Industry Insider - May 2008

So You Want to Make Games for a Living (Part II)? Prepare!
by Eric Marlow

In last month’s Insider article I talked about how to land a game industry job interview through a properly planned application process. This month I want to touch on what you need to bring to the table to be seriously considered during the interview– your SKILLZ J Simply put, you must prepare yourself for the unique demands of this industry.

How can you prepare yourself? If you are still in school, check out your university's curriculum regarding game development. Several local schools have a few game development courses, and many more are contemplating adding them. If you are a student looking to join classes, make it known to your faculty that you want game development programs available to you.

Take as many of these courses as possible. Learn all that you can about game development, and try to concentrate in a particular area.

If you are a programmer, then become good with an area that games typically use: graphics, sound, networking, AI, physics, etc. Where tools are concerned, programmers should learn and become at least intermediate level with C++. APIs such as DirectX or OpenGL are helpful. Knowing how game engines work - typical construction, threads, modules, and sub-systems - is of great benefit. Also understanding network programming, TCP/IP and UDP, and client/server relationships are a bonus.

If you are an artist, then learn all you can about making characters, organic and non-organic models, environments, and of course animation. There are three tools of the trade: Photoshop, Autodesk 3DMax and Maya. Some companies may tend to focus on Photoshop, plus either Max or Maya. But don't be left out - learn them both! For artists, other package knowledge helps: Mudbox, Zbrush, NewTek’s Lighwave, and XSI SoftImage are good.

While in school, look for opportunities to join clubs with people who have a similar interest. Look for available internship programs. Make your senior project about your game interests.

In last month’s Insider, I talked about PASSON. To demonstrate PASSION, one must be motivated enough to overcome the lack of traditional educational programs. This means getting smart about game development on your own. Look for Internet resources - blogs, forums, and other groups of similar interest. Learn all you can, and participate in 'net community projects. Examine freeware engines and seek to build games on your own time. Nothing speaks more highly about your passion that doing something that other people might not attempt. Make some games of your design. Develop a portfolio of games, images, and animations that would be what game companies are seeking.

If you aren't a programmer or artist, but would rather design games, there is no greater experience that making levels of games you've played. Find the SDKs, level editors, or modding tools, and create a portfolio of new worlds, gameplay, and interesting concepts. You must be creative and have the ability to "think outside the box". You must know games inside and out: what genres exist, industry issues, current trends. You must also understand the differences in designing games for each type of platform: handheld, PC, console, and arcade.

Game designers must also be good writers. Much of your day will be in creating game design documents. This also includes scripts, stories, and concept "pitches". You must be able to communicate abstract ideas, formulas, and you must have an artistic eye.

Positions such as Producer are typically experienced positions, and rarely will companies hire someone into such a position without some kind of previous and relevant job-related experience.

Have you thought about getting smart about the industry before attempting your career search? Check out gamasutra.com, gameindustry.biz, and the dozens of other sites that talk about the industry issues.

Just because you are not a graduating game development student doesn't mean that you don't have a shot. I would love to see more experienced programmers and artists apply for our jobs, but just because you have been doing generic IT or architectural/media art doesn't mean you are immediately a good fit. Make yourself smart and build a game-specific portfolio. Only after you have demonstrated your passion will a company consider you for a career change.

This information and much more can also be found at my industry blog http://snacko.blogspot.com/.

Industry Insider - GDC 2008

The 2008 Game Developers Conference
by Eric Marlow

Those of you who follow The Insider know that my take on games comes from an industry perspective. And no greater perspective these days can be gained than by taking part in the once-a-year Game Developers Conference, this year held February 18-22 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. All attendance records were broken with well over 18,000 industry professionals attending the week-long conference.

For those of you excited about the process of game development, this is the conference for you. With over 400 sessions covering everything from graphics how-tos, vendor overviews, mobile gaming, and dozens of post-mortems, the opportunity to learn about the craft of game development is second- to-none.

