But that last thought would be unimportant. It's not a mark against you. OK?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
4/4, 2008

hey

>[Sent via GameDev.net's Private Messaging feature]
>From: blackvans1234   [ Add to Buddies ]
>Subject: Hey
>Date: 4/3/2008 6:21:37 PM  
>hey, you replyed to a thread i posted a while ago
>http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=481503
>anyway, im 17 now, (birthday was in march) Im interested in taking some sort of art course over the summer. I actually just posted a thread about it
>this is the course description
>http://www.gatlineducation.com/video_game_art_coursemain.html
>i also am waiting for the arrival of my newly bought wacom intuos 3, which i hope to improve my drawing/coloring skills.

Hi Van,
Well, stick to it, and good luck. If you ever have a question I can answer for you, just email me (please don't use the GameDev private messaging service). I'll post the answer here.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April 3, 2008

Regarding the Proof Of Concept

>From: Flávio Creasso Creasso
>Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 3:50 PM
>Subject: Questions about P.o.C.
>Greetings Mr. Sloper.
>I got some questions about the Proof of Concept, thanks in advance!
>Q: Are PoC and Demo different things?
>Q: Does a POC need be done with the same engine planned to the final release? E.G.: Suppose that a game can be "simulated" with the engine A, but the developer intends do a pitch between another things to get funds to license the engine B.
>Q: If a game has exclusive features to more than one system, is valid like a PoC include different executables with each aspect or does need these systems be fully integrated?
>E.G.: Like send the combat and the traveling in two different executables.  
>Best Regards.
>Flavio Creasso

Bom Dia, Flávio!

It depends. (It depends on the meaning of the person who's using the term. There are no "terminology police" who go around arresting you if you use a term to mean something different from what somebody else thinks the term to mean. Therefore different people might use the term "demo" in a variety of different ways.) Have you read FAQ 28? I clearly explained the difference between these two terms, as I use them and as I interpret them.

It depends. (It depends on whether the concept being proven can only be demonstrated using the intended engine, or not. It depends on whether the team creating the proof of concept already has access to the engine or not.)

Probably.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April 3, 2008

A question of degree and breaking in

>From: james thompson
>Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 1:26 PM
>Subject: Question about degrees
>My approximate age is: _20
>The level of education I've completed is: _High School
>My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: _Student
>The type of game job I aspire to (if applicable) is: _Game Programmer, Designer, and Production
>My game biz question is: _Hello, my name is James and I have read your articles on your website and they are very informative.  Thank you for devoting your time to helping people find out about game design and production. I am a sophomore in college and my major is Management Information Systems.  I have changed my major several times from computer science to general business to MIS, I decided to go with MIS.  Working on video games, preferably desinging them, is all I have ever wanted to do since i laid my hands on the controller of my Nintendo when I was very young.  I plan on taking the classes you mentioned in your design career preparation for game design.  My questions are is it possible to enter the game biz having an MIS degree and having completed the classes you mentioned or should i change my major to computer science? And how do I get experience in game design and production so I can have a good resume when I apply for a job?  Any advice you give me would be very much appreciated.  Thank you

Hi James, you wrote:

is it possible to enter the game biz having an MIS degree and having completed the classes you mentioned
Read FAQ 50. The FAQ links are above left.

or should i change my major to computer science?
Read my article "Am I In The Wrong Degree Program?" on GameDev.net.

how do I get experience in game design and production so I can have a good resume when I apply for a job?
Read my IGDA column, "The Experience Experience" - go to http://www.igda.org/games-game/ and click Archives. It's the October 2006 column.
What you're asking is the classic unanswerable question, "how do I get job experience so I can get a job?" Which came first, the chicken or the egg? (^_^)
You can't get "experience experience" before you get the job, but you can certainly build up a portfolio and some creds by making some games. Work on mods and/or indie/garage games, preferably in collaboration with others.

Any advice you give me would be very much appreciated.
Sure. Ask anything (anything I can help you with), anytime.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April 3, 2008

Do real pitches work this way, part too

>From: Hélder Gomes
>Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 8:25 AM
>Subject: Question rephrase!
>You do not understood one of my questions... I meant physically, that is:
>
>We presented the pitch this way: A guy (on my team, me), talked in front of a bunch of analists seated on front of him (each one representing a diffrent publisher).
>
>So what I meant with the questions are: It is usual to have several guys on the same table? (you already awnsered that), and The pitch is usually a person talking in the front of guys seated in front of him like a thesis defense? Or it usually happens in other ways?
>
>About the game english creeping: there are games marketed exclusively for national market that has english titles (and sometimes even english manuals), something kind of bizarre, since 80% of the population here suck reading portuguese that is the mandatory official language...
>
>And again, thank you for your faqs and your board, along with some other resources it was really usefull to build my pitch on the class :) So at least in a academic environment I am sure that your advice work (not that I doubt them, and not that I do not have diffrent opinions...)
>The things that you write on the foruns are great too :)

Héllo Hélder, you wrote:

The pitch is usually a person talking in the front of guys seated in front of him like a thesis defense? Or it usually happens in other ways?
The world is not black and white, Hélder. There isn't just one universal way that a particular sort of business event always happens.

I have been to pitch sessions where there were multiple hearers, and I have been to pitch sessions where there was only one. But most of the time, you have to submit your concept by email first, and the vast majority of concepts never progress beyond that to an in-person pitch.

If your concept succeeds beyond the initial submission and progresses to an in-person pitch, most (if not all) of the publisher's attendees have already read your initial submission. They already know what the game concept is. So what they're really there to see now is you. They want to see if you are someone they can trust to actually make the game -- someone they should risk money on. So they might have more questions about the game itself, but most likely they'll want to know more about your team and your plan for the project.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April 3, 2008

Ownership issue with GDD, part 2

>From: Paul █████
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 11:56 PM
>Subject: Re: Worried About Design Document Helpers
>Thanks for the quick post and good advice (as well as the internet anonymity!)  I DID sign an agreement stating all my designs were property of my employer, way back when I started working here.  Guess I'll have to find some clever way out around that...
>~Paul

How can I sweeten my chances of making a successful pitch?

From: henrikolsen%comhem,se
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 2:29 PM
Subject: How do i increase my odds of succes
> I understand that, in order for you to give me the best answer suited to my
> unique situation, you need to know that...
> My approximate age is: _31   
> The level of education I've completed is: _The hardway Game Development
> My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: _Entertainment biz
> The type of game job I aspire to (if applicable) is: _GD / GD assistant
> My game biz question is: _How to increase my odds of succes?
>
> Hello Tom!
> My name is Henrik Olsen and im writing to you because i could use your help.
> I have read ALL of your FAQ`s and some of the articles you point out (Dan
> Marchant and Intellectual Property in the Brave New World of User-Created
> Games)
> But i havn`t found the answers i need to proceed (or im too stupid to
> comprehend it)
> FAQ 1, 11 and 21
>
> A little background info about me and why i need your help.
> I have some, but limited background in Game Development (i wrote the music and
> storyboards) to the PC-game Outforce -
> http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/outforce/review.html?
> om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review
> That Game was developed "The hardway" with us funding and develop the complete
> game. After releasing Outforce, O3 Games bought
> Starbreeze studios and later developed titles like Chronicles of Riddick and
> The Darkness.
> I quit working for O3 Games before they bought Starbreeze studios due to my
> other interest (DJ-ing).
> Some times i really regret quiting that job, If i didn`t quit that job i
> wouldn`t need you answering my questions.
> So No, im Not a Industry pro.
>
> I`ve always loved playing games (even some of yours) and especially the
> Battlefield series by DICE. I`ve played that series since BF Vietnam for
> thousands
> and thousands of hours and im currently considered as one of the top-hundred
> players in the world in Battlefield 2142.
> Now to my questions
>
> I`ve written a sequal of a IP owned by DICE. The sequal is based on that IP
> but consists alot of new and unique features
> making it almost a new game. My Goal with this document is,
> #1 Having DICE develop it, with me as a team member.
> #2 Getting them some fresh ideas and maybe letting me have a job at DICE as a
> GD assistant. (Yes, I know you said that there`s No such position)
>
> For some reason Developers/Publishers (as i understand reading forums and
> articles) are somewhat reluctant to even consider
> reading user-made sequal concepts, besides the most obvious reason, (No Parent
> wants to hear how to raise its child, But sometimes a little help from a
> stranger could strengthen that child).
> So my questions are
>
> #1 How do I increase my chances of having my concept evaluated by a
> Producer/IP Owner in a fairly objective way?
> (without upsetting the Parents)
>
> #2 How do I increase my chances of having them wanting me to send them the
> treatment document?
> (Besides the most obvious reason, Wrighting the "ULTIMATE IDEA" having them
> calling me back 5 minutes after i sent it, pleading me
>  on their bare knees to let them develop this megasuperduper hit and throwing
> gazilljons of... You get the point.
>
> #3 Do you know of anyone making a succesful pitch of a sequal based on someone
> elses IP, having the IP Owner develop that sequal?
> If so, Who and what Game?
>
> #4 I have a concept, treatment and a nearly completed GDD. Do i need to finish
> the GDD in order to sending them the concept?
>
> I havn`t written a letter in English for years, so i understand if you just
> want to correct my spelling, send it back to me and wait for a mail with
> correct English
> grammar and spelling. Thats OK, I wont get mad and hire a lawyer to have him
> investigate the possibillity to file a lawsuit on you for "verbally abusing"
> me.
> But i hope you understand my questions and dont just send it back.
>
> The most common why of saying Thank You is by just saying it, The most
> appreciated way of saying it is by sending money.
> Sorry, At the moment im all out of money so i just stick to saying Thank You!
> =)
> Henrik Olsen

Hi Henrik, your questions are:

How do I increase my chances of having my concept evaluated by a
> Producer/IP Owner in a fairly objective way?
I wrote in FAQ 11 that there are two factors: [1] who you are (industry pro, famous superstar, Joe Street Corner...) and [2] what you bring to the table (level of development you've taken the design to).
You can't do anything to change #1 - you are who you are.
So the only thing you really have control over is #2. If you can make a demo or an animation, that'll be better than a paper document. But you already knew this was the answer, because you already read FAQ 11.

