Applying for an internship?

[Inferno]

I'm trying to get information on internships for game companies. I know a lot of companies take interns (Epic North Carolina is what I'm shooting for since it's the closest to me) but I don't know exactly what the requirements are since they aren't listed on the main site.

I will be graduating high school this spring and I was hoping to get a summer internship but I don't know if they accept HS graduates.

I've looked into going to some gaming colleges as but most of them are too far away or too expensive for me.

Additionally I've been working on a portfolio website. It's still a WIP though.
Halp?

[Ganon]

you should probably go to college first, whether it be community college or whatever... take some sort of multimedia technology course or something along those lines. I really doubt any game company would take on a amateur high school graduate modder.

[paladin]

it really depends on the studio... most of the time with an internship, they wont expect you to be efficient with anything knowing that you are planning to attend school or are currently in school.

[Inferno]

it really depends on the studio... most of the time with an internship, they wont expect you to be efficient with anything knowing that you are planning to attend school or are currently in school.

I have plenty of work I can put into my portfolio. I also have experience working with a team (yoyorast island project) and I can probably ask yohan to write a sort of recommendation or something I guess.

I'm not sure what all I need to show.

[Limited]

Depends on the company, they might be looking for some random person (no offense) to try out the place, get a feel and perhaps interest the person in a career in games industry.

Then again they might want some one who has already started to learn about specialist side of computing/gaming.

Over here in UK, the game companies wouldnt even look at someone who is just in regular school, but that could just be UK (as we only have a few companies, US has tons).

I'd go on their websites, see if they have any info on internships, or just email the company, explain your very interested in the industry and have been working on small projects in your spare time. Perhaps describe what you did and either show them work, or offer them the chance to see if if they wish to.

Expect to contact a lot of companies and probably get a lot of "we're not really looking" or "your not what we are looking for" replies, because they get contacted A TON.

I was talking to Sega before, they said they advertised a programming (job/internship) in a magazine, within a matter of days they had 2,000 replies of CV's. Thats 2,000 for 1 job place.

If your serious about wanting it, just keep trying and badgering them about it.

[Inferno]

God damn. How many people are really into this anyways? There's very few big communities of modders and even fewer talented ones.

Also what do you guys think for my portfolio. I think I'll do a section on level design and environments. Then a section on game play design and campaign scripting ETC. And a final section with some of my FP animations I've done.

[flibitijibibo]

Gather everything you want to be seen, put your greatest strength on each item, and categorize as necessary. Pretty much what I did, but obviously a low more narrow in variety than entire maps.

2000 applications sounds about right for 1 job. 1500 of those are sweaty aspiring nerds with no qualifications other than their collection of Sonic Rule 34, 500 have actually worked in some type of language, and 50 are actually good at it. The winner goes to the prettiest list o' work.

Also, I would recommend making your website's source looks just as pretty as the actual site and its content. If it were me, I'd be checking that out to see how thorough they really are with ALL of their materials.

[Limited]

Oh no, this was 2,000 decent employable people with good CVs, portfolios and qualifications. They literally had to through a ton in the bin because they just didnt have the time to go through them all. Its a real shame but it can happen.

I think the issue is art is a very contested area, there are alot of artists and alot of very talented artists. This makes getting a job in the industry really hard.

When I spoke to Crytek, Sega, Relentless Games, 90% of people around me were artists showing portfolios, the other 10% were actually programmers.

One bit of info I've been told by my friend whos doing art course at my uni is, only include your BEST work that you are FULLY satisfied with. If you think a piece of work is "meh its okay could be better, would like to change this blah or add to it here blahblah." Dont show employeers, DO those changes, make it perfect then show it. (Or just show them the other perfect work).

If your not happy and confident about your work, employeers won't be either.

[Bastinka]

Just thought I'd pitch this in as its relative to my life:
Germans make you do an Internship in school, completely mandatory for 2 weeks, and they don't help you too much in finding a place either. (Praktikum)

It's actually fun, though you don't get paid and still have to do some amount of work.

[Inferno]

Well I'm not specialized in "Art". I mainly do level design, and environment design. I also do a lot of scripting and mission design.

And animating too. That is what I plan to show.

