Break Into the Game Industry: How to Get a Job Making Video Games

by Ernest Adams

Book Overview

Find out from an industry veteran exactly what you need to do to become a game designer, tester, artist, producer, programmer, writer, soundtrack composer, videographer, or sales/marketing professional. You'll get full-spectrum coverage of positions available within the game industry as well as details on how a game is created--from start to finish--and much more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0072226609
• ISBN13: 9780072226607
• Release Date: June 2003
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Must Have for Everyone Interested in Game Design

This book is a perfect edition for anyone who wants to know how a game industry works, inside and out. Between talking about game design docs in depth, going through each job and what you need for it, and the indexes in the back that give you links to get you on your way, I reccommend it to everyone who wants to be in the business.

Great book

There a lot of books on breaking into the game industry so why would you buy this one? Hell, the overall gist is the same where ever you look - online, books, here, etc. 1) Build a folio, 2) Take any entry level job you can in the industry and be prepared to work your way up 3) if you can, try to meet people in the industry already. If you want more indepth information than that however, this book is for you. Why? 1) Everything is clearly broken down into sections very cleanly. Nice index and appendix makes it easy to reference.2) Covers every possible angle - whether you're young, a college graduate or already working in another industry and deals with your strengths and weaknesses3) Well written and substantiated by interviews with industry professionals (from game designers to game industry job recruiters)No words are wasted in this. Every word holds some meaning. I was suprised at the breakdown on minority groups, different ethnic groups and gender issues in the gaming industry. I felt this chapter alone (whilst not necessarily relevant to me) increased it's target audience substantially by tackling a lot of issues that not a lot of authors have considered.A lot of other books out there are a collection of interviews with various game developer professionals and often their answers are disjointed and do not answer the question directly, if at all. This does not make these books any "less" valuable, only a little bit harder to find the information you might be looking for.If you want a nice, clean, crisp and concise book on breaking into the game industry, this is the book for you. My only gripe about this book was that I felt it was rather short (largely personal perception, I understand that). That said, it did cover everything you could possibly think of (short of building your own game company, but that's a topic for another book I think) so do bear that in mind, hence my rating.

A Must Read for Aspiring Game Developers!

I found this book to be INCREDIBLY helpful! Ernest Adams has done a spectacular job of breaking down all the important aspects of the game industry. If you are thinking about getting a job in game development, this book will clarify your questions and give you a great head start. The reading is light, but comprehensive, and it is organized in a easy-to-follow setup. The information given in just the appendices alone is worth getting this book. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would!

Informative AND interesting. An easy read

On a scale of 1-10 this is easily a 10. Most books without a plot (that are just meant for information) are boring and hard to read. I was afraid that this book would be the same, but it proved me wrong. The book is very informative and at the same time very interesting. As an aspiring game designer I kept looking all over the web for information to answer my questions. This book had it all.

Like Having a Personal Mentor

This book is a detailed and highly readable roadmap to careers in the game software industry. Assuming only that you have an acute interest in becoming part of the game software phenomenon, Adams shows you step-by-step how to break into this field as a programmer, artist, animator, audio technician, musician, writer, designer, tester, marketer, customer service rep, or even mailroom clerk.The book begins with a wealth of fundamental knowledge, giving a history of interactive entertainment and a taxonomy of game software venues, including PC, home console, arcade, online, handheld device, "location-based" entertainment, and gambling equipment. Chapters explaining how the game industry functions and how games are produced--from idea through manufacturing--round out the very thorough treatment of fundamentals.With the fundamentals under your belt, Adams explains how to get from here to there, wherever "here" is for you, and with "there" being a career in the game software industry. There is separate advice for those still in high school, those in college, and those currently in careers other than game software. Every major job in the game software industry is explained, and there are "day-in-the-life" sidebars for each, written by people actually holding those jobs. There is also specific, detailed information on what education you will need (which could be formal or self-taught) in order to do each of these jobs.Lastly, Adams leads you through the job hunt and hiring process itself, explaining how to package yourself, how to find opportunities, how to interview, and--once you're hired--what legal issues pertain to the ideas that you create for your employer. Peppered throughout the text are "war stories" and insider anecdotes from Adams and other game software professionals. You're left with the sense that you've been in the trenches all along, working alongside the best in the industry.I found this book to be well organized, well written, informative, and genuinely interesting. It's about 300 pages, which I consider to be the perfect length for most books. Reading this book is like having a personal mentor show you the ropes carefully, methodically, and with respect.