Want to make games? Make games
A few months ago I gave a talk at Solent University in Southampton about getting a job in the Games Industry.
While I was writing my presentation, I found I was re-treading a lot of the same ground from another presentation I attended before I entered the Games Industry.
In 2012 I went to EuroGamer Expo in London and went to this talk from Chet Faliszek at Valve.
I recommend watching his talk, as it is full of excellent tidbits and anecdotes from more developers than I know myself.
But if that's too long for you to watch, the main takeaway is simple: Make Something.
Why is this important?
Game Developers Want Game Developers
Applying for your first job in the games industry? It can be very difficult to get your foot in the door when all jobs are after previous experience. But how do you get experience before your first job?
A lot of Junior Game Developer applicants I see have excellent portfolio work because they make stuff. I often see people attending game jams, releasing small projects on Itch.io, or even the occasional self-published Steam game! The reality is that this is the competition you face if you are trying to get into the games industry. Many applicants have managed to give themselves previous experience by building stuff in their spare time. Ultimately, when hiring somebody for a role, we want to know for sure that they're going to be able to help us finish games.
Your First Game Will Suck
Your first attempt at finishing something will not be perfect. But going through the entire experience of starting, building, and then finishing something will teach you an awful lot that simply cannot be taught in any other fashion.
Finishing a thing will help you to start understanding what it takes to build a finished product. You will have made many mistakes along the way, and will now be better equipped to build things better next time. The important thing is to finish it, and put it out there somewhere.
Blog article header image: https://twitter.com/cube/status/1055742993217531905