How do I increase my chances of having them wanting me to send them the
> treatment document?
> (Besides the most obvious reason, Wrighting the "ULTIMATE IDEA"
That is not the obvious answer. How would they know you'd written an ultimate idea if they haven't seen the treatment yet?
I don't have any magic answer for you. They are either willing to look at your submission or they aren't. If you know someone who works there, or someone the DICE folks trust, and he can put in a good word for you, that would help.
I only mentioned DICE because you did - but they're a developer, not a publisher? You can try pitching it to the developer, but you can also pitch it to a publisher. So there's more than one way to attack this.

Do you know of anyone making a succesful pitch of a sequal based on someone
> elses IP, having the IP Owner develop that sequal?
No, I don't know of any examples of that having been done. I think it's a hard sell, with built-in problems that may not be fixable.

I have a concept, treatment and a nearly completed GDD. Do i need to finish
> the GDD in order to sending them the concept?
No. You don't.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April 2, 2008

'Ownership issue with art used in a GDD' is the wrong question

>From: Paul █████
>Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 8:43 PM
>Subject: Worried About Design Document Helpers
>Hi Tom,
>First, thanks for the effort you've put into your site.  I used it as a resource to get my current job in the game industry, and I still reference it from time to time.
>
>My question is rather specific, but could be valuable for other folks out there who are writing game design docs of their own.  I'm writing a design doc right now, and I'm pretty excited about it.  As part of the document, I've got some character designs written out in words, but I'm not much of an artist myself, so I haven't sketched anything out.  I do know several aspiring artists, however, and I'm considering asking them to help out and draw some sketches for me.
>
>However, I've got this worry in the back of my head that, if I ever decide to use this design doc to get my game made, I will run into issues with submitting other people's work without getting proper "permission" from the artist.  Is there a standard operating procedure I'm not aware of that I should be following here?  Should I set up some sort of contract, stipulating that the images "belong" to me, before asking for anybody's help?  Should I be paying my artists, even if they're also young gaming professionals looking to build their own portfolios?  Am I inviting trouble by contracting the help from others to work on my doc?  Is this something I should even be worrying about?
>Thanks again,
>Paul

Hi Paul,
Good news and bad news.
The good news is you don't have to worry about the thing you're worrying about. The solution is simple. If you get a friend to create some sketches for you to use in your GDD, you just put a little caption under the first picture, or a little footnote at the bottom of the first page using one of his sketches. Something like, "Graphics courtesy Zack Zackerson, who'd love to be hired to work on this game, nudge nudge wink wink, say no more." OK, so I got a little carried away there. You can just acknowledge the artist, that's all. The audience for your document is very small.

Gotta back up a second. You say you're writing a "design doc," but I don't know if you're writing a pitch doc or a full GDD or what. A pitch doc is the way to go at this stage, IMO, which means the only people who'll see the doc are submission managers, and if you're lucky, a greenlight committee of game execs. It's fine to create a full GDD if you want, but unless your project gets funded, nobody'll ever see it. So it's no big deal that you put your friend's art in there - art that he created for you just for this purpose, need I add?

So that was the good news. Now for the bad news. You say you are currently working in the industry. I assume that means you are employed by a game company (if I assume incorrectly, then you can ignore this paragraph). The problem is that unless you have already reached an agreement with your employer, to the effect that you may create your own game concepts in your spare time, what you're doing constitutes a conflict of interest. Many game companies' employment agreements contain an inventions clause that specifies that stuff an employee invents or creates while employed belongs to the employer. That may not always hold water when what the employee invents is outside the field of business of the employer - but if you work for a game company, and what you create is a game design, then "holding water" is pretty much what's going on here.

This (the bad news above) is why I blacked out your name on this post. I suggest you look at your employment contract and think about maybe (1) putting this game aside until you're not employed, (2) negotiating permission from your employer, or (3) pitching the idea to your employer.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April Fool's Day, 2008

You've been telling it all wrong!

>From: Joseph Bleaux
>Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 2:02 PM
>Subject: i got a testing job!
>Dear Mr. Sloper,
>i've seen the campaign you've been waging against websites like www.gamertestingground.com but i had some money burning a hole in my pocket and i decided to give it the acid test. i signed up for the becomeagametester package, and WOW! (Sorry, i know i shouldn't shout, but WOW!!) They sent my résumé around to game companies all over the world, and i was suddenly deluged with tons of offers. And i didn't have to move or anything, i could test their games for BiG BUCK$$ right here in the comfort of my home! You probably won't believe this, but my best offer, $111 (yes, one hundred eleven U.S. dollars) per hour, was from no less than almighty Nintendo itself. And not just the U.S. office up in Washinton, i'm talkin about the head office in Japan. They sent me a specially rigged up Wii, and those checks roll in twice a month. Man oh MAN you were so WRONG! You gotta stop tellin peeple to stay away from those sights, dude. butt it is kind of dissapointing to get only $111 and not $120/hour like the sight prommissed...
>--
>Joseph Bleaux
>The tooth will out -- So sayeth my dentist

And a Happy April Fool's Day to you too, "Joe Bleaux." (^_~)
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April 1, 2008

Do real pitches work this way too?

>From: Hélder Gomes
>Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 8:26 AM
>Subject: This is also reflected on real life?
>Today I had a class where we done a "pitch" of a game.
>It worked this way: On the first week of classes, we had to select two games from a list (Space Invaders, Missile Command, X-Rally, Asteroids and Pac-Man), create a pitch for those two games and show to the class (the was done in group btw), then today, the "last day" of the project, we presented a pitch of a new game cretead by ourselves.
>My group (I was the speaker) done a less formal pitch, talking faster, using some hand draw (but good) drawings (including a rotating cardboard to ilustrate how something on our game rotated) and avoiding getting too serious and maybe boring.
>On the other end there was a overly formal group, where the talker looked always directly in the eyes of the "publishers" (each group sent one member to represent the group as publisher), with a speaker that speaked slowly, and used high resolution print drawings.
>And there was several others between the two ends (altough always tending to the formal side).
>After that the results were: ALL publishers wanted to buy my game, and NOONE wanted to buy the game of the "formal boring guy".
>This was inside a academic environment, with students as publishers, so I ask if on the real life, out on the wild, what is more important on a pitch, how clear and how much details a publisher usually wants (my group skipped some details to show the most cool features), how formal we need to be when pitching? Is possible to have pitches with several diffrent publishers on the same place? A pitch is a guy talking in front of publisher analists?
>Btw: My group was the only one that had a portuguese title for the game, all others had english titles (like Tank Wars or Earth Defense), I found that intersting (there are a english language creeping on the projects...)

Héllo Hélder,
You have experienced firsthand the value of salesmanship in making a game pitch. While the pitch absolutely has to contain information, it also has to be exciting. It must leave the listener wanting to hear more, and above all, to play your game.

what is more important on a pitch, how clear and how much details a publisher usually wants... how formal we need to be when pitching?
Classic "two-choices question," Hélder. Since you've read FAQ 52, you know that the answer to a two-choices question is almost never one or the other. It's almost always either "both" or "neither."

Which is the most important attribute of a windshield - that it keep the wind off the driver, or that it be transparent? Both are vitally important, else the windshield is useless.

Which is the most important attribute of a game pitch - that it inform or that it generate excitement? Both are vitally important, else the pitch is ineffective.

Is possible to have pitches with several diffrent publishers on the same place?
Classic "is it possible" question, Hélder. Since you've already read FAQ 50, you know that the answer is "anything is possible." But it would be extremely unusual to make a pitch to multiple publishers in one room at the same time. It's difficult to arrange, for a number of reasons I don't feel like going into.

A pitch is a guy talking in front of publisher analists?
Your question is what exactly: "are publisher submission managers analytical"? Is that what you're asking? Of course, a submission manager has to have a cold analytical side to his personality - but he has other facets to his personality as well. Please rephrase your question.

My group was the only one that had a portuguese title for the game, all others had english titles... (there are a english language creeping on the projects...)
It's not unusual for a game to be given an English title, no matter what country it's developed in. It's also not unusual for a game to have a Portuguese title, when it's to be sold and marketed in a Portuguese-speaking region.

Well done, by the way - that's cool that your pitch won the judges' approval.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
April Fool's Day, 2008

Call for more respect for board game inventors

>From: Mary Couzin
>To: tomster@sloperama
>Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 4:08 AM
>Subject: Richard Gottlieb's post on game inventors and critics
>Hi Tom!
>Hope all is well with you.
>As an inventor, I thought you might find Richard Gottlieb's recent post about game inventors as celebs and game critics interesting and perhaps post something.
> http://www.playthings.com/blog/390000439/post/580024058.html
>My Very Best,
>Mary

Hi Mary,
Thanks for the link. I am letting readers of my site know about the blog so they can read it and post their comments. Of particular note is the blogger's call: "board games need to be treated with the same respect given to books. Specifically, they want to see more acclaim for game inventors and serious reviews of these games in the media." It makes sense to me that the American game market catch up with what's been going on already in Germany and elsewhere.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 31, 2008

Hohe hoholulu

>From: Capriola Hoerig (eventualise@hergolfgame.com)
>Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 9:17 AM
>Subject: disbelievers
>God dag,
>Hohe hoholulu
>To one of the prettiest little frameups ever. It lie flat.
>consequently some of the hairs are and gwyllennhin the king
>of france, and gwittart some and worrying others? If against
>thy will be elicited from either the crews or the soldiers.
>no good at an hour when the air is full of the street, and
>there purchased a dainty bunch of an artificial scene and
>enjoys it is no proof that we, the red people, should get
>our living of exhaustion, something, mayhap, like those
>of on the president's table a variety of dishes, there a
>service lift luggage all that? I'm afraid moment saved me
>from the ignominy of admitting open the doors, a polar wind
>circled the legs habitations has left behind, beneath the
>ashes.

O... kay...
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 28, 2008

I need help finding a testing job but I'm a 15 year old South African and don't have a clue where to start.Help me please!

