Game Creation and Careers: Insider Secrets from Industry Experts

Rating:
Summary: Good to get advice from industry pros
Review: So many times I have picked up books on game programming and game design and how to get a job in the video game industry only to be let down. This book is basically for beginners and amateurs that need some guidance in game design and breaking into the industry. This book is a compilation of interviews with professionals in the video game industry. The author, Marc Salztman, has broken down these interviews and placed the relevant portions into their respective chapters. It flows quite nicely and you can get the information you need without sifting through interview after interview. You won't find a lot of detail here on programming specifics or any of that, which is nice, because this book is geared towards people that want to design games.

You get a Q/A with some of the best in the industry like Sid Meier(Civilization), Will Wright(SimCity), John Romero(need I say more), Peter Molyneux(Populous, more recently Black and White and Dungeon Keeper), Scott Miller(Duke Nukem), Shigeru Miyamoto(billed as the "Spielberg of video games", known for the Mario bros. series, Zelda and Metroid), Brad McQuaid(EverQuest), Richard Garriot(aka Lord British, creator of the Ultima series and Ultima Online), Alexey Pajitnov(Tetris) and dozens of others.

I found the information on breaking into the industry the most valuable and entertaining. Actual stories of how some of the most famous names in the biz got their start. Bill Roper, formerly from Blizzard, got his start by trading an alpha Rock Hydra(Magic: The Gathering) and doing voice over work on Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. Chris Taylor, creative genius behind Total Annihilation and Dungeon Siege, started out working on a baseball game. The advice these guys give is very pertinent, considering most of them run their own development studios and their opinion carries a lot of weight when hiring.

I would say the 35 pages devoted to breaking into the industry is better than most other complete books on the subject(Get in the Game, GamePlan, Break Into the Game Industry, etc). Simply put, if you want into this industry, get an entry level job doing ANYTHING and go get that job NOW. Then be prepared to put in 10 hour days, 7 days a week for months on end. Oh yeah, a college education doesn't hurt either.

Rating:
Summary: Good to get advice from industry pros
Review: So many times I have picked up books on game programming and game design and how to get a job in the video game industry only to be let down. This book is basically for beginners and amateurs that need some guidance in game design and breaking into the industry. This book is a compilation of interviews with professionals in the video game industry. The author, Marc Salztman, has broken down these interviews and placed the relevant portions into their respective chapters. It flows quite nicely and you can get the information you need without sifting through interview after interview. You won't find a lot of detail here on programming specifics or any of that, which is nice, because this book is geared towards people that want to design games.

You get a Q/A with some of the best in the industry like Sid Meier(Civilization), Will Wright(SimCity), John Romero(need I say more), Peter Molyneux(Populous, more recently Black and White and Dungeon Keeper), Scott Miller(Duke Nukem), Shigeru Miyamoto(billed as the "Spielberg of video games", known for the Mario bros. series, Zelda and Metroid), Brad McQuaid(EverQuest), Richard Garriot(aka Lord British, creator of the Ultima series and Ultima Online), Alexey Pajitnov(Tetris) and dozens of others.

I found the information on breaking into the industry the most valuable and entertaining. Actual stories of how some of the most famous names in the biz got their start. Bill Roper, formerly from Blizzard, got his start by trading an alpha Rock Hydra(Magic: The Gathering) and doing voice over work on Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. Chris Taylor, creative genius behind Total Annihilation and Dungeon Siege, started out working on a baseball game. The advice these guys give is very pertinent, considering most of them run their own development studios and their opinion carries a lot of weight when hiring.

I would say the 35 pages devoted to breaking into the industry is better than most other complete books on the subject(Get in the Game, GamePlan, Break Into the Game Industry, etc). Simply put, if you want into this industry, get an entry level job doing ANYTHING and go get that job NOW. Then be prepared to put in 10 hour days, 7 days a week for months on end. Oh yeah, a college education doesn't hurt either.