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[TeeGee]

The group that created MAGI is me . Rob did music and the Female Artistic Squad joined later, mainly to help me with my upcoming project. It's as "indie" as it can get. Though MAGI was what got me the job in the industry.

I works as a designer and a business assistant in a company making some really nice casual games (with one major hit on their account already). I really mean nice - they are simple, polished, fun and they are not about clothing dogs or anything awful like that . Actually, I plan to post our flag project here at some point. I wonder how indie community will react.

But anyway - yeah I pretty much know what I want from the candidate, but I don't really have idea on how to check if a person meets that requirements. I totally lack experience here. That's why it would be cool if you could ask your experts.

[Guert]

But anyway - yeah I pretty much know what I want from the candidate, but I don't really have idea on how to check if a person meets that requirements. I totally lack experience here. That's why it would be cool if you could ask your experts.

Ok, I asked a couple of questions about this and here are the answers I got... First, the toughest part is choosing the right candidate. It's pretty hard to really tell who can only talk the talk from who can actualy walk the walk. In order to that find out, you'll need to put the candidate in fictional situations, like a conflict between employees (for example, ask: "let's say that one guy keeps saying that what you do is crap, what are ya gonna do?") or any other situation where you'll see if you have the same ideas on the same subject. This will also make your candidate's more natural shine through the "I'm telling them what they want to hear" façade.

Also, you have to make sure you tell the candidate exactly what you expect from him. If the job is 80% managament and 20% creativity, tell him so. Same thing if it's the other way around. You need to make sure he knows what he's getting into.

You also want to make sure that the candidate understands your business situation. The candidate needs to know what kind of schedule he'll have to deal with too...

Once you get these info, you have to follow your gut feelings. You have to pick the guy who you feel is going to work best with you. Write down a lot of notes during the interview so that once all interviews have finished, you have plenty of details when comparing candidates. It's ok to take a few days to think about it too. Make sure you've truly thought it through before you call someone back.

Talk about the interviews with the others before and after all the interviews. Compare notes. Sometimes you may focus on one element and another person will focus on something else.

Picking a candidate is very stressful but at the same time, you have the oportunity to select your co-worker, which is great. Just keep it cool and take enough time to really compare candidates and of course, asks as much as you can about your candidate during the interview. You have to feel comfortable about who you pick, especialy when this person is going to have the kind of responsability you have mentionned.

Hope this helps a bit. It's hard to get more specific advices since they require a lot of case study. Those I got and said before are quite generic. But all in all, don't put too much pressure on yourself and remember that finding the perfect candidate seldom happens but a good candidate that enjoys the job and that you enjoy working with will be able to learn what's missing with ease.

Well, take care!

[superflat]

Hi Teegee,

No problem at all coming onboard the thread, I hope it can be as useful to others as it has been to me.

When we look for a level designer at work we are looking for...

Great advice as always mate, thanks once again.  Feel like this could well be the right job for me. I'll be sure to check out those links.

This means that your portfolio needs to show those basic skills. A prototype is usualy the best way to go. You show what you can do on many levels and that you have motivation. Of course make sure your prototype shows a good level Personaly, since you can do some 3D, you could make a prototype of an adventure game that's playable and fun. Ask for soem feedback about it. Then, try to make a prototype for a 2d action game, like a plateformer or something like that. Make sure you document them accordingly on paper too so that you can show the companies that not only you can do it, but you can do it in a pro and clean way.

Well the 2D aspect is covered, I have a feature complete platformer with (I think) pretty decent level design.  My adventure game covers scripting and so on.  As for 3D I still need to work on a decent little prototype.  I'm just wondering whether I should use something simple like Unity (even Blender) or go for full-on Ogre+XCode, seeing as my 3D programing skills aren't so much the issue here?

As for coding, it's not because you wouldn't be able to do it, is that this skills doens't seem as powerful as the others. You don't have experience professionaly speaking and do not have a degree in a related field. It's possible that you are good enough but it's not obvious when looking at it from the outside.

This is the only concern I have - I wonder if you missed the fact the I have a BSc in Computer Science from a Manchester Uni - did you discount Junior Programming positions based on that?  I wonder if you'd have different advice given that you didn't realise.

Anyway, I really appreciate your time as always, I hope you don't get innundated with too many more questions... Certainly the above questions are the last from me...  So thanks again!

[Guert]

Well, you seem to have an interesting portfolio already and if you are aiming for a level designer position, the coding behind the prototype doesn't matter, it's the experience that is important. I say, make something simple and efficient to show you know how to make a good level.

As for the degree, I thought you dropped out of uni so I assumed that you didn't have the diploma. But if you, well, that's another thing. Junior programmer could be quite interesting since you have a degree and a bit of experience. So yeah, with a degree, junior programming could be up your alley.

Just to clarify one thing about this... It is not impossible to get a job as programmer without a degree but the portfolio and past experience must be rock solid, which is very hard to achieve. Having a degree shows that you at least know the theory so, when choosing between two candidates with equal skills but one of them has a degree and the other has not, the one with the most education gets the job. And since you have responsabilities and people to look after, I didn't feel like advising you to search for a coding job without a degree would be a good choice. With a degree in computer science in hand though, you have a lot of possibilities.
   
The good thing about your resume, superflat, is that you have a lot of different skills. I say that you have good chances of finding a job. All you need to do is to focus on finding the right studio. Make sure you research all the game studios availbale to you in your area and apply to those who interest you the most. You can use gamasutra's company section for that.

Don't worry about those questions, I like answering them since they allow me to brush up on a lot of topics and at the same time learn new things on how the business works. And remember, I'm not an expert recruiter. I just hope it helps you get a cool job creating games

Well, take care and keep us noticed of your career development

[TeeGee]

Thanks for tips, Guert. I'm definitely going to use some of them.