>From: Colin Daniel
>Sent: Friday, March 28, 2008 1:12 AM
>Subject: Game Testing
>I need help finding a testing job but I'm a 15 year old South African and don't have a clue where to start.Help me please!

Hi Colin,
So listen, I don't know what kind of help you think I can give you. Please tell me exactly what you think I can do. Word your question this way:

"Hi Tom, I read your FAQ 67 where you said game companies don't hire 15-year-olds, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't apply here in South Africa where the employment laws are different, aren't they, I dunno. Anyway, the reason I wrote you is that I've never applied for a job before, and I want you to tell me how to apply for a job."

"Hi Tom, I looked in your Game Biz Links page and found the links to sites where I can look up game businesses all over the world. In particular, http://www.gameindustrymap.com was helpful, since it showed me several game companies here in South Africa. My problem is that it's a long commute from my home to most of those companies - tell me, how do most teenage testers deal with the distance issue?"

"Hi Tom, I know how to find game companies and I can manage the job application thing - what I want to know is what a tester does on the job, so I can start polishing those skills now. I haven't discovered your FAQ 5 yet, doncha know. I found you by a Google search and I just saw that you know a lot about the industry and I emailed you right away, without reading anything on your site."

"Hi Tom, I read what everybody said to that other kid at IGDA Forums > General Discussions > Breaking Into the Industry > Can a 16 year-old with a High School Diploma be a Game Tester? and I'm a little worried now. My problem is that I'm 15 and I look it. How can I make a game employer think I'm actually 18? Know where I can get a fake ID? Got any tips for helping me grow facial hair quickly?"

"Hi Tom, I read what everybody said to that other guy at IGDA Forums > General Discussions > Breaking Into the Industry > Some Truth? and I choose not to believe what I read there. I'm delusional, and I want to believe that a game company in America or Japan will jump at the chance to send me their games and have me test them here at home. Would you send me the addresses of those companies please?"

"Hi Tom, I found this website u2cantestgames.com where if I send them money they'll find testing jobs for me. I don't want to believe the crap that you wrote about sites like that one in your July 2007 column (click Archives) or in your FAQ 24, so I want you to tell me that it's OK - that if I send them money, they really will get me a job testing games for $120 an hour."

So you see, Colin, I don't know what kind of help you are looking for from me. Help me help you - tell me precisely what it is you want me to help you with.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 28, 2008

Here's what my interests are. Which of these two game jobs is best for me: programming or art?

>From: mwzedalis
>Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:10 PM
>Subject: What Best Suits My Interests?
>Mike Z.
>I understand that, in order for you to give me the best answer suited to my unique situation, you need to know that...
>My approximate age is: 18
>The level of education I've completed is: Junior in High School, currently a Senior
>My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: Student
>The type of game job I aspire to (if applicable) is: Something in Games if applicable
>My game biz question is: What best suits my interests?
>   Hey Tom,
>First of all, I'd like to say that I just so happened to run across your site while doing some research on careers I might be interested in, and I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with the time and effort you have put into it. The information that you have provided has given me a more realistic look at the games industry and has sparked my interest in the field even more. Fortunately, I have made some very responsible decisions in my life to this point as far as my education and activities such as: becoming and Eagle Scout, maintaining a 3.75 GPA during my high school career, and even getting several hundred hours of community service. Now I know you don't want people posting their resumes but I figured those had some significant relevance to my future opportunities. I gave them in regards to my personality in hopes of helping you better answer my question. Basically, I have always had a passion for games, ever since Atari. I've played about every console to this day a nd about every game to boot. My question is: What part of the games industry would better suit my interests? I've always had a knack for art, whether it be drawing/painting or anything of the sort. I also believe I have the intellect and perseverance to be a programmer or something that takes more time learning the skills at the computer. I currently reside in Jacksonville, FL but I will be going up to live with my brother in Chicago after I graduate. There are several more technical schools in the area, being the large market town that it is, compared to where I am now. I figured the larger city would open up my doors even more to possibility. Are there any schools that you recommend in that area, or might you have any insight as to what jobs might be more in demand at this point in time? Thanks in advance for your time.

Hi Mike,
At first I hated your question. "Can you believe this guy? He expects me to tell him what his passions are! And it's a two-choices question, too!" But after a little thinking, I realized it isn't a bad question at all.
But of course, I can't tell you whether programming or art is better for you. And I don't recommend schools. Period. But I do have some thoughts about how you can figure this out for yourself.

Did you read FAQ 7? One thing you could do, to discover whether "programmer/engineer" or "artist" is more suitable to your personality profile, would be to... find out what your personality profile is. If you're still in high school, your guidance counselor probably has something like that you can try. An aptitude test or a personality profile would probably be enlightening.

Try an Einstein-style "thought experiment."

Imagine yourself as an artist. Picture everything that goes along with being an artist, one who spends 40+ hours every week creating 2D and 3D graphics that he's been assigned to create (as opposed to ones he dreams up to create based on his own unfettered imagination). Picture yourself at the computer, perhaps with a drawing tablet peripheral, creating art, day in and day out.

Imagine yourself as a game programmer. A programmer is essentially the same personality type as an engineer. You sit at the computer 40+ hours every week, writing lines of code to make the computer do whatever your boss wants you to make the computer do. It might be a 3D physics algorithm, an A.I. routine, tools to automate a process that would otherwise be exceedingly tedious for a human (such as yourself) to do manually. It might be a user interface for a menu system or the behavior of a Roman slave escaping from a legion of soldiers into the clutches of a minotaur. But not whatever your fantasy is.

If both of those ideas still don't help you choose a career path, and both still sound like your desired path in life, then choose a college that offers both art and computer science.

Or maybe you discover that neither of those sound all that great after all. In this case, choose a college that offers a wide variety of courses of study. You can always just choose your major later.

So I assume you have read FAQ 7, right? Have you read FAQ 40?

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 26, 2008

Small company or big company?

>From: "matt birken"
>Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 9:02 PM
>Subject: GD Q and A
>> Hey Tom I have a quick question.  I am 25 years old
>> and recently got my B.A.S. in Game Art in December.
>> Since then I have been interning at a small company
>> local to home as an animator.  So far everything is
>> cool even learned to animate in Maya previously using
>> Max.  My question is if posed with the choice of
>> working for the small company full time or taking an
>> internship at a major co. like say Activision...What
>> would you do?

Hi Matt,
Maybe you'll find my answer in my January 2008 column. My monthly column is called "The Games Game," and it's at http://www.igda.org/games-game/. Click Archives to find the January 2008 entry, "Does Size Matter: Big vs Small Developers."
And of course it ought to be obvious that a full time job is far far better than an internship any day.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 25, 2008

Considering USC, part 2

>From: Aaron Hoogstraten
>Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 8:37 PM
>Subject: RE: Game Industry Q+A
>Thanks for you quick response Tom and post on your bulletin!
>In regards to the motivation question, I just want to get a feel for the “learning atmosphere”, whether some kids are doing it just for kicks.  It seems to me that motivated students pass on their energy to their peers (at least in my case) producing a far more enjoyable time in class.
>Thanks again,
>Aaron Hoogstraten

Hi Aaron,
OK, I see. Well, there are some of each. I like to think I run an enjoyable class. It's a little loose, the students are free to kid a bit, but I keep it on track and make sure we cover the ground.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 25, 2008

Considering USC for my education

>From: Aaron Hoogstraten
>Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 6:33 PM
>Subject: Game Industry Q+A
>I understand that, in order for you to give me the best answer suited to my unique situation, you need to know that...
>My approximate age is: 17
>The level of education I've completed is: currently a high school junior
>My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: student
>The type of game job I aspire to (if applicable) is: game design
>My game biz question is:
>Hey Tom,
> I’ve been lurking around the IGDA and gamedev boards for a bit, trying to sift through the piles of information regarding prospective futures in the games industry.  Visiting these places of course led to your site, which has painted a candid picture of the possibilities for my route into the biz.  That being said, I also noticed that tiny banner up on the top of your website which advertised your involvement with the University of Southern California, which I had coincidently already placed on my list of desired colleges.  My interest in the more artistic and design aspects led me to the USC’s Interactive Media Division which seems like a great program (although I couldn’t locate much specific info on the course you teach).  From what it seems, the USC program would give a focused education in games and interactive media while still giving me a chance to get the 4 year university experience (as I know you have to address this issue often).
>Boy, it now seems like I’ve rambled for too long but I was hoping you could provide some general info on what the USC is like from the teacher point of view.
>i.e. do the students seem motivated? Does the program receive acknowledgement and support from the administration? And you may not enjoy this question (a bit vague): does the quality of education for the USC and the Interactive Media Div. meet your wise standards? And I realize you may not be able to answer some of these since the course you teach may not directly involve you with the IMD.
>Thanks for providing such great resources,
>Aaron Hoogstraten
>No virus found in this outgoing message.
>Checked by AVG.

Hi Aaron, you wrote:

do the [USC] students seem motivated?
Most of them, yes. But I don't see what this has to do with anything, as regards to whether or not you'd want to study here. (?)

Does the program receive acknowledgement and support from the administration?
As far as I can tell (from my vantage point as part-time faculty), yes.

does the quality of education for ... USC ... meet your wise standards?
Soitenly! (You were supposed to hear that in your mind sounding like the voice of "Curly" of the Three Stooges. Didja? Didja?)

does the quality of education for ... the Interactive Media Div. meet your wise standards?
The... Interactive... Mhuh?? Whuzzat?
Just joshin' ya, Aaron. (^_~) Look, I'm a freelance game producer/designer. I spend all of 6 hours a week on the campus. I teach my class under the Viterbi School of Engineering's IT program, I hold office hours, and I go home. I don't know that much about the various schools on the USC campus. If I was full time or tenured, well, that'd be different! I'd be all over the campus politics, I'd know about all the other schools, the programs and all... Ya get the picture? You're asking stuff I'm really not in a position to answer. K? All I can say is, I think USC has a great rep, and it certainly seems well deserved. And if you take my class, you're definitely going to learn a lot. 'Nuff said.

P.S. I'm emailing you the syllabus for my class.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 25, 2008

"Prompt" means "Assignment" - what's the likelihood that you knew that already?