Of course such learning doesn’t come cheap. A typical week-long conference pass is in excess of $1500, and that doesn’t include airfare, hotel, and meals while there. It’s easy to spend close to $3000, which is quite expensive by most comparisons for a conference. Unfortunately this means unless you just won the lottery, you’ll probably only get to go on your company’s dime – assuming you already work for a game company.

So for those lucky enough to go, what exactly was GDC like? The conference is broken up into two main sections: 1) the “expo” halls, which contain all the vendor booths, a career pavilion, and independent game competitions, and 2) the “sessions”, which in effect are the lectures and round-table discussion about the issues game developers face.

One of the first things I noticed about this year’s conference was its energy. I’ve attended GDCs in the past, and I have been to a number of E3s (Electronic Entertainment Expos) as well for comparison. This year I felt a palpable sense of excitement. But be forewarned, unlike the old E3, the GDC isn’t the place if you are interested in checking out the latest demos of forthcoming games. GDC is all about the process, not about what games will be out by Christmas.

The expo halls are where GDC gets its energy - loud music, bright lights, and of course a plethora of booth babes greet the expo walker. This part of the conference is where the vendors show off their wares. Motion capture devices, animation plug-ins, quality assurance tools and services, and of course all the big boys such as Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo showing off their latest technologies. Lots of cool stuff to look over and it can easily take you two days to walk through and see it all if you wish to check it out in detail.

It’s easy to ask “so what was new this year”, but that question is difficult to answer. Many vendors just show updated versions of their tools and technologies. Revolutionary products in any industry are hard to come by. Some products are quite innovative though. While I’ve seen other similar products it in the past, mind control of games (think the device Obi-Wan wears in his Jedi Starfighter) is a reality and becoming much more practical. The device is made by OCZ and is called the Neural Impulse Actuator. And it doesn’t look lame when you wear it! Add to my watch-list WiiWare (downloadable games for the Wii) which looks to be a hit on that platform, and it will be a big door opener for the small indie developer too.

But the sessions though are where the rubber meets the road. Just about every topic under the sun is addressed: game audio, business/management, game design, programming, visual arts, and mobile are the major headings. I attended a number of sessions including a presentation of Nintendo Deputy GM Takao Sawano on the development process and potential developer paths for the forthcoming Wii Fit, and a session offered by Simon Pressey and Mac Walters, both of which from Bioware and worked on Mass Effect on the topic of dialog production. Mundane as sound and dialog might sound, I’ve worked on games that had over 35,000 voice fragments, and making sure you not only keep track of them all, but keep them consistent is a logistical nightmare.

There are so many excellent presentations it’s difficult to mention them all here. For those of you interested in learning about game development, one of my biggest pieces of advice is to visit http://www.gdconf.com/. As has been the case in the past, a few weeks after the conference they post for free all of the session’s presentation materials. While sometimes difficult to understand without being there, many times these presentations provide valuable knowledge and long lasting insights. I’ve made it a habit these last few years to dump all the sessions and keep them for reference – whether or not I attended the lecture.

Besides myself there were a number of local game company personnel who were able to attend GDC this year. Our own GDAP (Game Developers Association of the Philippines) headed by Gabby Dizon had a booth in one of the expo halls, and many of the member companies had representatives there as well. And Anino’s Peter Paul Gadi gave a lecture on the use of the Agile approach in mobile game development during the Tuesday Mobile Gaming track. It’s exciting to see that Pinoys are sitting center-stage in game development world, and I’m glad that GDC exist as a forum for the learning and sharing of knowledge. I just wish there was something we all could attend that has the depth of a GDC, but was a bit closer to home :-)

Industry Insider - April 2008

So You Want to Make Games for a Living? Compete!!
by Eric Marlow

Since coming to the Philippines two years ago, I’ve been on a mission to promote game development locally. I along with a number of my colleagues have visited local campuses, held develop competitions, and even gone to the airwaves to promote the industry. I personally have sifted through hundreds of resumes of those wishing to throw their hat into the ring and join a game company.

First off, allow me a moment to chastise some of you. You know who you are. You blindly throw your resumes at companies hoping you might get a lead. You don’t read the job ads very well, and choose to apply for positions you apparently have no interest in applying for, otherwise you would have better prepared yourself to compete.

