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Each month, industry veteran Tom Sloper provides career guidance to game biz wannabes, newbies, and junior professionals with the goal of helping them break into the industry, and stay in. Submit a question to Tom for developer-oriented advice in this column (IGDA members only).

by Tom Sloper

Time to Specialize, Jack (May 2005)

Dear Tom,

I'm what you might call a Renaissance Man - I'm very good at a lot of things. I program, I'm artistic, I write, and I compose music. The problem is, when I apply for programming jobs they say I'm not specialized enough for their job. When I apply for artist jobs they say I'm not specialized enough. One technical director said, after reading my resume, that I looked like an artist. One art director said I looked more like a programmer.

The way I see it, a guy like me is an asset. When I'm programming, I keep in mind the needs of the artist and the musician. When I'm creating art, I keep in mind the technical requirements. So how come I'm the only one who sees the value I'm bringing to the table? How's a guy like me supposed to fit in? How can I break through this wall? Generalists can't get a break?

Vince DeLeonardo

Hi Vince,

I have three ideas for you.

1. Don't respond to any more job openings for specialists. Only apply for openings that call for multi-talented applicants. Especially when the interview is with a big developer, or a publisher with an internal studio (or a wholly owned studio of a big publisher).

2. Focus your efforts on small game companies. At small companies it's much more common for employees to wear multiple hats.

3. I forget what my third idea is for the moment. So I'm writing yet another idea that just came to me. (Watch, I'll remember what my original third idea was, and then I'll prove myself a liar by having more than three ideas for you.) Specialize. You say you're very good at all those things. But are you truly stellar at all of them? Is your programming on a par with John Carmack's? Are your graphics so great you've turned down job offers from Pixar? If not, then maybe it wouldn't hurt to do some soul-searching, determine where your strengths lie, and focus your efforts there. And re-write your resume after your portfolio showcases your greatest strength.

4. There, I remembered. So I lied when I said I had three ideas. Apply for level designer openings. Level designers need to be technical artists with good story sense. If your portfolio doesn't include some levels you've designed, then get to work.

Good luck!

Tom

Please note that there is no guarantee that Tom will be able to respond to all the questions he receives. It is up to his discretion which questions he uses for this column. For further advice and resources, check out the IGDA's discussion forums, the Breaking In web site and the Students & Newbies Outreach section.

Tom's Bio

Tom Sloper's game biz career began over twenty years ago at Western Technologies, where he designed LCD games and the Vectrex games "Spike" and "Bedlam". There followed stints at Sega Enterprises, Rudell Design, Atari Corporation, and Activision. In 12 years at Activision, Tom produced 36 unique game titles (plus innumerable ports and localizations), designed four games, and won five awards. Tom worked for several months in Activision's Japan operation, in Tokyo. He is perhaps best known for designing, managing and producing Activision's "Shanghai" line. He is currently consulting, writing, speaking, teaching, and developing original games. Find out more at Sloperama.