Features

How to Break into the Games Industry

Edge is proud to present a complete look at breaking into the games industry, featuring plenty of advice from the industry itself.

It would be the laziest of introductions were it not, for once, absolutely true: there has never been a better time to get into games. Yes, the hours can still be long. And, yes, there’s still a chance that your slick, sassy girl-ninja game gets canned because the last slick, sassy girl-ninja game flopped. But the avenues for entering the industry are wider, more diverse and more accessible than ever.

In this 2008 edition of Edge’s Get Into Games, some of the foremost talents in gaming share their experiences, expectations and opinions of an industry that is fast growing up. For those on the road to university, we have people on hand to inform those crucial next steps. Who knows? Maybe next year we’ll be talking to you.

Interview: How to Get Hired
We get the full lay of the land from the people who know game recruitment best: the recruiters themselves.

Career Profile: Designer
Seeing the big picture is key if you want a design job, according to Crytek’s lead designer Tony Davis.

Career Profile: Writer
Plot is all the rage these days. Valve’s Marc Laidlaw explains how to get a piece of gaming’s growing demand for story.


Career Profile: Programmer
Rare’s head of software Keiran Connell presents a career that makes the puzzles in Portal look like, well, cake.


Career Profile: Tools Programmer
SN System’s Greg Bedwell explains that while tools programming might not be glamorous, it is the backbone of the games industry.


Career Profile: Texture Artist
Starbreeze Studio’s Carolina Dahlberg explains how to flesh out a game in gory detail.

Career Profile: Audio Engineer
Remedy’s Peter Hajba explains how to land in gaming with a bang, thump, clatter and clang.

Career Profile: The Animator
Ninja Theory lead animator Guy Midgley shows us all the right moves to get a job in animation.

Interview: University Learning, Real World Experience
The University of Huddersfield has a close understanding of how games are really made. Here, they explain how they pass that knowledge onto their students.


Profile: The Student View
Getting into a school is great, but what will it be like while you’re there? BA graduate Sarah Jones shares her experiences on the inside.


Interview: A Look Inside Qantm College
Looking for more education options before you press start on a gaming career? Qantm College explains its solution in depth.

Breaking In: The Entry Level
One expert tells us about the subtle art of putting two and two (students and industry) together.