Andrew Carroll on LinkedIn: #opentowork | 10 comments (original) (raw)
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Software Engineering Manager @ SciPlay
6mo
After a decade in the gaming industry, I've embarked on the journey of developing my own game while interviewing for other jobs. However, as I delve into tutorials covering technical aspects like networking APIs, I've noticed a significant oversight – none of them start from a design perspective. Through my years of experience, one lesson stands out: solid design principles, accompanied by a robust tech design document, lay the foundation for seamless development. Proper planning not only simplifies coding but also proves cost-effective, preventing rewrites and mitigating numerous frustrations along the way. This realization has sparked an idea: should I launch a YouTube series detailing my approach to each feature of my upcoming game? From initial design sketches to whiteboard flow diagrams, and finally to implementation, I aim to provide an in-depth exploration of the entire development process. But the question remains: would this be of interest to the community? I'm eager to hear your thoughts! Join the conversation and let me know if you'd be keen on such a series.#GameDesign #GameDevelopment #YouTubeSeries #GamingIndustry #GameDevCommunity #FeedbackWelcome #Unity #Unity3d
To view or add a comment, sign in - I was hiring for a ‘Game maker’. The board game enthusiast got the job. Here’s why 👇 Studio partner needed a “Game Maker” An idea machine. The hiring manager said: ”Those who have played board games are idea-making machines.” My candidate was a board game fan. We highlighted this in his interview. After being made the offer. The client said this gave them the edge. He was hired. Lesson? Board gamers are better designers. Successful game developers play board games. For example: - Josh Mosqueira-Asheim, Game Director on Diablo III - Sid Meier, the creator of Civilization - Isaac Childres behind Gloomhaven Isaac loved board games growing up. This led to him building Gloomhaven. It's a wildly successful board game. ↳ Which sold millions digitally. Those who understand board games. ↳ Understand games on a deeper level. A deeper level that allows them to excel in game design. ”Game designer” job descriptions may not mention “board games”. But a board game hobby was the trigger point. (a D20 roll) Remember, although not essential.. Your hobbies have a bigger impact than you think. Keep them on your CV. Agree? p.s I'm currently playing Rummikub, has anyone got any recommendations for other board games?
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Concept Artist | 3D Artist | VFX Artist | Indie Game Developer
4mo
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Current Adjunct Professor at Duke University for Game Design Master's Program | Unreal Engine and Game Development Consultant
9mo Edited
📣 BIG NEWS 📣 Today, I announced to my team that I will be departing Zapper Games as their Technical Designer and looking for new opportunities. Firstly, I just want to say thank you to Zapper Games for the opportunity to build and contribute my own ideas to an original IP that I can't wait for the world to see! You are all great to work with and exceptionally talented individuals building something awesome! ❤️ Although it is bittersweet and might seem crazy at a time when our industry feels so volatile and unsafe, I have always believed in myself and my ability to land on my feet. I just know things will work out for me, mostly because I refuse to give up on myself or my dreams. With that said, I will be ramping up my own development and services that I can provide to the game development community to help inspire and enable others to create their dream games using Unreal Engine. More about this to come in the very near future. Without further adieu, I am now looking for new opportunities and open to work. If anyone is looking for a Technical Designer or Game Designer feel free to reach out. I have nearly a decade worth of experience working with Unreal Engine and have taken multiple projects from concept to release on various storefronts and platforms. #opentowork #unrealengine #gamedevelopment #newbeginnings #lookingforwork #openforwork #gamedev #gamedesign #gamedevjobs
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>100m Download Game Dev Solopreneur | 5 Published Hits | Unity Expert | Indie Evangelist
1mo Edited
A message to my fellow game devs. A little bit of a rant about the state of the industry, post-layoffs and pre-more layoffs to come. The game development industry is taking a really steep turn away from big studios having employees. I recognise very clearly that I’m very lucky to be working at Voodoo right now as a game developer, but I realise that even within Voodoo there are only so many job opportunities as a game developer. If you look at all these “game developer job” listings, 99% of the jobs are for more management / non-technical positions. There are less and less actual development roles in game companies than any other role. This has a big thing to do with the fact that these companies think they can make games by outsourcing most of their work to cheap countries as well as the rise in AI, as well as the fact that most game studios aren’t even making new games any more, just updating old games as a live service, which requires much less developers and much more data scientists / marketing roles, etc. This in my opinion is bad news for the many many developers out there trying to get work. So what should the majority of us do that aren’t lucky enough to be one of the few actually employed game developers? Well there’s a few options, but it’s very difficult, to say the least. 