The $11 billion game industry gathers in San Francisco the second week in March to trade secrets, market its wares, recruit professionals, and throw one heck of a party. The Game Developer's Conference, sponsored by CMP Media, hosts three days of intensive workshops, state-of-the-trade developer and marketing sessions, sneak previews of emerging technology, and just plain fun.
For the industry's working insiders--and wannabes, who bring along their portfolios and their hopes--it's the "can't miss" event of the year. Seminars are slated at the Moscone Convention Center for every professional vertical: programming, business management and marketing, audio engineering and music composition, visual arts and design, production scheduling and management, and in the latest explosive frontier: mobile gaming.
The come-one, come-all menu of the conference has broad appeal. Game developers can be generalists--moving laterally within the industry--or specialists in a niche field, for instance in the booming Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) industry where PC gamers and those on Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, or the Sony PlayStation 3 consoles reach into cyberspace to wage combat with millions of unknown others.
How big is this industry? The Entertainment Software Association reports that sales in computer and game consoles grew six percent in 2006 to $7.4 billion, tripling all software sales numbers since 1996. The average player is a surprising 33 years old and almost 70 percent of American households have game players in the fold.
Breaking Down the Roles
These days, game professionals cut their teeth at profession-centered trade schools or colleges with certification and degree programs tailored to preparing for roles in game development, creative production, and marketing. English and communication majors turn into fantasy script writers; C++ programmers wrap their minds (and code) around jousting with dragons; marketing pros shift products from breakfast cereal to breaking spells.
Here's a breakdown of the industry pros heading to San Francisco, their roles, and wages (courtesy of The Animation Arena):
- Designers
Animators or modeling artists work in 2D and 3D, creating the worlds and game levels within the worlds where the game unfolds. There are character and storyboard artists, and those who specialize only in creating textures. Salaries vary greatly and are determined less by experience than by talent. Artists with six years' experience earn, on average, around $55,594. Designers with the same level of experience draw $52,604. - Audio Experts They specialize or work as generalists, doing everything from composing game music and character theme songs to engineering and editing the voice-over tracks and game sounds. Game audio lead professionals with six years' experience make about $73,377 a year. Composers can earn well into the six figures.
- Programmers Nothing in the game works unless it's coded properly. Good programmers are in high demand to construct and scrub the game engine. Those with a year or two of experience in the game field can draw $70,000, and pros with six year's experience can bring in $86,200.
- Writers There is hope for liberal arts majors after all. Writers not only pen the storylines and craft the dialogue script, they write technical documentation, create user manuals, and craft cheat books that help gamers find the inside track to high scores.
- Producers The production staff involves management teams that track game development schedules from funding and inception to delivery. A producer can oversee a multi-million dollar budget and cracks a hefty whip. After six years of doing this, they earn and average of $82,715, with the highest reported salary at an impressive $210,000.
- Sales and Marketing There are college marketing degree programs today that focus just on game sales, customer development, and trend analysis. Games could be a fun career move for a sales or marketing pro.
- Support Staff From game testers to mail-room clerks, the support staff keeps the coffee flowing and the office humming. It can be a great way for newbies to get a foot in the door, absorb the hallway conversation, and learn. Game testers with experience can earn on average $48,435 a year.
Selling Skills
In a highly competitive industry, it can be astonishing how many professionals gladly hand out trade secrets and advice to students seeking to enter the fray. Marc Mencher offers tips for wannabes heading for the conference: "The time for directly asking for a job or for job advice occurs after a networking event and after you have established an ongoing relationship. So don't sweat over the prospect of having to ask for a job at GDC; just think of yourself as a focused socializer."
Jordan Mechner, designer/developer of the hugely successful Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, suggests that first-timers bring along more than just a portfolio. "It is good to make something to show your skills: a portfolio if you are an artist, a game if you are a programmer," he says." Game companies are always looking for people with energy and talent who are nice to work with."