General Discussion

[lynchy59]

Hey,

I'm looking for an internship for uni. Any idea if sony offer any Business placements in Marketing or something similar? I tried looking on their sites but can't find placements. The may not do the I'm just wondering?

Cheers

[BradV1993]

This could come in useful for me. I start a games development degree soon and for my 3rd year I'm doing a work placement year and I may contact some of these to see if they'll take me on. 

Thanks  

[Stigdu]

I'm a recruiter looking to recruit someone with C++ experience for programming for PS3 and PSP. This is based in Bristol, UK. Please let me know if you're interested!

[InfiniteStates]

Just a warning to all aspiring game developers: it isn't all it's cracked up to be. I did it for 10 years and had to get out. Sure, the work is fun at times, and you'll work with cool people and have a laugh.

But the pay is poor, the hours can be gruelling and you'll most likely be looking for a new job every 2 to 4 years. It's good when you're young, free and single, but as soon as you settle down, buy a house and start having kids it's really not great (unless your partner can support the family on their wage alone).

The most important thing when applying is proven ability. Qualifications mean very little, so if you're doing a game related higher education course, please make sure you come out of it with more than just a qualification on paper. Do any course work with a view to it becoming the start of a portfolio.

Coders: put a demo together that highlights your strengths, be it gameplay, engine tech, AI or whatever.

Artists: create models in 3DS Max or Maya (preferably with high and low poly versions - the most skill is in making something look good with the least amount of polys), texture them, animate them, draw character concepts, draw environment concepts. Try not to just focus on what you want to do - prove your are good all round because you will be asked to work on many things.

Designers: create levels or mods for PC games. The Unreal map editor used to be a stock favourite. Also creative prose forms a large part of the job.

And if you're actively looking for a games job, look in Edge magazine as well as all the online places you can find. Good luck - it is very hard to get that first foot in the door because the market is flooded with experienced individuals. If necessary, get a team together and work on an iPhone game or something... Not only is it relatively cheap to get something to market, it gives you experience on your CV.

[Pin-Pin-Ire]

Having spoken to quite a few people, the main advice they gave me, was to start in a small/medium studio that isn't owned by a large publisher. That way, you don't have as much pressure and often you can invest in the company and make a fortune when/if they sell to a publisher.