>From: David Keller
>Sent: Monday, March 24, 2008 12:58 PM
>Subject: BB Question
>Hi Tom, my name is David. I'm 17, currently attending Cuyamaca (community <_<) college in San Diego. I have to write an essay for my english class, and I am just wondering if what I want to do is plausible, because I don't really think it is. See, the prompt is to write about an interesting place, person, or activity at Balboa Park, interviewing people attending the activity or place, or including place and activity related to the person you might be focusing on. But, the professor did give us a bit of leeway, and we don't have to stick to Balboa Park, it could be any such interesting place/person/activity in your community, defined as all of San Diego country. Seeing as how Balboa Park doesn't interest me in the least >_> I figured I should do what I am interested in, which is games.
>
>Now, not just an essay about games, that doesn't even fit the prompt. But it would be very nice to be able to talk to a person or people at a game development company (I want to be a programmer myself) in San Diego and write about the company and the development process, as well as the people/jobs involved with the process. Maybe visit the place, even, and observe it up close and personal like we're supposed to >_>
>
>Now, in order to fulfill the requirements of the essay, i obviously have to observe/talk to something/someone at sometime. But is this...likely? I would say possible, but i know you'd tear that apart, anything is possible right? But do I have a good chance to be able to contact any of these people and have them participate in my essay? Or are they simply too busy/have better things to do/probably wouldn't care enough? I am just some random cc student after all, and i have no connections yet :/
>
>Anyway, thanks for you time and (in advance) answers. I hope i didn't screw up too much <_>

Hi David,
I didn't know "prompt" was another word for "assignment." That's a new thing I learned today. I wonder how widespread that usage is. Anyway, I love it when a poster shows me that he's read some of my articles - so I like you already.

You didn't mention whether or not you'd already identified any likely candidates around San Diego. You can use gamedevmap or gameindustrymap (both are listed in my Game Biz Links page, above left) to find companies in your area, if you haven't already.

Your likelihood question is answered simply: if you don't try, it definitely won't happen. So the question you asked (albeit better than "is it possible") still isn't all that useful. A better question would have been, "how can I increase the likelihood?" Let's pretend that that's what you asked me (and skip a time-wasting preliminary back-and-forth).

You can increase the likelihood by having a number of students interested in participating in this game-centric project. A company is more likely to want to help out when it's not just one student.

You can increase the likelihood by inviting a reporter to tag along with you on it. A company is more likely to want to help out when it gives them free publicity. Maybe the college newspaper or TV station, or better, a San Diego paper or TV station.

A small company like High Moon is likely to be interested in publicity just because they're smaller. A big company like Sony doesn't need publicity, but they'd like to give it a Public Relations spin. So if you want to contact a small company, contact the president or a vice president. If you want to contact a big company, contact their head of P.R. After getting a reporter interested, if you can.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 24, 2008

Much verbosity, part 6

>Re: games, degrees etc
>From:    Dave Nash
>Date: Sunday, March 23, 2008 8:53:33 AM
>hi,
>i guess i am trying to solve the problem ...
>
>I am sure that you can't go wrong with a strong
>classical education, however if I was recruiting I
>would be looking at project based skills, portfolio
>work and I would probably issue a test or mini
>project.
>
>I think that its about being taken seriously as
>oppossed to seeming like a hobbyist. Its difficult to
>get the good status (e.g "chartered engineer") at
>anything, and definately worthwhile. If a "chartered"
>status appeared then it would be easier for
>freelancers and applicants to find work. I thought
>that working on published games would be all i needed
>to get through, however I feel like I am back to the
>start of the staircase, and i don't believe that the
>employers made the right choice. I don't see why they
>couldn't have allowed me to work for a weekend or even
>parttime for a trial period.
>
>  What would be the next best status level for a
>computer games/graphics/simulation programmer and
>software engineer looking to improve their
>credibility?

Hi Dave, you wrote:

if I was recruiting I
>would be looking at project based skills, portfolio
>work and I would probably issue a test or mini
>project.
It doesn't matter what you say you would do if you were in the hirer's seat. You're not in it. And you don't know what they have to deal with. Stop imagining yourself in "opposite land" and focus on this world that you actually live in.

I think that its about being taken seriously as
>oppossed to seeming like a hobbyist.
OK, and a degree helps overcome that perception. And a solid portfolio also helps overcome that perception.

Its difficult to
>get the good status (e.g "chartered engineer")
Yes. As I wrote in article 26, pretty much anything worthwhile is, by its very nature, not easy. (BTW, I don't know what this "chartered" thing is that you mention. You mean like "certified," is that it?)

If a "chartered"
>status appeared then it would be easier for
>freelancers and applicants to find work.
But you already said it was hard to get that status in the first place. So, so what if having the difficult thing made things easier? It's still difficult, all in all.
It doesn't matter that you think this. What matters is the way the world really works. Stop imagining this imaginary world - it's not getting you where you want to be.

I thought
>that working on published games would be all i needed
I must have missed this in your earlier emails. You previously held one or more jobs at one or more game companies? (Your first email was so verbose that I didn't read it, remember.)
If it was all you needed, you'd be in a job now, and we wouldn't be having this conversation. So it doesn't matter that you thought this. Read FAQ 49.

I feel like I am back to the
>start of the staircase
Let's not talk about "feelings." Let's focus on facts.

i don't believe that the
>employers made the right choice.
It doesn't matter what you don't believe. Stop thinking about the past, except in regards to what can be learned from it.

I don't see why they
>couldn't have allowed me to work for a weekend or even
>parttime for a trial period.
It doesn't matter that you understand employers' mentality. What matters is that you accept the reality that they don't see the world the way you do, so you have to adapt yourself to the way things are.

What would be the next best status level for a
>computer games/graphics/simulation programmer and
>software engineer looking to improve their
>credibility?
FINALLY! We got past a lot of your "feelings," your personal manifesto about how the world "should be," and finally we get to a question I can answer.
One little problem - I'm not quite sure what this "status level" thing is you speak of. So what I'm going to do is just recommend a course of action, since I don't know much about your current status level (perhaps because I didn't feel like wading through your lengthy first email).

Build an excellent portfolio.

That was it. That's all you have to do. If you want to get a job as a game programmer, you have to program games. And you have to show employers that you have programmed games, that your code is solid and well commented.

And you also have to learn to stop talking so much, and listen more (I assume that your written verbosity extends also into your spoken communications). You have to make a good impression at the interview, not only with the interviewer but with any staffers he introduces you to. You need to be the kind of person who fits in nicely with a creative team. You have to be "one of them." That means you mustn't be more whiny than everybody else. And you should be properly supportive and commiserating when somebody else whines (it wouldn't do to be too much less whiny than everybody else your age). Just the right level of whininess is required. So you have to work on bringing your level down a bit.

Clear enough? Anything else I can clarify for you?
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
Easter, 2008

im intrested in testing new and exciting games

>From: "mike grist" mikie19822003©yahoo.co.uk grist36©hotmail.com
>Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2008 5:27 PM
>Subject: (No subject)
> hi im intrested in testing new and exciting games ive been playing new games
>> such as :rainbow 6
>>         stranglehold
>>         kane and lynch
>>         blacksite area 51.
>> etc...........
>> i love playing game one of most funest hobbies i enjoy but would like to take
>> gaming to next level perhapes to earn a little extra cash or get alot more
>> experience out of gaming in general.
>>
>> please point me in the right direction.one day i would like to create a game
>> but not got degrees in creating one or wat to do in that department.
>>
>> here is my name and contact numbers over here in the United Kingdom
>> mobile: ███████████
>> telephone:███████████
>> from mike grist
>> age:25
>> mike grist

Hello Mike,
I really am very sorry, but I have to tell you that it's unlikely you will be able to get a job testing video games. If you read FAQ 5 (FAQ links are above left), you'll see that testers must have excellent written communication skills above all else. And going by your email, I think you would probably fail the written communication test if you applied for a QA job. Also if you read FAQ 5, you'll see that the QA job is a "report to the office" job - you cannot get testing work that let you test games at home, not as a full-time job anyway.

So I'm sorry, but I don't have any ideas for you. You can check out FAQs 24 & 27, but unless you can vastly improve your written communication skills, it's unlikely that you can get a job in the video game industry. I wish you the best in finding a job that you don't hate too much... (-_-)
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 22, 2008

"Much verbosity" no more, part 5

>From: "Dave Nash"
>Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2008 2:52 PM
>Subject: Re: games, degrees etc
>> basically, i reckon i was "ready" when I was 16 years
>> old doing level design using Marathon Infinity on the
>> mac.
>>
>> I find it very hard to believe that having a degree
>> automatically makes you a nobel prize winner or a
>> quality technician. I would expect that some of us
>> refuse to be rated lower than our requirements due to
>> advanced and sorcerous knowledge and ability from
>> beyond the post graduate level.

Hi Dave,
Welcome back. You've followed up on your week-ago post:

i reckon i was "ready" when I was 16 years old
To start your own company? Really? I mean, anything is possible, and there have been some exceptional individuals who were able to start amassing their fortunes at such a tender age. But, well, you didn't go that route then, and nobody's stopping you from doing it now.

I find it very hard to believe that having a degree
>> automatically makes you a nobel prize winner
OK, well, since I never said any such thing, I guess I share your disbelief in this wacky idea! (^_^)

I would expect that some of us
>> refuse to be rated lower than our requirements due to
>> advanced and sorcerous knowledge and ability from
>> beyond the post graduate level.
Sorry, I don't understand what you said, nor do I get whatever point it is you're making. If you're saying, "I don't need no stinking degree," then why did you ask me if I thought you should get one?

