Video Game Careers - Ultimate Edition: Video Game Careers, #4

By Hardy LeBel

Are you a gamer? Do you dream about making your own games, or do you know someone who does? The Video Game Careers series was written just for you.

Gaming is big business, and every year tens of thousands of passionate fans try to break into the industry.

But for most, trying to find a way in turns into a frustrating dead-end because they lack the skills and experience to position themselves as valuable hires.

Or worse - they get a job, only to find that they have the wrong mindset for the business and wash out. Remember - the average career in games lasts less than five years.

The Video Game Careers books were created to help.

They're short, highly readable career guides for anyone who wants to understand game development. They explain the complex world of the business step-by-step. And best of all, the series is chock-full of humor, career advice from industry pros, and fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes from some of the biggest projects in gaming history.

Video Game Careers books are written by Hardy LeBel, the creative guru behind mega-hit titles like Halo, FarCry and many more. He has over 20 years of industry experience, and now he's sharing tips, strategies, and insights that can help anyone break into the games business - and thrive.

The Video Game Careers - Ultimate Edition features every volume in the series in one handy book, including:

Book 1 - The Beginners Guide The perfect intro for kids, parents or anyone interested in a career in game development.

Book 2 - Understanding the Industry A step-by-step explanation of how games are made, and how the games business works.

Book 3 - Game Jobs An in-depth guide to every career path in game development featuring tips on how to find and land the job of your dreams.

The Ultimate Edition also includes the expanded VGC Resource Guide, a list of every game, service or product described in the series.

So get the Video Game Careers - Ultimate Edition and get started on your journey towards a video game career - today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hardy LeBel
• Release date: Oct 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393048466

Book preview

VGC Ultimate Edition

VGC Ultimate Edition

Hardy LeBel

Edited by

Lea Gallanter

Hardy LeBel

Copyright

©2017, 2nd edition ©2019 by Hardy LeBel

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Created with Vellum Created with Vellum

Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Who Should Read This Book

Volume 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

I. Checklist

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Afterword

Volume 2

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Afterword

Volume 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Afterword

VGC Resource Guide

Acknowledgments

Written by Hardy LeBel

Edited by Lea Gallanter

Cover Illustration by Mars Dorian

Cover Design by Hardy LeBel

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE

VIDEO GAME CAREERS SERIES

Due to my tenure in the games business, people often ask me how they or their kids can get a start in the video game trade. I invariably direct them to the Video Game Careers series of books as an excellent place to start. Hardy LeBel paints a straightforward and useful picture of the industry that serves as a good launching point for students and aspiring game makers. – Zack Norman, Co-Founder and President of TRIPP Interactive

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Hardy LeBel’s Video Game Careers series is just what an aspiring game creator needs to hear. When ‘Hardy Says’, you had best listen! - Scott Rogers, author of Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design

This book is dedicated to all the people who love me.

I know it ain’t easy.

Who Should Read This Book

You love video games. Maybe it even seems like you’re obsessed. You’re considering a career and you don’t want to be a flight attendant, a lawyer, or a cowpuncher—you want to make video games.

Or maybe you’re reading this because you know somebody just like the person I just described.

Either way - this series was written just for you.

What This Collection Is

Game development can be a vibrant career with exciting opportunities in a variety of interesting fields. Video Game Careers is a series of handbooks for anyone interested in a career in this fast-paced industry.

The books take you from a basic understanding of the games business, all the way through the hiring process, including descriptions of specific career paths, complete with professional tips and insights.

Along the way, I’ll offer some anecdotes from my own career to illustrate the points I’m making. I may also occasionally try to be funny. Sorry, I can’t help myself.

Updated with second-edition content for 2019, the Video Game Careers Ultimate Collection combines all three books of the VGC series into one handy package including-

Book 1 - Beginners Guide : An introduction to game education, and game development with exercises designed to help anyone decide if a career in game development is right for them.

Book 2- About the Industry: An overview of the business of games, and a breakdown of the game-making process. The ideal resource for anyone curious about how games are made, and how the business works.

Book 3 - Game Jobs: An in-depth analysis of the major disciplines in game development, complete with career tips, behind-the-scenes anecdotes from triple-A game development projects, and a strategy guide to identifying and landing your dream job.

What This Book Is Not

This is not a how-to book on making your own games. But along the way, I will offer tips and insights about making games gleaned from my own career—lessons that have helped me, and I know will help you as well.

Who The Heck Am I?

I’ve been a creative professional in the video game industry for over 20 years. You might know my design work on games such as Halo, Halo 2, SOCOM 3, Midnight Star, or Far Cry 2. You might have played some of the games that I helped publish, like Dungeon Siege 2 or Jade Empire. Maybe you’re even old enough to remember Oni, Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary, Vigilante 8, or the first game I ever worked on: Apocalypse (starring Bruce Willis).

Hardy Says: Those already in game development could also benefit from this book if they were looking for an additional perspective on the job, tips gleaned from decades of experience in the trenches, or possibly just some more fun anecdotes to share at parties.

One Caveat

Games are always changing. The industry continues to evolve, just as technology continues to evolve, so trends and opportunities that are hot today may change tomorrow. I will update this book to stay current, but be sure and do your own research as well.

Volume One

VGC Book 1 - Beginner’s Guide

Chapter One

Learning To Make Games

It is an open secret of the game development industry that an advanced degree in computer science (or the equivalent) is not the only way to prepare for a career making games.

Hardy Says: I’m amazed at the number people I’ve worked with who didn’t have any kind of formal degree. They just started with a passion for games and began learning all they could on their own. These are folks who regularly make million-dollar (or more) projects, and you can too.

Let’s discuss what you can do on your own to get the skills that you need before you decide whether a full education in software development is the right path for you.

Learning The Basics

The ability to program computers is projected to be the number one skill employers will be looking for in the future. Not just in game development, but in virtually every field.

The great news is that there are some amazing tools to help aspiring developers learn more about programming and software in general. In fact there is a great organization called Hour of Code - their website is a good place to start your own education.

The following tools are geared toward elementary and middle school kids, but anyone who’d like to understand basic programming concepts could start here.

•  Hopscotch: A nifty app for iOS devices that teaches the basics of programming. It has a super-clear interface, charming graphics, and step-by-step instructions in a long series of ramped tutorials that walk anyone through the basics of programming. Any kid who can read and play mobile games can start learning to program here.

•  Scratch: A web-based platform that allows people to program their own games, animations, and stories, and then share them with a large online community. It has links to MIT Media Lab, and is specially targeted at educators who are teaching kids about software development and programming.

•  GameMaker Studio: A software platform and application that you can download to your PC or Mac. It’s built around a drag-and-drop graphical interface with advanced scripting options for folks who really know what they’re doing. The basic version is free to download and use, while more advanced versions and features cost money.

The Tools Of The Craft

The amazing thing about modern game development is that many of the top-tier companies have realized that giving students access to their software engines and tools is a terrific way to get them ready for jobs in the future. The following engines are the same tools that major game studios license to make AAA titles every day. But they’re free for the asking!

Hardy Says: You’ll need a powerful computer with good 3-D acceleration to run these game development tools.

Epic Games: