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asaraviapt · 8 months

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[EN] How to Follow Folks On LinkedIn Who Don’t Repeat “Rejection is Redirection.”

Lord give me patience–if I hear one more person telling me that “rejection is redirection” I’m blocking them before Twitter takes away the feature.

… Okay, that may be extreme–but I want to start off this post by asking folks to refrain from that advice. I don’t have to remind other game developers how messed up the job market is, but I can say this much: I know a thing or two about job hunting.

It takes time. Patience–a lot of it. Some studios ghost their applicants, others spend four months debating on who to grant that first interview–without guaranteeing a second or third round. Having been both a recruiter (and currently searching for a writing role) I picked up a few bits of trivia that I wish to share with others.

First: Remote Networking Events:

Discord is going to be your best friend, along with other tools. It’s accessible, and offers a more casual environment than LinkedIn. Before naming a few networking events, here’s a few things to bear in mind:

Always have either a Sticky Note or WordPad that includes your preferred name, pronouns, a brief two to three sentence introduction on who you are and what sets you apart, along with your social media links and portfolio for potential recruiters to reach out to you.

Take a deep breath. I know it can be daunting to put yourself out there, but in a job market full of so much competition, it’s the best way to gain an upper hand.

Set up reminders and be efficient.

Remember that everyone is human. This may sound like a weird one, but you’d be surprised at how often folks place game developers on a pedestal either because of the studio they work in, the awards they have won, etcetera etcetera. The best conversations and connections emerge from just relaxing and having a fun time with folks!

Eventbrite.com Go on www.eventbrite.com and include the “remote” filters and free admission. Add key words such as “game developer meeting” or “game developer networking” for example. If you wish to get more specific, add the title you wish to have and see if you can meet folks who specialize in your field who can offer advice on how to break into the field.

PowerToFly. Here, you can upload your resume and state where in the tech industry you would want to specialize in.

THIS WEEK they will have an event featuring to assist folx with visible and invisible disabilities from August 23, 2023 until August 24, 2023. You can sign up here: https://powertofly.com/events/virtual-job-fair/?utm_campaign=Sunday%20B2C%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=270953365&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_HrFZZIbObYArT2rnkBkTW0QMv-gHNY9LDc0LIp0pfCuFHnk01A0sqaz1W7KeYORbvHtSVX7R0gO4XKS_MfGeRqYdpog&utm_content=270926294&utm_source=hs_email

Similarly, there are events hosted by PowerToFly for members of the LGTBQIA+ community, the BIPOC community--all of which are free, the calendar with the dates is on their website.

LinkedIn Audio Events. These are great events to not only meet recruiters and employers from various studios, but also greet other fellow job hunters. The best part about this industry is the camaraderie and support–find someone who could give you a job, or find someone who could give you tips on improving your resume.

List of LinkedIn Creators with Events:

Aida Figuerola (https://www.linkedin.com/in/afiguerola/)

Upcoming Event on August 22, 2023: https://www.linkedin.com/events/gamingbackstage-de-iwithjasmina7097554161021415424/

Justin Williams

Previous Event: (Remember you can rewatch it, and take note of the advice provided by recruiters in AAA studios!) https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinalanwilliams/recent-activity/all/

Amir Satvat (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirsatvat/)

Amir has the Amir Awards, and often features creators helping the video game industry–additionally, he has an organized spreadsheet with video game job openings AND mentorship opportunities.

Here is a link to the job directory from August 13, 2023. You’ll notice how often he updates it. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amirsatvat_friends-i-am-pleased-to-present-the-august-activity-7096622772239388672-dCRh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

If you are job hunting, you can submit your most recent/updated resume–there are recruiters and employers that observe Amir’s database to find candidates. .

Last but not least, there is a network of mentors willing to help with specialized fields, giving industry advice, resume writing assistance and more–all of the details are on Amir’s page and posts.

Arin Goldsmith (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arin-goldsmith/)

Previous Event: (https://www.linkedin.com/events/7090354190849323009/comments)/

A unique component in the gaming industry is how professionals are encouraged to have their own brands–and Arin provides excellent advice. When searching for a job, it helps having a platform so that whenever someone is looking for a game developer, they know they have to reach you because only you can do a certain thing–and that’s what should be on your portfolio, brand, etc.

Though not a recruiter, Arin also provides excellent advice to folks who have 0 experience in the gaming industry but wish to use their transferable skills in the development of video games.

List of Creators on Twitter With Great Advice:

A brief sidenote: hashtags will be your friend when looking for jobs. Every social media platform has an algorithm that detects what content you interact with the most, so if you constantly like posts from recruiters, or posts that have keywords like your dream job title, department, field of study–those posts will be pushed to your feed more often than others.

Some platforms allow you to follow hashtags and set up alarms–so, follow the hashtags involving your field of study and see a few freelancing opportunities come up!

