

Video Game Industry Trends of 2008 - makimaki
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3884/gamasutras_top_20_trends_of_2008.php?print=1

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mlLK
Off-topic, but I'm curious as to whether or not any Game Developers lurk/post
on HN. I've always wanted to make a break into this industry, but the breadth
of what a developer must know and is responsible for has always made me feel
so Junior Varsity. I've been doing a lot of research into the industry and it
looks like Lua, JavaScript, and ActionScript (prototyping langs) are all in
the same family of languages that are valuable for VG developers. Having that
in mind, what are the general requirements for an entry-level scripting
position?

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mthg
A lot of companies use in-house languages with similarities to popular outside
languages. Unreal script for example would be accessible to anybody coming
from a traditional java background but it is different in some ways, i.e.
polymorphism based on 'game state' as a built-in construct. A lot of other in-
house languages look like Python. Some companies script with LISP and LISP-
derivatives. In my experience most game scripting has less to do with
programming and more to do with game design. If you are interested in solving
algorithmic and engineering problems, it's not the way to go. Game programming
per se usually involves hacking almost exclusively in C, C++, assembly and
shader languages.

No matter which direction you go, the best way in is to show them a body of
work even if it's unpublished projects done in your spare time. If you only
want to do scripting work and avoid systems-level programming, you can get
into modding.

As for the 'breadth of what you need to know' you shouldn't be terribly
intimidated if you're a junior person. Most generalist programmers at a game
company are not much different from very good systems programmers at other
companies. If you want to get into specialized fields like AI, physics, or
graphics, you will need to demonstrate that specialized knowledge.

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JMiao
right on the money. the best game developers i've worked with were mostly
self-taught (from indies to internal ea studios).

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mattmaroon
I don't know about #8, everything Nintendo pumps out is amazing.

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DaniFong
They have a process where only about one in five of the games they start makes
it out the door. They cull ruthlessly.

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mattmaroon
That explains a lot. They really do pump out one solid gold hit after another,
and even to drastically different audiences. From Wii Play to Twilight
Princess.

I wouldn't count our Asian friends out.

