Obsidian's Avellone on breaking into the industry

by Alan Rose { Jul 6th 2006 at 8:50PM }

Over at Penny Arcade, Obsidian co-founder Chris Avellone has some advice for aspiring game designers. A creative force behind RPG classics Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale and the upcoming Neverwinter Nights 2, Avellone is always an entertaining read. He values persistence, practical experience, and attention to detail over academic background.

And if you want to be a writer, a sense of humor doesn't hurt, either. Just make sure your email address isn't SuperMageCockLord@yourmomma.com. Chris will explain why.

See also:

Tags: atari, black isle studios, chris avellone, fallout 2, icewind dale, knights of the old republic, neverwinter nights 2, obsidian entertainment, planescape torment

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

SuperMageCockLord @ Jul 6th 2006 9:54PM

I don't understand. It's an old and respected name borne by my family for generations. The SuperMageCockLords came over on the Mayflower, I'll have you know! The name has been shortened since then, though. In the old country we were the SuperlativeThaumaturgeTalleywhackerSovereigns.

In case you're wondering, it's pronounced 'Smith.'

GSI @ Jul 6th 2006 10:02PM

Something else I learned in a class I took with an instructor that had been making games for 20+ years (card games, board games, computer games, etc.) is that 75+% of all game industry jobs are posted internally. Whether it be on a bulletin board in the breakroom or thru internal emails to others in the company.

Oh and I know quite a few guys at Obsidian (some good friends)...and they're about 5 minutes away from my office. :-)

darko82 @ Jul 6th 2006 10:04PM

All of those games he worked on rock! Long live BioWare and Obsidian!

SuperMageCockLord @ Jul 6th 2006 10:30PM

#2

GSI, that can be applied to almost all tech jobs. If it weren't legally required some companies would never place a single public job listing.

As it is, you'll frequently see jobs listed in such a way that the guarantee the guy they already planned to hire is the sole qualified candidate.

'Must have no less than four years experience with Enterprise Java Beans and three years interpretive dance. Also must be left handed with thinning hair.'

Judd @ Jul 6th 2006 10:31PM

Hmm... I wonder who the guy posting as SuperMageCockLord WITH 19 STARS really is?

msdarnell @ Jul 6th 2006 10:52PM

This goes double for writing jobs.

epobirs @ Jul 6th 2006 11:46PM

#5

Dunno,I would have sworn I was the only one but apparently some secret commenters lurk here.

GSI @ Jul 7th 2006 12:59AM

@ #4:

That is true. A lot developers/publishers post their new jobs to other employees b/c it will reduce the number of really bad resume, demo reels, etc. that HR would have to sort through.

A lot of the time when developers put a job posting on the web, they sometimes say "3-5 years experience." In reality they don't always follow that IF you show enough motivation and if your skills are good enough for them to look beyond the years of experience.

A friend of mine actually got a job at Midway (Chicago) on the Stranglehold team as one of the level designers despite having no real industry experience.

GSI @ Jul 7th 2006 1:01AM

Oh and "SuperMageCockLord" is epobirs. :-P

Pal @ Jul 7th 2006 9:03AM

The most important thing is connections. You can be the most skilled guy around, but if you're the kind that just can't get along with others, you can be sure that you'll lose your job to a less-skilled guy that's fun to hang out with.

Reminds me of the guy that watched Ren & Stimpy while at work, he got canned pretty fast since he never produced usable work either. Another guy who was very skilled, but he thought he was "all that" and was a bit snobby, so he didn't stick around too long either. It may sound weird, but one loose gear in the machine and the whole machine doesn't function as it should.

This is true with the 3D CG industry that I'm in, and is the same for this and most other jobs as well. So work on your people skills if you want to get in the entertainment business.

Advertisment @ Jul 7th 2006 11:18AM

Neverwinter Nights - it's best game, that I ever play...

Respect for designers

Jeff @ Jul 7th 2006 11:29AM

"A lot of the time when developers put a job posting on the web, they sometimes say "3-5 years experience." In reality they don't always follow that IF you show enough motivation and if your skills are good enough for them to look beyond the years of experience."

That's true of every type of job.

In fact, almost all the comments here - and the original article - apply to pretty much every type of job. Most jobs are not advertised. It helps if you have connections. It helps if you're personable. You don't always need to have all the advertised requirements if you make up for your deficiencies in other ways.

There's nothing much special about getting a job in the game industry. If you know someone who works in the industry, ask around. Otherwise, check company web sites (a lot of them do advertise jobs on them) or the want-ads. Send resumes. Practice your interviewing skills. There's no big secret to getting a job in the industry.

Probably the only real difference between getting a game industry job vs. getting another type of job is that being too formal can actually hurt you. Show up in a suit to a job interview and you'll be labeled a stiff. Ditto for writing overly-professional cover letters and follow-ups (note that this doesn't mean you shouldn't try to sound professional, but you can sound smart and capable without following what etiquette guides tell you to the letter).

I think the reason some people think the game industry is so tough to break into is because for most people who try, it's the first real job they've ever applied to. The game industry is by and large made up of twenty-somethings, except for upper management. But you would be dealing with most of the same issues if you had chosen to get a job in the financial sector, or in television, or pretty much any other industry you could name. This ain't McDonald's where you just go and ask the manager for an application form and hope for the best. You just need to follow the basic guidelines that apply to job-hunting in any industry, and put the time and effort in to polishing your resume and interviewing skills.

GSI @ Jul 7th 2006 3:04PM

I dunno about showing up in a suit hurting you b/c even with everyone wearing jeans, tshirts, flip-flops, etc. you should still show up professional looking.

I went to a job interview once wearing slacks, dress shoes and a long sleeve shirt and the owner of the company (a really hot chinese woman) was wearing a REALLY short mini skirt, a tshirt and those wooden japanese slippers. I got the job without any problems.

The job I have now I also showed up the same way and got the job starting as an intern and now I'm a full time salary employee.

Sure you might feel wierd but that doesn't mean you shouldn't dress up. If you do dress up you make a better first impression, especially if your resume AND demo reel are up to snuff.

As for the age of those in the industry...that is slowly shifting to late-20/early-30 year olds. Plus the BIGGEST difference with working at a game developer and (most) publishers is that the atmosphere is much more relaxed (dress code wise.)

Also, the reason why I brought up the years of experience thing was b/c when I was getting close to graduating, me and a lot of my classmates were a little worried. It wasn't until our instructor (a industry veteran from Oddworld Inhabitants, EA, Point of View, etc.) pointed out that developers will put that on their job postings to scare away those that don't think they are good enough to even try.