Yes, I said “compete”. It is a competition, and I know finding good jobs is tough. But it doesn’t take much time to do well and land an interview. You just have to do a little prep work.

My hope here is to offer you a nickel’s worth of free advice to better prepare yourself is you are interested in the game industry’s career potential:

1. You must read carefully the job advertisement. The job ad will hopefully list for you the REQUIRED attributes of the position, and other skills that might be nice to have. If you don't have at least most of the required skills, you only do yourself a disservice by applying.
2. Include a cover letter! This is such an important point I will say it again - include a cover letter! Very few applicants take the time to include a cover letter. The cover letter is your one chance to overcome any objections the reviewer may gloss over when reading your resume. Without a cover letter it will be difficult to understand the full value of the candidate.
3. Make sure your cover letter is tailored to the job at-hand. Including a generic cover letter that says how hard you will work and that you wish to expand your career is not good enough. Talk briefly about your skills that are appropriate to the position, and how your past experiences will give value to the company in this role. Be specific and draw links directly from the job advertisement text. And it should be obvious, but as a gamer, tell me what games you play! Duh.
4. It helps if you have some game experience in your background before applying for game development position. This doesn't necessary mean that you have had to work for a game company before, but rather that you have taken it upon yourself to demonstrate your interest and passion for this career. Spend some time working on your portfolio or on a game demo. Show you know what you are talking about by speaking intelligently about the games the company might make. Game development is all about PASSION, and if you don't have the fire in your belly (i.e. you are just looking for a paycheck) then it's best to move along and find something else that is more suitable.
5. You would think this is obvious, but apparently it's not as obvious as it should be: if you are scheduled for an interview at say 10am, it's a good idea to be there on time. Maybe even five minutes early. DO NOT BE LATE. Sorry guys to be harsh here, but the tried-and-true in Manila doesn’t cut it - traffic is not an excuse. I know traffic in Manila is bad, but I learned pretty quickly how bad it is - most of you have been here a lifetime, so you should know to plan around it so you aren't late. Being on time tells me several things, including that you know how to set priorities and how to manage your time.

Much of this article is devoted to landing the interview. In a future article I’ll also touch on how to build the skills necessary to land that dream job. This information and much more can also be found at my blog http://snacko.blogspot.com/.

Industry Insider - March 2008

Tracking MMOs – What It Tells Us about the Industry
by Eric Marlow

A number of years ago I was doing research on Asian online games, and a friend forwarded me to an incredible website: MMOGCHART.COM Developed by Bruce Woodcock, this website and the included analysis summarizes available subscription data for world-wide Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs). I find the information so insightful that I want to pay it forward to you the reader so you can better understand some of the dynamics that are involved behind the scenes with the development and marketing of such products.

In a nutshell, the website tracks subscription growth and decline of individual MMOs, and lays them out in comparison to one another. By viewing the graphs, one can see how many subscribers there are, how your favorite game stacks up against its competition, and where it might be in its lifecycle.

It’s quite an interesting read. Several conclusions can be drawn from this collection of data:

• All MMOs have a fairly consistent lifecycle that can be examine by parabolic curve over time; sometimes a game takes a number of years to reach its apogee; very popular games may be around for years!
• Add-ons and upgrades rarely increase the subscription base of users, they only seem to extend the product’s lifecycle.
• MMOs, with the exception of World of Warcraft, are a highly regional products; this is a topic for future Insider articles, but how games appeal to certain countries and cultures is the Holy Grail for MMOs.
• Overreliance on the Fantasy-RPG genre: with over 94% of MMOs being in this category, finding a niche in a genre that is NOT Fantasy-RPG based may hold promise to anyone contemplating a new MMO.
• Although it is highly desirable, a regional breakdown of this data isn’t easily available; companies generally do not report their subscriber information this way, though I am sure they have non-public data that shows subscriber data by country.

