"Jobs... Swing for the Moon or for the Fences?"

The question of the day is:

Do you hold out for the dream studio or get in where & when you can?

Pretty fair question that seems to have a simple answer right? Wrong! Where jobs, career & life choices come into play, there are no easy answers.

It all hinges on what your current circumstances, experience and motives are. If its money & experience you need, then yes, grab for low hanging fruit. Even though you may feel you're compromising on bigger dreams, you've got to start somewhere. Even smaller, less well known (or accomplished) studios can have a silver lining. You'll still gain valuable experience (not to mention the experience or probability of having to wear multiple creative hats) and making some money, but at least it's "preparing" you & your portfolio just the same. Not to mention that while you're at a smaller studio, you can still keep your options open towards looking. However, you don't just want to jump ship at the first sight of land in regards to a larger studio opportunity. If you're in the middle of a production and fairly "critical path," leaving your small dev is not always advised. It's still a small industry and word about your lack of commitment can get out! Besides that, larger studios may also be concerned that you'll do the same to them, hurting your chances to acquiring a stable position in their "seemingly" secure halls.

If you have more experience and the financial nest egg to hold out for a more competitive studio/position, that's great as well (especially if you’re tailoring your resume & portfolio with studios that have influential credibility). Whatever the case, understand that any hiring manager (large or small studio) is inevitably going to look at the number of studios you've worked for and how long you were at each. While "studio hoping" was a fairly accepted practice back in the mid '90's, it's a bad practice these days.

It goes right back to the "commitment" factor (or lack thereof) giving pause to any hiring studio that may see it (you) as an investment risk.

So in the end, get a job creating game content where you can and really try and give it a fair shake. Stay with a studio for no less than one title/production cycle (so you at least have something to show for your time & skills invested there).

Like anything in life, your "commitment" factor is just as important to a hiring studio as is your competencies and talents.

In conclusion, get in where you can, stay there and become a sponge by way of soaking up knowledge and experience, then consider venturing out. You'll ultimately be more armed & equipped with greater competitiveness, competencies and commitment prowess if you do! Making you a more attractive creative and new hire anywhere!

Dream Chasers v1.0

[Ed. Note] This article was written by Game Creator's Vault founder and video-game industry professional Mark Soderwall.

Mark Soderwall speaking at the University of California Irvine.

A fairly common question I get asked after lectures and presentations I give on game-design best practices is How to stay so passionate or positive in an industry that usually presents dream chasers more closed doors than open. Do I take Zoloft, or is my ignorance really  bliss?

Absolutely NOT!

My excitement and head-down resolve stem from not only my industry experiences working in both large AAA and small Indie studios, which helped me to better appreciate the reward of it all, but also in the understanding of how I can get paid in doing something I'd otherwise be creating in my own free time!

Like anything worth fighting for, getting into the game-dev industry is just that, a fight.

Trying to invent new ways of staying positive every day through the relentless portfolio updating, rejection letters (yes, even professionals get them), hours of researching studios hiring and self-publishing developments is always a great challenge. However, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and better prepares you for the next round of challenges!

Persistence is the key ingredient as well as timing in realizing opportunity. The day you blink your eyes open in the morning and choose to stay in bed is the day an opportunity may slip past you.

Every day is an opportunity to win, as well as lose. It's in the losing, though, that (most of the time) your character and resolve get tested and your ability to overcome adversity grows.

Continue to fight and muster up the resolve to constantly plow through the hard experiences of the day! Understand that your next opportunity may be waiting just around the corner, even if that corner takes days, weeks or even many months to round. Just don't give up, don't give in! The moment you settle for mediocrity is the moment life grabs you by the throat, wrestles you to the ground and sits its fat @ss on your chest! Fight through it and understand that while it may be a challenge, your character, portfolio and resolve will grow more competitive if you choose not to throw in the towel or tap out.

I understand that this sounds like a motivational speech. That's good! Sometimes we need to hear a good speech to warm up our heart and steady our resolve after it has grown cold in a wasteland of frustration and self doubt.

Mark lectures at an industry conference on game-development best practices.

The greatest thing to appreciate is that it's always a choice. You get to make one every day, for better or for worse. It's up to you. So what are you going to choose today?

As always, I, along with others, are here to help mentor and encourage you with our experiences, insights, best practices and networks.

If you really need advice or a good sock in the arm to you shake off your frustration, email me and I'll walk you through it!

Remember, it’s not only your talent and resolve that gets you over the next hurdle and into success, but the relationships and networksyou foster today and tomorrow that you'll take with you through your next challenge and career pursuits. You're never alone, or at least you shouldn't be!

Design from head to paper

So many people have good (and sometimes great) game ideas. But if they only ever stay in your head, they'll remain only that - ideas!

Start getting comfortable with putting your thoughts on paper - physical or digital - as quick as possible.

