A job-related rant! (more like job-hunting)

[Kellervo]

Yeah. I think I'm going to be using this board alot in the coming weeks.

Basically, some of you know I'm heavily into 3d modelling. Nikky, Thunderthighs and Witchie can draw, Doom can spam stickies, Morti can rage and Endeavour can host an awesome server. I on the other hand model things in Maya and ZBrush and pretty much worship Pixar and Valve, not for their games and movies, but for their techniques and what not. Wall-E's impact was twofold on me, until I recovered from shock and spent the whole second viewing of it pondering and writing up theories on what kind of shader networks they implemented for certain effects. Yes, I am that nerdy about modelling.

This is my third year in University, and I've been pushing hard for an internship in the film or videogame industries. It sounds great, I thought there would be at least a few internship programs out there for me to apply to and hopefully muscle through. That's the reason I'm working so hard on my final projects now, instead of two weeks from now when they're all due. I've been working on a demo reel.

Problem is... where the fuck do I turn it in? I have searched everywhere for internships and summer-time openings, literally everywhere. What do they all say?

"We want senior-level modellers and animators, people with industry experience. We don't want interns."

That's the answer, with no deviation, from over 25 studios. Out of 30. The 5? Believe it or not, all five of them are Electronic Arts or Activision studios. Which brings another problem and that's the fact over 5000 people compete for 10 openings once a year. I think I'm damn good, but I just know that, odds are, I'm not in that top .002% that will get those jobs. Which is what this rant is about.

The videogame industry constantly harps on how it cares so much for its fanbase and how much it wants to encourage the growth of the industry. But I think they're ignoring a problem. Everyone that brings us good games nowadays were, for the vast majority, making good games for us 10, 15, or even 20 years ago. They're old, and no matter what they say to the contrary, they don't want new blood in their studios, they just want to continue the time-tested tradition of forming another studio with like workers with the same 10-15 years of experience as them. They talk of open doors and windows of opportunity, but they forget to mention you need 5 years in the industry to get in. I've seen applications that look PERFECT for me, until I reach the bottom and read At least 1 published game credit (meaning you aren't just an intern, you have your name in the credits)... and then scroll up to the top and see [ENTRY LEVEL POSITION - 3D Modeller]. Wut. How the hell do we get into the entry position if the entry position requires already being in the industry!?

GGAAAHHH! *runs off screaming*

[Ignis Solus]

My boyfriend has the same problem. It really depresses him and it keeps me in this goddamn dump of a house with my witch of a mother.

[JimmyChopblock]

make an independent game, market it over the net, use it as your "credited game".

also, apply for those jobs even though you don't meet the "must have 1 credited game" BS requirement. Let your demo reel do the talking. They'll make exceptions. Companies often set their wanted ad's standards too high and end up settling for less than their un-reasonable expectations.

[Endeavour3d]

[Purplecat]

There is times when I want to get together with some buddies with my programming skills, and create a independent game.

I can dream.

[Jake Monroe]