Introducing the Games Game - February 2003

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).

Hopeful Designers Must Answer Tough Questions (February 2003)

Dear Tom:

I want to get a game job here in Canada. My initial impulse was to look for jobs in the US, but the visa requirements gave me second thoughts. I've realized I would much rather stay in Canada anyway. Are Canadian game companies just as good as American game companies?

I have applied to several game designer openings. I was asked a number of questions on game design, my thoughts about the company, and the games they make. One question was, 'What is your personal philosophy of game design?' I took a few days to answer, as I had to think really hard. I began my answer, 'While it is not easy to articulate my design philosophy due to my lack of experience in articulating design philosophies, I will give it my best shot.' Was this a good way to begin?

I wonder if you could offer any pointers on how to answer this sort of question. What response are they looking for? Know of any examples of game design philosophies? What if an inexperienced game designer doesn't really have a functional game design philosophy yet?

Michael Corey

Dear Mike,

Your letter entails three questions: whether you can get a good game job in Canada, how to become a game designer, and how to answer those difficult interview questions.

First. There's no reason why you should have to move out of your home country to work in games. There are a number of excellent game development companies in Canada. Game developers and game publishers are different kinds of companies, entailing different kinds of entry-level positions. You probably can't get a job in Customer Support or Quality Assurance at a development company, for example. But if you have a demonstrable passion for games, a four-year degree, and skills that are useful to a game developer, you should be able to get an enjoyable game job. If you don't have all those things, an American company won't do all that visa paperwork to hire you anyway!

Second. The job of "game designer" is a very special position, with a daunting demand-to-supply ratio. Before you can expect to be hired as a game designer, you must have:

• A four-year degree from an accredited college or university (with a degree in any subject that interests you).
• Several years of game industry experience.
• A demonstrable passion for games (as evidenced by the things you have done, such as the game reviews you have written, and/or the games you have beta-tested, and/or the independent designs you have written...).

The usual way to become a game designer is to get your entry into the game industry through some other position, then work your way up.

Third. Questions about the company and its products should be expected. You have to do your homework before the interview. Study the company's website well; play the company's games, and read the credits. As for that tougher question, about design philosophies and such. I wouldn't have taken more than one day at most to respond, and it's always a bad idea to begin an answer with an apology or disclaimer. Every interviewer you meet will ask you a difficult question. The way you answer tells them a lot about how you think, and whether or not you would be good to fill the job. It's an opportunity to showcase your creativity and imagination!

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.

© 2002 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.