Career Change?

#1 If you're looking to do game development as your "job" and don't want to work for an existing studio, then you're going to have to learn how to basically run a small business on your own. C++ classes are great, but actually making games is only one part of the equation. You'll also want to take classes (or just learn up) on small business accounting and management.

So anyway, aside from being fun to play, a game needs a few basic things to go from idea to ship: 1)The Code 2)The Art 3)The Ruthless Testing, and 4)An Audience.

A lot of indies get the first or second thing down really well, but fail on all the rest. Testing is by far the easiest to do, but should never be underestimated. A single line of code that gets changed in some seemingly benign feature can have unexpected and detrimental effects across the entire project, and take weeks to track down. Probably the hardest thing to acquire is your audience. Some games hit at the right time and place, and really don't need to do any heavy handed marketing, observe Terraria which hit the top of the Steam charts just by existing and looking fun; it came out Monday, and Notch tweeted about it.

Indies going solo really have to ace it all, or luck out and find the ever elusive good help. (Pro Tip: The good help cost good money.) There really is no way around it, game development is a small business with a difficult to produce product. It takes a lot of time, a lot of money, and if you want to be really successful, you have to get out there and network. (It ALWAYS comes down to who you know.) The good news is you only have to produce it once and support it for as long as people are buying in large enough numbers to offset your costs. With digital shopping outlets like Direct2Drive, Steam, etc. you don't really need to deal with traditional publishers, and you get to keep more of the money. (Set your own prices!)

However, if in your mind exists at all the thought of working at a big studio, get really freaking good at one aspect of game design, and pretty good at everything else. I'm talking becoming an ace [insert job title here] that shines brighter than the 1,000 other applicants fighting for that one seat.

#2 Just to follow up, I jumped ship last year from a cushy IT job in public education to a freaking 1 year contract in the game industry making less money. Scary, crazy, and I'm still not sure how things are going to play out, but it's been the most spiritually fulfilling job I've had since teaching Machinima at a summer camp. Sometimes you just need to do what you love, and let go of what's easy to be truly happy. Live the dream! :P

#3 Without some kind of background in programming or art, it will take years to get up to speed in making games. I don't want to sound negative, but I wouldn't quit my day job just yet. If you have enough money saved up to learn game making full time, then by all means, do it. I've taken a lot of programming classes, java to be exact, and 2 C classes, and several classes on using photoshop. I have gone from knowing just basics to the intermediate level, but I still don't think that anyone would hire me just yet. You might have a faster learning curve than me though, and I don't do this full-time, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. ;)

#4 First off thank you both for your replies and insight! The funny thing is I do love my job right now, it's a given for anyone crazy enough to pursue classical as a career, however it has a lot of negatives. (Especially in this age of shrinking audiences)

However gaming has also been my other love I've carried with me probably longer than playing violin has.

Brian I wouldn't mind working at a studio either, what would you suggest if that's what I want to try (as in how do I get really good at one aspect and pretty good at everything else). Also will lacking a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Programming or related field cause me to be rejected instantly by HR?

I'm guessing if I want to get my ideas out as fast as possible it would be just to start as a small indie, take classes related to what I need for cheap either online or at a CC and work at my computer.

Willbkool I don't think I have enough money saved up to get another Bachelor's and I don't think my Bachelor's of Music is going to help much heh.

#5 Hrmmm... It's tough to just say, "Hey, go focus on this for a decade!" without knowing what it is you're particularly interested in creating. But whatever it is, just start making it. Lots of it.

I do not have a Bachelors, but rather a highly focused Associates in digital media. (I believe that HR is less concerned what the degree is in, and are just happy you have one at all.) However, it was really my 10 years of pure Machinima creation and related work that sealed the deal. When they first called, HR said I had the most perfect background for the position. I also happen to know the department lead from my Machinima festival days (mid 2000's), which is also how I learned about the job. Took a few years, but mine's yet another case where networking really paid off.

Now where I might get into trouble down the line is, I'm really good at in-game cinematics, but only just okay with everything else, (and no Bachelors, music or otherwise). That's why I'm also taking time this year to make a complete game on my own, trying to get pretty good at everything else. So far it's gone very smooth, but I've also been tinkering with game engines for well over a decade (Quake based and Torque mostly, with a dabble in Unreal).

Best of luck!

#6 When we release the next version of Torque 3D (in a week or two), there will be some additions to our website, including a few Getting Started articles directed at beginners like yourself. They won't answer your question directly, but they should give you some context and a sense of what it takes to make a game. Longer term, our goal is to make our products easier and easier to use for non-programers. That being said, anything you learn about c/c++ programing will be useful. I would not quite your day job, but I would take some classes or work through a book, then start dabbling with one of the Torque engines.

#7 Thanks again for the input Brian! Your comments have given me the confidence that I can be a part of the game industry or attempt my own game. The last couple days I've been mass sending resumes to publishers/developers in the north bay.

I applied for a couple audio/sound internships as well, but mainly I'm thinking of getting my foot through the door with QA Testing. Do you know anyone who worked their way up from QA Testing? Also I noticed there are barely any positions for game music/sound. Are these jobs outsourced or is the gig so sweet those people stick around forever?

Also thanks Erik, depending on how these resumes work out I may just end up using Torque and continuing my day job. If so I'll definitely check out your getting started articles. Btw your last name is my first lol ;)

#8
I am also a fan of game education. There are a lot of game development courses out there. Of course, select the classes that are focused in your area of interest and taking night classes are usually better than quitting a job and paying to get a full degree quickly. A full degree may include many classes in areas you are not interested in anyway.