1. Make Short, Viral Steam games There have been many more breakout indie successes than ever, mainly my solo devs or micro teams of 2-3 people making tight, small scope, highly viral games. This is do-able, but you have to really do your market research, be very quick to make a demo to test your hypothesis, and market like crazy. It’s also not quick money, with the shortest game you could probably make to be profitable is 6 months. Upside is you could make a looot of money if you go viral and do this right. 2. Pivot your career / engine of choice This is sad to say, but I’ve seen much much less Unity development jobs ever since the Hyper Casual bubble popped. However I’ve seen a huge uptick in Unreal positions over the past year. Unfortunately even if you’re a senior Unity developer you will pretty much have to start from scratch, as most companies hiring for Unreal want a developer with 5 years experience using Unreal, which is pretty silly if you ask me especially if people have lots of experience shipping games in Unity. A lot of the skills cross over quite a bit. 3. Make web games (mainly for CrazyGames) If you’re a Unity developer and have made lots of hyper casual games web games are a really natural transition point for you. You can continue making the same types of games, but just for web. They pay out advertising shares and you don’t need publishers. TLDR: Employment opportunities have completely dwindled as most companies that hired are laying off more and more of their staff. I hate to say this, but it’s time to become an entrepreneur. It’s the best time ever to become one as an indie, with many new opportunities
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Founder, Teacher @ Outscal | Land Jobs in the gaming industry | EA, Kixeye, DeNA, Junglee, D.E. Shaw
3mo
For the past few months, we have been asking impacted professionals to tell us about them. Our aim? To send them a shoutout so that their profiles reach a maximum number of recruiters and actively hiring game studios. Some of them were impacted months ago and still engage with us regularly. This clearly shows how hard it is for game developers to find a new role after a layoff. Despite game developers being familiar with the term “layoff”, this job loss wave is being normalised to the point that it is outright frustrating. People who work hard for at least 4-5 years on a single project do not deserve this. So, I am requesting recruiters and game studios to consider these profiles next for roles they are hiring.Kat Craig — An excellent UI/UX designer who we all know as the wonderful community warrior she is. Kat has some insane experience in designing for studios like Nintendo, Blizzard Entertainment, Thieves Studios, and Larian Studios. She can create some of the best HUDs, character-select screens, and menus. Check out her portfolio in the comments below.Rho Watson — Founder of Igloosoft Games, the studio that made an ambitiously interesting 2D sandbox called Farworld Pioneers. Rho has also worked on the underrated title Starbound during his time at Chucklefish. He is a brave soul enough to lead a team of 15 developers who created a game that sold 20K units.Kale Keriazes — A talented producer who has worked for studios like Epic Games, Imangi Studios, and Deck Nine Games. Kale has experience working on Temple Run and Temple Run 2 during his time at Imangi. Kale is looking for production or quality assurance roles, preferably around the Cary/Raleigh area. Check out Kale’s portfolio in the comments below.Kasia Ptaszynska — A skilful 3D environment artist who has worked for studios like ZA/UM, Roll7, and Electronic Arts. Kasia has worked on the hit indie title OlliOlliWorld. You should take a look at her environment art for the OlliOlliWorld from the comments below.Shawn O'Donnell — A wonderful 3D and environment artist who has worked for Lost Boys Interactive and Amazon. Shawn has worked on titles like Diablo IV and New World. *** To every layoff-impacted game developer, we are offering a chance to learn game programming from top industry developers with a 100% scholarship. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gQfimvQU***#layoffsupport #gamedev
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Producer & Game Designer, experienced in Marketing and Content
8mo
Still looking for new roles in the game industry and your support is appreciated! Feel free to request a CV and additional details or suggest relevant projects in the comments. I'm an experienced community specialist, shifted to production role a couple of years ago. Mostly specializing on hardcore and midcore games, familiar with Unreal, Unity, and Godot.#opentowork #gamedesign #communitymanagement #gameproduction #unrealengine5
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Founder, HamTiv | Android Development Expert
1mo
Find Your Career Path #8: Game Developer 🎮👾 Ever dreamt of creating the next PUBG or Candy Crush? Game Developers are the creative brains behind all those addictive games you love (and maybe hate when you lose)! If you've always wanted to build your own game, this could be the career path for you. Let's break it down: Start from Here: Learn the Basics: Begin with programming languages like C# (Unity) or C++ (Unreal Engine). These are the building blocks for your game’s logic, interactions, and controls. Think of them as your game’s superpowers! 💪 Game Engines are Your Playground: Master Unity for mobile and indie games, or Unreal Engine if you’re dreaming big with AAA titles. These tools help you create virtual worlds and characters that feel real! Graphics & Art: Dive into computer graphics and rendering. Learn to make your game visually stunning with textures, shaders, and animations. It’s like adding the perfect masala to your biryani! 