By: Deja P. (Programming & Marketing for Breach of Space)
1. Networking
The first tip on how to be a successful game design student is to network. In order to get a job in the game industry you have to network. You have to network in the game industry, because it is a very competitive industry compared to other industries and it’ll make it easier for you to get an internship during college or a job after graduation.
When it comes to networking I recommend attending events and using social media.
The game industry has numerous gaming events, especially events that revolve around developing games. The biggest event that many game developers attend is the Game Developers Conference or GDC for short. GDC is an event where game developers from around the world come together to show off what they are working on and give exchange ideas and advice that can be used to improve the project that they are working on. This event is all about networking and getting your name out there to many game studios.
However, if you aren’t able to attend GDC I would recommend attending other events like GDEX or events that are held at your school.
Another way to network is to use social media. Social media is one of the best ways to network since it is free, you can connect with many people around the world, and many game studios use social media sites to interact with people.
The two social media sites that are best for networking are LinkedIn and Twitter. LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows you to connect with many different employers. Many jobs are posted on LinkedIn and many people use it in order to chat and connect with potential employers. Twitter is another good site to network with those in the game industry. Twitter is one of the most popular, if not the most popular social media sites in the world. Many game studios have social media accounts and a lot of times they do post that they are looking for potential employees. Also, on Twitter you can easily follow and tweet with many people in the gaming industry.
2. Have a Resume and Portfolio
The second tip when it comes to being a successful game design student is to have a resume and portfolio. One of the first things that an employer will ask for when you are applying for a job in the game industry is to see your portfolio and resume.
A portfolio is needed in order to show off what work you have done and if you have the skills to make a successful game for a game studio.
When it comes to having a good portfolio, you should always put your best work on it and the work that you put in must deal with your concentration in game design. You should do both of these things, because it’ll let the employer know that you have the skills that will help them create successful games for their studio and that you are able to use those skills to work with other people in order to complete a game.
Also, a resume is needed for almost every job and it’s to show what skills you have, what jobs you’ve had before, and your contact information to a potential employer.
You can put both of these things together by creating a website. A website will make it easier for you to link your resume to your portfolio and you will be able to simply send the link to many different companies.
3. Learn to work in a team
The third tip when it comes to being a successful game design student is learning how to work in a team. Creating video games is all about team work especially if you want to work for a big game studio. Since many video games are created by a group of people it is important that you are able to work with other people.
The most important skill that you must have when it comes to working in a team is communication. Communication is key when working with other people in the game design industry, because a game won’t be successful and finished if there is little to no communication. When it comes to creating a game with a group of people you will have to communicate with those who have the same concentration as you and you might have to communicate with those with a different concentration. For example, if you’re a game designer you will have to communicate with a programmer in order for them to create a certain mechanic that you want to add to the game.
When it comes to the game that I am currently working with a group of people we communicate with each other during classes and almost everyday outside of class. In class we sit in a big group together to discuss what we have done individually and what we need to do in order to finish our game. We then split up into groups to make sure everyone has a task and if they need any help completing their task. Occasionally those in different concentrations will discuss what they want to add or change for the game.
When class is over we communicate and discuss and have a group meeting not during our class time in order to have extra time to work together. We mainly use discord to communicate with each other. However, some other great platforms that can be used for communicating with your groups are: slack, team speak, Microsoft team, zoom, etc.
Overall, when it comes to working in a team communicating with each other and knowing who does what and what needs to be done is important when trying to create a game.
4. Planning
The last tip when it comes to being a successful game design student is to plan what you have to complete. Planning what you have to do helps keep you organized as well as others in your group. It also helps remind you what you have to complete and when it comes to being in a group, it lets the group know what tasks each person is working on/ When it comes to your game design classes and working for a company after you graduate you will have to plan out what you have to do in order to finish creating your game.
In order to plan out what you want I recommend using google calendars and hack n plan.
Google calendars is a great way to remind yourself what assignments you have to complete, what important events that you have, and when it comes to game design what tasks you have to complete for your game.
Hack n Plan is a website made for game developers. It was created in order for game developers to create milestones, tasks, due dates for tasks and milestones, and keep track of how long it takes to complete certain tasks. My group has been using this website for two years since it was recommended by our professor and it has helped keep us organized and helps remind us who is doing what tasks for our game.