[Disaster]

God damn. How many people are really into this anyways? There's very few big communities of modders and even fewer talented ones.

Also what do you guys think for my portfolio. I think I'll do a section on level design and environments. Then a section on game play design and campaign scripting ETC. And a final section with some of my FP animations I've done.

http://forums.cgsociety.org/

Massive CG community. This does include cinema and other cg arts though.
Even then, 400k people :\

[Warsaw]

So, if you want to get into the industry, is it better to go and get a degree directly pertaining to the industry or get one that may be applied towards it with extra practise but is not specifically geared towards it?

[Inferno]

Well I'm not specialized in "Art". I mainly do level design, and environment design. I also do a lot of scripting and mission design.

And animating too. That is what I plan to show.

Of all the schools I've looked at none of them really do mission and level design. It's all 3D modeling and painting textures and stuff.

[Warsaw]

The only schools I know of that offer a somewhat respectable video-game development oriented education are UAT and Full Sail...the latter is not worth the paper it's degrees are written on let alone the money, and I know fuck all about the former even after subscribing to their little newsletter and reading up on it.

I mean, I've got art schools around here which are plenty good, but they don't exactly lead directly to the main objective.

Gamecareerguide.com says to just badger people in the industry and make mods (and eventually indie games), which is sound advice, but if you don't already have the skills to do the latter and don't have time to pick it up as a hobby, what do you do?

[Inferno]

I've been modding since I was like 9. I can do a lot and I have tons of ideas for interesting and pretty unique games.

Not all FPS's. :v:

[paladin]

When I applied for my internship at Her Interactive, I was the only person to apply. I was going to decline it when the offered me the position, but then the recruiter told me that they need the position filled and no one else had applied. But really, like I said earlier, most of the time with internships, companies arent looking for a permanant employee. Thus, you dont have to be overly qualified. I bet that youll be doing a bunch of stuff that nobody else wants to do. Thats basically what I did as a tester.

[Llama Juice]

Full Sail isn't all that bad. The game degree program is just new... so they're working out some kinks in it. I wouldn't recommend going there now, but I'm sure next year this time they'll have the kinks worked out.

[paladin]

Come to my school :)

[flibitijibibo]

Full Sail isn't all that bad. The game degree program is just new... so they're working out some kinks in it. I wouldn't recommend going there now, but I'm sure next year this time they'll have the kinks worked out.

I considered going there for audio, but I wanted a minor in comp sci/housing seemed expensive. In case I fail my jury, is it any good?

[Kornman00]

Full Sail isn't all that bad. The game degree program is just new... so they're working out some kinks in it. I wouldn't recommend going there now, but I'm sure next year this time they'll have the kinks worked out.
Um, Full Sail has been offering that program now for a while now. Since I last lived in CT at least (2003). I had a friend go there but after he finished schooling there (for game design) he moved to the UK and is going to school there now :s (but not for game related stuff IIRC).

Florida doesn't have state taxes, so they'll get you in other areas

[Dwood]

God damn. How many people are really into this anyways? There's very few big communities of modders and even fewer talented ones.


Game Design and art seems to be one of the biggest areas of concentration for people going to art school these days. And one thing that I would like to add is that possible employers in the industry won't be as impressed by the quality of a single level if it took you 9 years to work on it... (they would be impressed with the dedication to the work :P) they're more impressed by the quality to time ratio...

The faster you can make high quality work without making major errors as you go would/will give you a definite edge...

gl hf in your endeavors no matter what. Live long and prosper!

[flibitijibibo]

Florida doesn't have state taxes, so they'll get you in other areas

Yeah, by making out-of-state students pay at least 9 times more, even on a fucking scholarship. When compared to my roommate, I'm actually paying infinite times more because a program in FL allows him to get paid $500 a semester to go here for no reason at all. Not even a scholarship, FL just gives these people money to go to a college literally any in-state student could afford.

[Inferno]

I can build a map in about 1 days work. Testing and what not takes a little longer (since I need other people) then detailing and blah blah takes me a little while (since that requires the most motivation and creativity).

I think transcendence from start to finish took about 10 or 11 hours spanned over a few weeks. If I were working full time (7 or 8 hours a day) I could get things done much quicker. But I get interrupted by that whole "life" thing a lot.