[superflat]

I'm reviving this thread to say thankyou to Guert and everyone else who gave me advice. 

Great news, everyone, I've got my first job interview.  There seems to be lots of interest in my demo, which is based around my entry into the PG competition.  It's kind of a dream job... I won't say who with because perhaps they wouldn't want me to...  but they recently made a [edit: bit of a giveaway] title that I think is the freshest, most indie-feeling commercial title I've played for ages.  It's not even in London where I was looking, but it's close enough, but I'd definitely be happy to work for them because I believe in what they're doing.

Any advice on interview technique, the kind of things they ask you in tests (for programming roles) etc. would be really appreciated!

[ColossusEntertainment]

Ask them if they pay for overtime. If they don't, chances are they'll make you work crazy hours for no reward until you're burnt out and quit. But that's todays games industry for ya   

[joshg]

Ask them how they manage crunch time.  As in, what real steps do they take to reduce or eliminate it.

As examples, a couple of positives I saw on one big commercial team were:

 - to explicitly keep the schedule only 80% full with the assumption that something, somewhere will take longer.  and yes, this means 80% even after all the programmers double their guesstimate of how long something will take before writing down the numbers.  (Okay, I dunno if everyone did that, but I found I had to ... I was crap at task estimation and usually expected too much of myself)

 - create mini-crunches at regular milestones (about once a month) instead of letting things build up to a huge mass of pain at the end.  this generally made for less overtime, and whatever overtime was left was spread out over the year (ie. a few late days a month instead of three weeks straight at the end of evenings and weekend overtime)

 - if they toss around stuff like "scrum" "agile" whatever, that may be a good sign, but ask them specifically how it's served to reduce crunch time

[ColossusEntertainment]

Only way to reduce crunch time is paid overtime. Simple as that.

If the company pay for overtime, they have to take scheduling and planning seriously, or there will be a cost incurred to them.

If they don't pay for overtime, they can play around with all the scrummy agility stuff they want, knowing full well that when things go tits up, they don't pay for it, you do.

The games industry, no thanks. It's not worth it...

[superflat]

While I agree crucnch-time is an industry-wide problem, I'd accept it for the right job. 

For example, of two jobs I've applied for (that I feel I have a chance of getting) one has a 'zero-crucnch' policy standard 35 hour week, but is making a title that doesn't interest me greatly, the other is vaguer in its working hours' description, but is making a title I really want to be a part of, and would crunch on myself, were it my own project. 

Mattias, I know you've left the mainstream industry behind, but I am not a businessman and therefore not in a position to go 'indie'.  Saying 'it's not worth it' at this point, when I've been trying to break in for six months, isn't really helpful I'm afraid!

[ColossusEntertainment]

To balance out the (false) image that it is great to work in the games industry, negative things needs to be said too. Sorry if you don't find it helpful, but other readers of this thread might.

I spent almost 10 years in the games industry, before realizing how messed up it is. I didn't go indie though, I just quit, and is now back at university getting a new degree. The whole thing have left me with a strong reluctance to ever work with games again, and now it is firmly a hobby for me, and I'm enjoying it again.

A lot of the people I've worked with over the years are worse off though, either having stress-induced health problems, or being so burnt out they never want to make games again, even in their spare time.

Some people seem to enjoy working in the games industry though. But the vast majority of those, seem to be people who have been working with games for less than five years...

I am convinced that the games industry, such as it is today, is in no way possible as a long-term career for someone who wants a normal life. And I think that needs to be talked about, in order for things to change for the better....
 

[superflat]

I know but I was asking about interview technique / tests etc, not whether I should try to enter the industry at all.  I already made my mind up - I'm going into the industry whatever anyone says, and I'm right on the cusp, so I could use positive advice right now to get me over the last hurdle.  No hard feelings mate.

[ColossusEntertainment]

Yes, I realize that you have made your mind up, which is I started by giving the advice that you make sure the company pay for overtime.

I'd hate to see you burn out and end up not wanting to make games ever again... I've seen that happen to too many friends in the past...

[superflat]

I know, thanks mate.  Thing is, I've been in the music industry for ten years, and I don't think it could be any worse.  I basically would love to be in indie, and maybe one day I will, but if I find a company who can nurture me and let me be creative somewhere down the line I would be equally happy.  I really can't stand the business side of being self employed, I'm better off being creative, and that's a big reason why I'm leaving the music biz.  Right now I also wouldn't mind being on a salary!

[joshg]

Only way to reduce crunch time is paid overtime. Simple as that.

I dunno, it also worked for me to have a producer and dev. director who both had <1yr old newborns that they actually wanted to see.

But on a company-wide scale, sure, I agree with you.  I tend to think that who your immediate managers are can be more important though.

[superflat]

Well I went in for a programmer role, and came out with a design position.  I'm working at Frontier Development starting on the 28th July.  Thanks to everyone who's given me advice... it worked!

[increpare]

Well I went in for a programmer role, and came out with a design position.  I'm working at Frontier Development starting on the 28th July.  Thanks to everyone who's given me advice... it worked!

GIGANTIC congratulations superflat!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[superflat]

Thanks mate, I really thought I'd have to do two or three years in the industry before reaching a designer position, so I'm over the moon.  Working environment seems great, the project sound really cool, and really liked the staff I met.  And one day Elite IV might get made there, haha.

Gotta get re-locating now, I start in two weeks!

[sillytuna]

Congrats. Hope you enjoy Frontier

[fullspectrum]

Woooohooo, you're dancin', you're dancin'! 

Nice one big bro  x