Looking for Advice

Greetings IGDA, my name is Will Brooks, I’m a 2009 graduate from Northwestern University (majors in Economics and Psychology, 3.667 GPA) and my mission in life is to join the game industry. I’ve been fishing primarily for QA positions for the greater part of a year now, but so far haven’t gotten any bites. It’s getting a bit frustrating as of late, so I’m looking for advice.

QA seems like a great fit for me. On the one hand, I confident that I have the skills and the mindset to succeed as a tester – I have great communication skills, particularly in writing, I know computers well, and above all I’m a gaming fanatic (though I hold no illusions that testing involves simply ‘playing’ games all day). On the other hand, I think QA testing would be very fulfilling work that would give me an excellent opportunity to learn about many different facets of game production, while providing some much needed industry experience.

Throughout the course of applying, as well as recently doing some research into the field, I’ve deduced what some of my weaknesses are that are holding me back. I’m hoping you guys can be of some assistance to help me move past these barriers.

I. LOCATION – I live in Rockford, IL, which to any company outside of Chicago and Madison might as well read ‘Midwest Podunk.’ I get the picture, particularly after reading some of Tom Sloper’s articles, that companies have a strong regional bias for entry-level QA. SO, I probably need to move, probably to California… but I don’t think I have the money. I may be able to swing some sort of deal to stay with my brother in Pasadena, but it seems like a pretty big risk to go out there with little assurance that I’d be able to get a job.

With this in mind…

1. I’m thinking I might want to get a job locally (likely in another industry) to make some money and then go out West. What industries/positions would provide me some similar experiences to being a game tester?
2. How much money do you think I should save up? Enough to live on for how many months? What is the cost of living like in LA? SF?
3. Do you think it would be worth my time to try land a job in CA outside of video games from Midwest Podunk, or does that sort of regional bias prevail in a lot of other industries as well?

II. EXPERIENCE – Other than generally playing a lot of games, and beta testing a seldom few, I have very little applicable experience to QA testing. It was sort of late into my college career when I had a revelation about where I wanted to go professionally, and so while I did well in the summer positions I had, they do little now to help me stand out in a pile of resumes. I’m desperate for more experience, but I’m having trouble finding the means to gain it outside of an actual job.

With this in mind…

1. What are some other ways I can ‘level up’?
2. Beta testing is a route I’ve heard suggested before. Unfortunately, being a Mac user severely limits my options. Do companies ever beta XBOX 360 or Wii console games? Will participating in a beta test earn you brownie points with anyone other than the company you test for?
3. I’m driven enough that I would volunteer my time testing for sake of experience. Have you ever heard of a company accepting volunteers?
4. The other idea I had was to partner with a group of independent developers and try to make a project together. Know some good places I could start looking?

III. NETWORKING – I know very few people in the game industry, but I recognize how important it is and I’m eager to meet more. Hi everyone!

1. Know any good places outside of the IGDA that I can meet people in the industry and pick their brain?
2. I’m planning to attend some local chapter meetings. Any advice for meeting people there?
3. Any other advice about networking in general?

On a different train of thought, I’ve also started thinking about using my writing skills as a foothold into the industry. I love to write, and in the long-term that’s really what I’d like to do with games, but I’ve always considered it beyond my reach as a fresh graduate. Is it possible to find an entry-level position as a writer or an editor? My brother suggested I use my spare time writing original scripts for video games and building up a portfolio. Would you agree that this is a good idea? If so, do you know any examples of scripts I could look at to get a better idea of how to approach this? Maybe even a book I could read?

Thank you all so much in advance. Your help is greatly appreciated!

-Will