The Games Game

Can You Jump the Cubicle Gap? (January 2007)

Hi Tom,

Not unlike many others, I am interested in "breaking in" to the industry. However, my question relates to the ability to move around within a company once I'm in.

I'm one year removed from undergrad where I studied Finance, and currently I'm working in Chicago as a Financial Analyst at a large public company.

Recently I have decided to continue my education towards achieving my CPA because I believe it positions me well, relative to my skill set and education, for a chance to "break in".

Presuming that I begin work in the accounting department of a developer; how would you recommend that I position myself for a transfer to a different division within the company (Testing, QA, design, etc.)?

Is it unrealistic for me to think that there will be the opportunity to make a jump in specialties within a company (especially starting with an accounting background)?

Thanks for the help. Happy Holidays!

Hi Justin,

This is slightly related to last month's column, in which Adam asked about the traditional growth paths within the industry, but your question is more about moving sideways or diagonally rather than upwards. I wrote in FAQ 41 on my site that the game industry is like a fresh egg - once through the shell, you could make your way around inside. But in the specific role you're talking about, Finance, I'd have to say that that parallel may not apply.

From a cubicle or office in Finance, it's difficult to imagine how you could wangle a move into Production. I can imagine you trying to volunteer some time to help play the company's games and review designs, but I can't imagine them taking that sort of input seriously, at least not frequently enough for anyone to justify your moving from Finance into Production.

When I was at Activision, producing the Shanghai franchise, I had a guy from Finance tell me about an idea he and his wife (both dedicated Shanghai players) had for the next Shanghai product. It was a good idea, and I did incorporate it as a feature in the next game - but he stayed in Finance, and neither of us gave any thought to his involvement beyond that. If he'd asked me for a position in Production based solely on this one interaction, I imagine that could've been awkward for us both.

I do strongly recommend that you finish the CPA program you're on, and sure, you could take a job in Finance at a game company during your CPA "beta" period (if I remember correctly what that phase is called). But I think the only realistic way to get into the Studio is the usual way - from the ground up.