So this is all well-and-good, but what should the Insider do with such information? Well, for starters if you are a game designer and aspire to be the next Lord British, you can look at the information for opportunities in the marketplace. What kinds of game genres do the MMO customers play? Now go out there and play those games and check out their features: What’s good? What’s bad? What do the game magazine reviews and players say about them? What’s special or unique about the game when compared to other games? And the $64,000 question: what makes World of Warcraft so special as to accumulate over 10 million subscribers?!? Yikes!

If you consider yourself to be marketing savvy and are interested in the business side of the house, you should be asking yourself what kinds of games work, how many subscribers can be expected, and most importantly how long can I hope to hold onto my customers. Obviously the quality of the game will be the overriding factor here, and there are no formulas that can definitively state how profitable a future MMO might be. But if history is any guide there is information now at your fingertips that should give you reliable insight into subscriber peak and long-term attach rate for various MMO genres and styles. Such information will start you on your quest and get you into the right ballpark. I’m sure such data will prove helpful in building your business plan.

Industry Insider - February 2008

Human Factors – The Reason Why the Game PC is Here to Stay
by Eric Marlow

I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve had the opportunity to view technology from a variety of perspectives. Over my 25-ish-year career, I’ve done the Fortune 500 IT Strategy side, as a CIO, and now the nits and grits of game development. I’ve observed an excess of trends and prognostications. Amazingly, there are a number of things that have remained quite consistent about the personal computer and its place in the work and home.

• Human factors are something that obviously hasn't changed much over time, though it amazes me how little people pay heed to them in the design of their products. The fact remains that no matter where you are, your body has to interface with your chosen device. Where PCs are concerned, this usually means keyboards and mice. For consoles it’s a control pad. Mobile phones it’s the phone alpha-numeric keypad. Certain devices are obviously more appropriate for their environment than others.
• Some of the most popular genres of games rely on the flexibility of a keyboard or the precision of a mouse. Although attempts have been made to the contrary, First Person Shooters, Real Time Strategies, and Massively Multiplayer Online games are best served by the keyboard/mouse combination. Sports and Adventure games are great when using a console’s pad, and of course you CAN play Halo with the pad as well. The point is why downgrade the experience with something that is sub-optimal?
• Some may say that the console is converging with the PC; that the console will become the home entertainment hub where one can play DVDs, surf the ‘net, check email, and of course play games. Again, human factors come into play. While it’s quite comfortable to sit back on your family room couch with a console’s control pad, it’s much more difficult to use a keyboard and mouse without a hard flat surface to rest them on. Because popular games rely on these types of controllers and it’s uncomfortable to surf or do work for long hours on anything other than a desk, it will be tough to fully accept a home entertainment hub or game console as the only in-home computing device.
• The distance between the couch and the monitor (TV) is often times too far to engage in detailed reading of text presented via email or word processing documents. Eyestrain and the resulting back strain from poor couch-potato posture will keep these work sessions short. Large HTDVs do make it easier, but not everyone can afford these.
• Finite budgets being what they are, the home consumer, particularly in developing countries, will have a difficult time justifying purchase of home console AND a PC. The total cost of ownership for a console is just too high. Families when forced to choose will select a device that is more flexible in its ability to perform multiple tasks. That’s the PC.
• Attempts have been made to “improve” the human-to-computer interface. Voice recognition, virtual reality, motion-tracking and control – these controllers do work, but not only do they present a new set of problems, they for now are expensive and out of reach for most consumers.
• There are a number of reasons that do not have to do with human factors as to why the game PC isn’t going anywhere: the upgradable nature of the PC, Microsoft’s unwillingness to supplant the PC, game developers make their games on the PC anyway, and the fact that there are just so many more PCs in the world than game consoles.
  
  For the foreseeable future, the PC is here to stay.

Industry Insider - January 2008

Welcome to “The Insider”. This column will be dedicated to those interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at game development: what’s involved, who’s doing what, and what’s coming next. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the General Manager for Matahari Studios. Our company is dedicated to the next generation of game development targeted at the arcade platform. You may already know our sister company Timezone, known through the Philippines (and all over Asia in fact) for its popular Family Entertainment Centers.

