3-4 titles developed what now?

#1 I'm not sure I understand the question.

Quote:... 3 to 4 titles completed ... completely polished and fully complete.

Do you mean the game design is finished or the game itself is polished and ready to be published?

#2 I think he means the games are done...

In which case his question should be "who wants to buy some games"? ;)

@Sean: Talk to GG about selling through them. It's non-exclusive, and you can go to other portals as well. If the games are done, don't just sit on them.

#3

Quote:
with so many varied roles and job types being offered with extremely different and varying roles, is a complete game a bad idea in comparison to individual game production elements?

Are we meaning, if you want a job in the industry - is it better to bother making a full game, or just concentrate on showreel stuff in one section of development (modeling, texturing, scripting, etc)?

#4 Advertise. Generate consumer/gamer interest. Sell.

#5 Thank you for quick responses and helping advice from everyone.

Apologies for the vague nature of the question, I mean in the context that "Steve YorkshireRifles Acaster" has taken (rifles game kick ass by the way, couldn't stop playing, technical excellence throughout). To do with a game designer portfolio mainly, to secure a game design related position.

I am just concerned about the weighting that a games development company would give towards a full game in comparison to individual segments. For instance, during the past year I have been dealing with recruiters to offer advice when dealing with employer expectations and interests; (only talking about two out of four of them) - One of the recruiters for game design has stated to show fully completed titles while the other has advised me to only showcase singular/small collective segments of a game for my portfolio.

The reason that was given for the latter involves the lack of team participation show to the interested employer while surveying portfolios and resumes. Maybe it is just the catch '22 of gaining employment in the games industry.

At present I going to proceed with a collection of both but the opinion of the garagegames community would help tremendously due to the various individuals varying experiences.

Thanks in advance.

---------------
Tony Richards:

Do you mean the game design is finished or the game itself is polished and ready to be published?

A: Realistically one title is completely finished while two others are being finished. Thank you very much.

---------------
Ted Southard:

In which case his question should be "who wants to buy some games"? ;)

@Sean: Talk to GG about selling through them. It's non-exclusive, and you can go to other portals as well. If the games are done, don't just sit on them.

A: ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers man.

----------------
Steve Acaster:

Are we meaning, if you want a job in the industry - is it better to bother making a full game, or just concentrate on showreel stuff in one section of development (modeling, texturing, scripting, etc)?

A:Yes that is the context that the question was asked, thank you.

-----------------
Michael Hall:

Advertise. Generate consumer/gamer interest. Sell.

A: MOST DEFINITELY cheers lad ;)


Again about the nature of the question, I was just confused due to the conflicting opinions I was getting from recruiters. One thing I was told a while ago was a good question never confuses the person answering, hopefully I can avoid this in the future.

#6 There are 2 different aspects to this.

For one, having seen a game to completion carries a lot of weight, whether you did it yourself or with a team. More-so if your game has actually sold units.

The other aspect is that employers don't have unlimited time, so forcing them to play through an entire game to see your best work may not go over well, unless it's a really amazing game that captivates them from the start. You want your best work to be what they see first, otherwise they may never see it.

So you'd be wise to package some individual segments of the work that you're most proud of in a way that is easy to get to and see. Make sure those are the things that they see first, so you can catch their eye, and if they're part of a completed title make reference to that.

#7

Quote:
having seen a game to completion carries a lot of weight

Agreed, most people fail to complete anything because it's too hard (yep it's tough) or it takes too long (my year 2 self-assessment tax form needs sending off!). Completing something not only shows dedication, but also that you can manage your time well.

A couple of years back I got asked out of the blue to an interview and flown halfway around the world by a major 3A franchise based on my modding work as a single-player gameplay scripter/designer. (an interview which I proceeded to foul up gloriously).

So I reckon that if you are looking for a job in say ... level design, then you don't really want to be putting huge amounts of effort and time into say ... animation. So I guess it's best to play to your strengths and spend the majority of your time focusing on that job and use as much placeholder stuff for the rest.

#8 This may be a prejudiced opinion, but the single most important thing you can state in an interview for any entry or junior position game design/development position is:

"My completed game can be downloaded here".

The second most important thing you can say is, "My game has sold xxx units in the open market". xxx may be "100", but 1 game completed, and 100 units sold is better than the vast majority of the applicants out there.

I don't think I've ever seen an opportunity for anything higher than junior without having a completed game (normally multiple completed games) as a requirement just to get an interview.

#9 Thank you so much guys, this information really helped.

Thanks again. Sean. ;)