Any modders that has a job/hopes to get a job in software/game development

[valsta]

Im not sure if this should be in General Discussion or Off Topic, hopefully I didn't make too big of a mistake to post it here.

 

I was wondering how many of the modders out there actually have a job in Software or game Development, or hope to work as one in the future.

Do you think a lot of people that start out modding get into the business, and would you perfer a job as a Game/Software Developer over a more "standard" job and making/playing mods on your spare time?

 

Personally I've been wanting to get into programming since I was very young because my father worked as a Software programmer, and tried to get me interested from a very young age, I think that combined with me growing up when video games and computers started getting more and more popular is what influenced me to go this direction with my life.

 

What do you think about the subject?

 

[Koko.Hekmatyar]

The game dev field is extremely hard to get into. While I was in Collage I had a friend how went and got his degree in Game Development and 3 years later he still wasn't able to get employment in the field he eventually went back to school to get another degree in Computer Networking.

[Guest]

The game dev field is extremely hard to get into. While I was in Collage I had a friend how went and got his degree in Game Development and 3 years later he still wasn't able to get employment in the field he eventually went back to school to get another degree in Computer Networking.

 

As someone who wants to get into the industry, this times 100. It depends as much on who you know as it does on your actual skill. Granted a programmer will have a relatively easier time than someone who wants to be a Character/environment artist (like me).

 

When I went to a game developer conference in April, I spoke with the Director of Talent Acquisition at Epic Games (layman's terms: recruiter). He stressed that modding was a big plus, as it shows you have an understanding of the development pipeline and can work with the constraints of the game engine. It also shows you can create content that can match the standards the developers themselves go with. There's a good chunk of talent in the industry that started out with modding.

 

Personally, I'd prefer a game development job over a normal one with modding in my spare time. However, I'm also aware that the work will be long and very difficult. I wouldn't be surprised with 12 hour days regularly or working over multiple weekends during crunch time. I'm still reminded of the problems that Team Bondi (the guys behind L.A. Noire) where some of the devs claimed they were working over 60-100 hours a week for months and other insane things. The silver lining is that it does depend on the studio, and that outside of crunch it isn't as horrible.

 

I think as much as many modders would want to get into the industry, I'd have to question how many who do are aware of just how difficult it will get and would still pursue it despite the knowledge. It's a long, tough road, but if one can carry on then the satisfaction at the end can be a swell thing.

[Koko.Hekmatyar]

Having a good game portfolio (i.e. making your own games even if it's just one level) will help as well I'd think, if I was looking at potential hires I'd rather choose someone who can show me the work that they have done over someone who just shows me a resume with their skills.

[gregathit]

Personally, I loath at doing much outside of gaming and modding on the computer.  I certainly don't want to work in the industry.  Jacking around with the CS is enough to have me already pulling my hair out!!!  I do enjoy making animations and doing other things on the computer as a hobby but that feeling of pleasure would vanish if I had to do it for a living.

 

I too have multiple friends who majored in computer science and spent 20 some years trying to break into the gaming industry (all to no avail).  It is as much a matter of luck (being at the right place at the right time) as it is skill I think of getting in.

 

Bottom line: have a back up plan. 

[Guest]

Having a good game portfolio (i.e. making your own games even if it's just one level) will help as well I'd think, if I was looking at potential hires I'd rather choose someone who can show me the work that they have done over someone who just shows me a resume with their skills.

 

Unless it's a management/HR position or something along those lines, a good portfolio is practically mandatory. It's the only way you're going to be able to show them your skills. The portfolio actually has magnitudes more weight than the resume, unless your resume is horrifyingly terrible.

[Halstrom]

If you really are keen to get into it you probably should have wrote some games or done some heavy modding by now, I was writing / modding games (crappy & simple as they were) on the Vic20, Apple & Commodore 64 before I left high school working with the limited community & hardware of the time. I became an Electrician instead and ended up programming manufacturing machinery.

 

With the internet, the knowledge & communities available on the internet now, the game engine / platforms available and connections to a world market. There's no reason why any 15yo can't start making good money pumping out apps or games for the PC & Phone markets before even doing a software degree. You don't need a job if you can work for yourself instead, nothing wrong with doing a degree for your own knowledge but doing it so you can do what other people tell you to do puts you in the same boat as everyone else.

[kingkong]

if i was a modder that i am not   i am doing staff just as hobby and especially not to have a job with computing as i will concider this a full time job 24/24  i will find this very boaring and reducing one perspectives  i need for my own sanity doing different things with no relation with different logics and when i start to find things too repetitif  i am doing summer cleaning in my life.

[TDA]

I know of one person.