If I can help you by clarifying my advice for you, you know where to find me. Not quite sure what you're looking for, though.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 22, 2008

Because you're an old-timey game guy, you'll like part 2

>From: Tof
>Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2008 11:28 AM
>Subject: Re: Twisting gaming mechanisms
>Aw sorry,
>I didn't mean to send you straight to Vectrexoscope, which is mainly a visual tribute to the Vectrex, picturing how Pong might have looked on that machine. It hopefully raises the question of how hardware influences a basic concept, though.
> 
>You should try some of the others, which only goal is to raise questions about game design mechanisms.
>Here are some highlights and suggestions/hints (please don't publish those on your board as the point is also to discover what visitors come up with):
> 
>Compromise
>[Highlights and suggestions/hints omitted at poster's request]
>Twenty Lines
>[Highlights and suggestions/hints omitted at poster's request]
>Incompatible Visions
>[Highlights and suggestions/hints omitted at poster's request]
>Samba
>[Highlights and suggestions/hints omitted at poster's request]
>Build on
>[Highlights and suggestions/hints omitted at poster's request]
> 
>Etc..
>I do hope you enjoy these... and thanks for creating Spike - Darnit!!
>Regards,
>Tof

Hi Tof, you wrote:

I didn't mean to send you straight to Vectrexoscope
? The thing I looked at was "Pong meets Space Invaders." Sorry, but I don't get all excited when I see old-timey pixilated representations of ancient games, and I have a short attention span. So I peeked in and left again.

[Our] only goal is to raise questions about game design mechanisms... the point is also to discover what visitors come up with)
Ah. I still say that what you've done is "art." But I'm sure not everybody will agree.

and thanks for creating Spike - Darnit!!
Eek! Help! (^_^)

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 22, 2008

Advice for an aspiring NOA exec, part 2

>From: Anthony Solis
>Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 6:31 PM
>Subject: "Aspiring NOA Exec" -- Part 2
>Tom,
>It's unfortunate that your troop advisory board was requiring you to fulfill faulty prerequisites. On a side note, did you ever go to Philmont? (^_^)
>
>I have several questions. First and foremost, I want to address the Japanese language situation. My high school does not offer any Asian language curriculum, and nowhere else in the community is there a place that formally teaches Japanese. I have heard of a software package entitled "Rosetta Stone" that teaches foreign languages. If you have heard of this, do you think this would help? Also, I often hear that learning a new language comes easiest when you live within the culture. So is that why you suggested moving to Japan to get my first job and graduate degree?
>
>My next question involves actually moving to Japan. When you say "starting your first job (probably in Japan)", what kind of job were you envisioning? Would I be trying to get in with Nintendo Kyoto or just trying to get a good start with any business over there (to help pay for education)?
>
>Lastly, in your experience, what do you think game industry recruiters look for most in their potential employee candidates? In the video game industry, what sets one person apart from the rest?
>Regards,
>Anthony

こんいちわ, Anthony. You wrote:

did you ever go to Philmont?
No, but I was at Woodstock. (^_^)

If you have heard of this, do you think this would help?
Well, it certainly isn't going to hurt. But you can safely wait until college. You must choose a college that offers courses in Japanese (all the way, not just basic beginner Japanese).

I often hear that learning a new language comes easiest when you live within the culture. So is that why you suggested moving to Japan to get my first job and graduate degree?
No. That's only a small part of the reason (note that my advice was that you be "fluent" in Japanese - I didn't give you advice about how to do that). Try again.

When you say "starting your first job (probably in Japan)", what kind of job were you envisioning?
A marketing job or a business job or a law job. Doesn't matter. Like I said yesterday, 構いません。 分かりますか？

Would I be trying to get in with Nintendo Kyoto...?
You can try, but "rotsa ruck."

Would I be ... trying to get a good start with any business over there...?
Sure, why not?

(to help pay for education)?
Hadn't thought of that. Sure. Why not?

what do you think game industry recruiters look for most in their potential employee candidates?
Question much too broad. Narrow it down for me. Have you read my article #27 yet?

In the video game industry, what sets one person apart from the rest?
Same things that set people apart from the rest outside the video game industry. Try again.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March into spring, 2008

Because you're an old-timey game guy, you'll like what we did to these old games

>From: Tof
>Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 7:35 AM
>Subject: Twisting gaming mechanisms
>Hello Tom,
>seeing your interests and work on game design, I thought you might enjoy our little "productions" here at http://www.retrosabotage.com.
>Anyway, I'm confident it should at least make you smile!
>Cheers,
>Tof

I don't get it, Tof. I know art isn't supposed to be explained, but... an explanation might help poor clueless old me.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
Spring equinox, 2008

Advice for an aspiring NOA exec

>From: Anthony Solis
>Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2008 11:21 PM
>Subject: Video Game Industry and Business -- Questions and Seeking Advice
>Tom,
>I came across your game industry website while browsing Wikipedia (by the way, great job with the site. It is VERY informative). Before I ask for advice, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Anthony Solis and I am 17 years old. I am currently a Junior in a large public high school and am also in the top ten percent of my graduating class. I am in many extracurricular activities and am enrolled in a very competitive and successful school band (marching, concert, and jazz) consisting of approximately 300 members. For Senior year, I am seeking the leadership of the Drum Major (meaning one who basically leads the entire band). Additionally, I am an Eagle Scout that has much determination and high expectations for my future.
>
>Now, I promise you that I am not trying to improve my ego or send a conceited message to you. The reason I have introduced myself to you in such a way is so that you will hopefully take me seriously on what I am about to say and inquire of you.
>
>Ultimately, one of my largest dreams and goals is to become an executive at Nintendo of America (whether that is in Sales/Marketing/Finance/Development, etc). I would actually like to become the CEO or COO of the Nintendo of America subsidiary. I would maybe even venture to want to become the first American to serve on the international Board of Directors.
>
>I have had quite a bit of experience with leadership, communication, and speaking skills. I like to believe that I have the attitude and personality that an executive's job takes, but I need a sense of direction.
>
>I would like to inquire of you any advice that you would have to offer me. I do plan on attending college following high school, and most likely gaining a graduate degree. However, I am not exactly sure what to study. I have a fairly positive idea that I would like to major (or even double-major, if possible) in some type of Business degree or Computer Science degree (or one being the major and the other the minor). I believe it to be imperative that I get a technical degree (such as Computer Science), but I would think a Business degree (such as Economics or Marketing) would be extremely important, as well.
>
>So, what would be your advice on making it as that executive? What strategical or tactical approach, if any, could help me in achieving that goal? I am open to whatever you have to say, and would greatly appreciate any response you could give me. As for your website, I have already bookmarked it.
>Regards,
>Anthony

Hi Anthony,
First, a disclaimer. You understand, of course, that I haven't been the president of Nintendo. In fact, I never got as far as Eagle. I applied for Life (I had enough merit badges), but the troop's adult advisory board insisted that I get the God & Country first as a prerequisite. As I recall, I'd read the requirements, and the troop board was making up rules as they went along. Ahem, I digressed big time there!

My advice to you, since your goal is to become a president of one of the biggest video game companies, and a Japanese-owned one at that, is this:

Get an MBA and a marketing degree and a law degree. And become fluent in Japanese. You don't need CS, but you should certainly become fluent in Excel, Word, PowerPoint... So after you graduate from undergrad school, my recommendation is that you go to grad school in Japan. The order of things (whether to get MBA or marketing degree or law degree first) does not matter. 構いません。 分かりますか？ You can get your law degree in night school or something, after starting your first job (probably in Japan). がんばって下さい！

P.S. I see that you've sent me a second email. It looks very much like your first. If I've missed something you might have added in your second email, just email me again with whatever your supplemental question is.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 20, 2008

A slightly different take on Frequently Asked Question #37

From: "Sharon"
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2008 6:19 AM
Subject: Questions on game design
> My name is Zach I'm in 7th grade at ███████ █████ Middle school in ██████ County, MD.  I am currently doing a research project for my Challenge Reading Class.  The project is to research careers that we are interested in.  I have always been interested in becoming a game designer/develeloper.  I have always wanted to design games.  I am 13 now.  When I was 10 I bought some books on C++.  I read the books and actually designed some games on my computer.
> Part of the project is to interview someone in this field. I know most of the answers on on you page, but I need to show my email and response as part of my project.  I was hoping you could answer a few questions about a career in game design.
> Question: Should I attend a gaming-oriented school or is it better to get a degree in computer science from a university
> Question: How much education and special training do most people need to work in game design?
> Question: How much is the average yearly salary for game designers?
> Question: What are the advantages of having a job in game design?
> Question: What are the disadvantages of having a job in game design?
> Question: Is game designing a fulfilling job?

Hi Zach, you wrote:

I am currently doing a research project for my Challenge Reading Class.
Then you should have done reading on my site before asking me questions. "Research" is much more than "asking somebody." It's best to first make an attempt to get answers oneself, so that when asking somebody, you have a foundation to start from.

I read the [C++] books
Holy cow, you read C++ books?? I've never read one myself. I don't know how to program in C++ - because I'm a designer and producer of video games - not a programmer. That's pretty impressive, that you've actually programmed games in C++ in your youthful, um, youthiness.

and actually designed some games on my computer.
You mean you programmed them on your computer. See FAQ 28 and learn the difference between "design" and "programming." (I'm not saying you didn't do any design - you must have made some design decisions in making those games.)

I know most of the answers on on you page,
Doesn't sound like it to me! Sounds to me like you don't know the difference between a game designer and a game programmer, for one thing. Just saying you read something isn't enough - you also have to show that you know something that you read. "Show, don't tell" is a new popular saying in the game business.

but I need to show my email and response as part of my project.
Yes, I know. That's why I wrote FAQ 37. Students like you email me, I post it here and say "read FAQ 37," and they get an A on their papers. (Or something like that.)

Should I attend a gaming-oriented school
Please say "game" instead of "gaming." The word "gaming" is used by the gambling and casino industry, and we prefer not to have that added to our already sufficiently tarnished image.

or is it better to get a degree in computer science from a university
Read FAQ 44. But you see, don't you, that this question doesn't apply to game design - a CS degree would be recommended for an aspiring game programmer. I discussed courses of study for aspiring game designers in FAQ 3.

How much education and special training do most people need to work in game design?
At minimum, four years of college/university (a bachelors degree), plus a portfolio.

How much is the average yearly salary for game designers?
Read the latest Salary Survey on www.gamecareerguide.com.

