I think I have set some kind of world record. Since being laid off in January, I have applied for almost 300 jobs. From those, I received about 20 followup calls, phone interviews, and programming tests. I have had only 2 face-to-face interviews. The result: 0 jobs.
This should really be no big surprise. According to some reports, over 5000 people were laid off in the game industry alone in 2008. There were 10,000 layoffs from Microsoft alone. The result is that the job market for both game programming and general IT has been flooded with job seekers. Employers have pretty much had the ability to hand-pick each position from tens, if not hundreds, of applicants.
This knowledge made it a little easier to accept 300 rejections, but I have to admit I was feeling pretty discouraged. In less that 1 year my game programming career seemed to be over! I figured this was another world record: world's shortest game career.
Of the 300 positions, about 75 were for general programming positions in IT. As much as I wanted to stay in the game industry, I needed a job even worse. So, I figured I would have to go back into the world of business programming.
One thing that surprised me is that I did not receive a single inquiry regarding any of the general programming jobs I had applied for. All of the followup I received was for game-related jobs. I expected it to be the other way around. As it turns out, being a game programmer apparently has the advantage of being a specialty. There are far more general programmers out there to fill IT positions, which probably explains why I didn't get a single bite for any of those jobs.
However, game programming is a specialized field, and this means that there are fewer game programmers out there to fill those jobs. So, even though I kept getting turned down, at least I was getting interviews!
Robert
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Still hanging (in there)!
Well, I'm still between jobs. Since I was laid off last January, I have applied for over 250 jobs. I have had a few interviews, but so far, no job offers. So far I think I have the world's record for the shortest career in the game industry! But I have not lost hope...never give up...never surrender!!!
I find myself in a difficult position of someone who has a LOT of programming experience but not quite enough game programming experience. The other shortfall is that almost all of my experience is in 2D games, while most of the jobs out there are looking for people with 3D experience. It really doesn't matter to me whether I work in 2D or 3D games...I just love to program games. In fact, I just love the game industry, so I have also applied for positions such as tools programmers and web developers for game companies.
I'm sure that the biggest reason I don't have a job yet is just that there are SO many people out there looking for work. With large layoffs from big companies and lots of small layoffs from smaller companies, there are literally tens of thousands of people out there right now vying for the positions. This means that employers can be picky and choose exactly the person they want. Most of the positions out there are looking for very experienced talent with very specific skills. This must be a difficult market for anyone who is trying to break into the game industry as well.
If you are someone new trying to break into the game industry (or even someone, like me, who is in between jobs), then don't give up! I know I am not. Part of my strategy has been to widen the scope of my search. I will now take a job anywhere in the US, and I am considering some foreign countries as well. I have also developed customized resumes for each type of position, and usually customize each resume exactly to the job I am applying for.
So, don't want to bore you too much. In the meantime, while I am officially unemployed, that doesn't mean I am not busy. I am teaching programming courses online, and I am also working on some game projects of my own. So stay tuned and soon I might be able to tell you about the opening of my own independent studio. The truth is that, whether someone is paying me or not, I will ALWAYS be a game developer.
Robert
Monday, February 2, 2009
Fear, Trembling, and Harsh Reality
If you've followed the news in the game industry for any time, then you already know it's a volatile industry. Studios open and close at the the drop of a hat. People get hire to meet the needs of the current project then get let go when the project is complete. And then there is the spectre of outsourcing--the job that gets outsourced could be yours. In short, if you are serious about making a living in the game industry, you had better be prepared for a little excitement, and I! not talking about the good kind!
I'm going through an exciting time right now. The studio I have been working for has laid off over 50% of their workforce in the last year, I survived the first wave of layoffs back in July, but in January the remaining production staff was let go. So, just less than one year after breaking in to the game industry, I find myself broken out.
The reality if the game industry is this: if a studio can't make a profit, they will cease to exist. Unfortunately, the easiest way for any company to cut costs is to cut employees.
Although no industry is "layoff" proof, the games industry carries a much higher risk. Part of the reason is the nature of a game project. A game may only needs a few people in the beginning, but this may grow to 20, 50, ire even hundreds of employees when in full production. When the game is done, the company may find itself with a glut of employees and no work to do. This scenario is a human resource nightmare. Most studios try to have multiple projects in the works and then try to schedule those projects so the low time in one project corresponds with the high time of another, but sometimes it just doesn't work out.