Participated in the development of Mass Effect 3 (animation) - MaikCG.

 

http://www.maikcg.com/animation.html

[BruceWayne]

Is it hard? Yes! Is it impossible? 

 

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Jorge_Salgado

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Shafer

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minh_Le

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jess_Cliffe

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IceFrog

 

 

 

 

[Vulcanoids]

I dunno about big companies but you can easily get a job in a small company and then collect some experience and move on to a big one eventually. you can't or hard to get a job in a big company without any experience.

[Kris]

As a long time modder and tentative game developer, I can say that it doesn't matter how talented you may be or how fantastic your ideas are, it comes down to luck and seizing opportunities when they are presented to you.

 

So get busy on that portfolio, whether it be artistic or programming in nature - it counts. With any luck, someone will notice you and you'll get the oppurtunity to increase your experience and your portfolio. If that pans out, do it again. And again. Eventually, whether or not you get hired by a big time developer or publisher, you can freelance and make a pretty decent living or even start up a solo project.

 

But be prepared for lots of disappointment and frustration.

[Symon]

Thing you have to remember is that you often find that something you enjoy ceases to be enjoyable when it becomes your job.

 

I've worked in IT all my life, but never in Computer Gaming, in part by choice.

People I've known who worked in computer gaming found they only enjoyed games very different to those they did as work.

 

So think hard before trying to follow your passion as a career.

[Emily]

The creator of 'the lost spire, mod for oblivion. Works for Blizzard company.

 

Doing game and art related thing with deadline with public & editor expectation is stressful and preassured.

 

Indie & open source Modding suits emily better than stuck in other people's nightmare. Free and careless.

[Rayblue]

For now, the game industry isn't the right place to get employment, as in the last few years we've seen massive layoffs, closures or mergers.

 

I'm better off making money fixing PCs as a freelancer.

[Emily]

Piracy right?

 

Unless most game designer made a 'pay to win' or 'p2p' Or something like EA.

 

.. Not mention competition with open source modding like loverslab and 2ch that keep people updated with their hot stuff & nudity.

[kael828]

I grew up in Silicon Valley, worked for Sega of America briefly as a tester and had a brief marriage to someone who worked for Lucas Arts, SoA, Acolade and Dream Works. I also worked for Creative Labs and had a chance to work with NVidia on a couple of joint projects, and also was able to see a lot of what game companies were doing or going through in the development process. But...

 

...the closest I was able to really get in the development portion was working for EA in testing (much more recently) where I had a much clearer view of development processes and demands. We averaged 6 day weeks (mandatory for the last 5 months of the project, and 10 hour days was also mandatory, but we actually worked an average or 12-13). However, I had the benefit of liking the game I was testing. That is one of the key issues in game development - do you think of it as a job, or something you like and would do anyway at home? I liked it. The hours were long, but the campus was great and so was the team I worked with. I could easily work that sort of job doing 50-60 hour weeks on a more permanent basis.

 

I also tried creating a small company for a project. Finding funding was somewhat difficult and we did not have the right talent to complete the project. (FAIL!). So I am no longer a part of that company, putting the project more on a hobby scale until I can get more help or funding.It did progress to a fairly good point with the basics.

 

And on that note: If any of you talented modelers and/or animators care to work on some things for it, message me! No pay atm as is usually the case, because it isn't financed. But the base programming is largely in place to have a solid base to work with. I have designed the project to incorporate the ability for modders to ... well, mod for it to your heart's delight, in a multiplayer enviroment. And of course, what is the project? A multi-staged effort of development with the first stage involving (in a fantasy based combat style game) creating simple combat rooms to challenge other players to duals or team combat with emphasis on a complex magic/spell system. What is currently done? A couple of 'rooms', basic menu system, ability to go in and fight some creatures. Multiplayer is almost functional now. What is needed? Good character models of male and female (just human for now, and relatively high poly - 2-3K), and awesome animations for them - various movement and combat types. And if anyone knows how to make really good spell effects... We are using the Unity engine for now. My goal is to get it looking good enough to try for kickstarter and get real funding. Good characters, animations and spell effects will accomplish that. If interested... message me! Even if just to seek more information about the project!

[Kayin]

I just enjoy creating memorable characters, conflicts, and the worlds they interact with or try to save/destroy.  Getting paid for it would be nice, but I think you've already lost if you don't love doing it for yourself first.  I work on Forever Darkness because I think Eris is amazing.  I think Gavriella is amazing.  And I want to show their pain, sorrow, and fleeting moments of happiness before it all went wrong and eventually got made right.

 

The drive is wanting to share what you create, and to have others love your creations as much as you do.  If you only want to do that for profit, then you'll never succeed.