To kick things off, I thought I would share with you some thoughts on coming trends in 2008.

PC, including online/MMO and internet-based/casual games – 2007 proved to be a banner year for PC game development. For the foreseeable future the PC will be king of the hill in terms of cutting edge technology. Games like Crysis are pushing bounds, sometimes beyond what many people can afford. Microsoft Vista and DirectX 10 also introduced the next step in game development, with its attention to better graphics and APIs for game developers. Can PC games in 2008 surpass those in 2007? There are of course a number of good games coming out: Spore, Starcraft 2, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King to name of few. But notice that all but one are NOT original in what they are bringing to market. Reducing risk is the trap any mature industry tends to fall into. Let’s hope there are some young, upstart developers out there willing to buck the trend. Watch out for continued strong growth in the casual sector though!

Console: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo – Nintendo has ruled recently with the release of the Wii. But shortages of both available consoles and good titles are allowing the other two to keep pace. Sony continues to have an uphill battle in dealing with the high cost of their machines, and lukewarm developer support is hurting the introduction of new products - especially exclusive products. Microsoft will keep pace, but really needs to innovate if they are to bring their platform to the next level of success.

Arcade: Sega, Nintendo, Konami, and the like, including LAI/Matahari – The arcade sector is dominated by games that promote physical interaction and “social” gaming. Who doesn’t like to hang out with their friends and get a quick-fix of House of the Dead or Slam-and-Jam basketball? Companies like Global VR will be bringing a number of new games to market, such as the ports of NASCAR, America’s Army, and Blazing Angles. TV tie-ins such as the release of Ice/Play Mechanix Deal or No Deal will no doubt be winners too. Watch out for new products developed by Matahari in 2008 as well, including the first fully-Pinoy developed arcade game!

Handhelds: Sony, Nokia, Nintendo, and others – rumors persist about Microsoft coming out with its own handheld, but so far these are just rumors. Sony and Nintendo rule this segment, though it’s unclear if any next generation platforms will be introduced in 2008. Keep watch during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January. This is where all the big announcements for the year take place.

Mobile: All the mobile phone makers and dozens of 3rd party developers – it’s interesting to see guys like John Carmack from id Software view mobile games as a challenge. As he states it, it is like “retro programming”, where the developer still has to be mindful of the economy of code. Certainly there is a lot of opportunity for growth in this market, though growth has been tempered by the various competing platforms, and the high cost of game downloads. Hopefully initiatives like “direct to consumer” will help to remedy this burden.

And what does the game development industry look like in 2008, particularly for here in the Philippines? The future looks bright! Early in 2007 a number of local game companies got together and formed the Game Development Association of the Philippines, or GDAP. The purpose of this group is to promote game development, both at home and abroad. It really shows that game development in the Philippines has come of age, and those who choose to make games for a living can make a great career out of it – right here at home.

Posting of Playground Articles

Hey guys - and many of you may be aware, I am a recurring columnist with Playground Magazine here in the Philippines. I've got a number of articles I've written, and I though I would start to post them here incase you are overseas and don't have direct access to the PH newstand :-)

Enjoy,

Eric

Passing of a Friend

I hope you permit me a post that is deeply personal. I found out yesterday about the passing of a dear friend. Mina Caliguia, the owner of Manila-based Art Farm, succumed to breast cancer on Sunday. This news came as a shock to me, and I spent the balance of yesterday thinking about her, our friendship, and and the gaping hole that remains.

I met Mina more than a year ago as she, Imee Marcos, and others came to our office and aske for our support of their orgniazation CreaM - a group dedicated to the support of Filipino based art and entertainment. Since that first meeting I not only worked with Mina as a colllegue but got to know her better as a friend. Mina was was of the most generous and kind people I have met, and she even assisted me on several occasions with more personal matters. There were in fact times when I asked myself why she was being so generous, but I just realized it was just her nature.