What are the advantages of having a job in game design?
You get paid. (Note that I'm just going by the wording of your question. Students usually ask me a slightly differently worded question, thus I usually give them the answer in FAQ 37.)

What are the disadvantages of having a job in game design?
1. People who aren't in the game industry get confused as to what you do for a living - they think you're a programmer. 2. Or people think you just think about shooting townspeople and driving cars over them all the time (if they still can't get over Grand Theft Auto, that is). 3. Most of your work is done at the beginning of the project, so you have to have either more projects to work on, or you can do some other work instead of design for the remainder of the project. (There are entirely different disadvantages for a programmer vs. a designer, of course.)

Is game designing a fulfilling job?
What's "fulfilling" is subjective. In other words, it depends on what would be "fulfilling" for you. Some people would say it isn't fulfilling, because the game just gives people enjoyment and doesn't actually help anybody in a real and meaningful way. Others would say it is fulfilling because they get to exercise their creativity bones. (Answering from the perspective of "game design," not "game programming," mind you.)

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 20, 2008

Is trademark enough, or should I patent too?

>From: Thrun, Wally
>Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 3:00 PM
>Subject: Idea protection
>I understand that, in order for you to give me the best answer suited to my unique situation, you need to know that...
>My approximate age is: 45
>The level of education I've completed is: BS Science
>My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: Scheduler
>The type of game job I aspire to (if applicable) is: _
>My game biz question is: I did not read where you are an attorney, but in your opinion, based on the years of experience you have in the game industry (board games), would you consider having a registered trade mark protecting the name, logo and tag phrase enough protection on a new game or would you pursue a patent on the game idea?
>Wally
>The copyright in this email belongs to Harsco Corporation or to its relevant subsidiary and its contents are confidential. Unless expressly agreed to the contrary, no representation is made by this email and it must only be used for the purpose for which it was supplied. Unintended recipients must not make or resend copies of this email, nor use its contents for any purpose.

Well, Wally, you wrote:

I did not read where you are an attorney
That's because I am not! And I stated as much at the top of FAQ 39.

would you consider having a registered trade mark protecting the name, logo and tag phrase enough protection on a new game or would you pursue a patent on the game idea?
I did pursue a patent for a game idea I created a few years ago, but I'm not so sure I'd do it again. It depends. I'd probably go to a patent attorney, though, and explore the idea with him.

The question of whether to patent or not is one thing, but you should definitely avail yourself of copyright to protect the images and rules, and of trademark to protect the title. I recommend you get the Nolo Press book(s) I praised so highly in FAQ 8, and a lawyer's advice is also good to have. Lots of luck with your game design, Wally!

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
St. Patrick's Day, 2008
"ALL YOUR EMAIL ARE BELONG TO ME." Questions and answers are handled in this public forum only - I don't give free private answers. The "price" of the free answers is that they are given in this public forum. Emailing me with a question or comment on this topic constitutes permission for your email to be made public. It's like the Vogons said to the people of Earth before demolishing the planet to build a hyperspatial express route:

"There's no point in acting all surprised about it. All the planning charts and demolition orders have been on display in your local planning department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth years, so you've had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint and it's far too late to start making a fuss about it now."
- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

My plan to create an online card game involving real money

>From: moosie007 [ Add to Buddies ]
>Subject: thank you
>Date: 3/17/2008 2:55:35 AM
>Thank you for your advice [at the GameDev “For Beginners” forum, thread entitled “CARD GAME ONLINE,” at http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=486890].
>there are some countries that do allow servers (for online gambling)......so im still researching that.
>as far as SECURITY goes ......it will be 4th step.
>i'm gonna take it step by step.....
>1. Make the game and then test it on a private LAN server
>(to check for multiplayer cohesiveness)
>2. Understand networking and server conectivity to banks
>and internet (within that country).
>3. Setup the payment system with a bank directly OR CC
>third party.
>4. Hire an outside programmer fulltime to create server
>secutiry and track online game transactions.
>5. launh it online via INTERNET SERVER.
>AM I ON THE RIGHT TRACK? is this the right way to go about it?
>PS : your website was very helpful and to the point.

Hello "moosie,"
As it says above, I do not give free confidential advice. Also, I personally find website-hosted PM's to be annoying given that we have email, and my email address is easy to find. Due to both of the foregoing, my GameDev sig asks people not to PM me using GameDev's PM feature, and due to the former, my reply is given here on this bulletin board. You asked:

am I on the right track? [Note: shouting is not permitted by anybody but me here, also as it says above.]
No. I do not think so. I'm an industry professional, and I wouldn't want to venture into the online gambling market. For an amateur to do it is, IMNSHO, foolhardy at best. The very fact that you have to ask this question indicates that your venture is ill-advised in the extreme.

as far as SECURITY goes ......it will be 4th step.
This is a very bad idea. You need to plan for everything up front. Your development process can occur in stages, sure - but you really need to make sure that the hooks for security are planned for and accommodated right from the start.

Hire an outside programmer
Not one person, no. Hire companies that are experienced in these areas. I can't tell you where to find them. You have to do your research. You can start with the Gamasutra companies database, but that may not include companies involved in the online gambling scene. You should also include the other listings of companies sites I've listed in my Game Biz Links page, and research, research, research. Check out the online gambling sites, see what companies are involved, read past press releases from those companies, check their sites. You have to start with information before you start creating infrastructure.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
St. Patrick's Day, 2008

Short questions, part 6 (well, maybe not so short after all)

>From: me my butt
>Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2008 10:29 AM
>Subject: RE: game design advice
>Thank you ^_^
>and sorry about taking so long to make sense!

Good morning, you your hiney,
You're welcome. I'm here to teach, so I hope you learned something about asking good questions. BTW, that's pretty cool that you use Japanese-style smileys. (~_^)
Tom Sloper  /  トム·スローパー   /   湯姆 斯洛珀  /  탐 슬로퍼
GD溌Sloperama中com
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
March 16, 2008
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West. Available at bookstores, BN.com, and Amazon.com.

Short questions, dragged out to 5 parts

>From: me my butt
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 7:15 PM
>Subject: RE: game design advice
>ack it seems i'll never make sense >_<
>I was reading your faq's and in one of them it said that getting a degree was advised no matter the major because it showed resiliance and that's why i was asking. Is getting a degree in something else really going to help me become a game artist or would taking a bunch of different classes and getting certificates in important areas of game art and design without a degree help me?

Hi you your derriere,
Aha, at last the light dawns. You could have said so in the first place, like this:
"Dear Tom, I was reading your faq's and in one of them you said that getting a degree was advised no matter the major. So if I want to become a game artist, I could take a science degree? Seems a bit odd to me! Care to explain?"
See? Now was that so hard to give me the information I needed to understand where you were coming from? Anyway, to answer your question:

You probably found that statement in FAQ 3. Did you happen to notice that FAQ 3 is addressed specifically to aspiring game designers? Re-read the article, and also read FAQ 44. Two points. One that you missed, and the other you haven't read yet.

Get a degree in whatever you're passionate about (and good at). If you're passionate about the graphic art of games, you should get an art degree - learn all the tips and tricks about how to create art of various kinds, so you can get even better at it.

But if you're aspiring to become a game designer, you have to know a lot of things. Did you see the list of classes in FAQ 3? The reason for needing to know many things is also described therein.

I lied when I said there were two points. (I do that every time. Why haven't I learned yet?) It may surprise you to learn that it's very common to study one subject in college and yet go on to make a living doing something unrelated to that subject. Not for doctors or lawyers, of course. To become a doctor, one must absolutely get a medical degree. To become a lawyer, one must absolutely get a law degree. But most other vocations are not subject to the same rules as medicine and law.

A lot of the time, someone thinks he knows what he wants to do when he grows up but then learns differently later on - the guy who studies art and then he learns he doesn't really have any talent, for instance. You could go off and spend a ton of money on a "game design" degree, only to discover that you're not as good at it as 20 other guys who all get hired while you don't. And that game design degree isn't as applicable to general jobs as, say, a math or English degree.

If you study something you're passionate about and good at, and that thing you study is not the subject you thought you had to study to get the career you say you want, then maybe you're mistaken about what career it is that you really want.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Short questions, part 4

>From: me my butt
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 6:38 PM
>Subject: RE: game design advice
>Sorry ^_^;
>I am not planning on studying science or law or something like that im just wondering if i'll have to to get a job in game design or game art.  I personally think it would be more fun to spend time going through a lot of classes than to go into something random  and making around a 4 year commitment to something like science for my game design or art career. So that's why i'm asking, do I have to have a degree of some sort to be looked at by game companies or will spending years learning from all different classes that have to do with the area of work i want to go in but not having a degree hurt me?

Ali,
I'm still confused. I don't understand why you think you'd need a science degree to become a game artist (or game designer). The question is still out of left field, and I fail to understand how your head is coming up with such a question.
Maybe it would help if you would read FAQs 3, 14, & 53. (You'll no doubt have already seen the request above that posters read the FAQs before asking questions.)
BTW, "you your butt," have you read FAQ 24.18 yet?
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Short questions, part 3

>From: me my butt
>X-Originating-IP: [65.55.175.178]
>To: Tom Sloper
>Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 5:43 PM
>Subject: RE: game design advice
>^_^; sorry for confusion
>I'm wondering whether it would be smarter to go and spend 4 or more years studying something that will have nothing to do with my career. Is a degree in something no matter how far away it may be from gaming still better than a long list of classes and certificates that have everything to do with the career? I would think spending 4 years in various game-related classes would look better on a resume than a degree in science. But I don't actually know, so that's my question, hopefully easier to understand this time around.

Ali,
You still have not told me WHY you are asking this. Is it that you want to study science? Is it that your parents want you to study science? Your questions are every bit as strange now as they were the first time around. What is the reason for these questions? Why are you wondering what you're wondering? AND: what type of game job do you aspire to, and why?
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Much verbosity, parts 3 & 4

From: "Dave Nash"
X-Originating-IP: [217.12.10.42]
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 5:30 PM
Subject: Re: games, degrees etc
>I want to get something published, I have no
> reservations about using my ex-employer, however I am
> worried that without sufficient support from my
> ex-employers other developers I might fail to achieve
> my potential ...
>
> I feel ready for any production task, I've even become
> a level artist and game designer in my spare time. I
> really hard to believe that I should concentrate on
> degree work at this stage.
>
> I expect just asking nicely for the support of the
> people I knew could do the trick, however ... as we
> know the technical issues with modern games are
> becoming more and more demanding ... and games are
> requireing a lot of content.

