"Is game testing the first step in the gaming business? If so, is that where you get your experience?"

Submitted by: Andy Claremont

Answered by: Gary Brown (designer/producer, Sierra On-Line)

"Andy,

"Ahhhh yes -- caught in the middle of that vicious circular cycle of 'how can I obtain experience when no one will hire me for lack of experience'. But I'll let you in on a little secret... you do NOT need to have direct experience in the gaming industry to obtain a job in the industry. The REAL secret is getting your foot in the door first, then building up to the position or career path that you wanted to begin with.

"Does this work? Well, let me share the story of my background and be a real life example of how this worked for me...

"I started at Sierra seven years ago, and took a job right out of college answering phones for our technical support department. Unlike many other technicians who had support experience or degrees in the computer field, I graduated with a Speech Communications Degree, and was able to sell myself for my interpersonal communication skillset - an important qualification when helping individuals experiencing technical problems with a game. I had dabbled with computers (I at least knew what a Config.sys and Autoexec.bat file was -- an important knowledge needed when supporting products to work under MS-DOS 5.0) and had a basic working knowledge of DOS, but I was certainly no expert by any means. Sierra taught me the basics, and I learned everything else by direct experience.

"Since that time, I have been promoted to Lead Technician, Corporate QA Technician, Corporate Product Certification Manager, Producer, and finally Designer (on the Un-Named Game). Seven years ago, I could only have dreamed about a Designer position, but worked hard and actively tried to learn everything about the industry and game development. And now... (it STILL continues to amaze me) I have my DREAM job and Sierra is paying me to do it!!! (Don't tell Sierra, but I would do this job for free... ;)

"I know others who have also risen through the ranks after starting in Technical Support or Quality Assurance. They now have Programmer, Art Director, Writer, and Designer positions. Each person had a running track record within Sierra which made it much easier for the company to move them into a role of responsibility.

"The reason many companies require experience is to reduce the risk factor of making a wrong choice. An individual with the best of intentions may find out that developing games isn't what they really wanted to do, or are suited to do. This happens more often than you might think. But individuals with a proven track record, who have worked in the industry and have been through the paces, so to speak, already know the long hours and hard work required to make a great product. This track record makes it a better business proposition for both the employer and employee.

"My advice? Find a gaming company you REALLY would like to work for and take a position that will help you learn about the industry and the company. You may not immediately receive the dream Programming job, but try to obtain a position in the Technical Support department or Quality Assurance department. Both 'entry level' positions allow you to interface directly or indirectly with the development groups (the team responsible for creating the product). If you can, offer to complete simple programming tasks for them on your own time, or offer to help beta test a product and write up reports that help them solve technical problems. Don't get too carried away (you don't want to pester a development group), but in general if you show initiative (and the Lead Engineer or Producer knows your name), you may find yourself on a project sooner than you expect. In the meanwhile, continue to brush up on your programming skills so you can enter into a position and be able to keep up with the flow (okay, 'chaos' might be a better term here... :)

"There is no right way to get a position in the gaming industry, but I CAN tell you this... interfacing is your best way to help obtain the job you always wanted. If you read about a 'dream' job in the newspaper, it may already be too late. The way the high profile positions came available to me and to others who have moved up the ranks were out of desperation on a development team's part -- they needed someone right away and we happened to be at the right place at the right time. There was no time to place an advertisement in a newspaper and find the right candidate. Increasing your odds of being noticed is the best way to obtain your career goals. And already being in the industry is the best way to get noticed.

"Good Luck!"

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