Who here is in the game industry?

[Marek]

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

I'm just curious how many thumbers are working in the games industry (in whatever capacity). Of course I know some of you are, and I occasionally read a passing reference to someone being a programmer on something, but I thought the topic warrants its own thread.

I'll avoid speaking about myself in this first post for fear of the thread seeming like I want to talk about myself.

[Roderick]

I do write some things and I do get a certain amount of money for said writing, but I don't consider this status just yet.

I am a full-fledged freelance journalist though. Damn straight. [N]Gamer, Netherlands' prime Nintendo mag!

[Ryam BaCo]

i'm currently programming games for touchscreen terminals --> the company i'm working for

although there are a few things to learn, this all isn't enough for me and so i'm also looking for other possibilities to enhance my talents.

[Salka]

I am a lowly tester in some Company which most people know for having created a mediocre racing game...

...Although I am only 20, so this kind of lowly job is forgivable

[Jake]

i design webpages and user interface stuff for an adventure game company! woo

[brkl]

Nice tales.

[Marek]

Most of the time I design (and sometimes help program) a browser-based 3D mini-MMO project that we're building internally with a small team at the company I work at. It's really really cool.

I also do design doc stuff for other projects we do for external clients, most recently an advergame for a brand of running shoes, and a bunch of community-based minigames for an energy drink.

[Ben]

I evaluate and design games for a Japanese (originally American) games company.

[Ben X]

I was given an 'Additional Design' credit on a brilliant game called...

Gibbage!

Woooo!

[Markus]

I'm working for a New Media Agency in Vienna - began as graphic designer only, but doing more and more programming and development work in Flash now.

Some of my work includes branded games, although this means the more or less boring kind (learning games for kids, different kinds of quizzes, memory etc.).

I am experimenting with browser based (Flash, mainly) games in my free time, but i just don't seem to have enough time to finish one of them. Still, this is something i seriously want to expand, and will find a way to do so.

[Erkki]

I'm a wannabe game programmer, currently working in financial business software. I recently turned down a job to work on some casino game backend.

Actually, lately I'm not even that interested in games programming, but evolving as a software developer in general (and business software seems so much of a better place to do that) and some day I may want to try to get into the game industry or just do some game design & programming as a hobby.

[Marek]

Vienna

Hang on. Do you know a game company called Avaloop? (Long shot. Just curious.)

[Markus]

Hang on. Do you know a game company called Avaloop? (Long shot. Just curious.)

Yes.

One of my best friends has been working there for a few months.

Also, I know two of their current employees, although with "know" i mean: met them once or twice in my life.

[Marek]

Hey, cool, not such a long shot then. Do you know Lev or Barbara over there? Good people.

[loonyboi]

As of a few months ago, I'm a producer at 2K Games. I work on all the Firaxis titles. So basically if it says "Sid Meier's" on the box, it's one of mine.

Prior to that I did PR for 2K/Take 2 for two years, and before that, I wrote about games for Shacknews/GameSpot/Blue's News/Next-Generation Online/loonygames etc for around seven years.

[Markus]

Hey, cool, not such a long shot then. Do you know Lev or Barbara over there? Good people.

Those are the two I meant.

While studying, I had Lev as a game design teacher for some time, and i know Barbara through one of my friends. Vienna is tiny

Where do you know each other from - GDC probably?

[n0wak]

Like many people, it seems, I have made the so-called "advergames" and various other online, mostly flash, games and widgets for various people/entities (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Intel, TVOntario, Major League Baseball, Purina )

I have also made a standalone "casual" game that I had the priviledge to see boxed in a BestBuy a few months ago, which would be rather cool and would show me that "I've made it" if not for the fact that it was a crappy and generic game that I really had little to no input over. Welcome to the games industry, I guess.

So I mostly stick with online media and working for advertising agencies. Fewer douchebags

(And, oddly enough, the place I'm at now has Nintendo as its client! Granted, that's more on the print+tv side so it's nothing I come in contact with, but they did just launch a campaign for "The Touch Generations" and once I did point out to someone that a certain graphic was from Zelda.)

[Nick]

I started in QA for a localisation and testing outsourcing company. Then I moved to a higher position, still in QA but for a mobile games developer. Now I'm working for an MMO games publisher.

[mcoupland]

I graduated this spring and now am a programmer (primarily graphics) at EALA.

(No snide remarks about EA please, I actually like it a lot! )

[Spaff]

Actually, I [Yufster] also knew a person who worked at EA and said he really enjoyed it there. Hmm...

[Ben]

The senior games designer I work with also worked at EA (including working on games like Far Cry and Cryisis before he left) and he absolutely hated it.

PS - That isn't meant as a snide remark - just stating his feelings as he's expressed them to me. I'm sure there are as many people who like it, than there are those who don't - as with employees at most companies.

[Salka]

I liked working at the same company that Spaff hated working for.

I seem to be the only one, too...

[SpiderMonkey]

Previously, yes; again in the future, yes; at the moment, no.

[Marek]

Where do you know each other from - GDC probably?

Yeah I met them there and since then became good friends with Barbara.

[Malkmut]

Semi-freelance guy. Usually work with IGN.