From: "Dave Nash"
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 5:33 PM
Subject: Re: games, degrees etc
>i guess the question is - should i start up my own
> studio and attempt to make games or should I work on
> the people at the university I attended for an effort
> in the direction of finishing the degree fast in an
> attempt to improve my interview validity?

Hi Dave,
There's that verbosity again. Your 5:30 email was all information and no question. Thank goodness for the question in your 5:33.

You aren't ready to start up your own studio - read FAQ 29. I think finishing your degree would be a good thing. And you still need to do all the things I said below, too (there hasn't been anywhere near enough time for you to have done many of them yet).
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Short questions, and very strange ones at that

>From: me my butt (ali-chan_angel)
>Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 5:23 PM
>Subject: another question
>Do you think that a company will hire someone who has lets say a 4 year
>degree in law over someone who has gotten certificates in fields that are important
>to the field? In other words would having a certifications in Maya, textures, lighting and color theory, character animation, character set up and rigging- fields of this sort, be seen as less qualified for the position in game art than
>a person with a degree in some random field?
>thanks again ^_^
>Ali

Ali, these questions are bizarre.
I can help you better if you tell me the reason why you ask these particular questions. Dave, who has also corresponded with me today, has given me too much information with his question - you're doing just the opposite - not giving me enough.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Much verbosity, cont'd. from earlier today

From: "Dave Nash"
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 4:09 PM
Subject: Re: games, degrees etc
> hey cool,
> sorry about the over written story ... i've got quite
> a complex story about my background with degrees /
> work etc.
> I'm thinking that i need to find another income - the
> game job is a bit too competitive.

Okay, Dave.
The game industry isn't for everyone. It does take some self-examination, and well, maybe it isn't for you. If you ever want to come back and ask something I can help with, I'm always here.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Short questions but without enough sweetener

>From: me my butt (ali-chan_angel)
>Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 4:32 PM
>Subject: game design advice
>I understand that, in order for you to give me the best answer suited to my unique situation, you need to know that...
>My approximate age is: _17
>The level of education I've completed is: _Highschool
>My occupation (if student, enter 'student') is: _Student
>My game biz question is: _ What kind of schooling/degrees do most companies look for? What are the best schools for them?
>Thank you for your time.
>Ali

Hi Ali, you asked:

What kind of schooling/degrees do most companies look for?
It depends, Ali. They look for art degrees from artists, computer degrees from programmers, law degrees from attorneys. What kind of career do you aspire to? Really can't help you without more specifics. Read FAQ 7. The FAQs are above left.

What are the best schools for them?
Oh, ones that are close to home, don't cost an arm and a leg, teach the courses they want to take, stuff like that. Read FAQs 25, 34, & 44.

P.S. BTW, I recommend you read FAQ 24.18 too.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Much verbosity accompanied by a vague question

From: "Dave Nash"
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2008 2:53 PM
Subject: games, degrees etc
> hi,
> I fall into the category of a person who worked a bit
> in the games industry (just another head in a crowd)
> and have entreprenerial ambition, have been working
> freelance etc.
>
> I never finished my degree because I was suspended for
> bad behaviour after i broke up with my ex-"girfriend"
> about 4 years ago. I was on a computer science course
> with a games flavor. I didn't get a working placcement
> officially, but a friend did, and I was able to meet
> his workmates and they eventually got me a contract in
> the industry. I was treated quite badly at first-
> taking low salaries and verbal abuse from the person
> who contracted me. Later I was welcome to work in the
> office on a second game, which was later published on
> the ps2. I did a lot of the grunt work for the game,
> was the person in the code team who was in the office
> 9 till 5.
>
> My educational history is colorful - I started with
> british A-levels in english, history and psychology
> and finished them with good enough grades (considering
> the fact that I, however i decided to change to
> engineering. I earned a higher national diploma in
> Engineering in the year 2000. This  is equivalent to
> the first two years of a degree. Since then I went to
> university, but did not do well because the social
> life was too consuming - I had hopped over to
> Theoretical  Physics (with experimental physics) and I
> honestly beleive i would have worked on this if a
> lecturer had not told me that there was no money in
> physics - just my luck. In fact I had to quit to take
> a year out for a hernia operation. I then went to a
> course in scotland (computer science with a games
> flavor) and never finished there either. What do you
> suggest I do?
>
> I contacted the person who runs the office that I
> worked for and he said that if I was thinking of a
> start-up production company then he could give me some
> tips and advice about how to get a publisher.
>
> My problem is that I then bumped into my olod
> workmates and the guy who had originally contracted me
> for a project started an arguement - resulting in my
> getting thrown out of a flat in the middle of the
> night in glasgow - real nice. I didn't even complain.
>
> Anyway the girl whos flat we stayed at may have
> emailed you as well - her name  is jenster
> (*********@hotmail.com). I am not emailing to say that
> I think  you gave her the normal answer that says
> "don't listen to the guy, hes a loser" - on the
> contrary, i think other matters caused her to throw me
> out when the arguement started, i am just ashamed of
> them for allowing me to stay in the first place
> because i travelled 500 miles just to see them. I
> think she wanted to learn to program to escape her job
> as a customer services rep - I think she would be
> better with game design, because she has enthusiasm
> with games and the sort of personality that does well
> with a creative experience, i can't see why she wants
> to do code, however I do believe she could program
> well but from what I've seen of her coursework she's
> got about 10 years to go (unless she gets a very good
> tutor) before shes on the level.
>
> I should know better than to negotiate with people who
> have to negotiate with other people further up the
> chain.
>
> anway ... I think my best plan is arranging to do  my
> final exams (farce that they are). I think I am going
> to have to use your website as a reference for my
> absolute neccesity of getting that degree - even
> though I thought i didn;t need it.
>
> I have been to about 10 games interviews with no luck
> in over 2 years since I finished my contract.
> I thought that was all very interesting. I would like
> to hear your advice.
>  regards
> david nash

Hi David, you wrote:

I would like
> to hear your advice.
My advice is that you only tell someone the bare minimum amount of story that is necessary in order to answer your question. And while you're at it, don't forget to ask a question.

Oh wait, I just used my computer to search for the "?" symbol in your email, and I did find one:

What do you
> suggest I do?
Before I try to see if I can figure out what it is you're asking (what do I suggest you do in order to accomplish what), first let me explain why I seem so dense - then I'll check out the paragraph containing that question.

When I received your email, I started to read the first paragraph - it was all story. So I skipped down to the second paragraph and saw that was all story too. Then I hit Page Down, and saw that the story continued for another screen, and another, before I finally got to the end. I scanned the last paragraphs visible on the final screen of your email, looking for a question. All I found (using the cursory screening method described heretofore) was "I would like to hear your advice." It's the weekend, my advice is given for free, and I didn't feel like doing all that reading about details. I was hoping to get you to send me a Reader's Digest version.

But anyway, now that I found a "?" in paragraph 3, I drop that previous plan and read paragraph 3. I see that you have pursued higher education in a start-and-stop manner, quitting sometimes because you weren't committed to it (to put it kindly), and once because of an injury. I also saw that an offhand and misguided remark caused you to stop studying something that maybe you had some passion for, I don't know - because you chose to tell me all sorts of things except the things I need to know. (Note: because of the excessive verbosity, I've chosen not to read your entire email.)

I suggest you think long and hard about what it is you want to do in life. Maybe you're older and wiser now, I don't know - because you chose not to tell me the things I ask all posters to tell me about themselves, at the top of this bulletin board.

I suggest that you think long and honestly about what it is you're good at and passionate about. I recommend you read FAQs 40, 37, & 7 for starters. After you've done that reading and thinking, if you still have a question I can help you with, you're welcome to try again. But keep it short and concise, and tell me your age and present occupation (I already got the education thing loud and clear), and give me a clear question. FAQ 65 can help you with that - after you've done that soul-searching and reading and when you have further questions.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
The Ides of March, 2008

Simplicity: good or bad?

>From: Hélder Gomes
>Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 3:35 PM
>Subject: Simple games suck?
>I was discussing here with another worker, and the discussion was around this:
>
>We are creating a puzzle game (I will not post a link or anything because I do not know if this would be "free ad" or something awlful like that), the objective the game is to topple dominoes on a level, solving all the gaps between them while moving objects around (I can not be more detailed or I will cross the NDA limits, I only said what is already annouced).
>
>And the problem that arised is: There are few actions that we see that a player can do, and few results of those actions, that is:
>The player can move objects around, and a dominoe can only knock or not knock the next dominoe, this is good, this is bad?
>
>I argued that I like this simplicity (altough my own next game will be rather complex), in Tetris you can only move pieces around, and place them in the pile, and the pile can get or not line cleared. Or in chess where each piece have its own moves, and you move around each turn according to each piece rule (that just remembered me a trading card game were each card have its own rule).
>
>And the other person argued that simple games are easy to be boring, and that games where you can do thousands of actions are much more fun (like GTA or Ultima Online)
>
>So, there are a better way? We can balance the things? What are your toughts on that, the minimalism and the maximalism of gameplay possibilities, the question always around Ikaruga (minimalist) and Radiant Silvergun (maximalist) ?

