Learn how to break into the gaming industry with “Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts”

by Louis Bedigian

In his new book, syndicated columnist Marc Saltzman explains the important steps you need to take to break into the video game industry.

Do you want a job in the video game industry?  Do you think you can beta with the best of ‘em?  Are your mathematical skills worthy of the stress caused by a complex programming language?  Perhaps you’re completely clueless, and would just like to know more about the game industry in general?

Whichever answers you are looking for, you’ll find them in Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts.  Game Creation and Careers is the latest book from Marc Saltzman, author of Game Design: Secrets of the Sages and the Internet Games Directory, among several other game-related books.

In addition to his weekly syndicated columns with Gannett News Service and CNN.com, Marc currently contributes to over three dozen prominent publications, including USA Today, LA Times, Newsweek, Modern Maturity, Golf Digest, National Post, GlobeTechnology.com, Access magazine and Tribute magazine.

While attending another game industry event, Marc took a few moments to sit down and go over his new book with us, give us some insight, and provide some details about the games industry and what they look for in an employee.

How much pre-knowledge of game design is necessary for a person to get the most out of this book?

Marc Saltzman: “Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts” assumes there really is no prior knowledge of the industry, its famous designers or game design. The first couple of chapters slowly introduces the reader into this multi-billion dollar-a-year industry, it discusses various genres and playing perspectives (e.g. first-person, third-person, isometric, etc.) and how game design is part art, part science. I felt it was important to ease the budding designer/developer into the meat of this book in this way…after all, decisions such as what genre your game will be or what perspective the player will have are valid ones. That said, my intention was to create a book that won’t spoon-feed readers with content, nor did I want something that would go over most readers’ heads. I think we accomplished this by straddling the middle.

Did you get to personally speak with any of the developers featured in your book?

MS: Yes, of course. As a busy freelance journalist, I’m often invited to industry events (er, about two a week or more) so I always bring my digital voice recorder or at least a pen and paper because there may be a talented developer I want to interview for a specific chapter in this book series. There are a handful of game designers who preferred an email interview, which is just fine considering how busy these developers often are. This way, they can complete the questionnaire on their own time. In order of preference, it’s in person, then on the phone, then via the Net. Sure, the former is more time consuming but I want to create a product that made the reader feel like they’re sitting at a table with some of the industry’s best known and loved game makers.

Is it intimidating to write such a big, comprehensive book about designing games and getting a career in the industry?

MS: Yes, I knew I was biting off quite a bit, but as I say in the introduction of the book, these 25 or so chapters can really be made into their own books or even a series of books. “Game Creations and Careers” is the successor to the “Game Design: Secrets of the Sages” series, but we felt the old title didn’t do the book justice because roughly half of the content is about making it in the industry, therefore we decided to change the name to a more suitable one. I would say my book has a lot of breadth, not a lot of depth. Will it tell you how to make a video game from scratch? No. That wasn’t the intent. Instead, I wanted to outline all the different disciplines that go into making a game (so the reader can have some help finding his or her passion), then it chats with the industry’s greats, pooling from their words of wisdom so that others don’t make the same mistakes they do. The goal is to give a broad overview of the industry and to give an inspirational kick to those who want to climb to the top. While I’d love to take most of the credit for this project, it’s the game sages that deserve all the kudos.

With so much in-depth info crammed into one book, you must have had to do a lot of research.  About how much research was done to complete this book?

MS: I handpicked the folks per chapter, people who would best be suited to explain how to succeed in that field.  In my day-to-day work as a freelance video game journalist, I am fortunate enough to play many games and meet fascinating people. I’ve made notes anytime there was someone who I thought would be perfect for a particular chapter and then approached them to gauge interest (fortunately, most designers love chatting about their craft!). Yes, it’s intimating because of the size of the book, the breadth of topics, but hopefully it’s organized in such a way that it’s a fun, easy read that flows from chapter to chapter. Therefore, the research is done over an entire year, bits and pieces, and then it all came together once the book publisher committed to the project, and then gave me a submission date. But since there were four different “Game Design: Secrets of the Sages” books, there is a lot of evergreen content here.

