This is it! All your hard work has paid off and you’ve got the gig that you always wanted. All the research, the homework, the extra polish, the blood, sweat and tears, and even a few failures (learning experiences) along the way have finally culminated in getting your foot in the door of the elusive gaming industry.
Are you feeling a mix of excitement, enthusiasm and nervousness? I know I was. Fear not! This is natural, you want to do your best, make a good impression, and not feel like an idiot if you do something ‘wrong’, but you really don’t know what you are going to face, day-to-day in the coming year.
You may be asking yourself, who do I listen to? How much work should I be doing? How can I impress my manager? How do I negotiate a pay raise? Well, hold onto your hat, it’s a bit early to be talking about more money at this stage, but you’ll find out the answers to these questions and more later on.
Level Two lays out the fundamentals of game dev life; I want to set you up with the basics before you launch into your career.
This chapter builds the foundation to launch your career. I’ve gone wide to introduce a broad slice of the world you’ve just entered. Some may argue that it’s too much information too soon, but I think that preparation is the key. You’ll find a treasure trove of information to set you firmly in the right direction.
We’ll delve into what’s expected of you as a person and as a growing professional. We look at your induction and what the first months might be like, and the company structure, to identify the movers and shakers in the organisation. We examine the game development pipeline, team structure and how tasks are generated. After looking at the company, we look closer at the influencing forces, how to cope with stress (it’s your first gig, so some stress is natural), and keeping on top of your health. You’ll realise that, from day one, you are a professional and that high standards are expected.
Finally, we cover money, perks and benefits. These often seem confusing or complex, so I help demystify what’s on offer and how to take full advantage. Get a drink and snack, we’re going on a strange adventure as we enter the world of the game artist!