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July 2001
In this issue of
GIGnews.com, we've put down the controller, turned off the telly, put on
our reading glasses, and kindly asked game industry insiders for book
recommendations. (Note: When available, we've linked to Amazon and other
sources where you can learn more about and/or purchase the books). Time
to read, class....
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Marc
Mencher of GAME RECUITER, from his article "You're
Not A Camp Counselor II: The ABCs of Running A Development
Project" recommends... |
Melanie
Cambron, The Game Recruiting Goddess, recommends... |
 The
One Minute Manager by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth H.
Blanchard
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 The
Practice of Management
by Peter Ferdinand Drucker
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 Management:
Tasks Responsibilities Practices
by Peter Ferdinand Drucker
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 Finance
& Accounting for Nonfinancial Managers
by Steven A. Finkler
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The
Juggler's Guide to Managing Multiple Projects
by Michael Singer Dobson
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| Marc
Mencher: "Management
and Personal Growth -- from a pure management
perspective, take the time to learn about management
from "gurus" like Ken Blanchard and Peter
Drucker. Blanchard is co-author of The One Minute
Manager which covers goal-setting, motivating,
training, praising and even reprimanding employees.
Drucker is with The Drucker Graduate School of
Management and is the well known author of such books as
The Practice of Management and Management: Tasks,
Responsibilities, Practices.
Finance & Accounting --
Finance and accounting is the language of senior
management. Even if your job is not primarily finance
oriented, if you are leading a team it is essential to
understand the basics of finance and accounting.
Operating budgets and project analysis are a constant
part of any supervisor or manager's day. Finance
& Accounting For Non Financial Managers will
help you get a basic handle on these concepts. The
results will be greater power, reach and influence on
your part within your company.
Project Management -- Project
Management is also part of every Producer or Team Lead
type job. You need to learn the basics of Gantt or PERT
charting and project organization. You need to know how
to "think" like a manager to meet the
challenges you will face when you are in charge of any
size group of people. The most common situation within a
game company is that you find Managers, Producers, and
Team Leads working on multiple projects simultaneously. The
Jugglers Guide To Managing Multiple Projects by
Michael Dobson is a helpful tool for honing your skills
in this area."
Editor's note: Read
"You're Not A Camp Counselor II: The ABCs of
Running A Development Project" by clicking
here.
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|
 Game
Design: Secrets of the Sages by Marc Saltzman |
 Learn
Computer Game Programming with DirectX 7.0
by Ian Parberry
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| Melanie
Cambron: "Secrets of the Sages -- A
thoughtful, well-researched book about our industry
should always be a big deal. But the really big deal is
the practical career advice found in Secrets of the
Sages. In the final section of the book, "How
to Make It Happen," Saltzman addresses
getting in and staying in the game industry with
chapters like, "Do It Yourself and the Shareware
Revolution," "Breaking Into the
Industry," and "Game Agents and
Headhunters." In the latter chapter, I offer resume
tips and advice on how to avoid common mistakes like
"telling hiring managers or recruiters to 'check
out' your resume' on the Web". The only headhunter
selected for this book, I made every effort to contribute
sage advice on everything from resume tips to avoiding
common job search mistakes.
Learn Computer Game
Programming with DirectX 7.0 -- There
are plenty of programming courses out there, but rare is
the one that actually prepares budding software
engineers for what it takes to land a job in the gaming
industry. Dr. Parberry's smart and innovative program at
the University of North Texas is that rare course.
Wisely teaming computer science students with computer
graphic art students to create a real game demo, Dr.
Parberry's unique program provides the skills necessary
for a future job.
Now, Dr. Parberry brings
his teaching style and expertise out of the classroom
and directly to you. If you are serious about doing all
that you can to gain entrance into the wonderful world
of game programming, then Ian Parberry's Learn
Computer Game Programming with DirectX 7.0 is a must
read." |
 2003
Update:
Get in the Game! Careers
in the Game Industry published by Marc Mencher.
Click here for more information.
Secrets of the Game Business
edited by Francois Dominic Laramee.
Click here for more
information. |
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