Another tool used by many companies use to cope with the variable nature of game projects is outsourcing. This may range from subcontracting with a local art studio to create some assets to contracting with a team of programmers in another country. If a company can get the same quality of work for less cost, then who can blame them? Sure there are a lot of pros and cons to outsourcing, but it often boils down to the bottom line.
Several factors combined that led to the layoffs at my last studio: changes in the casual games market, a slow economy, poor holiday sales, and access to lower-cost labor oversees. Even the big companies such as Microsoft and EA have announced layoffs. The bottom line is that no one in the industry is immune.
There are some steps you can take to prepare yourself should for the worst. The key is to always be prepared to quickly find that next job:
It's also a good idea to have a plan for how you might survive a few months between jobs. Examples include:
I'm not saying - did all if these things, but I did most of them. I'm a little anxious about finding my next job, but I'm not devastated and I have some resources in the meantime.
One more thing: be flexible. If you're not prepared to move across the country a few times during your career, the game industry might not be the right choice for you.
Wish me luck!
I'm going through an exciting time right now. The studio I have been working for has laid off over 50% of their workforce in the last year, I survived the first wave of layoffs back in July, but in January the remaining production staff was let go. So, just less than one year after breaking in to the game industry, I find myself broken out.
The reality if the game industry is this: if a studio can't make a profit, they will cease to exist. Unfortunately, the easiest way for any company to cut costs is to cut employees.
Although no industry is "layoff" proof, the games industry carries a much higher risk. Part of the reason is the nature of a game project. A game may only needs a few people in the beginning, but this may grow to 20, 50, ire even hundreds of employees when in full production. When the game is done, the company may find itself with a glut of employees and no work to do. This scenario is a human resource nightmare. Most studios try to have multiple projects in the works and then try to schedule those projects so the low time in one project corresponds with the high time of another, but sometimes it just doesn't work out.
Another tool used by many companies use to cope with the variable nature of game projects is outsourcing. This may range from subcontracting with a local art studio to create some assets to contracting with a team of programmers in another country. If a company can get the same quality of work for less cost, then who can blame them? Sure there are a lot of pros and cons to outsourcing, but it often boils down to the bottom line.
Several factors combined that led to the layoffs at my last studio: changes in the casual games market, a slow economy, poor holiday sales, and access to lower-cost labor oversees. Even the big companies such as Microsoft and EA have announced layoffs. The bottom line is that no one in the industry is immune.
There are some steps you can take to prepare yourself should for the worst. The key is to always be prepared to quickly find that next job:
- Keep networking. You should keep track of every single person you meet while you are employed. People move around a lot in the game industry, and your present coworkers might be the one who helps you find your next job.
- Get active on LinkedIn or other such networks.
- Don't burn your bridges. Prior employers are an excellent resource when you find yourself without a job (as long as you didn't shaft them on your way out the door).
- Keep your portfolio current. The day you get fired isn't the best time to decide to gather samples of your work.
- Keep your website and other professional profiles current.
- Keep up with the latest technologies changes in your profession.
It's also a good idea to have a plan for how you might survive a few months between jobs. Examples include:
- Always have some money saved or invested that you can gain immediate access to.
- Avoid long-term commitments such as leases and large loans as much as possible.
- You might consider getting job-loss insurance on loans you do have if it is available. Such coverage could pay off your debt if you lose your job.
- In the United States, make sure you file your unemployment claim on your last day of work.
I'm not saying - did all if these things, but I did most of them. I'm a little anxious about finding my next job, but I'm not devastated and I have some resources in the meantime.
One more thing: be flexible. If you're not prepared to move across the country a few times during your career, the game industry might not be the right choice for you.
Wish me luck!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Post-mortem of a Casual Game
My last post dealt with the issues involved in creating a sequel. The project I was working on was a casual game targeted for both retail and downloadable sales. Although the development time for such games is much shorter that that of AAA titles, the process involved is very similar.
As promised in my last installment, this post will focus on some of the things that hindered the development of my last project. If you have read post-mortems of any games, you will recognize many of these problems since then tend to recur in project after project. You know the saying..."The best laid plans of mice and men..."
So, here goes:
Staffing Issues
The game industry is always a roller-coaster ride when it comes to staffing. There are many factors that can affect staffing including layoffs and reassignment to other projects. Midway through my project, the production team was cut in half. Unfortunately, the deadline for the project could not be moved, so this meant that those who were left on the team were going to have a lot of work ahead of them.
