I haven’t posted in a while. Mostly it’s because I’ve been so busy working. Terrible problem…too much work!
As an independent developer, I depend on contract work to make an income. That means that I spend a lot of time working on other people’s stuff. Not that I’m complaining. I enjoy the work. It is challenging and still allows me to flex my creative muscles.
I’m currently in a lull where I only have one contract project (instead of three at once!).
That means I actually have time to do other things like blog and WORK ON MY OWN GAME!
The Contract Trap
I have read it in other people’s blogs and heard it on other people’s podcasts: Once you start taking on contract work then work on your own game will suffer! The truth is that you have to meet the milestones on your contracts (if you want to get paid) and you don’t have to meet the milestones on your own projects. So, my own game keeps sliding while other people’s games get done.
Don’t get me wrong…I love contract work because I love things like food and cars and having a roof over my head. Being able to do contract work means that I get to stay independent, make a living, and still do what I love which is program games.
Maintaining Balance
When I look back over the last several months I am struck wondering where all the time went. I think the most difficult part of being a self-funded Indie is trying to maintain the balance between making a living and working on my own game, which is the reason I decided to go Indie in the first place.
So, now that I have some time, I also have some time to re-group and re-evaluate. I’m getting ‘back in the game’ and ramping back up on development.
Keeping the Flame Burning
It’s easy to get discouraged. Over a year has gone by since I started my game project and I don’t feel like I have enough to show for it. I remember last year thinking that I wanted a playable demo done by the end of 2010. Now that is my goal for 2011!
However, I keep reminding myself that I’m in this for the long haul. Obviously, I have to survive and that means taking on contract work to have an income. So, I just remind myself that no matter how long it takes I will finish my game.
Connecting with People
It can be really easy to fall into the trap of never interacting with other people. After all, I work from my home and my development team is distributed and online. Weeks can go by without hearing another developer’s voice!
One thing that has really helped me is making it a point to regularly interact with other people involved in the project. My designer recently “forced” me to setup regular meetings so we can talk about the game. My initial choice was to work in isolation to ‘get some coding done’. The truth is that talking with others about the game always gets me more motivated to actually do some more work on it.
Isolation bad. People good.
Showing posts with label Game Industry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game Industry. Show all posts
Monday, November 21, 2011
Thursday, April 8, 2010
What School Is Best For Me??
I am proud to announce that I can finally reveal the game that I have been working on for the last six months: Dark Void Zero. Released in January for the Nintendo DSi, my focus was on the iPhone and PC versions that will be released on April 12. Be sure to pick this one up. It was great fun to program and even more fun to play!
Now for this week's subject. I receive a lot of questions about what kind of school or program I would recommend for students seeking to get into the game industry. There are basically three paths that you can follow in this regard:
1. Standard four-year colleges
Most four-year colleges offer standard degrees that are applicable to game development. The obvious example is a Computer Science degree if you want to be a game programmer. Many four year colleges are also starting to offer concentrations or specializations related to game development.
A four year degree from a standard college is still the preferred degree by most companies because these programs are based on accredited, standardized programs of study. Even better, attending a college in your home state will cost you significantly less that any other educational option.
2. Technical colleges
Technical colleges are intended to provide pratical education on a specific subject in a short amount of time. The rise in popularity of game related careers has inspired many of these colleges to offer game related programs.
The jury is still out on the usefulness of technical degress since they aren't generally regarded as highly as a standard, four-year degree. The main advantage of a technical college is that the program is focused and can generally be completed in two years or less. However, you will probably pay more to go to a technical college than a four-year institution.
3. Specialty colleges
You can think of specialty colleges as super-technical colleges. A few of these have made a name for themselves (DigiPen and Full Sail come to mind) as premier colleges in the field of game development. They offer stringent, focused programs of study with an emphasis on the student completing a "real world" game-related project by graduation.
Like technical colleges, a degree from a specialty college may still hold a certain stigma when compared to a traiditional four-year degree. Critics of such colleges question how much students can really learn in these hyper-accelerated programs. Proponents argue that this kind of time-pressure mimics the real-world of game development and prepares the student for the work environment. Specialty schools are also typically the most expensive choice
So which type of college is right for you?
The quick answer is that you should attend the type ofcollege that you can afford and that meets your learning style and situation.
If money is the major consideration, then try to find a four-year college in your own state that offers a traditional degree that meets your goals. If you can find a program that also offers a concentration or specializaton in game development, then that's even better.
However, different people have different learning styles, and some people just can't fathom spending four years to earn a degree. The general education required to achieve a traditional degree is sometimes perceived as wasted time that could be spent learning their true love: game development. For such people, a specialty school might be the answer, especially if that school offers a standard degree. For example, students who graduate from Full Sail's game development program do so with an accredited four-year degree. "General ed" courses such as history and psychology are custom designed to be relevant to games, making even them easier to swallow!
