smidget

@AndrewPending

Meh, if I got trolled then I guess good for him(?) I'll just stop looking at Joystiq as a place where commenting is worth anything past one-off comments and I'll spend my time typing somewhere else.

@chrisredfield31

If you're applying for a position at a company who's game you've been playing for years then yes, I would agree that it could be very helpful (and in some cases, like Blizzard, important) to include your player history. And in the case of a tester position, I would also agree that a history of being part of specialized beta's would be beneficial. But I don't think it would mean nearly as much in the case of a community management position. At least when being weighed against other skill sets needed for that role. I, and I presume the others on here as well, responded to that point the way we did because of the level of import you seemed to place on it. While in very specific cases, such as a tester position, it would make sense to include on a resume, this article was about someone who left a community management role. So people responded to your comment with that in mind. I would think it unlikely that they would have responded with such ire (but perhaps still some, this is the internet after all) if the article had been about a tester lead position where the benefits are more obvious.

And just in general, while your player history can be very beneficial in getting a job, your professional skill sets are much more important out of the gate. Having a passion for and knowing a game is one thing, having the skills to a professional job and get paid for it is a whole other thing. The professional skills and experience get you in the door, the passion for and knowledge of the game allows you to smear them with compliments and share stories in the interviews and show that you're worth it. But you gotta get to the interview first.

And hell dude, if you can fill out a workable resume for that position, do it! The bachelor's degree and C++ are "pluses." Will you likely get the job if someone else applies who DOES have those pluses? Perhaps not. But you'll never know if you don't try. And then you'll be in their system. Everyone knows the stories of what being a tester is about (especially if you read the Trenches stories) but hey, then you'll be in (the industry).

@chrisredfield31

"I'm really at the edge here of not giving a crap about the industry anymore. I cannot respect the audience, the companies/game developers any more."

Man, now is the time to be part of the industry. Yes, there are a lot of things happening that are annoying (like how Capcom is handling their shit) but there are also so many good things happening as well. The amount of change that is happening in the industry right now might be chaotic but in that chaos is opportunity. And on the other end of this chaos is an industry that will look and run unlike anything that has come before it. If you stop looking at the huge companies and start looking at the larger picture, at all the in-roads that are being created to the gaming industry right now, you might just find something to grasp onto. Don't let all the annoying shit that's happening right now discourage you. It's temporary and will pass. And the audience that you can't respect is likely the online vocal minority. Changing alongside the chaos right now is the audience. The average age of gamers continues to increase along with the lifestyle of those who game and how they choose the make games a part of their life. You don't hear from the majority online because they have other shit to worry in their life than posting on blogs. It doesn't mean they aren't influencing where things are going. Don't let the loud and immature people claim your attention as "the audience." They are just one part of it. And while it might seem like everyone here is shitting on you, its just because a lot of the things you've been talking about fall into the category of "growing up" - realizing that life is not laid out for you on a silver platter and that it takes hard work and proving yourself (especially in the video game industry) to get where you want to be in life. Sometimes that means risk. Sometimes its a slow process. But its a process that everyone goes through once they start taking those steps. Hearing someone talk about how everything is working against them and how hard everything is and stating their misguided credentials (such as betas) just tends to come of as whining and uninformed. So perhaps this felt like being slapped in the face but I'd encourage you to take it as reality check and if you want, as a challenge.

I didn't offer any resources previously on the community manager front, so if you want a quick glance at what I was talking about before, check the link below. It's from 2009 so you can imagine how the expectations have grown even more since then:

