And so right here is one more illustration of exactly what Bruce was raving about…

Ask Questions. You NEVER know what the intention behind someone’s question is. Even a simple question like “what is your name” can lead down a million paths. If you dont understand even one word of a question, inquire about it. If appropriate ask “why do you ask that question”. This might seem rude to some people, but it allows you to not only completely understand what the interviewer is looking for in a question, but also how they think which can prove very valuable in how you answer questions.

Dont constrict yourself with your own attitude. It is easy to think “oh i dont like x game therefore x company would be useless for me to apply to”. Or “y company isnt into games, therefore not worth my time”. The only bad experience is working at the grocery store over the summer. There are hundreds of industries looking for people who know how to use computers as interns. The most expensive stock portfolio tracking software in existence (30k a year per broker) is a simple database. Get your foot in the door anywhere, learn team dynamics, understand what corporate shit is like, and make the position into what you need it to be. Apply everywhere, or you are just hurting yourself.

Dan:
Going into an interview without playing a company’s games is like closing the door on yourself.

So true. Plus, if you don’t know what the company makes and don’t like their games, why would you want to work for them?

Two things you will be asked in every interview: “Point out one thing you did in project x and explain what you would do it differently/what was one failure of project Y and how you would do it differently”. As I mentioned with “Be Confident”, you don’t necessarily have to pick something from a game you made that was successful, in fact if you can point something out from an earlier title that was a colossal failure, that may be even more beneficial because it shows that you have learned from previous mistakes. “Talk about aspect Z of one of our games and how you would improve upon it” Going into an interview without playing a company’s games is like closing the door on yourself. Before my interviews I made sure I spent at least a week playing and trying to understand the games of companies, and not just enjoying them but thinking of ways to improve them or directions I would take the game in. As a designer, don’t try to remake the game with a concept, focus on some small aspect of the game and think about a way to make it better.

Also as a designer and this is essential though Holden mentioned it, WEAR OTHER HATS ON THE TEAM. Don’t just be the idea guy, actually have some understanding of either programming or art. You don’t necessarily have to be good at them because that is not what you are trying to get into, but as a designer you aren’t necessarily going to be sitting around coming up with ideas all day and in fact companies will expect you to have other skill sets. Never tell someone you are a “game designer”. If you are a “content designer” write…a lot, make design docs for games you are developing, flavor text, dialog, etc. For design docs it can be something as simple as a wiki that outlines every little detail and property of objects and features in the game. If you are a “technical designer” have some sort of programming background. The biggest thing companies will look for is experience in scripting, so actually make things and be able to demonstrate them (unity is great for this as well as Gary’s Mod. The big languages you want to pick up are Python, Lua, Javascript and C#). If you are a level designer, make levels. Have an understanding of Maya or 3ds Max. There are plenty of books out there that can teach you the basics of either environment, so don’t just wait for a class to teach you. Make levels for your favorite games be it in Unreal, Source Engine or otherwise. Have some understanding of other parts of the team and you’ll be able to better understand your own role on the team.

I would also add something that is essential for any kind of skilled job: Know how to talk about what you do. When they ask you “why did you choose to do such and such design decision” don’t answer “I don’t know… I thought it was cool?” Knowing how to self-analyze will make you a much better game designer, and valuable to any team.