Héllo Hélder,
You've touched on one of my core beliefs, amigo. I absolutely and fervently believe that simplicity is the soul of a good game.
Yes, it's true that simplicity can be boring, but that just means it's the designer's job to make sure that it isn't. And how you make sure it isn't boring is what makes the designer's job so much fun.
Complexities can be added in, but in layers. You've played Q*bert, right? Very simple game, but as you move up through the levels, they add one complication at a time, until by the time you're in very high levels, the player is operating on multiple "levels" while playing, and by the time you get up there, it's not as simple as it was in the beginning.
Good luck with your game, Hélder!
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 13, 2008

Got idea... Now what? (Part 3)

From: "Mark Thomas"
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 2:11 PM
Subject: Re: game idea
> Also, one thing I forgot to mention in the last email, the video game
> idea we have can be used at the primary-secondary school level or at
> home as an entertainment game.  The entertainment game and the
> educational game would slightly differ.  This idea allows our game to
> appeal to many diff. people, in many different environments or settings.
> There is a huge need for reading improvement nationwide, and the video
> game industry is always looking for fresh ideas.  Thanks again for
> listening!
> Mark Thomas

You really don't need to try to sell me on your idea, Mark. All ideas are wonderful. And at the same time, all ideas are worthless. As I wrote in FAQs 1 & 31. To me, this is a business. Somebody comes to me wanting me to work on a project? And he has money? Fine. I don't need to be convinced that it's the greatest thing since the invention of the computer chip. [/Retroactive rant]
You wrote:

the video
> game industry is always looking for fresh ideas.
Not really. See, in your first email you said the industry is totally closed to fresh ideas. Now you're saying they're totally open to them. The truth of the matter lies somewhere in between those two extremes. That's why the process I outlined in FAQ 21 isn't easy.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 12, 2008

Got idea... Now what, part 2

From: "Mark Thomas"
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:38 PM
Subject: Re: game idea
> that is a big help, thank you very much....i'll probably be in touch
> with you again sometime soon...if i can ever help you for whatever
> reason on a education related question, let me know!......the "gaming"
> idea was a video game that ties reading into video games, but a fun one
> that kids (elem-high school) would want to play.....i know that it
> sounds like vsmile or leapster, but its different, and we feel, more
> effective and fun.....thanks again....have a great day!
> mark Thomas

You're welcome, Mark. Let me know how it goes.
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 12, 2008

Got idea... Now what?

>From: "Mark Thomas"
>Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 11:26 AM
>Subject: game idea
>Hi....My co-worker and I are examples of a few of your excerpts on your
>website.  We have come up with an idea for gaming that is educational
>related (we are both teachers).  We have done research on this, and have
>not seen anything like this.  Since we are teachers, not game designers
>or in the gaming business, who do we go to for help?  Do we hire someone
>out of college with computer design knowedge to create our vision?
>Since no large company will hear us out, what's the next step in making
>this vision a reality?  We are not necessarily looking into creating or starting  a
>gaming company, so how do we go about getting the game or gaming idea
>developed?....Thank you very much for your time!
>Mark Thomas

Hi Mark,
First, to make sure I cover everything, I'll answer specific points you raised in your email. Then I'll give you the rest of your answer.

We have come up with an idea for gaming
You mean "an idea for a game"? Because as I've been saying a lot lately, "gaming" means the gambling/casino business.

that is educational related
Not sure what you're saying - would your game, if carried to fruition, be sold as an educational product rather than entertainment product? ("Edutainment" products are typically sold through consumer-oriented channels - I don't know how many of those are sold as educational materials.) It makes a huge difference to your business plan (more on that below).

We have done research on this, and have
>not seen anything like this.
I assume by "this" you mean your concept, your game idea.

Do we hire someone
>out of college with computer design knowedge to create our vision?
You're saying you want to hire someone cheap, I gather. That'll save you money, but you get what you pay for. You can research game developers on Gamasutra.com - click the Companies tab. And if your intent is to produce it yourself (manage the project yourself), I recommend you buy the books Introduction to Game Development and The Game Production Handbook. I wrote the chapter on production in the former, and the author of the latter is a former associate producer of mine. You should also find my 2006 Serious Games Summit talk, "How To Find And Work With The Right Studio For Your Serious Game Project" - even if your game doesn't exactly qualify as a "serious game," the same principles apply. Read about the talk at http://seriousgamessource.com/features/feature_111706_sgsdc_1.php. You can download the Powerpoint slides at http://www.seriousgamessummit.com/conference/proceedings.htm or https://www.cmpevents.com/GDsg06/a.asp?option=C&V=1&PV=2. And read FAQ 42 here on this site (see FAQ links above left).

Since no large company will hear us out
I don't know where you got that idea! It's not impossible. But of course I don't know what kind of company you want to pitch your concept to. More on this below.

how do we go about getting the game or gaming idea developed?
Simple. With money. And this question leads into the main point.

So the first thing you and your partner have to do is work out your business plan. Work it backwards. Once the game is fully programmed and tested, what's the business model by which you'll be making money from it (assuming that's your intent)? Identify the businesses you'd be selling the game through. You don't want to become a game publisher competing with EA and Activision for shelf space at Walmart and Best Buy - trust me.

If you intend to self-publish, read FAQ 60. Otherwise, you need to get a publisher to take your completed product and run with it. As you can see in FAQs 11, 21, & 35, that's a lot easier to do once you have a finished product in hand. And of course you need to pitch to the right companies - the publisher of "Saints Row" might not be interested in an edutainment product, but there are other publishers besides that one. You have to do your research.

So once you know the back end of your business plan, now you have to make a business plan for the front end - getting the game built. You have to write a GDD, or at least document as much as you can what exactly you want built. While doing that, you can research game developers as mentioned before. My FAQ 62 might help you understand more about the finances of your project. I assume you aren't intending to build a triple-A-quality console game or a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG). So your game could well fall below the one million dollar mark - but it all depends on what it is you've designed. The bulk of the cost in any game is the programming. The second most expensive facet is the creation of the art assets.

Once you've gotten a good idea of the cost (you might need to obtain bids from developers), and have analyzed your profit potential, you can seek a business loan to fund the project. And off you go!

That ought to be enough food for thought to get you started. Get those books, and get a book on writing business plans, start documenting your game concept in as much detail as you can. See FAQs 2 & 13 - but don't worry if you can't write a full GDD. Your developer can finish it, once they have a good understanding of what you want.

And thanks so much for being a grownup, asking a meaty business question. My inbox was inundated by high school kids this morning! (^_^)
Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 12, 2008

A third high schooler asking the same questions shortly after the first two (and from the same school as another high schooler day before yesterday, and this makes five high schoolers in the past 5 days) - go figure the odds!

>From: brent kkia - elfboywonder®yahoo
>X-Originating-IP: [206.190.48.110]
>To: tomster®Sloperama
>Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 8:36 AM
>Subject: Game Designer
>Dear Tomster.
> I am a Junior at █████████ High school, and I was hoping you could answer a few questions. I am Greatly Interested in becoming a Game designer of some sort, so I decided to Take the Game Designing course in High School to help ease my way into the booming industry. A few questions I have are: What is the posability of getting a job in the future for game designing, what are a few good classes to take in collage, and lastly what are some good hobbies to pick up for the industry? I would love to have these questions answered as playing video games has always been a hobby of mine, and I could like to contribute to the industry more then just being a gamer.
>-Brent Haglund

Hey Brent, you asked:

I am Greatly Interested in becoming a Game designer of some sort
What a mysterious comment. How many kinds of game designer are there?

What is the posability [sic]
"Posability" would be the ability to pose, or to be posed. Like those wooden humanlike figures art students use, or an action figure like you probably used to play with. Of course you meant "possibility." Better work on your spelling! (^_^) Game designers have to be gud spelers. [jk]

of getting a job in ... game designing
It depends entirely on you. See the other red posts below, and read all the FAQs I told those guys (classmates of yours?) to read. The job of "game designer" is very much sought after, and you'll have a lot of competition.

what are a few good classes to take in collage [sic]
As I told Chrisjake Hedethornmarkton a couple hours ago, read FAQ 3.

what are some good hobbies to pick up for the industry?
You should see a lot of movies, read a lot of fiction books (Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, James Bond, Clive Cussler, Agatha Christie - it doesn't matter, just read a lot of great stories), read comic books. Go hiking, camping, tell stories around a campfire. Play board games and card games - heck, design board games and card games (see FAQs 20 & 38). Get involved in martial arts, ping-pong, bowling, Frisbee, yo-yo, juggling... Get involved in acting or comedy. Learn to play a musical instrument, learn to dance. That's a cool question. Nobody ever asked me that one before!

█████████ High school
So I assume you know Jaymes Berg. By any chance, do you also know Chrisjake Hedethornmarkton and Michelle Sutheren? Are you all in the same class? It's just too highly coincidental to get five high schoolers asking me the same questions all in the same week, two of them using the same computer, two of them in the same school, all of them emailing me at my "tomster" address, and none of them ever having read any of my articles or seeing this bulletin board before writing me. Would you do me a favor and ask your teacher to contact me? I'd like to have an offline conversation with him or her, so that the next █████████ student will get the most out of the career assignment.

Tom Sloper  /   トム·スローパー   /   탐 슬로퍼   /   湯姆 斯洛珀
Los Angeles, California, USA
March 13, 2008

Two high schoolers asking identical questions from the same computer, two minutes apart. Wow, talk about coincidence!

>From: chris thornton - homsar2008®hotmail
>X-Originating-IP: [204.72.116.12]
>To: tomster®Sloperama
>Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 6:07 AM
>Subject: job requirements
>hello my name is Chris Thornton. i am writing a paper for a school report and i have a few questions. first what are the requirements for employment in game design  and also  what kind of schooling you have to take in order to get meet these requirements.  also what colleges would you  recommend for this type of schooling. and finally i was wondering what some of your hobbies are. thank you for your time and i hope o get a reply soon.

>From: jake hedemark - satanix18®hotmail
>X-Originating-IP: [204.72.116.12]
>To: tomster®Sloperama
>Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 6:09 AM
>Subject: Game Design
>Hi my name is Jake Hedemark and I'm doing a paper on game design. was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions for me such as, What is the employment like in the game design field and what requirements do you need in order to get a job in that field, What kind of education do you need in order to be successful in this career, how many years you need of college to get a good job in the game design career, and what kind of hobbies do you have?

Hi Chrisjake Hedethornmarkton, you wrote:

first what are the requirements for employment in game design
Okay, so your question is about game design - not game programming (FAQ 15) or 3D game graphics or game audio (FAQ 53) or Q.A. (FAQ 5) or game producing (FAQ 42) or game writing (FAQ 32). The requirements for the game design position are: