just do it: how to break into the video games industry
DESCRIPTION
Want to make a game? Go on then. Five years ago, it was tough to get a game a market. Only the major publishers with relationships with retailers across the globe stood a chance. Now things have changed. One person studios, two person teams and small groups are all making a living making games on a growing variety of platforms: iOS, Facebook, Steam, browsers, Unity, and more. It’s not easy, and there’s no guarantee of Minecraft-style success. But if you want to get into the games industry, you should start by making games. And who knows, you might be able to make a living from it sooner than you think. I originally presented this at the public sessions at Edinburgh Interactive on 11th August 2011. http://edinburghinteractive.co.uk/public-programmeTRANSCRIPT
- 1. Nicholas Lovell
GAMESbrief
Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival
August 11th 2011
Breaking into the game industryJUST DO IT!
2. Nicholas Lovell, GAMESbrief
Author, How to Publish a Game
Director, GAMESbrief
Clients include Atari, Channel 4, Channelflip, Firefly, IPC,
nDreams, Rebellion and Square Enix
@nicholaslovell / @gamesbrief
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5. Why do You Want to get into games?
6. I want to work in the games industry because:
Its my major hobby
Games are cool
I want to make pots and pots of money
Its better than becoming an accountant
It sounds like a laugh, just playing and making games all day
All my friends are doing it
I just want to make games. Id do it for free if you didnt pay
me
7. The future of the games industry
Its in three parts*
* See
http://www.gamesbrief.com/2010/10/the-future-of-the-games-industry-its-in-three-parts
8. A disclaimer
This is what I believe
Not everyone agrees with me
Form your own view
9. Part 1: the blockbuster
The big are getting bigger
Red Dead: 11m units
MW2: 15m units in first two months
MW: 14.4m units
Yet jobs are going:
5,464 gross games industry jobs lost in 2010
Disney, Activision Blizzard, THQ, Sony, Atari, Crytek all have made
cuts in 2011
There is room for, perhaps, 5-7 major publishers
10. Part 2: the persistent world
Persistent worlds are games as a service
They are never done. The team never packs up and moves on
They launch with a smaller feature set; they are tweaked and
iterated and adapted
They are TV, to the blockbusters film
11. Part 3: the indie
These are not businesses that drive investors wild
These are about teams of 1-15 people, making a living making
games
This wasnt possible 5 years ago
Now it is + you might get lucky
12. Which way is the industry going?
Games in boxes peaked in 2008
13. YOUR future in the games industry
14. When we recruit, we have
three piles for CVs:
- Not a chance
15. Interesting 16. People who have a link to a game