Okay, now about creators:

Javiera Cordero: An amazing producer, Javiera created a Notion template that has saved my life–and job opportunities.

The link is: https://javieracordero.notion.site/Job-Application-Manager-fce5406854f0475aa21d5fcd9fa5e668

It has several categories including “preparing”, “applied”, and “interviewing.”

Additionally, there are:

Cover Letter samples.

Dozens of job sites.

Websites for marginalized communities.

Possible Interview Questions

And more! (gracias Javiera <3)

Should I post “that”?

“My journey with X has ended.” “Unfortunately, I have been affected by layoffs.” “I’ve been trying to keep it together for the past few months, but I need help…”

Posts of this nature have increased exponentially. I’ve had to write some–and I encourage everyone to do the same, and I know it is not easy.

It’s not easy to be vulnerable, especially in front of many professionals.

But some of them may be your future coworkers–if you need help, tell your network. Not to mention, that if you have not come across a job for a while this lets recruiters know why there is a gap on your resume. It was not due to a gap year, it was due to a recession and a million other things.

How do I reach out?

Reach out to folks who are in a role similar to what you are striving towards. As a narrative designer, I often try to connect with other narrative designers–mainly because they have the best dad jokes and D&D campaigns, but I digress.

Apply to as many studios as you can, then head to LinkedIn. Look up the studio, and see if there are any of the following:

Alumni from your alma mater.

Folks in your specialized field.*

Mutual Connections.

First, reach out to mutual connections. See if they are willing to introduce you to someone in the studio you just applied. Or, try and meet up with someone who you went to school with–share stories and inside jokes from the institution, and if the subject of employment comes up, use that as a segue to explain your situation.

Do not cold call people with messages like, “Do you have a job for me?” It’s not a good look–and, again, people are human. They will know when they are being contacted because of their job title–so avoid that.

*Yes, there is a lot of support in the gaming community. But it does not always happen–sometimes, if someone has little to no social media presence, no profile picture it may be for a reason. Understand that there are times where game developers are, unfortunately, treated poorly by gamers and decide to limit what messages they can accept. It’s all about getting a hint, basically–but digitally.

Anyways, be nice! Don’t weird any game developers out and get that job.

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asaraviapt · 9 months

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[EN] Video Game Writing Resources!

Hello! My name is Andrea--I have been writing for games since 2018, and even worked as a writer at Firaxis Games from 2022 until April of 2023. So, I knew a few things about narrative design--but what the fuck is it? Recently, I gave a talk about the fundamentals and history of the field of narrative design. In Spanish. So, let's talk about it in English--the "what," "why," "how," "when," and "who," of narrative design! What is narrative design? Narrative design is not just writing--it's a huge part of it, but designing a narrative system involves implementing narrative content into the build of the game. So there is a technical learning curve to it. Personally, I watched and obtained certifications in Unreal Engine 5 and Unity in order to be aware of the limitations of each engine. I used the free trial of LinkedIn Learning, but courses about this engine are available in these websites: - https://platzi.com/ - https://www.arkde.com/ - https://www.domestika.org/?query=unity - https://www.coursera.org/ Why do we need narrative design? In order to create an interactive story that the player feels a part of, narrative designers are mandatory. It's not a responsibility that can be placed on other designers (then we would be entering crunch territory) rather someone who specifically specializes in both creative writing and game design is needed to explain within the context of the game's story why the mechanics work in a certain way. Imagine if a Telltale game did not have dialogue, for example--what would we be left with? Or if The Last Of Us did not convey a narrative through its environments.

Narrative designers are needed so that all of the departments are in sync and understand the story that they are trying to tell. For example, if a game takes place in a haunted house that was abandoned, we need all hands on deck. The narrative designer can explain to the environment artists why there are so many holes in the living room--perhaps the last tenants of the house were a rowdy bunch. Or, they can tell the sound designers which planks of wood are the most rotten and need a loud sound effect to highlight how it has been abandoned. How do I become a narrative designer? There is no one way to become a narrative designer. Some people start in QA and transition into the field, I have also witnessed engineers and doctors wanting to get into narrative design. I do recommend having the following (at least): - A passion for storytelling. - Deep understanding of the mechanics of the game and the player experience. - Communication skills are incredibly important--can you describe your story in a concise way to your peers in a Confluence page?

Documentation skills are also a massive plus.

Very basic understanding of game engines and limitations. You don't have to be a computer science major, but know what your requests will entail. If you have an idea of a cutscene, can the engine handle it? Will the animators have enough time? Is it within scope?

If you can, attend game jams! They are an amazing way to network with amazing people and get a feel of what the game production pipeline is like.

Additionally, I highly recommend the following resources: First, the free resources! ~It's free real estate~

Look up Twinery tutorials. (https://twinery.org/) Not only is it free, but you can use it on your browser. More importantly, you will learn about branching narratives and can create your own games within a few minutes--the interface, though it requires a bit of coding, is incredibly easy to use and there are a lot of tutorials available online.