🎨 Moving to This: Level Up Your Skills: Get into advanced game development like multiplayer networking or procedural generation. Ever wondered how infinite game levels are created? This is it! Optimize Like a Pro: Learn to make your games run smoothly, even on low-end devices. No one likes a laggy game, right? Step into VR/AR: Explore virtual and augmented reality development. Think Pokémon GO but with your own twist! The future of gaming is all about immersive experiences. After Some Experience: Lead the Game: Move into roles like Lead Game Developer or Game Designer. Imagine being the mastermind behind an entire game studio! Indie Freedom: Start your own game development studio. Indie games allow you to experiment and innovate without corporate constraints. It’s like being a director of your own movie! Specialize: Focus on areas like mobile games, multiplayer systems, or niche game genres. Want to create the next big battle royale or fantasy RPG? This is where you stand out! 👉 Ready to dive into the world of game development? Check out HamTiv.com for a full roadmap and more details. Let’s turn those gaming dreams into reality#CareerPaths #FindYourPath #HamTiv #TechCareers #GameDevJourney #IndieGames #GamerLife
To view or add a comment, sign in - "The Plucky Squire" is a soon-to-be-launched action-adventure game developed by indie game studio All Possible Futures and published by Devolver Digital. The world is full of immersive colors and allows you to play in both 2D and 3D modes! The game has a unique premise where the main character, Jot, a storybook hero, is thrust from the 2D world of his book into a vibrant 3D reality by the villain Humgrump. The gameplay is expected to be varied, incorporating elements like boxing, flying with a jetpack, and even top-down dungeon crawling, ensuring a rich and engaging experience. The game's narrative and visual style are heavily inspired by classic storybooks, with beautifully illustrated landscapes and creative character designs. ------ Did ongoing layoffs impact you? 🙏 We are offering a 100% scholarship on our game programming boot camp for anyone impacted to transition into game programming and upskill themselves. Here’s how to apply - https://lnkd.in/giFepuZTIf you are a recruiter or know of any studio that is hiring currently, here are resources that will boost your process and help you find the ideal talents. Send us an email to partners@outscal.com for a collab and we will help impacted professionals reach the right place.#gaming #gamingindustry #indiegamedev #gamingcommunity #gamedev #gamingnews #games #gamesindustry #videogame #videogames #videogameindustry #ai #artificialintelligence #animation #3d #2d #indiedev #indiedevs #gamingjobs #indiedeveloper
To view or add a comment, sign in - After January’s catastrophic layoffs when 6000+ devs lost their jobs, September became the next worst month for game devs. More than 1,009 devs were laid off from various studios of all sizes. God knows how many lives and families were impacted! Out of the many studios, Midwinter Entertainment was completely shut down by parent Behaviour Interactive. After diligent risk assessments, Behaviour claimed to have made this decision with a heavy heart. The title on which the team at Midwinter was working also had to be canceled. But on the positive side, Behaviour continued to support the developers, stating that this closure doesn’t reflect their talent at all. Instead, they are offering every developer the opportunity to relocate to their Canadian Studios. And even if they do reject it, they will be paid severance packages. This is a small light on the grim times this industry is facing. Hence, we are celebrating the devs from Midwinter Entertainment today
— A Senior/Lead 3D Animator with over 16 years of experience across AAA games. Lucio has worked with renowned studios like Midwinter Entertainment, Final Strike Games, Monster Closet Games, Square Enix Montreal, Onyx Studio, MegaZebra, and Ludia on games like Arena Battle Champions, Rainbow Six Siege, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Legends, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and more.Susan Schwartz — A Senior UI/UX Designer at Midwinter Entertainment with over ten years of experience in the game industry. Susan has held key roles at various companies, including Undead Labs and Warner Bros. Games, where she led UI/UX projects on high-profile titles like State of Decay 2 and DC Legends.Daniel Alexander — Over his six-year tenure at Midwinter Entertainment, Daniel took on roles such as Principal Animator, VFX Lead, and Creative Lead. He also contributed to studios like WB Games and Hardsuit Labs and helped direct key motion capture and animation efforts across high-profile projects.Justin Lippert — A seasoned Game Design Lead with over 13 years of experience crafting cooperative and competitive multiplayer games. He has held key roles at companies like Midwinter Entertainment, Octopus Panic Games, Respawn Entertainment, and Microsoft. Justin's notable contributions are to iconic titles like Halo 5 and Halo 4.Colin Riley — A UX/UI designer with extensive experience in the gaming industry who was last working as a Senior Technical UI Designer at Midwinter Entertainment. Colin has also worked with PopCap Games, Amazon Game Studios, and Unity.Gregory Marques — Lead Systems Designer and Creative Director with over a decade of experience. Other than Midwinter, Gregory has worked for Amazon and Wizards of the Coast, where he was involved in developing games like New World and Magic: The Gathering. *** If you want to help more impacted devs like these, check out the list of 900+ impacted devs we have been collecting over the past few months: https://bit.ly/4dSgl2B
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