Game Artists in the game industry - need your advice?

The first thing to do is to find out what game studios are in your area. Most game companies will not pay for relocation for an entry level job, and some won't even interview you if you don't live in the area. Take a look at the map here: http://gamedevmap.com/ and follow the links to the webpages of any game studios that are within commuting distance of where you live now. Most game companies have a Jobs/Careers/Employment section of their webpage that will list any open positions.

There are definitely entry level artist positions out there, but you need to look close to home first, and you will *absolutely* need to send in your resume and your portfolio, without getting your face seen. Recruiters for game companies are not interested in meeting you face to face, or getting to know you as a person. If your portfolio is good enough, it will stand out on it's own, and *then* they will ask you to come in for a face to face interview.

So start with the job listings of game studios near your college. Another good place to look is Gamastura.com. "Junior" or "Associate" are words to look for, since those are the most likely to not require any game industry experience. Often any position without "Senior" or "Lead" attached to it is actually entry level as well. Check out these two entry level positions at Blizzard: http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/art-3dback.shtml http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/art-environment-tex... (FYI: "Able to work full-time in the Irvine area" means "you already live close enough to Irvine to commute daily, because are not going to pay to move you, or wait for you to move to the area.")

If you are completely unable to find any job as an artist (even after moving yourself to a hot spot like Los Angeles or Austin), then Quality Assurance testing might be the way to go. Very few people stay in QA very long -- most people use it just as a way to get their foot in the door with a game company. Once you work for a game company, it's a lot easier to move up within the company. You will hear about open positions that are never released to the public (almost all game companies prefer to promote from within, rather than hire from outside, which is why entry level development positions are so rarely posted publicly). And while working in QA, you will work directly with the artists and producers who would be in charge of hiring you onto the art team.

I personally do not think that job fairs for game artists are all that worth it. You will be one more face in the crowd of hopefuls, and will be even less memorable to a recruiter than if you sent your outstanding portfolio in for a posted position. OTOH, if you aren't able to find the time or the funds to do one simple thing that could be the key to breaking into the game industry, you may not be cut out to work in the industry at all. Game development is very competitive, not just to get in but to stay in -- there is always someone younger who is willing to do your job for less money. You have to be very self-motivated to survive in the industry. If you can't make it past the difficulties of getting your foot in the door, then it's probably not the career for you anyway.

This sounds like a job for.... Yahoo Answers! Actually no. This sounds like a job for your parents. Up, Up and Away!