redemption from a 2:2?

Once you've got a shipped game it does tend to get much much easier.

 

I have a 3rd.. But still have been in the industry for over 14 years..

 

I didn't finish uni - got offered a years placement, learnt more there in three weeks than three years at uni so decided to stay when I got offered a fulltime job. Been in the biz for 10 years.

 

I think we should form a facebook group. I got a 2:2 as well, been in the industry 11 years and lead design on AvP.

The thing is, I realised pretty early on into my computing course that it wasn't going to teach me what I wanted. So I went off and made quake maps instead. Didn't realise at the time that'd lead to a job but I knew I enjoyed it. Learnt a hell of a lot about making games while the university thought they weren't a viable career (this was 1998 though, so it's not like games were making money or anything then ).

Got a job as a junior level designer, worked my way up pretty quickly. Never looked back.

LETS ROCK!

 

Like being bummed.

 

.

 

I'm still wondering about the games thing... I'm currently doing graphics driver development so I'm guessing somewhere down the line that kind of obsessive knowledge of APIs, what they're supposed to do and what they really end up doing (neatly sidestepping all the ways of breaking various vendors implementations) must come in handy to someone and the 2:2 will just get consigned to history?

Time to get back to coding up some demos again I reckon

 

I was stupid enough to get a 2:2 and having this bad time kicking myself and putting myself down because of it. I gotta stop sulking and start programming! Everything relies on my demo.

Can anyone tell me what a good start for a demo would be? As in how complex does the tech demo reel have to be?

 

I got a 2:2 as well, but my degree in Computer Systems Engineering was useless for getting to the interview stage. I had one at Rare and that was it.

So, I went and wrote a 2d side scrolling shooter (in c++, just half of one level, with 'programmer' rubbish graphics) and sent it off to a couple of agencies. Ended up with 9 interviews in 12 days all over the country. Hectic!

14 years later I'm still a coder in the industry, so a degree really isn't the be all and end all. It is all about that demo, so best of luck. Not sure what a typical coder demo needs to be nowadays mind you - mine didn't use any of these new fangled API thingys and ran in DOS I do recall some people being impressed that I'd written a game, complete with sfx code etc rather than a tech demo though.

 

Your demo should vary depending upon the position you want to get within a company. If you are looking to be a gameplay programmer you should definitely write a simple game that is smooth and fun. Doesn't need good graphics. If you are looking for a position as a graphics programmer then a tech demo might be better...

 

ah well - I got there in the end.... just took a while.

In the end it's a matter of finding someone who actually looks at the code and talks to you. Easier said than done, but possible.

 

I got an undergraduate degree in AI which meant that I didn't come out of the gate with a good working knowledge of CS, 3d geometry and so on.

So I started on a low wage for a company that didn't pay very well, and where I had to prove that I could make games before leaving to work at more established companies.

It was maybe 3-5 years before I was working alongside people with 1st's from Oxbridge, but I got there, and the OP will too. It's just a case of plugging away at it.

 

I have a degree in communication, advertising and marketing. I am now a project manager. If I could go back in time I'd tell myself to save the money and become a plumber's apprentice instead. I read something the other day which perfectly sums up my attitude towards university/college degrees: "We're making young people take on debt they don't need for degrees we don't want."

 

Yes - but then instead of dealing with shit from a publisher... You'll be up to the armpit in someone else's shit.

(except now it's literal)

 

Honestly? I'd rather deal with the literal shit which washes off, has a clear deliverable (stop the shit), can be flushed down a (repaired) drain and doesn't bother me by e-mailing/calling/texting me at ungodly hours of the morning. At least not without knowing that for emergency callouts my hourly rate is quadrupled.

Dealing with publisher shit is like trying to mop up in a cowshed struck by bovine dysentery.

Edit: I have a friend who decided to buck the trend and become a plumber. Whereas I have to borrow money from my parents to buy a car that doesn't break down, live in a cheap rental apartment and have next to nothing set up for retirement he drives a new car, owns three houses and is pretty much set for life. Not that owning things is the be all and end all of life but he is genuinely happy with how things have turned out.

 

except he smells of poo.
:smile: