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Jay is
back with all new answers for your game questions.
Just
who the heck is Jay you say?
 Q:
Jay, I am currently enrolled in a 2 year program for
Software Applications and Programming at a technical
institute. My future plans include taking game design at
Full Sail in Florida. As it stands, my plans are to get
my Associate degree in programming, and then get an
associate degree in Multimedia as well, or maybe some
form of 3D design. Do you think this is a wise choice,
what do you recommend?
A: Getting into this industry has no real set
path unfortunately. I'm not nearly as involved in the
career side of the industry as my friends over at
GameRecruiter (Marc and
Melanie regularly
contribute to GIGnews as well). Through what I have
seen, schools such as Full Sail and Digipen certainly do
not hurt your chances at a job in this industry, but
nothing beats experience. Many of the industry veterans
worked their way up through the ranks with beginnings in
the testing/QA department. I can attest to this method
myself as that was the path that lead me to my job
today. Game design is particularly hard to get into
without starting in other departments. Most companies
want designers with experience, so being promoted from
within a studio is a great way to get those first few
games under your belt.
You may want to touch base with some folks in the
industry who are more acquainted with the career side,
check out job postings to see what companies are looking
for, and get as much experience as you can in the
meantime as well.
Good luck,
Jay
Q:
Hi, I’m a young entrepreneur interested in starting my
own video game software company which will make and sell
action/adventure games which I hope to sell on existing
platforms such as Xbox and PS2. What hardware and
software do I need to buy to get into the business
having less than a million dollars? (June 2002)
A: The first thing you need to decide is
what you are going to need in the end. Will you be
licensing an engine or building your own? Will you be
doing your music in-house or outsourcing it? A lot of
your needs will be decided on questions like these, each
engine will have it's own requirements and some engines
are better than others for certain genres. An engine
alone will cost you anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000.
You will need the workstations for your team and copies
of any necessary software such as Office, Maya, 3D
Studio Max. Once again this will depend on the engine
you select and what your needs are. Many times
development kits for the consoles can be purchased
through your publisher, but be prepared to get these as
well if you have to. They will cost about $10,000 to
$15,000 apiece and you shouldn't need more than 2 or 3
for each console.
Hope this helps.
Jay
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to Q&A With Jay home
Who
is Jay?
Jay Powell is an
agent at Octagon
Entertainment, a full service agency catering to the
needs of game developers, specializing in the creation
of domestic and international opportunities for game
financing and publishing and finding opportunities in
other medias. Jay has arranged and negotiated numerous
deals in Europe and North America for Octagon's clients.
He has also proven a key evaluator of projects, having
secured some of Octagon's most successful games. With
gaming experience in excess of fifteen years, Jay's
industry insight has been immensely beneficial to
Octagon's clients and publishing partners. Jay's
experience has allowed Octagon to create and maintain a
property evaluation and acceptance methodology that
exceeds the standards and expectations of the
interactive industry. Now, Jay brings his knowledge and
experience to you.
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