RIDDLE ME THIS? Why does this happen?

Question

Ok...So...a question that has been illuminating my mind for a while...I have a degree in Studio art, and am currently working on a second B.S. in game design...I won't be done for another 6 months...yet I feel that based off of the requirements in the Gaming Industry to be hired even for entry level is 3-5 years experience designing/modeling/texturing/ and so forth... So my question is....if you have a degree in the given field...and you don't have the experience other than school...why wouldn't the company hire you. I have been applying myself, and have gotten multiple responses based that I don't have enough experience, yet how am I supossed to get experience if they won't hire me?

As well...does everyone agree it is important to DUMB DOWN your resume when just getting a job to make ends meet...i.e. Mcdonald's or Wal-mart? I recently have went through a bout of this where I wasn't even called back for a simple job like a dog walker, and I have almost 2 degrees under my belt.

Cheers..

Answer 1

Within the game industry, it is *very* unusual to hire from outside the company for entry level jobs.  Of course, that leads to your question – how do you get a job if you have to have had a job to get the job in the first place?  Catch 22 right?

Well, no.  The trick is to get your foot in the door doing *any* job at a game company.  Quality Assurance and customer service are the two areas that most people break in through, and then move into development.  There are so many thousands and thousands of people who want those entry-level jobs that game companies are typically most comfortable with promoting people from within.  They know who you are, they know your work ethic, and they know you live in the area and can start immediately.

I’ve been in the game industry for almost a decade, and while I’ve seen the occasional entry level game artist position posted publicly, I have never ever seen an entry level game designer position posted.  Not once.  Every designer I know, including myself, started out someplace else and worked up to design.

Keep in mind that within the industry, “art” and “design” are two *completely* separate things.  Two different departments, two different career paths, typically with zero cross over.  Many schools use the term “game design” completely incorrectly, so you may still be getting an art education.  

True game design is accomplished using writing and math and an understanding of what makes gameplay fun.  Designers work in Word and Excel, and sometimes a game editor, but never Max or Maya.  Most game designers can’t draw above the stick figure level.  Level building (sometimes called level design) is more akin to art than design and involves laying out the game world, usually following the direction of a game designer, who has already written the description of the world.

So keep all that in mind when you look for game industry jobs.  Apply for everything that you have the skills for and that doesn’t require the 3-5 years of experience.  Companies are serious about that requirement – there’s experience you get developing a game that you *cannot* learn in any school – so applying for those will only make you look bad in the eyes of HR.  Just get your foot in the door and go from there.  And if you’re looking at art rather than design, make sure your portfolio is top-notch, as that’s typically the only thing recruiters look at for an artist candidate.

Answer 2

The problem is that companies aren't willing to put any money into training people any more, and they are often operating so leanly that they have anyone supervise you very directly.  Therefore, they don't hire new graduates without experience because they feel you would not be able to operate as independently as they need.  Make sure you get as many internships as possible while in school.  I'm noticing that my faculty are still operating on the assumption that every student should have AN internship. I'm assuming that 3 or 4 would be more appropriate before graduating, even if each internship is less carefully designed.

As for dumbing down your resume, I wouldn't recommend lying, but I wouldn't make it look like you really want to do something else but are willing to settle for their job in the meanwhile.  Their assumption will be that as soon as you find what you really want, you will be out of there, so they will take a far less qualified person just because it will give them stability.