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What's it REALLY like to develop a MMORPG ?
Floggle
Member Posts: 7
So I'm at the age in my life(maybe a little past it) where I need to figure out what I'm doing with my life. I've been playing MMOs and other games pretty much all my life so game development seems like a natural career choice.
But whenever I think about it I think I would just end up in some cubicle plugging in some numbers. Then maybe after 15 years of doing this I can have come creative influence. But I really don't know and I don't know anyone in the field so maybe you guys can enlighten men.
I understand a development team is made up of a lot of people specialized in a lot of different things so it will vary from person to person. But, if anyone has any knowledge about what the day to day life of a game developer is I would love to hear it.
Comments
Do you have any experience concerning/related to any type of game developing asset? Also, I'd like to add that your job does not define who you are.
Blessings,
MMO migrant.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
No I don't.
A whole f**king lot of programming.
Of course, you could have other people do that for you, and the artwork, and the networking, and the licensing, and the publishing... and you're left with the... paper-pushing?
You're the 'ideas department' right?
Gotta be part of the solution.
The ultimate solution to every problem: more space marines.
In other words, find out what makes you happy and lets your heart sing. Once found, then figure out a way to make money doing that. Money is not the goal - happiness is.
But... a job will not give you happiness...
blessings,
MMO migrant.
If you really want to get into video game development, learn to program. Work on mod teams.
The videogame industry is very unique in that the highest payed positions are shared among both highschool grads, and masters students.
The only exception is in the business front.
If you want to get in on video games, perfect your skill, and possibly start as a tester. Often times jobes are hired internally first, so as a tester you get first swing at the jobs.
A good example is that when you look at pay in the industry and the time you've been in it. In the report I was reading, their were so few testers with 3 years experience that they couldn't draw any sort of conclusion.
after 6 or so years, I had to change it a little...
...not so much my own company... more paperwork then anything else... paperwork and sighing... followed by much stronger then beer styled drinks...
But if you REALLY want to get into the game industry you have to put yourself out there for it. Don't be scared to send your resume to every last company looking for people in whatever topic you want to do.
If you're an artist I recommend Animation. The world never has enough of those, and you'll learn modeling in the process. Animators are always in high demand, as it's been my experience.
If you're a programmer I recommend getting a degree for a non-game related topics... I've found "game programmers" from Full Sail and the like extremely under par, instead take your spare time and meander on over to SourceForge.net and download free game engines and learn them yourself.
If you're shooting for a design position... take lots of crack and pray to whatever deity suits your fancy. Expect to be burnt out quickly, and replaced on a whim. Junior Designers are a dime for several hundred, easily replaceable, and underpaid. They're also scapegoats when things go wrong for the big boys upstairs.
If you're shooting for other positions I recommend a degree in Management. Sometimes you can weasel your way from Management to Design here and there, even if you're just working on the Business Side... don't be surprised if they tell you "no" though, those creative types are finky.
Finally expect to move. If you don't live in LA you might end up relocating quite quickly, if you live in nowhere USA you WILL have to move quite quickly.
If you fancy running your own company... like young, naive, CaesarsGhost... I recommend you get your lips ready to kiss tons of ass for money. Game companies can't exactly be funded by a bank loan (not that it's never happened... just that it's rare) easily, one friend of mine did it... they're still open 15 months later, but the funds ARE drying up more quickly then expected.
I pitched my company to anybody who would listen (and I mean anybody) and eventually somebody decided it was an interesting proposal.
So if you want to be in games, I hope you're ready for the 60 hour workweeks and the 100 hour crunchtimes. Just that final note...
"If you're not working at least 60 hours a week, you must be working at EA." - IGDC 2007 Keynote Closing Remark
- CaesarsGhost
Lead Gameplay and Gameworld Designer for a yet unnamed MMO Title.
"When people tell me designing a game is easy, I try to get them to design a board game. Most people don't last 5 minutes, the rest rarely last more then a day. The final few realize it's neither fun nor easy."
"If you're not working at least 60 hours a week, you must be working at EA." - IGDC 2007 Keynote Closing Remark
"If you do not agree with this guy, you must be working at Blizzard." :P
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Floggle,
This reminds me a Dear Abby post I cut out and still have saved somewhere. A person wrote in that their dream was to be a Doctor and they hated their Accountant job. The only problem they had was that they were 40 years old and they thought it would be silly to go to college at 40. They also worried that other college students would think they were silly for going to school for 10 years at their age.
Abby said," In 10 years, you will be 50 years old no matter what you do. So, on your birthday when you turn 50- would you like to wake up that morning as a 50 year old Doctor or a 50 Accountant that loathes his job?"
So, write to the MMO companies and ask that a Programmer or a Dev correspond with you because you want to know about their jobs. Don't tell them your age...just tell them you are interested in the field and think you would like to go to college for it. I bet someone will email you back:)
http://www.devry.edu/programs/game_and_simulation_programming/career.jsp
http://www.devry.edu/programs/game_and_simulation_programming/about.jsp
http://www.aionline.edu/degrees/game-art-design/?cid=GAMEDN_080215_txt
It's hard work, I've been a modeller and animator for an undisclosed game company for around 8 month now. I like my job, it IS hard work - but it's casual and we have PS3's in the office for when we relax.
.
The money isn't bad either
Account has been stolen, why would someone want to steal my account?
I strongly disagree. A computer Science degree is about as much a programming degree as a degree in astronomy is about using a telescope.I can tell you did a computer science degree because you used a computer science quote
.
anyways.
I too need to decide a career and think it should be in games as its my main passion. i'm a arty/sciency person and the thought of computer science degree makes my toenails curl. So i'll prolly come in as arty guy.
though I figured I could do a digital animation course to see if I like animation. since I figured a game animation would be a cool creative job that doesn't mean all drawing stuff. since i'm good at drawing but the concept art you see for games is well beyond me.
i've presumed alot here, i know nothing about the industry really.
edit: just read caesersghost's post which was very interesting. glad to here animator is a viable job. very nice post.
My blog:
Learn Japanese, Chinese, and/or Korean and apply to be a GM for an MMO.