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Jobs Q&A: Game Programmer
Introduction
Game developers frequently are asked questions about how to land a job in the computer entertainment industry. We thought it might be helpful to provide a few answers to the most commonly-asked questions. While we can’t tell you precisely which school classes to take, or how much you’ll end up making, we can tell you about the job itself, and give a few general tips on getting into the industry.
This article received its start with questions submitted by an ArenaNet fan who was interested in learning about gaining a position as a software engineer. In the near future, we will offer another article on positions for those who are curious about pursuing a job involving art.
How much training or education do you need to get a job as a software engineer or programmer?
Our programmers/software engineers average four years of college, although some have more. Most majored in Computer Science in college. In the early days of the games industry, it was possible (although never easy) to get a foot in the door without a degree, if you were very skilled and could show your potential. But there is an increasing emphasis on having a college degree to get into the computer games industry these days, so few programmers or software engineers are able to enter the field until they have finished college.
What do you like about your job?
There is a lot of pleasure in creating something we would want to play ourselves, since we are all gamers. We also appreciate working in a relaxed, casual environment and working with other gamers. In addition, having been employed by companies of various sizes, we like our “small company atmosphere” a great deal.
What do you dislike about your job?
The job can become stressful, especially as the press of release deadlines approaches. Additionally, those who come into the industry in entry-level positions should expect that the early years will present very intense, 60-80 workweeks, on occasion, and that the variety of work assignments in some companies may be very limited. We cannot stress this enough: No one should become a programmer in the games industry unless he or she truly loves games.
What does a normal day in your occupation involve?
In an average day, we might program planned new elements into the game, check on the existing build of the game to see if any “bug reports” have been submitted that require our attention, and engage in on-going discussions with team members about technology that needs to be implemented. Some days involve “sit down meetings” on the topic of game art, milestones, or the storyline. We also focus on our Design Documents on a regular basis so that all team members are “on the same page” as far as our progress and goals.
Do you work alone most of the time, or are you part of a team? Are you given specific things to do each day from the person in charge, or more general things that you work on over a period of time?
We are a very small company, and do not have the “layers” of personnel that a larger company might have, with people solely handling job assignments and so forth. Our programmers work together as a very tight team, discussing things frequently over the course of the day. The tasks are “self-assigned” where, for instance, a bug is found in the programming and one of the team will say, “I’ll take care of that.” At that time, if another programmer has ideas, he’ll suggest means to correct the error, so it’s as if the team is handling the situation, where in fact only one programmer is doing the actual “fix” to the bug. Design issues and new game inclusions and features are discussed at meetings, and the programmers divide the workload amongst the team as their schedules allow.
What is the average salary range for a software engineer?
Each employer would base salary upon an individual’s qualifications; naturally salary can be affected by the region or country in which the company operates. You may want to use the Internet and check general employment websites to obtain information about salaries. But one comment: Starting salaries in the game industry are a bit lower when compared to working for a non-game software developer or computer company. Top-end salaries can be higher, though, because in the game industry, raises and promotions are more based on merit than seniority.
For recent information about salaries, you may wish to check out the July 2002 issue of “Game Developer” Magazine, where they present their Second Annual Salary Survey.
Are you a member of a labor union? If so, which one?
Our staff members do not belong to any labor unions, but many of us do belong to professional organizations that are connected to the computer or game industry.
What sort of employment benefits do you get?
We receive the usual employment benefits: Sick leave, paid vacation, insurance coverage, etc. In addition, our company just sent everyone to Los Angeles to attend E3, the Electronic Entertainment Exposition. Occasionally the whole company takes an afternoon off to go see a new movie that is debuting, such as Spiderman or Lord of the Rings.
How difficult is it to get a job after completing college?
It is quite difficult to hire straight into a game company, and the difficulty has increased over the last several years, perhaps because more and more qualified people want to get in. Even with expansion in the industry and with the increased sales, many independent studios have closed and companies are becoming more selective in their hiring practices.
What can I do to improve the chances of landing a job?
There are two significant ways that may increase the notice that you will attract when you apply to enter the industry:
Become involved in the industry, even indirectly: Serve as a volunteer administrator for an on-line game; become involved with a fansite, perhaps as a contributor, a forum moderator, or as a strategy and game guide writer; actively participate in beta tests for companies.
Develop your own game. There is something impressive to a game company when a person says “I work for a non-game company during the day, but at night, I wrote my own game.” Being able to show your own work is sure to attract notice.
What should I study, and how do I build a portfolio that will help me get into the games industry?
There are a number of paths to get into the game industry, and it really depends on the type of position you're looking for. Your best bet to get a job at any game company (including ours, which we hope you'll consider) is to have a great portfolio.
Programmers should have extensive experience with C and C++ Other languages like Java, Visual Basic, HTML, and ASP may be helpful, but games are still primarily coded in C/C++; make it your top priority to be a wizard in those languages. A website that might be of interest for budding programmers is SourceForge.Net.
Artists should have good pen-and-paper skills because visualization is an important skill for generating computer artwork. They should also have experience with Photoshop, 3D Studio Max, Maya, or other similar programs. Even lowly MS Paint is better than nothing!
Musicians should have the ability to use a variety of sound tools to generate special effects and compose music digitally.
Level designers should have extensive familiarity with art and design tools, particularly tools used to create game levels like Quake editors (and you thought you were just playing when you built that Quake level last weekend!)
Ideally you'll get paid to build your portfolio, but if you really want to stand out from the crowd, unpaid experience will demonstrate your potential in a way that no resume can. Write a "mod" or "total conversion" for a game with your friends, design a game world, or write a musical score. The more passion and dedication you show to a potential employer, the more likely you are to score the job you want.
Another way to get experience is to work as an intern. Many larger companies have internship programs that can help you develop skills that will be useful in your future career. Unfortunately ArenaNet doesn't have an internship program -- we're just a bit too small to be able to spend the time necessary to help new programmers and artists at this point. If we do decide to offer such a program, we will post it.
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发表于 2004-1-28 18:29:00