Category Game Industry

Links and articles about the game industry: how to get game jobs, how to manage your role, etc.

Industry Insight

• Is the games industry really dying? by Dan Teasdale <
  >Analysis of game industry layoff data.
• 100 Things Every Game Student Should Know - by Kaye Elling<
  >100 fugly slides of things that every budding game developer (who is studying at university) should know. Read it!
• Getting into the Game Industry (Inspiration of a different kind) - Polycount Forum thread.<
  >Amazing thread full of information from working game artists about how they got into the industry.
• The game industry and relocation, how bad is it? - Polycount Forum thread.<
  >Insight into the relocation process.
• How to Break Into the Industry - by Destin Bales<
  >A treasure trove of great advice by a veteran game developer. Multiple topics covered: understanding the industry, education, resumes and portfolios, finding jobs, interview prep, career development, etc.
• Valve Employee Hand Book <
  >Greg Coomer says "We wrote this book to make it as easy as we could for new people to join the company. It was fun to capture these thoughts and put them all in one place. Let us know what you think." Cached: attachment:Valve_Employee_Handbook.pdf
• The Belly of the Whale: Living a Creative Life in the Game Industry - by Bob Bates<
  >GDC 2010 lecture about how creative types can survive and thrive in the game industry. Highly recommended by many Polycounters.
• How NOT to hire an artist - by Jon Jones<
  >Response to the inflammatory article How to hire an artist by Christopher 'xdragonx10' Gregorio.
• The Co-worker - by Adam Bromell<
  >Polycount News article about what makes a good team co-worker.
• Why is it hard to find a job in game industry?<
  >Discussion on LinkedIn about what it takes to get that first game industry job.
• Game Industry Advice to students - by Athey Moravetz <
  >A great article by a 5-year veteran game artist about what it takes to get into a game artist job. Very straightforward and accurate.
• Game Developer magazine. Free subscription for those employed in the US and Canadian game industries.

Art Disciplines

• lists the various artist roles in game development:

• What Game artist career is more difficult? Polycount forum thread
• Lack of Environment Artists Polycount forum thread
• Difference between Environment and Prop Artists? Polycount forum thread
• Percentage of environment artists .vs. character artists at most studios Polycount forum thread
• What's the difference between a level designer and environment artist? Polycount forum thread
• Portfolio Advice by Nate White has succinct summaries for what the various game disciplines should show in their portfolios, also all-around good advice for entry-level people.

Education

The basic argument in the Polycount community is between going the self-taught route or going the formal education route. The best path seems to depend on what kind of person you are: self-motivated or team-motivated.

Artists on Polycount generally agree it is rare to find schools that teach current high-quality game art techniques. The web and forums are often the best places to learn these, maybe even |-) . We see it time and again... the students who succeed at entering the work force after graduation are almost exclusively those that work on their own side projects, beyond the course material. Would they have been better served without using a school?

Beware of education scams and debt! Schools can cost a lot of money and some promise easy employment afterwards, but unfortunately the reality is not so forgiving. Student loan debt can also be a crushing burden for many years, especially with the relatively low wages most game artists make. See the blog post Don’t go to art school, the Polycount forum thread Profit Schools - Can we condemn them publicly?, and the Penny Arcade episode "On Game Schools".

There are many Polycount forum threads about game art education, for a great list see Education In The Games Industry: Yes or No?, or you can do a forum search for education.

Portfolios

• has links to tutorials and advice about creating an artist portfolio for a career in game development.

Resumes

• LinkedIn Profile Tips: The 10 Mistakes You Want to Avoid and Why - by Neal Schaffer
• Getting Your Résumé Read - by Joel 'joelonsoftware' Spolsky
• Sorting Resumes - by Joel 'joelonsoftware' Spolsky

Job Searching

Most game developers get their jobs by word of mouth, this industry puts personal contacts first and foremost. Networking is key; keep in contact with your friends and former co-workers.

• For job postings, see the Polycount forum section Work Opportunities.
• For advice about joining a mod team, see the Polycount forum threads Game and Mod Development Article and Some mod guidelines.
• For some frank advice about job searching, see Industry tips: How to find a job in the game industry - by Christopher Natsuume
• For info about how companies weed out applicants, see The Phone Screen - by Joel 'joelonsoftware' Spolsky.
• It seems to be impossible to find a job as a Modeler in this industry - this Polycount forum thread has good advice about how to actually get hired as an artist in game development.

Interviews

• Job Interview in a hour or so, what questions should I expect? thread on the Polycount forum.
• When eyeballing a studio... thread on the Polycount forum (what questions should you ask during your interview).
• Interview Advice thread on the Polycount forum.
• In need of interview advice thread on the Polycount forum.
• 10 Tips for Your First Interview - by Dave Sanford<
  > Time-tested interview strategies:
  1. Research
  2. Practice
  3. Clothing
  4. Get there early
  5. Observe
  6. Know thyself
  7. Handshake
  8. Listen
  9. Finishing
  10. Follow up
• Four Steps to a Better Job Interview - by Brad Karsh<
  > Four simple things to improve your interviews.
  1. Relax, not a battle of wits.
  2. Job description = questions that you'll be asked.
  3. Have answers about why you did certain things.
  4. Have questions about them.
• Ten Tips for the Interview Follow Up - by Carole Martin<
  >How to avoid a non-response after your interview.
• job interview, 2-3 hours, why so long? Polycount forum thread<
  >Game developers talking about the interview process they do, or have been through.