[Warsaw]

Come to my school :)

Which one is that?

[neuro]

protip: schools for games are BULLSHIT!

educate yourselves, or find someone who is already a PROPER professional, and see if he's willing to educate you.

everyone i've worked with up until now (n the art department at least) are all self-educated. hell, when i spoke to the director of streamline during my job interview there when he asked about my education he was like: and i take it you're self-educated, and i was like yes why?

he answered that everyone who came from an education wasn't even close to the industry-level that studios require nowadays, because the schools don't evolve along with the industry itself.

he was like "where the heck am i supposed to get my artists!?"

internships are great, degrees in anythign related to game, are not. the best you can possible go for is an education in traditional arts, to develop drawing, painting, concepting etc, then educate yourself in your spare time for the rest of the field you want to get into.

game-specific-related educations are ALL (maybe digipen is an exception, but they put your ass to WORK, holy shit.) bullshit.

in general, when showing your portfolio, show only your best work. pick the 3 best items you have, and put them on display, if they ask for more examples, then it's fine showing less thatn perfect things, because they'll already have an impression of your skill level, and people in lead-position are usually clever enough to understand that it's propably older and less recent work, and therefor doesn't have the same level of finish as your best work.

also, when sending your application letters, try to stand out from the crowd. try to veer away from the 100% formal application form, and get a bit creative. heck, if even your email subject-line catches the eye in a giant inbox of application emails, you quadrupled your chances of getting hired already, because you'll stick in the momory of whomever ready it. then just let your portfolio do the rest of the talking.

[Limited]

everyone i've worked with up until now (n the art department at least) are all self-educated.

internships are great, degrees in anythign related to game, are not. the best you can possible go for is an education in traditional arts, to develop drawing, painting, concepting etc, then educate yourself in your spare time for the rest of the field you want to get into.

game-specific-related educations are ALL (maybe digipen is an exception, but they put your ass to WORK, holy shit.) bullshit.

Considering you havent actually been to a University and tried to get a degree, your opinion is literally just from outside the window, and considering the only people you have worked with are self-taught, what you have experienced is very narrow.

I'm not going to say, getting a degree will make you better. If you have potential, it will harness that potential and improve upon it. If your destined to be crap, you will be crap.

For art, yeah there are principles you need to know, just because your a modeller, doesnt mean you dont need to know colour theory. Being an artist you need to understand other fields too, and most importantly, have some grasp at what programming/engines does.

Getting a degree shows your at a certain level, you need to write reports, you need to analysis things, you need to be good with theory and all that. Its proving your at a certain standard.

If your a fantastic artist, but dont have a degree? That doesnt mean anything as long as your a god artist, if theres 2 fantastic artists and one of them has a degree, that person (in general unless they have a psychotic personality) will get the job.

In terms of what you should specalise? Well it depends, you dont want to be too broad and just have a general knowledge about a ton of things, but you also dont want to be too narrow being that restricts the kind of jobs you might get. You want that careful balance.

[=sw=warlord]

I agree with limited, just because you know how to make pretty thing's dosn't mean your educated, just means you know how to make pretty thing's.
What most employers want are those who know how to do the work and exactly how it works in theory and practice, some thing's can only be taught via education as otherwise you may not even stumble on certain things untill years later.
Employers want people who have a decent profile and fit the role their required and qualifications are a good stepping stone to filling the boots of the role you want to take part off.

[Limited]

Also, employeers like you to have worked with a number of different engines. I mentioned Blam! engine to the Sega guy and he just laughed :D

Even if you dont tag, all you do is literally model and then pass it on, you still need an understanding on the engines, what they are capable of, poly counts etc.

This means if you have used a number of engines, your more likely going to pick up their studios engine quickly as you have that learning ability to do it quickly.

[Warsaw]

From what I've been able to gather, all the serious game-related educations put students to work on developing games during their time at university, while learning the tools, skills, and processess as they go. Internships are usually required for graduation, and the final project is usually a finished game to be developed by a team of students drawn from the various pertinent programmes (and usually presented at the Indie Games Conference).