Scheduling Issues
The initial schedule was created by one producer, and then assigned to another. Since different people have different methods, this resulted in the entire project schedule being re-written midway through the project. It was several weeks before we even knew where we stood and what it was going to take to complete the project on schedule.
Design Bottleneck
Unfortunately, the same cutbacks that affected the production team also affected the design team. There was now only one designer, and he was up to his neck working on other projects. Many design decisions were made by the development team, only to be later overridden by the designer when he finally had time to focus on our project. This resulted was time spent on work that either had to be re-done or never even ended up in the game.
Feature Creep
In light of the above problems, it seems like the obvious choice would be to cut features. Alas! Instead, features were added. It was felt that these features were critical in giving the game an edge in a very competitive market. This insured even more overtime for an already taxed development team.
Unmovable Deadline
Like many games, this project was slated for Christmas release. The need to get the product out for the Christmas season was critical, so this deadline could not be changed. To make matters worse, one of the distributers decided they needed the game 2 weeks ahead of our original schedule, effectively cutting two full weeks off of an already tight schedule.
Lack of QA
The QA department had minimal staffing due to the above mentioned cutbacks. This meant that everyone at the company became QA. Although we all did a heroic job, there simply was not enough time and resources to properly test every aspect of the game.
The End Result
No game goes out the door without any bugs. My last project was no exception. We knew we were releasing a product that would have problems, but at the end of the day we all knew that we had done the best possible job we could do under the circumstances. Luckily, there was time after the release to continue fixing bugs and patches were released. However, no one likes to buy a game with obvious bugs, and this definitely did not look good on the company. Regardless of the problems, I was proud to be a part of this project. I can honestly say that everyone involved gave 200%. We were amazed that we could complete the project as well as we did, given all of the difficulties we had.
Next post: Fear, trembling, and harsh reality.
As promised in my last installment, this post will focus on some of the things that hindered the development of my last project. If you have read post-mortems of any games, you will recognize many of these problems since then tend to recur in project after project. You know the saying..."The best laid plans of mice and men..."
So, here goes:
Staffing Issues
The game industry is always a roller-coaster ride when it comes to staffing. There are many factors that can affect staffing including layoffs and reassignment to other projects. Midway through my project, the production team was cut in half. Unfortunately, the deadline for the project could not be moved, so this meant that those who were left on the team were going to have a lot of work ahead of them.
Scheduling Issues
The initial schedule was created by one producer, and then assigned to another. Since different people have different methods, this resulted in the entire project schedule being re-written midway through the project. It was several weeks before we even knew where we stood and what it was going to take to complete the project on schedule.
Design Bottleneck
Unfortunately, the same cutbacks that affected the production team also affected the design team. There was now only one designer, and he was up to his neck working on other projects. Many design decisions were made by the development team, only to be later overridden by the designer when he finally had time to focus on our project. This resulted was time spent on work that either had to be re-done or never even ended up in the game.
Feature Creep
In light of the above problems, it seems like the obvious choice would be to cut features. Alas! Instead, features were added. It was felt that these features were critical in giving the game an edge in a very competitive market. This insured even more overtime for an already taxed development team.
Unmovable Deadline
Like many games, this project was slated for Christmas release. The need to get the product out for the Christmas season was critical, so this deadline could not be changed. To make matters worse, one of the distributers decided they needed the game 2 weeks ahead of our original schedule, effectively cutting two full weeks off of an already tight schedule.
Lack of QA
The QA department had minimal staffing due to the above mentioned cutbacks. This meant that everyone at the company became QA. Although we all did a heroic job, there simply was not enough time and resources to properly test every aspect of the game.
The End Result
No game goes out the door without any bugs. My last project was no exception. We knew we were releasing a product that would have problems, but at the end of the day we all knew that we had done the best possible job we could do under the circumstances. Luckily, there was time after the release to continue fixing bugs and patches were released. However, no one likes to buy a game with obvious bugs, and this definitely did not look good on the company. Regardless of the problems, I was proud to be a part of this project. I can honestly say that everyone involved gave 200%. We were amazed that we could complete the project as well as we did, given all of the difficulties we had.
Next post: Fear, trembling, and harsh reality.
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