

Sorry I'm not a 'professional' with it in the regards you've mentioned, but I think that should help you considering it is from people in the industry. Other than that, I'd read-up on websites such as Game Career Guide or Gamasutra. Good Luck!

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Original post by programmermattc Check on YouTube, there's a presentation by a guy from EA that says the same thing

That sounds interesting - any chance you have a link?

Quote:

Original post by Gage64 Quote: Original post by programmermattc Check on YouTube, there's a presentation by a guy from EA that says the same thing That sounds interesting - any chance you have a link?

I won't until I get home (work blocks non-work sites). He was talking to a group of college students at one of those game companies. I believe the majority of it was all about the different programmer positions and which you might want to do. He goes through things like Lead/AI/Gameplay/Tools Programmers and what they do. I'm pretty sure he was from EA, possibly Ubisoft, either way it was one of those larger companies. If it's not posted here when I get home I'll try to find it.

EDIT:

">HERE ya go.

[Edited by - programmermattc on August 25, 2008 4:44:33 PM]

Based on my experiences and a handful of anecdotal evidence, your portfolio is the strongest thing you have - a solid portfolio will trump years of non-game-development experience, at least in studios with sane hiring policies.

Bang out a couple of small titles; assuming you really are a decent programmer, it shouldn't take more than a week or two of evenings to hack something simple up with XNA, for example. It doesn't have to be huge or impressively complex; in fact, a very well-polished but tiny game usually weighs heavier than a sophisticated but fragile tech demo, for instance.

Make sure you demonstrate your best strengths, as well as the areas you'd like to work on. Programming in the game industry is typically highly segregated: you might do graphics, audio, networking, gameplay logic, AI, or any of a dozen different types of tools - but usually only one or two of those areas at the most. (Small studios may find it more common to stretch a single programmer across disciplines, but that's generally the exception and not the norm, at least from what I've seen.)


This isn't to say that it's impossible to get a job without a game portfolio; just a lot more difficult. As others have already pointed out, having some proof of game development experience will put you head and shoulders above most entry-level candidates.

If you have a particular studio you'd like to work at, get ahold of any modding tools for their games that you can. I scored my current job by working as a volunteer creating mission scripts; proving that you can work with the studio's tools effectively will net you a lot of bonus points.



Last but not least - spell-check and proofread any correspondence you make with a studio. Look professional. If I were a hiring manager (which, thankfully, I am not) I would instantly dismiss your CV if you failed to capitalize your sentences [wink]

yeah, the same thing here.

1. Have some solid game development background. That is, your previous experience/projects are related to games (doesn't have to be all of them). Back up your resume with some real demos.

2. Show some gaming enthusiasm. Don't tell your interviewer that you only like Tetris and Pong, and that Bejeweled was the last game you played. If you are applying for a position as a console developer, chances are they expect you to have at least one favorite console title that has just been released.

3. Put up some good attitude, good communication, and good ambition.

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Original post by unclepauly so my first question to people who have already applied (and succeeded !) to be a games programmer, would be, is this usually the case, and what sort of stuff did you show ? was it a game(s) written whilst at uni ? or was it a bunch of games written in your spare time? how complex were they ? did you use Ogre or OpenGL, or something else ?

I showed them a HL1 modification that I was working on in my spare time (to show 4 years of experience + dedication) and a 2D game engine I wrote during Uni (to show code samples). In the interview they gave me some problems to solve (most complex was chess algorithms) and asked me about some of the new techniques I was interested in (I'd just implemented influence maps into my mod) and how I went about researching new techniques (e.g. reading SIGGRAPH papers).

Off topic, but I also know a guy who used to write 3D games engines but now writes printer drivers!

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on a couple of web sites i have been to for well-known games companies (both were in the UK), their recruitment page said something like "fancy a career in the games industry..?", or something like that. so that would suggest to me that games companies do not necessarily expect the inteviewees to already be games programmers, just C++ programmers in general. so my second question would be, in your experience, how acurate would you say this is ?

That's correct, the companies look for C++ talents in particular. But having a few demo games be it 2D or 3D doesn't matter, sure helps.

In the interview they will ask surely of 3D Math. As for the API
it doesn't really matters. They will only ask what you only claim to know. If you don't have anything to show that's also not a hinder.

Taking about my interview process,
Steps: -
1. Make a game in 5 days
2. if qualified in step 1: Make a arcade game in 4 hours
3. if qualified in step 2: Technical round

You bet that's ridiculous. After all this, i kept my head, and finally got my big break.

But the bottom line is that, not all the companies has so complicated selection process.
What you need is passion, passion & lots of passion.

All the very Best!

all great answers, thanks to all your responses...