Committing ideas to paper serves two strong purposes:

1) It gets your thoughts down onto tangible media that you and others can begin to appreciate and start offering feedback on, as well as critiques toward iterations and clarity.

2) It also provides you a continual reference to refer to without the clutter of other thoughts and ideas trespassing into your brain, which can cause loss of vision and distraction.

It can be a bit intimidating and difficult to write out or your thoughts, impressions and ideas, but it will start to create order and objectivity from an otherwise subjective or jumbled mess in your head.

Don't worry about the disorganized or non-linear way that you may write thoughts down. There will be time enough to organize and associate them later.

It's like pouring out puzzle pieces onto the table. Sure, it's disorganized, but at least there are objective pieces to reference, allowing you to bring them together in order to create a whole.

Ask any good designer. A pencil/paper or stylist/tablet are never far away and always accessible, so that when thoughts queue, they're equipped and ready to take it captive and jot it down before they fade.

So, get your ideas out of your head and onto paper quickly! Don't stress about the order in how they may be streaming, and keep it simple to start (so the devil stays out of the details) until you've established a good solid core allowing you a firm objective foundation to start platforming from.

It's not that tertiary ideas are bad, but until the main scope, fun factor, story or mechanics are template and realized, no amount of fluff or ancillary features are going to stand firm on a foundation that isn't there.

Tips for networking from industry pro Mark Soderwall

[Ed. Note] This article was written by Game Creator's Vault founder and video-game industry professional Mark Soderwall.
I've blogged a little bit on this before, but let me tell you why I believe networking is one of the most important magic arrows to have in your industry quiver.

Now, while there will be debate on networking being the most important, I'll tell you why I think it is an invaluable skill to have. While jobs and job offers may come and go, the one constant is your network. The professional relationships you invest in today will most likely carry through to tomorrow and beyond if they are properly maintained.

At the end of the day, the industry is made up of people. Relationships are what remain after the dust settles from events like graduation, job searching, layoffs and the like . The more you pour and invest into people by letting them get to know you and appreciate who you are and what you do, the more aware of you they remain and you become more marketable in their eyes. The network of people you surround yourself with takes your extremely limited individual awareness and multiplies it 10, 100 or even a 1,000 fold

What does this mean for you as the individual? It means your singular voice and eyes evolving into potentially hundreds of tertiary voices and eyes, all cognitive and aware of who you are, what you do and what you're looking for.

Timing and awareness in regards to opportunity is everything concerning potential jobs. While you as an individual may miss or be blissfully unaware of something, someone in your network may bring an opportunity to your attention!

Industry-related groups on social-networking sites are helpful.

So, how do you build a network? While there are many ways, five come to mind that I invest in heavily:


Industry-related groups on social-networking sites can be a great tool.

1) LinkedIn Industry Groups.
2) Facebook Industry Groups & Pages.
3) Google Industry Groups.
4) Game Industry conventions like the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
5) Local Industry mixers and meetings.

Do you see a pattern here? It's primarily "Game Industry." If you're able to find and join specific sub-groups that drill down to your focus (Designers, Artists, Programmers, Producers, Animator, VFX, etc.) you can narrow your focus and relationship building potentials.

It's about nesting into communities that share your interests. Not necessarily which groups have the most job posting potentials or leads, which are still important to be aware of, but those groups are usually leach fests that are usually do not foster real relationship building potential.

Groups of like-minded individuals peppered with professionals, independent developers and students will not only broaden your awareness of their postings, insights, opinions and techniques but also of groups and individuals that will challenge and inspire you through their experiences, connections and potential insights.

While it may seem like a waste of time to post your daily challenges or ask for feedback on current projects to your networks, it gets your voice and works out there to a sea of potential employers and collaborators.

Remember, it's about building awareness and relationships, which can take time. The more you invest in it and connect to people, the more appreciation and awareness you'll garner, allowing more and more individuals to become familiar with who you are and exactly what you do, what you're offering and what you're looking for.

So get out there and start start blogging. Continue posting and always respond to those that reach out to you with feedback, questions, insights and virtual handshakes.

Also, don't let someone's lack of a title fool you into thinking they are less important to reach out to. In this day in age, the most unlikely individual may become the next CEO tomorrow. Keep that in mind. Be a giver, be respectful, be responsive and let people know who you are and that you generally care about who are they as well!

Good hunting!

Bennett Bellot, Academic Director at AI

Our first industry interview and lesson video! We're starting the new section off strong with this video! Take a look at how to pick the right school for you, what to think about when going for your education and other important facts from the Academic Director at the Art Institute of Orange County, Bennett Bellot!

Mark's Lessons: Game Camera Directing

Got five minutes? That's all Mark Soderwall needs to teach you some important little tips about directing your in-game camera. Sometimes the inspiration to make an educational video strikes our boss wherever he is and he just has to share what's on his mind. Take a look at this free lesson from an industry professional, and don't forget to take notes!