Game Career Seminar
October 3-5, 2008
Los Angeles Convention Center
Los Angeles,
CA
Sessions:
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The DIY Game Career
Speaker: Scott Steinberg, founder of Embassy Multimedia Consultants and author of
Get Rich Playing Games and
Videogame Marketing and PR
Intended Audience and Prerequisites: Students, newcomers to the game industry, and anyone still learning the ropes.
Time: 11:30 - 12:30PM
Description:There’s nothing stopping you from taking the interactive entertainment business by storm today! From essential online resources to practical tips and simple strategies for making an immediate professional impact,
Get Rich Playing Games author Scott Steinberg shows you how to break into the industry quickly, no experience necessary. Whether game art, audio, design, journalism, or programming is your passion, learn what it takes to go from enthusiast to expert in no time flat! Steinberg started his own career in the business by running a fansite from his college dorm room, and says the DIY tools of getting in the game industry are there for the taking.You can do it, too.
Takeaway: Attendees will take away a list of things they can start doing immediately–event if they have no prior experience or knowledge -- to better improve their chances of having a career in the video game industry.
Game Resumes that Get Jobs
Speaker:Marc Mencher, CEO of GameRecruiter
Intended Audience and Prerequisites: Students, newcomers to the game industry, and anyone still learning the ropes.
Time: 2:00 - 3:00PM
Description:A winning resume is one of your most important career tools. Join this hands-on resume writing session with game career consultant and hiring expert Marc Mecncher. Mencher will share important resume writing tips, formats, and features for success in the unique game development industry. Mecncher has literally helped thousands of game industry professionals at all experience levels get their next jobs, and he will show you how to draft and revise a solid game industry resume. Bring a printed resume or a Word doc file on a thumb drive if you’d like to volunteer your resume to be used as a sample.
Takeaway: Attendees will be given precise information on what makes a game industry resume different from resumes in other fields. They will receive concrete tips on how to improve their existing resumes and learn what kinds of things will make them stand out as entry-level job candidates.
Love Your Inner Geek: Match Your Personality to the Right Game Career
Speaker:Fiona Cherbak, VP of Marketing, GameRecruiter
Intended Audience and Prerequisites: Students, newcomers to the game industry, and anyone still learning the ropes.
Time: 3:30 - 4:30PM
Description:Among the ranks of game developers, where would you actually fit in the best? Here's your chance to learn more about your future career in game development. Game industry HR and recruiting executive Fiona Cherbak walks you through a career-assessment that will help you identify your mostly likely areas of success in the gameindustry. Through this self-evaluation process, you will learn which roles you are best suited for and what career path may make the most sense for you.
Takeaway:Attendees will receive an overview of all the major jobs in the game industry. After filling out a brief personalityquiz, they will have a set of profile results that will assist in defining their career paths. Audience members will also be invited to share their results.
Behind Closed Doors
Speakers:Jill Duffy, Editor-in-Chief of GameCareerGuide.com (moderator); Jim Rivers, Hiring Manager at Obsidian Entertainment; Tim Lang, Lead Game Designer at Spin Master Studio; Carey Chico,Executive Art Director at Pandemic Studios
Intended Audience and Prerequisites: Students, newcomers to the game industry, and anyone still learning the ropes.
Time: 5:00 - 6:00PM
Description:What really goes on inside a game studio? What do game designers really do on a day-to-day basis? Does overtime at a game company really mean working until midnight and on Saturdays? A diverse cross-section of game developers have agreed to come to the table with nothing to hide and answer all your questions about what it’s really like to work in the game industry. The audience is promised at least 30 minutes of Q&A time with the panel, so come prepared with your most burning questions.
Takeaway: Attendees will takeaway solid answers to whatever remaining questions they have about working in the game industry. They will develop a more clear understanding of what happens inside a game studio and the people who work there. Panelists will share details about what occurs in their day-to-day work life.
