Bethesda Softworks Inside the Vault Q&A
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How did you get into the industry? Do you have any tips for breaking in?
I got into the industry by carpet bombing the entire game industry with resumes and demo reels. I started doing that about 2-3 months before I graduated from DigiPen. Eventually, I managed to get some interviews, and then I had a few offers. I ended up taking my first job in Texas, and I missed out on my graduation ceremony. I was the Valedictorian of my class, so I was supposed to give a speech. I have always found that to be pretty funny.
My main tip for breaking in is to just pour hours and hours into your craft. Lots of people want to make games, but very few people manage to succeed and make a living out of it. The only way you are going to stand out above the crowd is by being completely amazing at what you do. The truth is, almost all game jobs are filled by people hiring their friends, so you have to have a ton of talent to get a job by just blindly sending in a resume and a reel, especially straight out of college.
Another thing is that you can't always be picky with what your first job is. Everyone wants to make amazing AAA games, but the fact is, you probably can't get those jobs straight out of school. Once you get a job, any job, you'll be able to network and move around the industry pretty easily. As a result of my very first job alone, I already know people working at almost every major game company.
The main thing though is to be persistent, and when people go (Oh, stop playing on the computer, go outside and run around in the woods), just ignore that, work on making games, and then (get a life) later once you've actually managed to get a job. Having a job is way easier than getting a job.
