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Hi there,
I''m studying Computer Science at college. I''m a 3rd year student now, and was thinking it would be good to try and work at a game company this summer and "test the waters" so to speak and find out if it REALLY is something I''d like to pursue as a career.
From what I''ve read, it seems that the best way to find a job in the computer game industry is to create a demo disk (in my case at least, as I''m looking to be a programmer). My question is regarding the contents of the demo disk. People say it should contain finished games. But in this day and age it seems to be fashionable for people to specialize in certain areas. I have one (TINY) finished game, a tetris clone, that will go on the disk, and have time for one more project before I start sending it around. Should I make another small game, or do something with more ''meat'' (like write a raytracer or something like that) that isn''t a complete game?
Anyway, thanks for your time.
Rafe
I don''t think it''s very important to have finished games to present to game companies, but rather applications that demonstrate would you do best. So maybe you could have a demo for several aspects of game programming that you will be focusing on. It will be better to make these well tuned and small, rather than having a large program that seems to have been put together in a rush.
A Tetris clone or something like it won''t cut it as a demo.
These days all they want to see are 3D demos.
These days all they want to see are 3D demos.
As a programmer try to make a demo showing the hardest things to program, you don''t need a functional game, instead of spending time making a first person shooter to be playable (levels, monsters, objects, etc) it''s better to make one with a lot of 3D effects even if it''s not even a game cos that shows more of you as a programmer, and having a tetris clone already shows that you can make an entire game (even if it''s not a big thing) instead of just 3D effects, basically do things that impress and make suits (people that can hire you) easily recognize your programming skills.
Author
Thanks for your quick responses. It seems that the general concensus then would be to create something that would be stunning, either visually or otherwise to a non-programmer type. Does that sound about right?
Now, it should still be something technically impressive too, right? I mean, some palette rotation tricks can look really cool, but they''re not hard to do.
Now, it should still be something technically impressive too, right? I mean, some palette rotation tricks can look really cool, but they''re not hard to do.
I had 5 job interviews recently. despite having no 3D experience, I did have at least 4 finished games to demo. Of the 5 companies, only one was concerned about the lack of 3D. One other said I would pick it up real easily. The others were actively looking for non-3D programmers. There is more to a game than a 3D engine, something most people forget. If you are a good all-round programmer with a passion for games, you will do OK, and having a finished budget game certainly helps get a foot in the door. In my case it got me 3 job offers.
Just thought I would offer a different opinion
http://www.positech.co.uk
Just thought I would offer a different opinion
http://www.positech.co.uk
quote: Original post by cliffski
I had 5 job interviews recently. despite having no 3D experience, I did have at least 4 finished games to demo. Of the 5 companies, only one was concerned about the lack of 3D. One other said I would pick it up real easily. The others were actively looking for non-3D programmers. There is more to a game than a 3D engine, something most people forget. If you are a good all-round programmer with a passion for games, you will do OK, and having a finished budget game certainly helps get a foot in the door. In my case it got me 3 job offers.
Just thought I would offer a different opinion
http://www.positech.co.uk
Amen to that. You can also go the corporate wh*** (you figure out the rest) route: apply to a big corporation that has dev teams in both business and entertainment products, get in on the business side, then transfer to the games. If you''re good enough, you''ll get in with a minimum of fuss and a good salary to live on as well.
Then again, it could just be me.
MSN
You start writing demos and you might find yourself in the situation where you can't write bigger programs because you've never done them before.
Also, what are the companies looking for??? The final product nothing else matters because that single product feeds all in the company. They depend on you. Can you handle that? You'll be under constant pressure to perform especially if they are in the need of money. I think when you demonstrate to them that you can write a game from beginning to end and are serious about the game/job then they will want to hire you.
