Good reviews for jobs seminar

On Saturday, January 31, Austin-based organization The Game Initiative held its first seminar on landing a job in the gaming industry, appropriately titled “How to Break Into the Game Industry.” Reaction from both the 250 attendees and industry representatives was positive, and the organization is considering expanding the program with a similar seminar in a different city sometime soon.

The breadth of the gaming industry was well represented at the seminar: speakers from large firms like Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and LucasArts shared the stage with representatives from smaller firms like Dwango, Nihilistic Studios, and Linden Lab, with a one speaker from a staffing firm to mix things up. Though they had disparate backgrounds in fields like programming, art, audio, marketing, and HR, the speakers all agreed on a few points. First, for those with no prior professional experience in games, the most common way to get into the industry is a QA position, and it’s very possible for a hard-working tester to move up.

Second, passion for games and for one’s discipline is key. Robin McShaffry is a recruiter at Mary-Margaret.com, a placement firm that focuses on the game industry, and as she put it as follows: “If you’re a writer, write! If you’re a programmer, program! If you’re an artist, go in your studio and make art!” For applicants with no prior industry experience, personal gaming projects are a strong plus and something that interviewers look for on resumes.

The panelists brought up the importance of passion for games a number of times during the day. At one point, a panelist pointed out that most interviews at his firm include the question “what are you playing now?” Successful applicants will be able to answer that question as well as discuss its follow-up “what do you like about it?” In a similar vein, presenters suggested including a “Games played recently” line on your resume.

The third point that got panelists nodding in unison was the importance of networking. Companies that advertise open positions often end up filling them with someone who knows someone who knows the hiring manager, and many jobs go to insiders before the company even posts them on its Web site.

New York native Adam Ahmed said he traveled to San Francisco to attend the seminar for exactly that reason. A software engineer, Ahmed said “I’ve been programming since the Commodore 64, but I don’t have connections in the industry.” He commented that the seminar was valuable because it provided an opportunity for people with skills suited to the game industry but no connections to start building a network.

Many of the people at the seminar echoed Ahmed’s positive impressions. Jeff Perryman, a professor of level design at game school SMU Guildhall, commented favorably on the portfolios he’d seen at the event. Nicole Lazzaro of XEODesign, Inc., who came to the seminar hoping to fill some openings at her company, said “I’ve met some really qualified people.”

Attendees were pleased as well. Andrew Sheppard is a second-year MBA student at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business who got his first taste of the game industry working on the product launch team for one of the current crop of consoles. He describes his efforts to return to the game industry after finishing school as “chasing a dream.” Asked his opinion of the seminar, he remarked, “I thought it was great. [It was] a perfect opportunity for people to learn how their skills and interests might match specific industry roles. I also appreciated the panelists' candor regarding how difficult it can be to get into games.”

Happily, according to Robin McShaffry of Mary-Margaret.com, it’s getting less difficult to break into the industry: “Everyone’s been in a little slump and we’re still pulling out of the dip, [but the outlook is] better than last year.” However, she noted that other areas where game firms are concentrated, like Los Angeles, the East Coast, and Austin, TX are ahead of the Bay Area in the recovery process.