The Games Game February 2009

Should I Stay or Should I Go (February 2009)

Dear Tom,

I'm 25, got bachelor's degree, and I have a difficult decision to make. I've been working for a small local game developer for the past year and a half. I've been doing animation, game design, and level design. I just got trusted with more responsibility -- project manager in iPhone games. That's cool, I'm enjoying it, and it's a step in the right direction. Project management is where I want to go, but I really want to move up to a better-known company.

So I've applied for an animation internship with a development studio owned by one of the major game publishing companies. They seem interested in having me come on board there. The question is, how likely is it to move up to project management through animation, and how long would that take? I feel that an opportunity to move to a major company can't be turned down.

Matt

Hi Matt,

I have to say that I really hate the question you asked. And I don't get why you are so focused on appearances rather than substance. The job you have right now is going really well, and if you stick with it for a few more years, it's not only going to look awesome on your resume, but could well lead you into the kind of position you say you want. In my opinion, your question should instead have been "should I even want this internship rather than the job I'm in now."

You're faced with an important decision - whether to stay with the small company, or to take an internship with a major one. A useful tool for decision-making is a decision grid. It's a way of using multiple factors, not only one, to gauge the wisdom of one decision over the other. You should consider not only the time and likelihood of rising to project manager from animation intern, but also other factors like the value of what you've built in your present job, the inconvenience of uprooting yourself to a new area, the cost of living in that new location, the likelihood of even getting a full job offer after the internship... and yes, even the matter of prestige (which seems to be a done deal as far as your figuring goes).

Which leads us to the thing you said, about your feeling that an opportunity at a bigger-name company shouldn't be turned down. It's a mistake to operate based on "feelings," and you should never even use any words that suggest that you do. I think your "feeling" is wrong in this case.

You've only been in your current job for a short time. It looks bad on your résumé to hop so soon. But beyond that, look at the opportunities you have in your current job. You get to do it all -- animation, level design, game design, project management -- you've got a job that a lot of other young guys would kill for. And you want to take a pay cut, for an internship with no guarantee of a full job? The prestige of that other company's name surely isn't worth all that.

I recommend you consider more than just that one factor. I hope you'll make a wise decision.

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.

© 2009 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.