Finally, let's say you already have a full-time job and/or family that makes it impossible for you to attend a full-time college or specialty school. In this situation, a technical program might be the ticket. Most techncial colleges adapt their program to working students, often including large, online components that can be completed according to the student's schedule.
Remember: for most employer's the real question isn't where you went to school but what you know. I have personally worked with programmers from all three types of schools. In every situation, the programmers had excellent skills. When it boils down to it, it is the student more than the school that may determine the effectiveness of the education. You literally get out of your eduacation what you are willing to put into it.
There is one more important point to make on this issue: Not all game design courses are created equal! Some programs try to provide a general course of study that touches on all aspects of game development: design, art, and programing. Others focus on one aspect of game development such as design, art, or programing. Contrary to the scenario presented by some advertisements, most careers in the game industry are specialized. This means that you should specialize to. Before you enroll in any program, you should know which area you want to specialize in, and then chose a program that focusses on that area.
That's it for this post. In my next post I will go into detail about one specialty college that I am intimately familiar with! Come back next time to see why!
Robert
P.S.
The Princeton Review just completed a report on the top fifty game design schools. You can read their report at http://www.princetonreview.com/top-fifty-undergraduate-game-design.aspx.
Now for this week's subject. I receive a lot of questions about what kind of school or program I would recommend for students seeking to get into the game industry. There are basically three paths that you can follow in this regard:
1. Standard four-year colleges
Most four-year colleges offer standard degrees that are applicable to game development. The obvious example is a Computer Science degree if you want to be a game programmer. Many four year colleges are also starting to offer concentrations or specializations related to game development.
A four year degree from a standard college is still the preferred degree by most companies because these programs are based on accredited, standardized programs of study. Even better, attending a college in your home state will cost you significantly less that any other educational option.
2. Technical colleges
Technical colleges are intended to provide pratical education on a specific subject in a short amount of time. The rise in popularity of game related careers has inspired many of these colleges to offer game related programs.
The jury is still out on the usefulness of technical degress since they aren't generally regarded as highly as a standard, four-year degree. The main advantage of a technical college is that the program is focused and can generally be completed in two years or less. However, you will probably pay more to go to a technical college than a four-year institution.
3. Specialty colleges
You can think of specialty colleges as super-technical colleges. A few of these have made a name for themselves (DigiPen and Full Sail come to mind) as premier colleges in the field of game development. They offer stringent, focused programs of study with an emphasis on the student completing a "real world" game-related project by graduation.
Like technical colleges, a degree from a specialty college may still hold a certain stigma when compared to a traiditional four-year degree. Critics of such colleges question how much students can really learn in these hyper-accelerated programs. Proponents argue that this kind of time-pressure mimics the real-world of game development and prepares the student for the work environment. Specialty schools are also typically the most expensive choice
So which type of college is right for you?
The quick answer is that you should attend the type ofcollege that you can afford and that meets your learning style and situation.
If money is the major consideration, then try to find a four-year college in your own state that offers a traditional degree that meets your goals. If you can find a program that also offers a concentration or specializaton in game development, then that's even better.
However, different people have different learning styles, and some people just can't fathom spending four years to earn a degree. The general education required to achieve a traditional degree is sometimes perceived as wasted time that could be spent learning their true love: game development. For such people, a specialty school might be the answer, especially if that school offers a standard degree. For example, students who graduate from Full Sail's game development program do so with an accredited four-year degree. "General ed" courses such as history and psychology are custom designed to be relevant to games, making even them easier to swallow!
Finally, let's say you already have a full-time job and/or family that makes it impossible for you to attend a full-time college or specialty school. In this situation, a technical program might be the ticket. Most techncial colleges adapt their program to working students, often including large, online components that can be completed according to the student's schedule.
Remember: for most employer's the real question isn't where you went to school but what you know. I have personally worked with programmers from all three types of schools. In every situation, the programmers had excellent skills. When it boils down to it, it is the student more than the school that may determine the effectiveness of the education. You literally get out of your eduacation what you are willing to put into it.
There is one more important point to make on this issue: Not all game design courses are created equal! Some programs try to provide a general course of study that touches on all aspects of game development: design, art, and programing. Others focus on one aspect of game development such as design, art, or programing. Contrary to the scenario presented by some advertisements, most careers in the game industry are specialized. This means that you should specialize to. Before you enroll in any program, you should know which area you want to specialize in, and then chose a program that focusses on that area.
That's it for this post. In my next post I will go into detail about one specialty college that I am intimately familiar with! Come back next time to see why!
Robert
P.S.
The Princeton Review just completed a report on the top fifty game design schools. You can read their report at http://www.princetonreview.com/top-fifty-undergraduate-game-design.aspx.
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!
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