[Emily]

Art is definetely unprofitable unless we do profitable art for living.

 

Doing profitable art are against the muse of the designer +/- artist.

 

There are balance between non-profit and profit art.

 

Our aspiration vs client aspiration.

 

Been done that for 2 years.

 

Emily ends up as mechanical supply dealers and mod here on loverslab for art sake.

 

Moneys good, Still doing game making both 3d and 2d after work.

 

Unlucky but not bad.

[Rayblue]

Piracy right?

 

Partly, but there are other factors, including the growing shift towards mobile and casual gaming.

[GSBmodders]

many many moons ago I started out as an intern for SSI at the time they were an anomaly. Today I once again work in game development for a start up company with a piss poor budget and poor pay. the product we are developing however keeps each and every one of us coming back and working even when we are off the corporate clock. I think it helps that most of us are old hands though the company has no bias in regards to youth. we have simply found that very few are willing to make the sacrifices that are required. 

 

to get back into game development I left an advertising agency that I have close to twenty years invested in, i took a pay cut that was enormous and have had to pack my family up and move over 1200 miles away with no reasonable reason to believe that the company would survive it's first year yet i did it and i have no regrets. Very few others will even consider doing any of this and this is why they have trouble landing jobs and breaking into the industry, there are plenty of start ups all over the world all of which are in dire need of talent, you might think that they have a huge pool of potential employee's to pick from but i assure you this is not the case.  

 

those who are attempting to find entry level jobs in the industry would be better served building up experience with start ups vrs attempting to rush right into a major studio, the EA's, and capcom's out there dont need you and they know this. That little guy with a dream and a kick starter budget does need you and he knows it

[Kris]

...talented modelers and/or animators...

 

$4k a month would get you a decent enough one.

 

Asset creation has become the is the biggest resource hog. This is part of the reason things like the Unity Asset Store is useful to many people. Allows for rapid iteration to at least a basic playable/useable version.

 

I would very much like to create something that would suit communities such as this, adult oriented or not. Unfortunately, my little side project is pretty much at a stand still as I cannot get the time it takes me to rig, animate or generally work with model and animation assets.

 

With out content, no one seems willing to help.. but its difficult to get content with out someone helping

Not that I have been trying very hard in the last 8 months.

 

Given what I've been up too in those last 8 months, are now capable of creating (code/UI wise) and have access too (Oculus Rfit FTW), perhaps I should try again.

 

[Userper]

Games dev was my major at university, along with Computer science and advanced Mathematics

 

That was four years ago, be damned if I can remember anything to do with rigging or water point based physics

 

I found that the game industry is extrememly difficult to get into, so my games dev degree is esentially worthless

 

A piece of advice... don't take a degree on Game Dev, download C# and get programming... build a few games then see how you feel.

 

If your serious then get a CS degree, and build a portfolio.

[jbezorg]

 

Having a good game portfolio (i.e. making your own games even if it's just one level) will help as well I'd think, if I was looking at potential hires I'd rather choose someone who can show me the work that they have done over someone who just shows me a resume with their skills.

 

Unless it's a management/HR position or something along those lines, a good portfolio is practically mandatory. It's the only way you're going to be able to show them your skills. The portfolio actually has magnitudes more weight than the resume, unless your resume is horrifyingly terrible.

 

 

I remember reading in an blog or interview about a Art Director for a Game for one of the big gaming companies ( EA, Sony, etc. ). About getting the job and how his interview went.

 

You can bet that his resume was spot on but he was having a problem in the interview. The style of what he had in his portfolio wasn't fitting the feel of the game. He stopped showing his work and I believe he started sketching and talking about the direction he wanted to take the game. In other words, he started appending his portfolio.

 

So, much like doing resume's targeted at specific employers, I'd recommend maybe doing a custom piece targeting one of the companies games if you can.

[Emily]

 

Piracy right?

 

Partly, but there are other factors, including the growing shift towards mobile and casual gaming.

 

 

Aye, True that.

 

-

This group ain't that bad if you followed their game.

Importantly it's beautiful to play and inspiring to see deeper into other people mind and our own mind.

A weeding Between Fantasy and Logic, The game makers and artist are all top international indies.

 

The game are casual and stress free.

Most of them are amazing and competing to each other to the top 10 ladders.

...which makes spice up everything below the top ladders.

 

Big fish don't compete with MW3 CoD and major game company.

But earn their place within everyone who tried one of their masterpieces series of saga.

 

It makes us smarter, too.

It's too bad that their games are easily pirated and shared on internet.

Emily hope that doesn't kindle their artistic pursuit and they win in sheer numbers of games that they have been producing so far.

 

It never ends.