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Breaking In?

My rant about the challenges of breaking into the game industry.

Matt Cascio, Blogger

April 16, 2009

2 Min Read
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I am sure that none of you know anything about me, so the quick rundown is that I am 18 years old, currently attending Stony Brook University in New York.  The other big thing is I am in love with video games and have been dreaming of working in the game industry for some number of years now.  

I have done as much research as a human possibly can on the game industry.  I recently discovered this site and have been visiting it on a daily basis since then.  On my top bookmarked sites I have Gamasutra, Gamespy, and GameInformer.  

To say I love to read about and research what is going on in the industry is an understatement.  Most kids sit up at night and watch who-knows-what on their computer; I was sitting up the other night watching a GDC keynote address.  

I love to not only play games, but analyze them as well.  I like to think about why they are fun.  However I run into a brick wall as far as making this a job goes.  I lack much of, if not all, the technical skills required for almost any position in the industry, especially considering most studios are simply hiring "seasoned veterans" or "industry professionals".  

I have the love for it, but I don't know how to express my love for it, I think that's the problem.  I don't know if I'm looking for advice, or help, or whatever it may be, in this blog entry, I just need to put this out there.  

The Game Industry has such a steep acceptance and break in rate that it could be turning off would-be employees simply because of the daunting task that is breaking into the industry.  

However, is this maybe a good thing, causing only the people with the most determination to rise to the top and earn the jobs?  I don't know to be honest.  Maybe some of you can sound off on the topic.  All I know is that I have to keep trying my hardest to land even the smallest of gigs to get my foot in the door, because once my foot is in the door, I won't be leaving anytime soon.

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