Experience Bonus

Never Give Up

Ok this one seems a little basic, even a little cheesy, but don't give up. Just like my Japanese clam hunter friend says "NEVER GIVE UP". 

Are you wanting to become the next great engineer, animator, modeler, producer, <Insert Awesome Position Here>, then keep trying at it. The game industry is one of the toughest industries to get into, but if you keep trying and growing, then it will happen. Keep practicing your craft. There are tons of different communities out there; each for their own trades. This leads to my next bit....

Network

Networking is a very important skill set to learn and grow. Not only will you make friends, but you will also learn new tricks and technologies for your desired craft. Additionally, it feels good to get out of the house to be with other like minded people.

In a previous article, I listed different websites for the learning and networking. This is a good start, but it takes a while to establish connections there. 

In Networking Tips Part 1, I list out a couple of different ways to find developers and/or groups that match your specific trade. As stated above, meeting people in person is one of the best things you can do to stay motivated. 

Hobby

Find a hobby and stick to it. Learning something new and being able to show progress is a great point to bring up during an interview. An example of this is EXPBonus.com. I came across amazing articles that I could only share with my friends, but I wanted a bigger reach. Created this site and have tried to maintain a steady update (cough) stream. I have been asked, "Nic, what have you been doing for the past few months?". I then respond with this website and explain the why. Even had a few of my interviewers bookmark my page (hello!).

Go find a hobby, anything really, and stick with it. Grow from it and show how you have grown.

People love to talk about themselves. No seriously,it is scientifically proven. 

Participants who talked about themselves showed signs of activity in the areas of the brain that are linked to value and motivation...

This helps to explain why people so obsessively engage in this behavior. It's because it provides them with some sort of subjective value: It feels good, basically...

...researchers found that the regions of the brain that are activated by talking about oneself are also responsible for the thrills of food, sex, money and drug addiction...

 -Source

So now that we know scientifically that why we do this, we can use this to our advantage with networking. How? Well, there are a lot of different approaches for making the small talk.

My favorite is the direct "hello" or "Good <time of day>, I am <name>". Ask about what they do, specialize in, and so on. I then follow up with questions based on what they say, but due it enthusiastically. 

Forbes.com provides some great advice for icebreakers.  Some of their suggestions are: 

Make it all about location

Ask for advice

Come prepared  -Source

Location is making use of what you have in common with the other person. You are both at this event wanting to learn. How long have they been going?

Asking for advice can seem a little weird at first but can help get the conversation rolling. Forbes provides a great example

If the person you’re talking to has attended the event before, ask what they thought was helpful about it, or what other events they attend. - Source

Careerbuilder.com has some great suggestions as well. 

As you prepare for a function, come up with three things to talk about as well as four generic questions that will get others talking. If you've met the host before, try to remember things about her, such as her passion for a sport or a charity you're both involved in.

Watch your body language. People who look ill at ease make others uncomfortable. Act confident and comfortable, even when you're not.

Before entering into a conversation that's already in progress, observe and listen. You don't want to squash the dynamics with an unsuited or ill-timed remark.

-Source

Before I go on, in order for these tips to work well, know that there will be a time investment in meeting regularly with whichever org. that you go to. Otherwise, you are viewed as a random person who wants a job and is generally brushed off. (Comments from friends that are part of orgs.)

Finding people with similar professional interests can be a little daunting if you are talking to random people on the street. Although this can be rewarding and is suggested, I recommend looking to meet other professionals by visiting Meetup.com, Game Developer Map, and LinkedIn Groups.

Meetup.com is great website for finding groups that specialize in your area of discipline. If your group does not exist, then create one, and advertise it with your friends. The video below is a pretty solid tutorial on how to use Meetup.com

David Perry's Game Industry Map is a nice resource for seeing which companies are close to your location. Pretty simple to navigate and use. Find some local game development companies and contact them. Even if they are not hiring, try to reach out to them to say hi. Even volunteer your services as well, as mentioned in a previous podcast. 

LinkedIn Groups are a powerful tool. Not only are there tons of groups for literally every type of discipline, most are active and have a thriving community. Janet Fouts, a social media coach, recommends that you manage, engage, share, and promote which these groups. Janet provides a nice breakdown of what to do within groups. Although this is geared towards group owners, this advice is useful for members as well. Catch the full article here.

Manage

The most important thing is to be an active manager. Every registration needs to be manually approved, preferably with a welcome email telling them how they can use the group, interact with you and how to get in touch with you.

When a user becomes prominent as a poster support them and encourage them. These are the catalyst to a thriving group.

Engage

Remember this is about COMMUNITY not YOU. You should participate by all means, but to support the community not sell yourself or your services.

As the group grows think of other ways to connect people. Meetups, teleclasses, webinars and online chat are great options.

Share

Make connections and suggest connections between users where appropriate

Promote

General

Alt Dev Blog/ - "encourage and develop individual voices within the game development industry."

Reddit Game Dev - A great subreddit, focuses mainly on programming, also has artists and other disciplines posting here.

The Independent Game Source - "community of independent game players and creators."

Ludum Dare - "regular accelerated game development event". (24-48 hour game development blitz held regularly)

Penny Arcade's Extra Credits - Great website for knowing what is going on in the game industry, community, and designer tips.

Industry Gamers - This site provides a solid business look to the game industry. A must read.

Games Beat - This site provides a look into which companies are being funded, by who, and their impact.

   Programmers 

Game Dev .Net - Good community for coders. 

MSDN Create - Great resource for developing games and apps

Microsoft's Dreamspark - A solid resource for students. Lots of free software here.

Project Euler/ - " series of challenging mathematical/computer programming problems that will require more than just mathematical insights to solve"

Code Chef/ - "Global programming community. We host contests, training and events for programmers around the world."

CS Standford Game Dev Author collected and shared his links for different topics for programming games. 

3D Programming Weekly Another great list of links for doing 3D game development. 

  Artists

CG Society - Great for seeing how professionals from the movie and game industry make their art. Also a solid community.

Game Artists .Net - An awesome community of developers and people who are learning how to be a 3d modeler. Great support.

Sijun - Wonderful community for 2D artists. 

Poly Count Forums - This community has great challenges for 3d modelers. Want to push yourself? Then compete against professionals.

CG Tuts - Great website for learning how to model. Pick up some neat tricks here.

Designer

Game Trailers - For the reviews and history of franchises.

Penny Arcade's Extra Credits - Although this was mentioned under general, game designers need to watch this site. Some great and thought provoking videos.

YoYo Games - Game designers need to be able to build games and script at a minimum. Also, they have a great community of new developers here: Game Maker Sandbox