1. Be good.
2. Apply.
Oh, wait, that’s advice everyone has probably heard before, and it’s not advice that’s terribly useful, is it? Well, the actual, useful advice I have takes a lot longer. It’s not two steps. It’s not even five steps. In fact, I’m not even sure how many steps it is. It’ll probably take more than one blog post. Maybe more than two. Let’s find out together!
How To Get Into The Video Game Industry For Normal People
1. Figure out what part of the industry you’re interested in. Getting into programming is different from getting into art. Getting into design is completely different. Don’t forget the other aspects of the job! Studios need marketing, producers, office managers, quality assurance testers, and all kinds of other unsung employees. If you don’t want to program, have no art skills and can’t design, there are still jobs in the industry for you. They just won’t be in programming, art or design.
2. Once you know what you’re interested in, DEVELOP A PORTFOLIO. Yes, that did require caps and bold. No one will hire you without a portfolio. You can’t just show up at a studio and say, “Hey, I promise I’m really awesome!” and expect to get a job. You will need to demonstrate that you will be a useful employee and that you have the skills required of the position.
3. That portfolio I mentioned? Put it online. Paper portfolios can be useful in person, when one is discussing things in an interview setting. But to get to that interview, your portfolio needs to be available immediately when you apply to a studio. There’s usually more than one person who will evaluate your work before deciding to bring you in for an interview, and if only one person can view your portfolio at a time… That will be a problem. It can be a problem that will keep you from getting an interview–remember, this studio doesn’t need you. You want to make yourself as attractive and enticing to them as possible, and making your portfolio easily accessible is part of that.
4. Only put your best work in your portfolio. It is better to have a small but solid collection of work than to have some great stuff, some good stuff and some “meh” stuff. Putting in one subpar piece of work can bring the entire impression of your application down a few notches. Which would you rather be remembered as? “That was the one with the five really good meshes,” or “That was the one with the five good meshes and then that kinda ugly frog thing.” You want to show that you can do good work, not that you can do a lot of work. In the industry, someone who does a lot of subpar work quickly means that the other employees will spend a lot of time cleaning up after that person. Don’t be that person.
5. Start applying.
This is just the beginning, the basics, of how to get a job in the industry. Stay tuned for Part Two, where I will discuss some techniques for artists in particular!