So, it sounds as if one should come out with the skillset and some experience in the field. Assuming one already has some experience and talent before one even attended, it would theoretically put one in the perfect position to get an internship and eventually a placement job assuming he/she attends the GDCs and starts networking with real developers. The only question is how legit is any of it all?

[Aerowyn]

Additionally I've been working on a portfolio website. It's still a WIP though.
Halp?

Having a website is a good first step, but I highly recommend that you own a hard-backed portfolio as well, rather than just giving a prospective employer a link to a website.

Itoya is a good brand, it's just pages that have sleeves in which you can put printed samples of your work into. Something like this (http://www.artprofolio.com/Art_profolio_Advantage.htm).

Also, I know you do 3D work and everything but make SURE you put all sketches/concepts/work in progress images in there as well. Technically speaking, you are an artist, and employers want to see HOW you work. Having concept art/thumbnails/sketches is EXTREMELY important, especially with what you do. They want to see how well you are able to translate a two-dimensional drawing on paper into a three-dimensional object on a screen. After all, more than likely if you got a job they'd be giving you a piece of paper with a description of what they want and you are expected to just CREATE.

Good luck!

[Inferno]

Also, employeers like you to have worked with a number of different engines. I mentioned Blam! engine to the Sega guy and he just laughed :D

Even if you dont tag, all you do is literally model and then pass it on, you still need an understanding on the engines, what they are capable of, poly counts etc.

This means if you have used a number of engines, your more likely going to pick up their studios engine quickly as you have that learning ability to do it quickly.

I know a lot more engines than just Blam!. :v:

I just don't release that other stuff. I usually pick up on new engines pretty quickly as well.

[il Duce Primo]

Getting a degree shows your at a certain level, you need to write reports, you need to analysis things, you need to be good with theory and all that. Its proving your at a certain standard.

If your a fantastic artist, but dont have a degree? That doesnt mean anything as long as your a god artist, if theres 2 fantastic artists and one of them has a degree, that person (in general unless they have a psychotic personality) will get the job.
Stop talking out of your ass.

[=sw=warlord]

Stop talking out of your ass.
He isn't, how ever you seem to be, i can personaly vouch for limited on this.

[Limited]

Stop talking out of your ass.
If two people make equally great work and they have no personal preferance, they'll pick the one with the degree.

Maybe degrees in US are different but here its the highest qualification you can get (sub masters, phd) but it still shows you can work at a certain level.

[il Duce Primo]

A game design degree doesn't mean much to an employer if you have great work. Degrees in this field don't say much about the person because they don't live up to the industry standard.

An art degree is something that would be useful to an employer though and to yourself. Game degrees don't mean much, it's mainly all about the persons portfolio.

[Limited]

Game design degrees are art degrees...

My course is Game Development, it focuses on programming. I develop games, work on my portfolio, I learn the tools, I learn the algorithms, I learn the theory. You can learn that outside a degree, but you dont get the degree.

[neuro]

i cant believe how wrong you are.

if theres 2 people at an equal art-level, and one has a degree, they'll hire the one who fits best in the team. (propably via an interview)

maybe people in the US are narrow-sigted enough to actually care about a scrap of paper you get from an un-qualified educational institution, where people spend (usually 4 years) to get to a point where they're mediocre enough to be awarded a scrap of paper, than having the deternimation to work on your skills in your spare time, continually work to become the best they can be, instead of relying on a piece of paper.

the fitting in the team part is the most important part of being a game artist.

if i have to be honest, the portfolio's most people come up with after graduating from a 4 year game education is not much short of plain depressing.
heck, most people on this forum provide a higher standard of work than the people i've seen applying to professional studios.

[Corndogman]

Yeah, by making out-of-state students pay at least 9 times more, even on a fucking scholarship. When compared to my roommate, I'm actually paying infinite times more because a program in FL allows him to get paid $500 a semester to go here for no reason at all. Not even a scholarship, FL just gives these people money to go to a college literally any in-state student could afford.


Yeah, we've got Bright Futures Scholarship down here, and literally anyone can get it. I've slacked off my entire high school career, and I could go to your school (FSU, right?) and get 75% paid for me. But I think this year they're changing it so you get a set amount instead of percentage, which means if your school is cheaper than your scholarship, you could actually make money (theoretically.)