I always put myself into other people's shoes. Ask yourself a question "What kind of person would I hire to help me write the game?" I think someone who has done something like this before. I'm writing a 3d editor now and there is lots and lots of windows code that does weird things when you don't massage it properly
I think that if you asked Tim Sweeney or John Carmack to code you anything they'll probably be able to and I have tremendous respect for people who can do multiple things and do it well rather than do one specific thing well. When you're working with these kinds of people you're not afraid because you have confidence in them that they can code themselves out of anything in case of trouble. This is exactly what companies are looking for in an employee. Someone who can step in and finish the game despite dodging the flames and late deadlines.
Coding demos is super cool and waaaayyy too much fun but there are still boring task that need to be done. You've asked what coding games is like. Well, it's 1% fun and 99% perspiration and headache I spend countless days mucking with code, reading between the lines(docs) and experimenting with code but once in a while I see the result of that work and that makes it all worthwhile for me. Anyway, bottom line is if you're comfortable writing complex programs and can problem solve well then you're ready for some serious butt kicking, err.. I mean coding
Edited by - JD on January 3, 2001 2:30:32 AM
Also, what are the companies looking for??? The final product nothing else matters because that single product feeds all in the company. They depend on you. Can you handle that? You'll be under constant pressure to perform especially if they are in the need of money. I think when you demonstrate to them that you can write a game from beginning to end and are serious about the game/job then they will want to hire you.
I always put myself into other people's shoes. Ask yourself a question "What kind of person would I hire to help me write the game?" I think someone who has done something like this before. I'm writing a 3d editor now and there is lots and lots of windows code that does weird things when you don't massage it properly
I think that if you asked Tim Sweeney or John Carmack to code you anything they'll probably be able to and I have tremendous respect for people who can do multiple things and do it well rather than do one specific thing well. When you're working with these kinds of people you're not afraid because you have confidence in them that they can code themselves out of anything in case of trouble. This is exactly what companies are looking for in an employee. Someone who can step in and finish the game despite dodging the flames and late deadlines.Coding demos is super cool and waaaayyy too much fun but there are still boring task that need to be done. You've asked what coding games is like. Well, it's 1% fun and 99% perspiration and headache
I spend countless days mucking with code, reading between the lines(docs) and experimenting with code but once in a while I see the result of that work and that makes it all worthwhile for me. Anyway, bottom line is if you're comfortable writing complex programs and can problem solve well then you're ready for some serious butt kicking, err.. I mean codingEdited by - JD on January 3, 2001 2:30:32 AM
There''s an alternative way, although it works almost only if you''re female, in the job interview just have sex with the one that will hire you and then it''s just a blow job a day and just having sex but basically you don''t need such things as a demo or stuff like that, at least I didn''t.
Author
LOL...Yeah, I''ll have to try that sometime. ;-)
JD: Hehehe..You mean it''s really like...a job? (I''m kidding). Oh I understand it''s a lot of work. Aren''t most jobs? About the working under pressure thing though..I''ve only worked on one big project before. It had nothing to do with games, but it was fun. We wrote a server that controlled an mpeg decoder card with 4 different playback channels according to playlists sent to it by various clients across the campus. They used it in the play "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury (there were 3 big movie screens on the back of the stage that showed what the different characters were thinking at different times, tres cool!) I was in charge of the most boring part of the server, but once I finished that, I got to jump in and help finish the rest of it which was both fun and rewarding because I got to help solve some tricky problems that the other programmer ran into. (Though I have to admit, I created some tricky problems of my own!)
Is that the kind of thing you''re talking about though?
JD: Hehehe..You mean it''s really like...a job? (I''m kidding). Oh I understand it''s a lot of work. Aren''t most jobs?
About the working under pressure thing though..I''ve only worked on one big project before. It had nothing to do with games, but it was fun. We wrote a server that controlled an mpeg decoder card with 4 different playback channels according to playlists sent to it by various clients across the campus. They used it in the play "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury (there were 3 big movie screens on the back of the stage that showed what the different characters were thinking at different times, tres cool!) I was in charge of the most boring part of the server, but once I finished that, I got to jump in and help finish the rest of it which was both fun and rewarding because I got to help solve some tricky problems that the other programmer ran into. (Though I have to admit, I created some tricky problems of my own!)Is that the kind of thing you''re talking about though?
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