We had been in contact recently, but the last few days I didn't receive any replies to my emails or SMS messages. I had subsequently learned she wasn't feeling well, but apparently Mina kept the news of her condition to herself. In fact I had txt'ed her just Sunday morning to see how she was and to offer my assistance if I could help. It was the least I could do given the help that she had given me recently.

Since learning about her passing yesterday, I have run the gamut of feelings. Shock, sadness, and even anger at the situation. I do not know the why she chose to keep everything to herself, and I do not yet know why she succumed so quickly. I guess I am angry over someone so young being taken from us, and maybe angry too at myself for being a bit selfish in knowing she won't be a part of my life anymore.

Coming to closure on the passing of a dear friend may still take a while...

So You Want to Make Games for a Living?

The title of this blog says it all. It's pretty clear that if given a choice, there are thousands of people out there who would LOVE to make games for a living. But the fact is that not everyone is cut out for making games each and every day. After all, making games is still a job, and one must be skilled if they are to do well in their job. I wanted to put together some thoughts as to what it would take for a game company to consider YOU to join their ranks.

1. If you are offered the opportunity to apply for a game industry job, check out the blog post below: Game Industry Interviewing Techniques. Taking heed of what is stated there may secure you an interview. Ignoring it may make you lose out on a great opportunity.
2. The one item more than any a prospective employee needs to own is PASSION. If you don't have the interest, desire, and willingness to make games each and every day, then you probably aren't the best candidate. Those just looking for a paycheck should move on.
3. Yes, you will be making games each day. The reality of making games each day is that you may be working on a game that you might not choose to play yourself. This is the nature of business. You make games for your customers, not for YOU. If you are lucky (and it does happen!) you will get the chance to work on a project that is right up your alley - the kind of game you dream about making. The challenge in making games for a living is exploring areas that you might not have considered before - to put yourself in the position of the customer. what kinds of games might girls play? Kids? Or if you are a female - a 20-something guy??
4. Where game development in the Philippines is concerned, we must get the word out that game development is a serious business, and is something you can turn into a career!. It's no longer a garage industry of geeks. Serious salaries and benefits are available. You just need to be smart in looking for solid employers.
5. Have you thought about getting smart about the industry before attempting your career search? Check out gamasutra.com, gameindustry.biz, and the dozens of other sites that talk about the industry issues.
6. If you are still in school, check out your university's curriculum regarding game development. Several local schools have a few game development courses, and many more are contemplating adding them. If you are a student looking to join classes, make it know to your faculty that you want game development programs available to you.
7. If you are interested in know what kinds of courses SHOULD be offered, check out the IGDA Curriculum Framework. If you want to take these kinds of classes but can't because your school doesn't offer them, then offer this framework to the faculty as an example of what the coursework may look like.
8. Take as many of these courses as possible. Learn all that you can about game development, and try to concentrate in a particular area. If you are a programmer, then become good with an area that games typically use: graphics, sound, networking, AI, physics, etc. If you are an artist, then learn all you can about making characters, non-organic models, environments, and of course animation.
9. Where tools are concerned, programmers should learn and become at least intermediate level with C++. APIs such as DirectX or OpenGL are helpful as well.
10. If you are an artist, there are three tools of the trade: Photoshop, AutoDesk 3DMax and Maya. Some companies may tend to focus on Photoshop, plus either Max or Maya. Don't be left out - learn them both!
11. Many companies require a test of some kind during the interview process. Be prepared to answer various questions about the concepts of game development, programming, or even practical tests such as building code or making models/animations.
12. While in school, look for opportunities to join clubs with people who have a similar interest. Look for available internship programs. Make your senior project about your game interests.
13. To demonstrate PASSION, one must be motivated enough to overcome the lack of traditional educational programs. This means getting smart about game development on your own. Look for Internet resources - blogs, forums, and other groups of similar interest. Learn all you can, and participate in 'net community projects.
14. Examine freeware engines and seek to build games on your own time. Nothing speaks more highly about your passion that doing something that other people might not attempt. Make some games of your design. Develop a portfolio of games, images, and animations that would be what game companies are seeking.
