Ernest Adams knows how to make work play
So you've reached the upper levels of EverQuest and you think (or your mom knows) that it may be about time to get a job. Well, why not work in the video game industry? Ernest Adams, an industry veteran who has toiled on titles like Madden Football, has written a new book on the subject entitled "Break Into the Game Industry: How to Get a Job Making Video Games" (McGraw-Hill Osborne Media). We recently caught up with the author. Here's what he had to say:
Q. Who did you write the book for?
A. I'm not a career counselor; I'm a game developer. It's definitely not written for the veteran. It's for newbies. It's for people who just think video games are incredibly cool. You play games and it just makes people want to make them. It's for people who have that dream.
Q. Will people get a job in the industry if they follow the advice in your book?
A. They will if they are basically prepared to learn the skills they need and prepared to work hard. The long-term future [of the industry] is growth, so the jobs are definitely going to be there.
Q. How do you break in?
A. It depends on whether you want a skill-based job or an experience-based job. Filming, writing, programming, and music - you need to have training [for those jobs]. For experience-based jobs, you start out as a tester and work your way up to be a producer. You get in any way you can.
Q. What if you're a hotshot programmer? Does that help?
A. [Gaming employers] want you to be a competent programmer, or a competent artist. But they are really looking for enthusiastic, energetic team players. ... The gaming industry doesn't need that many geniuses; they need five or 10 good people, for them to be on time and all pull in the same direction, and to put in the hours when it's crunch time.
Q. So is competence secondary?
A. Remember that above all the game industry is an entertainment industry. If you're ready to work for Lockheed Martin, you're overqualified. The game industry does a lot with smoke and mirrors, except in 3-D graphics - in 3-D graphics you can be as high-end as you like. What the gaming industry really needs is a willingness to entertain.
Q. How about some details: What computer programming skills help?
A. C++. That's the No. 1 language in games. Python is gaining interest in the industry in doing things like level design. And Java, because there's a steady interest in Web-based games and people are making money on Web-based games.
Q. What about graphic artists?
A. There are essentially three different types of skills: 3-D modeling in a tool like 3ds max or Maya, 3-D animation, and 2-D pixel painting. These are needed for creating textures and backgrounds. Incidentally, a little pencil and pen-and-ink concept drawing is helpful.
Q. And writing?
A. The game industry uses writers primarily as freelancers. If they're creative writers, then they're writing back stories, which requires the skills of a person with an English degree. Technical writers explain how the game works. [Other writers] create an English description that the programmer is going to write. That's a game designer's job.
Q. Are women welcomed in the industry?
A. The game industry needs more of them, badly. It's apparent. Most efforts to broaden our market in a direct way haven't worked all that well. For the most part, women are welcome and wanted. The International Game Developers Association (www.igda.org) has resources to help. There's a committee on women, a mailing list, and there's a mentoring program.