http://conniebensen.com/2009/02/28/community-manager-responsibilities-and-goals/

@chrisredfield31

It actually isn't that hard to save if you're not making minimum wage. You just have to be smart with your money. So, you've been asking for some REAL advice. Here's some.
(Not saying you already do or don't do these things):
- Stop eating out a lot and start buying groceries to make things like sandwiches and other cheaper food options. Things you can make multiple meals out of. If you want to go the ramen route, throw a couple eggs in there and some kind of meat and boom, filling & cheap meal (not the healthiest obviously but neither is fast food). Crockpot meals are great for this as well (making multiple meals).
- Stop buying games for $60 and watch cheapassgamer for amazing sales. Your game isn't going on sale? Find the resolve and patience to wait. (I just recently picked up Batman AC for $10 brand new at Best Buy by doing this). Games will not be going anywhere if you take a break from them.
- If your employer allows you direct deposit AND the the option to split it, take a little out of your check and send it into a savings account. If your employer doesn't allow this, do it yourself.
- Remove "extras" from your life that you don't need and put the money you would have spent on those things into your savings account. "But I need at least SOME fun in my life!" Sure, but what's more fun, not having the job you want and always scraping by or not living paycheck to paycheck and being able to plan for your future?
- Live.Within.Your.Means.

If you literally don't make enough to be able to save at all, even after restructuring your financial living, then its time to change that and no amount of whining will do anything for you except dig you deeper into a hole of going nowhere. Find a second job. Become extra-knowledgeable in some field so you'll be desirable. Only YOU can change your circumstance. No one will do it for you. No one knows whats in your head and just oh-so-good-you-would-be-if-they-would-just-give-me-you-a-chance. You're competing against people who ARE changing their lives in order to get what they want. Who ARE actively reaching for their goals. Who ARE putting themselves out there. There's no way you'll ever compete with that if you're doing anything yourself. The old saying is wrong - Good things do not come to those who wait. Good things come to those who work their ass off.

@chrisredfield31

Being a Community Manager on that level is a lot more than just talking in forums and on twitter. There's a reason that the average salary right now for community managers is around 75K. The AVERAGE. On the low end are the people that are just the forum moderators/twitter face for small companies that don't need anything else. The high end are those that do the job from a marketing perspective and are involved in way more community building efforts than just forums and twitter. You gotta realize being a community manager for a company on this level is not just being a moderator. That's why he held the title Creative Strategist. Because you might have only seen his work through public avenues like forums and twitter but you better damn well believe he's doing a helluva lot more behind the scenes. Just because he may not be the best video personality in some people's minds doesn't disprove why a company like Activision would pay him what I can only assume is a 6 figure salary.

Secondly, like others have said, if you want a gaming job, go where the gaming jobs are. Or prove you're worth it. Hell yeah its more expensive in California and hell yeah it would take some saving for a lot of people to be able to make that move. But you know what? People bust their asses there every day on low-paying jobs just so they'll be in the right place so they can grab the opportunity when it arises. Does it suck? Sure. But not everything in life is easy. Sometimes you gotta take chances. OR You do something to prove to them that you're worth hiring. And that means MORE than just being involved in communities. All the stuff you listed could be copied and pasted by SO MANY people that have been gaming for over 10 years. Being part of multiple communities and being respected in those communities is not an abnormal thing. And PC gamers take part in betas all the damn time. Get a degree in marketing or PR or creative writing or business. Or if you're that important to some communities, request to be a moderator of them so you can show experience. Like I said, unless you're trying to be part of very small company, being a community manager means a lot more than moderating forums and I think you are generally underestimating what the job entails nowadays.

I would love to see a video of Valorie Curry watching the final piece for the first time.

@pluupy

loved that guy growing up. Still remember his full body muscle spandex suit or whatever it was, haha. Yeah, there's a lot of kids shows nowadays that use science in some way but you're right, there really isn't one that's all about learning & discovering science in that fashion. At least, not on the normal kids stations where they'd naturally come across it.

It was like a PBS short for becoming an astronaut when you grow up. Something that isn't in the minds of kids anywhere near as much as it used to be. iiiiiii like it.

And that mechanic is a pretty smart way to update your game, Rovio. Good job.

@Spyder2k5

My immediate reaction was that they did it because there really isn't a lot of exposure for the "kids growing up to be astronauts" mindset nowadays. Not like it used to be. That's why it started off, nice and slow, with "high my name __, i am an astronaut. Here's something cool about gravity and how it relates to something you enjoy. Maybe this will get you interested in becoming an astronaut when you grow up."

That's the vibe I got at least, and I'm perfectly fine with it.

You - Shall Not! - PASS!