Sovvolf:

Monbee:

Snip

..... Wow.... you was a Lawyer.....


Edit: Okay now that my head as gotten around the fact that you were once I'll begin with the real comment. Sadly I live no were near Guildford... I live up north... in Barnsley... it's very northern... we do very northern things... yesterday we discovered fire. So I doubt I'll be hired for game testing any time soon until I am qualified and confident enough to move my ass down there and apply.

XALAN:

people are probably happier.

XALAN:

Most of our landscape has been pushed by a bulldozer at least once and then tarred over. I imagine Europe to still have a lot of it's natural beauty.

The Bag:

Short reply since I'm on my phone: there is no one way into the industry, anybody who gives you a prescribed path as The Way In is wrong. - have a read of the stickied thread in the games industry section - Game dev is many different disciplines, what do you want to do, what are you at. - do you have to go to college/uni? No, but it does help. Do you have to do a games course? No, in fact on the coding side we'd prefer if you did computing science. As with many jobs having a degree, in anything, shows you have commitment and can finish things. - Be self motivated, I see lots of people who decide they want to make games and will do a games course and it'll teach them what they need to know, that scares me. Games are about creativity, they need people who will try new things, push forward, not people who wait to be spoonfed the information. I started coding and making games when I was eight, most people on the design & code side started young, no one waited to be taught how to make games. We taught ourselves, we just did it. You want to design, to write stories, dialogue, quests, etc. You want to learn how, just start doing it. There are loads of toolkits, SDKs, etc out there, there's really no excuse for not getting involved. Get hold of the Neverwinter Nights toolset and create some quests. Join a mod team, make it by yourself, either way just start. That's how you learn, that's how you get experience. - Do you have to start as a tester and work your way up? No, some do some don't (again no one way). Most companies will hire juniors, I started here as a junior straight out of uni five or so years ago. - Dare to be Digital - take part if you can. A couple of months back one of the Bioware writers wrote a blog on the Bioware site about how they got that job, you should give it a read. Overall getting a job in games is about being a what you do, no matter what field, and standing out. Show you've got the talent. If you've any specific questions ask away & I'll attempt to answer or kick one of the other devs on here.

I know there's no bread crumb trail to this career, but i need the means to achieve it. That's why i'm trying to get into a college. For i hope they will teach me all i need to know in order to make my own ideas come to life.

The Bag:

Games are about creativity, they need people who will try new things, push forward, not people who wait to be spoonfed the information. I started coding and making games when I was eight, most people on the design & code side started young, no one waited to be taught how to make games. We taught ourselves, we just did it.

cherevolution2:

ya thanks bag, and here's a question: So what your saying is, i'm doomed to never make games like in my dreams cuz i never made a game before on my own? If i were a rich man who can afford a decent computer, i would surely explore your suggestions. But i digress. Also, Can i actually get these free programs on my stupid windows 98? I have so many ideas for video games, if i had started when i was 9 with all the knowledge i wish to learn, i would probably be the best video game designer ever. (which is actually my ultimate goal). I appreciate your answers guys. to tell you the truth, i expected to be ignored. Sorry i'm just sick of people telling me i can't do this.

I know there's no bread crumb trail to this career, but i need the means to achieve it. That's why i'm trying to get into a college. For i hope they will teach me all i need to know in order to make my own ideas come to life.

The Bag:

cherevolution2:

ya thanks bag, and here's a question: So what your saying is, i'm doomed to never make games like in my dreams cuz i never made a game before on my own? If i were a rich man who can afford a decent computer, i would surely explore your suggestions. But i digress. Also, Can i actually get these free programs on my stupid windows 98? I have so many ideas for video games, if i had started when i was 9 with all the knowledge i wish to learn, i would probably be the best video game designer ever. (which is actually my ultimate goal). I appreciate your answers guys. to tell you the truth, i expected to be ignored. Sorry i'm just sick of people telling me i can't do this.

I know there's no bread crumb trail to this career, but i need the means to achieve it. That's why i'm trying to get into a college. For i hope they will teach me all i need to know in order to make my own ideas come to life.

I'm not saying you can't do this, I'm just saying you don't need to wait around for someone to show you how.

If you have the means then get involved, if your PC is old & crap you could get something older like Quake 3, Half Life, Unreal Tournament, etc and the mod tools and play with them.

If you want to be a designer then it doesn't need to be a computer game, DM some pen & paper RPGs, design a board game, etc.

[Originally written for Game Developer's Game Career Guide magazine in 2007, we speak to notable developers including ThatGameCompany's Jenova Chen and Portal's Kim Swift on their move from university straight into the leading edge of the game industry.]

deliriousstudios:

Since Neverwinter Nights was releases 2002, and I doubt it would run on a Windows 98 machine. Half Life and Quake III would probably be stretching it by the sounds of it.

Gradius1:

Mr Bag is correct. Qualifications and portfolios can open doors more easily than having none...but it is entirely possible to get in without any (such as is my case). Work experience is a valuable and potentially life-changing key. If you can get in somewhere, (QA is a great starting point) then it can be a foot on that ladder. Possibly the most important thing you can get in the industry is contacts. If you get in somewhere, then a personality can get you far. Of course, work ethic, decent communication/written skills and creativity all help...but it's the people who remember you who can open that door wider. Too many times when I was at LH QA did we have work exps in who were lethargic, big headed, whining, unfocussed, immature or *** lickers (and often a combination of those). It's a fantastic opportunity so when you do get a sniff of one, show some professionalism and you'll go far. And displaying any talent will definitely help while you are there. And lastly, you actually won't get into the industry until you try. It's not going to come looking for you. So, be pro-active and get off your bottom, show some courage and go for it :-)