Art Tests

Game companies often ask their art applicants to complete an art test, to gauge their talent relative to that company's particular needs, and to make sure you can actually do the work (portfolios can be faked or stolen).

• Art Test Master List GameArtisans forum thread has some example art tests.
• "Large art tests as the first stage of candidate selection. Acceptable?" LinkedIn discussion (registration required) with seasoned artists weighing in on their art test experiences: unpaid vs. paid tests, how long is too long for a company to ask you to spend on it, plagiarism horror stories, non-response after submission, etc.

Art test threads and links:

• Jagex Art Test
• Naughty Dog texture artist test
• Environment Art Test advice?
• Art test and no response, normal?
• Is it bad to ask for tips on an art test? There isn't an NDA
• Art tests
• Art Tests : How much time to spend?
• Art Test Help/Suggestions

Salary Research

Do the research to figure out what a fair offer is for your skill level and geographic area.

• 2012 Game Industry Salary Survey - from Game Developer magazine (mostly USA). See also 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006.
• Senior Artist Salaries at Computer Software companies in United States - from Glassdoor.com (USA) Customize your search, and enter your salary data for full access.
• 3D Artist Salaries in the United States - from Payscale.com (other countries available)
• The Foreign Labor Certification Data Center - Online Wage Library (H1B Visa Applications) - from the US Department of Labor (USA)
• Wages In The VFX, Animation, And Games Industry - by 'VFX Soldier' features a spreadsheet of wage data mined from the H1B Visa database.
• 2012 UK Games Industry Salary Survey. See also 2009 (UK)
• VFXWages - a global database of hourly monetary rates of people in the film and television visual effects, animation, motion graphics, and gaming industry.

Freelancing

When working by yourself it is generally more difficult to keep a steady income, but the flexibility can be very rewarding.

• So, asset sales - How much do you really make? Polycount forum thread
• Info: going rate for 1,500 tri model+texture Polycount forum thread
• Can you really be a freelancer? Polycount forum thread
• Horror Freelance Stories Polycount forum thread
• Tips for doing freelance work... Polycount forum thread with great advice from working freelancers.
• Freelance rates query Polycount forum thread has info about how to calculate your freelance rate.
• How much should I charge for freelance 3D modeling work? article on KatsBits.com with advice and sample rates.
• FreelanceSwitch Hourly Rate Calculator
• Vertex #1 free game art e-book, with articles and workflows by professionals, plus an excellent freelancing how-to by longtime freelancer Ben 'b1ll' Regimbal.
• Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines is an excellent resource for freelancers (and salarymen too). Pricing guidelines, legal info, copyright law, sample contracts, how to negotiate, and more. Highly recommended!
• Useful Legal Documents For Designers (PDF/DOC) free example contracts you can customize to your needs. Non-disclosure agreement, work for hire, illustration, web design, intellectual property, etc.

Freelance Rates

These are averages, posted by Polycount members. All numbers are in USD unless stated otherwise.

<<Anchor(IndividualContractor)>>* Individual contractors in the US range from $275 - 500/day ($34.50 - 62.50/hr).<
> <<Anchor(HighEndArtStudio)>>** These rates are for rare high-end boutique studios.

Time Estimates

From the Polycount forum thread Info: going rate for 1,500 tri model+texture.

Questions for the Client

Get the information you need when you start a project.

1. Software (i.e. Maya 2012, 3DSMAX 2013)
2. Polycount (i.e. 1500 tris)
3. Texture count, sizes, and type (i.e. 3 512x512 textures, head+upper body+lower body, diff+norm+spec)
4. Sculpt required, or is Crazybump\nDo okay?
5. Target engine ( UDK, Unity, etc.)
6. Target screen resolution (in general but especially for mobile)
7. Player perspective (FPS, third person, top-down iso)
8. Timeframe (2wks, 4wks, ?)
9. Concept or reference given?
10. Sample asset provided? (art style, quality level, tech specs)
11. Complexity? (complex rig, animatable parts, per-pixel painting, etc. can increase the time needed)
12. Deliverables? (i.e. finished .MA file with texture flats in TGA format, plus layered PSDs)

Don't forget to use a contract!

Freelancer Advice

Advice on art tests:

Advice on payment:

Negotiation

Salary negotiation is an essential skill that will be put to the test after a successful interview.

• Salary of a game programmer (artist, designer, or producer) - by Christer Ericcson, Sony Computer Entertainment
• Industry tips: How to not ask for money - by Christopher Natsuume
• Know Your Rights - The Myth of Pay Privacy - by KC Labor (USA)
• Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People ($) - by G. Richard Shell

Employee Rights

• Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines is an excellent resource on a great range of employment issues. Pricing guidelines, legal info, copyright law, sample contracts, how to negotiate, and more. Highly recommended!
• National Labor Relations Board (USA)
• ACAS: Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (UK)
• Directgov Employment Terms and Conditions (UK)
• Know Your Rights - by KC Labor (USA)
• Discussing issues at work, grounds for firing? Polycount forum thread has information about workers discussing their compensation with one another.
• EA rumored to layoff 500+ Polycount forum thread with cautionary tales about what happens when people get laid off or fired, or when companies close. Back up your work regularly, for portfolio use!

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