working in the games industry is a dream of minei'm only in high school right now but i have noticed many jobs require past experience,so how do you get in when you dont know someone on the inside and if your a newbie and all you have is qualifications and knowledge of games?.Oh and does anyone know if there is any games companys around the north west of england?

 

srry about the grammar

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To Kronos7,

The fact you need previous game experience to get into Game Development companies nowadays is a statement that annoys many people with it's vagueness. How can you actually get past experience when you can't get into a company to get it? Well, to do that you need to either become a Q/A and work up the ranks or complete a Games Development course in University or Colledge. The way I'm hoping to get in is via a University Games Development course, namely one in Abertay, Dundee hopefully, though the requirements to get in are annoying. I'm just about to start my final year in High School and have been looking for Universities and roots to go for 2 years now and I am still stumped in how to get there, even with that guide. Though useful I still just feel... I dunno, helpless maybe.

yes i totally understand what your saying.

oh and the other day i was looking in the back of a popular games magazine and spotted an advert for a college that specializes in games development .I think it was called qantm or something.You and people who are looking for education in that field might find it interesting.I do.

hope it helps

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I really love reading an interview where Peter Molyneux talks about breaking into the game industry... on accident... when his company Taurus was hired to work on a project, when they actually meant to hire a team called TORUS

Harksar:

The fact you need previous game experience to get into Game Development companies nowadays is a statement that annoys many people with it's vagueness. How can you actually get past experience when you can't get into a company to get it?

to quote myself:

All games companies, including Lionhead hire juniors - people without any profession experience, straight out of uni, etc.

When it comes to programming we prefer people with comp sci degrees, because with them there is a level of knowledge we can work from.  But this isn't absolutely necessary, especially if you've got experience elsewhere, if you're " src="/emoticons/g_o_o_d.gif"> and can prove it then that's enough.

For other departments a degree is less important, but experience and knowledge is needed - you need a portfolio, a demo reel, levels you've built for game X, etc - you need to show what you can do.

To me this is the most important thing, if you want to work in the games industry you should be doing everything you can to make yourself stand out from the crowd - work on mods, make levels for things, create small games, take part in competitions like Dare to be Digital, etc, etc. 

Whatever you can do, do it - don't wait to go to uni or whatever, I started coding games when I was 8 or 9, most of the progammers round here are the same.

We look for people who are talented, passionate, have experience (doesn't have to be pro experience for junior roles) - just doing the minimun, e.g. a degree, isn't enough, you have to make yourself stand out.  For example, we got a bunch of CVs from a job fair that LH sent some guys to from students on a games course - all that was on the 10, 20 demo CDs were the same things over and over again, their course work... who stood out there?

For those who are interested the latest issue of Edge (Heavy Rain cover) incudes their yearly Get Into Games feature.

Hmm, bit late coming to this topic, but I'll ask anyway ^^

I'm 17 and thinking about studying illustration at an art college (thanks for mentioning Teesside, Hilm, it looks pretty )... I'd love to get into the games industry as a concept artist/character designer and am just wondering how easy/hard/impossible it will be to find work experience in this?

Thanks

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I've been studying 3D for 6 years and have been in the IT industry for over 10 years. The thing that I find the most idiotic within this industry is that every company wants at least 2 yrs commercial experience. How can anyone get this experience if no one is willing to give anyone any breaks? This is a ridiculous state of affairs and one that is leaving a lot of talented and innovative people out of work and the industry further back than it should be.

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read three posts above yours.

Well I decided i am going to be a Game desginer im takeing classes for high school students but ive also been wondering. See i really love England never been but just thats were i want to live for the rest of my life and i was wondering are there colleges out there in england or should i stay in the U.S i mean if i have the money should i go out to england to learn how to become a desginer i could really use some advise from anybody

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Well um im AWSOME!