15. When you are able to score an interview with a game company, do not come empty handed. Bring your portfolio! If you are an artist, it helps to be a hard copy of your work - not just hyperlinks! For programmers, bring demos that have been tested and work on different PCs. Of course these demos need not be full games, or even completely finished. We are only looking at the ability to take a concept an execute against it.
16. Surround yourself with people of similar interest!
17. If you aren't a programmer or artist, but would rather design games, there is no greater experience that making levels of games you've played. Find the SDKs, level editors, or modding tools for games that have them, and create a portfolio of new worlds, gameplay, and interesting concepts.
18. This is mentioned in the blog post below, but I'll say it again: when you do see a job opening, prepare a well-written cover letter that focuses on the job requirements stated in the job ad. Make it painfully game-specific. Show your passion and knowledge, not only of the games and industry, but with the company for which you are applying.
19. Joining local clubs and organizations that promote game industry growth. Two in metro-Manila are IGDA and GDAP.
20. As a company, do we hire fresh grads? Certainly. Of course having previous job-related experience helps, but occasionally we open up positions for the newly graduated. But be careful and read the job spec carefully. Applying for an experienced position when you have none only hurts your case for future employment.
21. If you are a programmer, also understanding things like how game engines work: typical construction, threads, modules, and sub-systems of games. Also understanding network programming, TCP/IP and UDP, and client/server relationships.
22. For artists, other package knowledge helps: Mudbox, Zbrush, NewTek Lighwave, and XSI SoftImage are good.
23. For artists you must have a basic understanding of the "art pipeline". This is used to describe the steps that artwork typically takes through the game development cycle. Everything from concept sketches to rough modeling, texturing, normal mapping, animations, etc. Becoming an expert in a particular area helps, but don't neglect the full pipeline as smaller/medium-sized studios may not have the luxury of allowing artist to only focus on one task.
24. There are other opportunities that are available to people without traditional programming or art skills. Some company may hire quality assurance (QA) testers. These positions still require good communication skills and a love of games.
25. Positions such as PRODUCER are typically experienced positions, and rarely will companies hire someone into such a position without some kind of previous and relevant job-related experience.
26. More senior positions are made available from time to time, but please read the job ads carefully. Many times these positions require detailed knowledge of the tools and techniques of the areas you will be leading. You can't assume that as a general IT manager can slip easily into a game programming position. The tools and techniques are very different. Also, it will be difficult for you to gain the respect of your subordinates as you haven't "been there, done that yet" with respect to games.
27. Expect that for all but the largest of game companies, that if you are a lead, managing, or even a director level, that some amount of your day will be spend programming or making art. No company would have the luxury of allowing it's employees just to "manage".
28. If you are interested in becoming a "game designer", then you must have made some attempts at designing games: either PC games or board games at least. Having experience as a level designer or in using mod tools is a necessity. You must be creative and have the ability to "think outside the box". You must know games inside and out: what genres exist, industry issues, current trends. You must also understand the differences in designing games for each type of platform: handheld, PC, console, and arcade.
29. Game designers must also be good writers. Much of your day will be in creating game design documents. This also includes scripts, stories, and concept "pitches". You must be able to communicate abstract ideas, formulas, and you must have an artistic eye.
30. Just because you are not a graduating game development student doesn't mean that you don't have a shot. I would love to see more experienced programmers and artists apply for our jobs, but just because you have been doing generic IT or architectural/media art doesn't mean you are a good fit. Please see about for ways of making yourself smart and building a game-specific portfolio. Only after you have demonstrated your passion (even if it is self-study) will a company consider you for a career change.
31. Of course one obvious way to get your work noticed by a game company such as Matahari Studios is to enter local competitions for game development or art. One prime example is U-Got-Game.

Game Industry Interviewing Techniques

As a General Manager and someone who is responsible for hiring staff, I must say that I've waded through my fair share of resumes. Across the world I've seen different approaches to the job application process. Obviously there are a number of differences between submitting a resume in the US, and applying for a job in the Philippines.