Can you give us some examples of some of the important things that Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry will teach its readers?

MS: Half the book is on creating a successful game so I spoke with many of our industry’s leading designers, programmers, A.I. specialists, animators and artists, storyboarders, motion-capture experts, level designers, mission designers, puzzle writers, musicians and sound engineers so there is plenty of info on these disciplines (including a game design template provided by Chris Taylor of Dungeon Siege and Total Annihilation fame). The second half of the book explores everything from how to protect you game idea, how to sell it, getting a job at a development studio or publishing company, setting up your own development house, working with headhunters and agents, doing it yourself by selling games online (shareware, etc.), proper game testing, marketing, public relations and key organizations, conventions, Web sites and schools. Whew! As you can see, and hence its name, “Game Creation and Careers” covers a heck of a lot of ground.

Do you think it's important for future game developers to gain skills and experience as young as possible?  Will adults (who may have just started learning how to program) have a harder time grasping the tough task of game development?

MS: Sure, I mean, theoretically, the younger you are the more second nature it’ll be to you, though there are many other facts such as social skills, the ability to learn new software, professionalism, how well you work with a team, etc. Also, it’s very important to know that in this dynamic, fast-paced video game industry, it is very easy – and fast – to move up the ladder at a company. But that’s also not to say you can’t be a success by starting later in life, either. Many game designers didn’t “find themselves” until their 30s. Also, not to pat myself on the back or anything, but I didn’t break into the journalism industry until I was 26 (relatively late by today’s standards) but in a few short years I became a syndicated columnist, an author of 12 books, a gaming expert on CNN, etc. Again, I’m just trying to make a point that it’s never too late to break into the industry.

Which programming language or game development tool should young, aspiring developers learn first?  Which is the easiest, which is the hardest, and which one is the most practical?

MS: Not sure if I can answer this. Hmmm, I guess C++ is still the de facto software to know well, though it’ll probably vary from platform to platform. Once you at least sharpen your skills on one language I’m sure it’s not too much of a stretch to grasp another effortlessly.

Most colleges and universities do not offer the proper classes needed to learn how to create games, and even fewer have actual game development degree programs.  What would you recommend that people do who are unable to attain the proper schooling?

MS: To some developers I’ve interviewed, game development or design school/courses isn’t the be all, end all. Experience is often held at a higher regard than a degree or diploma. But yes, the ol’ Catch 22 – how do you get experience when no one will hire you without any? Well, I would advise to get in at a game company by beta testing/quality assurance or any low-level position that doesn’t require a ton or any experience, and then on the side, start creating mods or levels or
skins using the free tools provided by many of today’s computer game franchises. There are also free programming languages and inexpensive or even free PhotoShop-like software to download. There’s even a “personal learning edition” of Maya from Alias|Wavefront to download. Point is, get in the door, sharpen your skills in a particular craft and then work your butt off on landing a job on an upcoming title. Many companies like to hire within because they already know you and your personality and won’t have to relocate someone to that city/state/country.

A lot of legendary game developers feel that to be a truly great game developer, you must have many interests in life, and do many things – not just play video games.  Do you agree with that view?

MS: I would say this is true, yes. That is, I’ve heard folks such as Miyamoto, Molyneux and Wright say this to be true…many games like Sim City, Pikmin and The Movies were inspired by non-gaming interests such as city architecture, plat life and Hollywood, respectively. If games are your only inspiration then your titles will be yet another Tetris, Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider, Battlefield 1942 or whatever the flavor of the month is. The video game industry can always use more innovation.

What if a child (or adult) has no other interests? Will liking video games – and only video games – really prevent him or her from being just as creative as someone who likes many different things?

MS: It all depends on not only how you are influenced by video games, but how it is channeled back into an “original” title. I mean, it’s possible to be blown away by GTA and admire many of its gameplay mechanics, but then create a game with GTA as your benchmark and have it come out completely separate. Perhaps you like GTA’s open-ended mission structure, easy-to-pick up controls and vast music, but then create a fantasy RPG played from a first-person perspective with these same traits...

Thank you for your time.