Its great to see someone so enthusiastic however sorry to put a damper on things but here is my recommendation. Don't bother coming to the UK, the UK generally sucks majorly. Our taxes are ridiculously high, petrol prices are a running joke, the crime rate in London alone is higher than New York, the weather is crap and the salaries are some of the lowest in the world when you factor in inflation, taxation and petrol. If you are in the US, stay put, enjoy your comparative state of freedom because if you come to ol' blighty you may end up regretting it sooner than later.

However, on the plus side we do have one or two of the greatest games studios in the WORLD here - for example LIONHEAD STUDIOS!

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--->T3RMINAL KAOS<----

well its better to hear the truth than hear some bull *** from some were else and yeah i really wanted to work for lionhead or rare or something but maybe ill just go out there for a visit instead

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Well um im AWSOME!

Trust me - choice. If I'd had the option of visiting this place before being born here I would have and I would have begged my daddy to stay in Jamaica instead. I know they kill each other, left, right and center over there, and that poverty is the only commodity in currency but at least the weather is over there.

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--->T3RMINAL KAOS<----

i think the real thing is i was born in america so its like i want to get away but im defintly going to visit london and also what if i was finacily set like what if i had enough money to afford to live out there what that change what your answer might have been or just hold off the england idea

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Well um im AWSOME!

Even with money the UK isn't much fun, the cost of living is just to high, everyone is either getting stabbed or shot, and the police are completely ineffectual. Also we are the most spied on people in the world. The UK is a police state. If you want to live like that then by all means but if you enjoy freedom, then stay where you are because despite what people say about America, you have more personal freedoms than we do here.

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--->T3RMINAL KAOS<----

DAMN! well that sucks but i can still be a gamedesginer without living in england its just lionhead makes the best games ever but only the futre will tell were i end up

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Well um im AWSOME!

lol you've got a point our country is a rubbish.....its to plain and boreing.

but anyway back to the topic.I'v just started my GCSE work (graphics,media studies and music....art and design i'm doing after school,but i havn't started that yet)and i'v also started using blender and creating some cool models and animations.

and hopefully i'll pick up the as for mentioned 'edge' magazine and bobs your uncle all i have to do is let time do the rest.

oh and luck to all out there who share my ambition

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yeah but today i heard a kid say he makes games and i asked him if he actully knew how to and he had the nerve to get all up in my face and start yelling at me over nothing but long story short i got in school suspention lol but if any one lives in the U.S does anyone know if there are any game desging schools i should look into i have to start looking now as my counseler put it, p.s lol soory for my little burst of anger everyone i was just pissed im really just trying to find out some schools to look into since england is out

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Well um im AWSOME!

Hey, like some of the people on this post I am studying to become a games developer, i'm currently attending an Interactive Media course in Stockton Riverside College which covers mainly game design, (programming and 3D stuff).

Anyways my time on this course is coming to an end and I am starting to look at universities that offer decent games design course's, number 1 on my list is the University of Teesside which is renowned for its games design course (plus its only 10min's down the road from my college) but i was wondering if anyone new of any other universities in the UK or elsewhere that cover games design so that i can apply to them.

Cheers

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Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

The last two links just take me to the sites home page :[

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http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/641/valves_gabe_newell_on_becoming_a_game_developer.php

 

First post updated.

Hmmm...

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Once I discovered the meaning of life they went and changed it!

Gamasutra.com is also a great way for you to put yourself "out there."

Also, if you want to do programming it may help if you learn a High - Level programming language like Python,Perl, or C#, I am currently learning Python and it is pretty easy.

These languages serve as great "glue" languages for the harder languages like C++, or Java (not to be mistaken for JavaScript)

If you learn the two to three programming languages and are fluent with C++ then you have a really chance to get into the Game Industry.

Also another tip is look for job openings in new, independent companies. Now I know we all want to work for our favorite companies straight off the bat but let's be realistic, they most likely will not hire a newbie in the industry. Luckily for us there are always new, independent companies popping up and in the need for employees. This also allows you to get a job if you do not have a degree, and if you do a job on the project then it looks that much better on your resume and portfolio.

I hope that helps to those who are interested in the gaming industry.

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thread, nice advice

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