[Limited]

i cant believe how wrong you are.

if theres 2 people at an equal art-level, and one has a degree, they'll hire the one who fits best in the team. (propably via an interview)

maybe people in the US are narrow-sigted enough to actually care about a scrap of paper you get from an un-qualified educational institution, where people spend (usually 4 years) to get to a point where they're mediocre enough to be awarded a scrap of paper, than having the deternimation to work on your skills in your spare time, continually work to become the best they can be, instead of relying on a piece of paper.

the fitting in the team part is the most important part of being a game artist.

if i have to be honest, the portfolio's most people come up with after graduating from a 4 year game education is not much short of plain depressing.
heck, most people on this forum provide a higher standard of work than the people i've seen applying to professional studios.Wow are you some freaking imbecile or something? I categorically stated that they have NO FUCKING PERSONAL PREFERENCE as to their personality.

Considering the fact, in a degree you HAVE to work in a group to pass and you have to get a good grade at it. It proves you can work in a team, "self learning" does not guarantee that.

Having a degree shows your serious and have shown a full commitment to it, your not going to just waste tons of money on something.

Also, considering employers dont even want to see the work you did FOR your degree, they want to see what you did in your own time. That shows real dedication as to if your work is good.

I know having a degree won't get you a job, you still need to be able to produce good work, but it does give them an indication of what level your capable of and work in a strict, rigid, and demanding environment.

Do you know what a CDD is? Have you written one? Would you be able to understand one?

[flibitijibibo]

Yeah, we've got Bright Futures Scholarship down here, and literally anyone can get it. I've slacked off my entire high school career, and I could go to your school (FSU, right?) and get 75% paid for me. But I think this year they're changing it so you get a set amount instead of percentage, which means if your school is cheaper than your scholarship, you could actually make money (theoretically.)

Exactly correct on all parts. I didn't know you were in FL.

Also, my experience: Nothing more than freelancing until you get that pretty piece of paper.

[Penguin]

being a hs grad or an undergrad won't be too big of an issue. the gaming industry is still considerably young so academic background isn't weighed too heavily - i would think.

If it's an internship you want, prep your portfolio and show them you can back up what you boast. if you've got skill or potential the developers will see it and take you on as an investment.

[sleepy1212]

Getting your degree proves you can work within the system, that you can reach goals in a certain timeframe, meet benchmarks, and perform responsibly. A portfolio doesn't show how well you meet deadlines or how well you adhere to criteria. But, unlike a degree, it shows more of what you're capable of. I think having both will make you a more competitive candidate and will be well worth your time.

also, internships are, not always, but generally organized through school channels in some form or another. Since most degrees require some internship it's necessary for the school to have validation of your internship, especially if it provides a grade as many do. this makes it difficult for non-students to get internships. add that to the fact that most interns are not 1st or 2nd year students.

[Penguin]

Depending on what university you're attending, whether or not you get an internship through school can also be based on what the university specializes in. chances of finding an internship that works for your career might be lower if the university is better known for something else like business or law. something to consider when choosing a university, some of them may be far or steep for you, but the resources will be more catered to your major.

[mech]

I like how people that aren't working in the industry are talking as if they are working in the industry.

Going to school for game design is complete horse shit in my honest opinion.

[Higuy]

Wouldn't it be best to self educate your self so you can work at your own pace and learn the methods yourself? But wouldn't it be good to go to college to say your certified for the job? I would imagine most employers would like to see some sort of certificate as well as a good portfolio.

[flibitijibibo]

Go to college pretty much just to get the pretty piece of paper (okay okay, they might look at GPA, give it some effort I guess), and while you're doing that, do things on your own (this would include internships done through said college). On top of having the benefits of both, it also shows seriously good time management skills.

Also, being mistaken for an FSU film student constantly FTW. Yeah, the college of music is pretty highly regarded too, but the film school... gawdamn.

[Penguin]

That was part of my point on how the gaming industry's still young. Getting into gaming involves more experience than academic background. Internships for developers sound more like residencies for med students: they wanna know if you can cut it doing field work.

You don't need the pretty piece of paper, but why not? It'll add more lines to your resume.

[ICEE]

I heard at RIT (rochester institute of technology, I believe) they help you get internships. So says my buddy, who goes there.