Download Ren'Py (https://www.renpy.org/) and watch tutorials. It's free, and there is a huge community of visual novel developers who may need help with narrative designers, writers, editors and even translators. An amazing resource that a colleague shared was this Discord with visual novel developers--if you have an idea, feel free to connect with artists and voice actors here! https://discord.gg/nW5yn4FE

Network, network, network! Follow narrative design and game writer groups on Discord, Facebook and even LinkedIn. -- An amazing convention that is online, free and accessible regarding narrative design is LudoNarraCon.

If you go to itch.io you will see a list of game jams that you can attend to for free! Some game jams that I have attended and had a positive experience are the following: - Woman Game Jam. I encourage folks from marginalized genders to attend this game jam, as we have a large pool of mentors willing to help in every single discipline at any time due to the global nature of it. It is a safe and inclusive space for women and nonbinary folx who want to get into the gaming industry! - Global Game Jam. Self explanatory, it has some in-person opportunities but you can also attend remotely. - Greenlight Jam. Do you have an idea that can not be done in only 48 hours? The Greenlight Jam is amazing, as it lasts four weeks--which allows narrative designers to develop complex narrative systems and even record voice lines for a more complex project. Side Note: Even though most game jams have a time limit, I do encourage narrative designers to develop and polish the prototypes and levels created during game jams to have portfolios and writing samples that stand out!

Work With Indies is a job site that publishes job opportunities--including ones in writing and narrative design. Additionally, their Discord has some networking events with writers so you can connect with them.

Other websites that not only publish jobs but include networking events are Hitmarker.net (this is their Discord), IndieGameAcademy (link to Discord),

Newsletters! A lot of experienced game writers have newsletters dedicated to the craft, to name a few that I highly recommend: -- Greg Buchanan's newsletter. Rounds up game writing news every Tuesday, and includes job opportunities. -- Bright Whitney's newsletter. A studio founder with amazing insights regarding game design and thoughtful narrative, Whitney's threads are extremely insightful. -- Susan O'Connor's blog on The Narrative Department. In addition to providing free knowledge regarding world building, narrative design, game writing and other specifics of the craft Susan interviews industry professionals and alumni who offer testimonials that have amazing advice. -- GDC talks about narrative design. Though I recommend the GDC vault as well in the next section, I highly recommend the GDC talks regarding not only narrative design but the development of your favorite titles!

Now, for resources that may not be free--but I highly recommend, as someone who used them first hand. - The Narrative Department. This post is not sponsored by them at all, however it is rare to find an instructor as kind and hard-working as Susan O'Connor who has been a narrative designer in historic AAA, AA and independent titles. Known for her contributions in Tomb Raider, Batman: The Enemy Within, and BioShock to name a few (imdb is: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1897248/) her Game Writing Masterclass offers a certification in everything related to game writing. A few subjects she touches on are: -- Characters and how to make them compelling. -- Barks and ambience writing. -- Dialogue, backstories and scripts. -- How to work with other departments. And more! Additionally, you would obtain access to a huge alumni network full of game writing professionals working in independent, AA and AAA studios! Not to mention that all of the assignments completed in the class will look amazing in a portfolio as game writing samples. - GDC Vault. Though I have an opinion on the price tag of GDC tickets and the vault, I would definitely include it as it has resources from several studios, writers, narrative designers and more! When was narrative design formed? When can I become a narrative designer?

That's a wonderful question. Narrative design, as a term, was first used around the 90s but became more established between the 2000s and 2010s. So, although the field is relatively new, and there are not a lot educational resources available, consider yourself part of an innovative field that is exponentially growing! Recently, a game developer asked when was the best time to keep an eye out for job openings. And a harsh truth about the gaming industry is that it is extremely volatile--layoffs, downsizings and startups rise and fall. This is not meant to deter anyone from pursuing a career in narrative design, but rather I am including it for the sake of transparency. We cannot predict when a studio is going to layoff their employees, or when they cancel unannounced projects. Unlike most industries where we know for a fact that recruiters keep a sharp eye for candidates in Q1 and Q3, a piece of advice I received from a mentor of mine was to try to predict when projects are going to need more stories. There's the release of a game, and then there is the addition of additional narrative content--and for this, they will more than likely need associate/entry/junior level narrative designers, writers and quest designers. But--this is related to searching for a job as a narrative designer, and I can write a novel about that (and will edit this article to redirect folx into it.) So, keep an eye out for huge game announcements. Then, cater your resume to what the studio is looking for in a narrative designer. Now, to finish off this article: Who is a narrative designer? If you have a passion for storytelling and games, and have participated in game jams, congratulations you are a wonderful narrative designer! Make sure you always include that you are a narrative designer, and not an aspiring narrative designer--it makes you stand out amongst applicants. That's all I have for now--feel free to interact, comment and share! Let me know if I missed something and I will be sure to add it.

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