I thought I would offer my observations and thoughts on the subject:

1. As an applicant, you must read carefully the job advertisement. The job ad will hopefully list for you the REQUIRED attributes of the position, and other skills that might be nice to have. If you don't have the required skills, you only do yourself a disservice by applying. You take up your time and that of the person reviewing the submissions, and you run the risk of creating some ill-will for you if you choose to apply again in the future for a position for which you are much more qualified.
2. Include a cover letter! This is such an important point I will say it again - include a cover letter! Very few applicants take the time to include a cover letter. The cover letter is your one chance to overcome any objections the reviewer may gloss over when reading your resume. Without a cover letter it will be difficult to understand the full value of the candidate. Please take this advice - include a cover letter with your application. It will drastically increase your chances of an interview.
3. As a corollary to #2 above, make sure your cover letter is tailored to the job at-hand. Including a generic cover letter that says how hard you will work and that your experience makes you a good fit is not enough. Talk briefly about your skills that are appropriate to the position, and how your past experiences will give value to the company for the company in this role. Be specific and draw links directly from the job advertisement text.
4. Include a TAILORED resume in your application. Submitting generic resumes will not distinguish you from the crowd, and they are quite easily spotted when pouring through the vast number of applicants. Take the time to READ the job advertisements, and highlight through bullet points, bolding, and carefully crafted descriptions. Make sure that you present yourself in such a way that it would be a crime if the interviewer didn't call you in. Of course you must not inflate your experiences or misstate (i.e. lie) about your background. Do not think for a moment that the company won't check up on you - any company worth their salt will call references and your previous companies for employment verification.
5. Since we are a game company, it helps if you have some game experience in your background before applying for game development position. This doesn't necessary mean that you have had to work for a game company before, but rather that you have taken it upon yourself to demonstrate your interest and passion for this career. Spend some time working on your portfolio or on a game demo. Show you know what you are talking about by speaking intelligently about the games the company might make. Game development is all about PASSION, and if you don't have the fire in your belly (i.e. you are just looking for a paycheck) then it's best to move along and find something else that is more suitable.
6. If your experience has been in business programming, that doesn't necessary qualify you for a game programming position. Game programming is inherently different, and requires knowledge of things like graphics, sound, AI, physics, and APIs like DirectX and OpenGL. If you are a business programmer and want to make the switch to games, please see #5 above.
7. If you are a computer artist, there are several software packages you need to know: AutoDesk 3D Studio Max and Maya, and Adobe Photoshop. You must have at least an intermediate level of knowledge before applying, so if you don't yet possess such skills, see #5 above.
8. One particular difference between resumes here in Asia and the rest of the world is the inclusion of personal/bio data on the resume. In my view this is unnecessary, and anyone who would choose an employee based on age, gender, religious affiliation, or that they didn't like your picture isn't a company worth working for. Leave it off...
9. There are a number of online services here in the Philippines that display available jobs: jobstreet.com and jobsdb.com are two of note. If you use these services, my suggestion for applicants is that you do not choose the HTML way to submit your resume, rather you should choose "send via email" option if it is available. This way you get to submit a nicely formatted resume PLUS COVER LETTER to the employer, and you will be allowed to format your materials in a way that best suits your need to highlight what's important.
10. You would think this is obvious, but apparently it's not as obvious as it should be: if you are scheduled for an interview at say 10am, it's a good idea to be there on time. Maybe even 5 minutes early. DO NOT BE LATE. Sorry guys to be harsh here, but traffic is not an excuse. I know traffic in Manila is bad, but I learned this pretty quick how bad it is - most of you have been here a lifetime, so you should know to plan around it so you aren't late.
11. If for whatever reason you are delayed or cannot make it at the assigned day/time, please be proactive and call the company to reschedule. My assumption would be that if you don't call, then you aren't interested.
12. Don't accept a job interview if you aren't truly interested in interviewing for the job. I've had way too many instances where interviews were scheduled but people didn't show up. I'll never understand that one. Just makes you look bad, that's all. Why make yourself look bad when a simple phone call is all it takes to clear things up?

"It's just my opinion, I could be wrong" - Dennis Miller