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If any of you guys who got laid off are interested in working in SF, I know my company, 2KSports/ Visual Concepts, is hiring right now. http://2ksports.com/info/jobs
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Oct 24, 2012 16:49
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Diplomaticus posted:If I can add to this... DON'T skimp on your legal expenses. Make sure you have a good attorney familiar with the games industry to help you out. I am not saying that to try and drum up clients for myself, but I recently had two situations exemplifying this. I'd think a big issue would also be making sure you aren't infringing on any patents. Gaming related patents are incredibly stupid, but that doesn't change the fact that you're on the hook for any you inadvertently violate (and there are a ton out there that are so ridiculously broad that it's easier to do that than you'd think - example: loading screen minigames). Having a lawyer familiar with gaming industry patents would be very important, if only to know when you have to drop/change an element of your game, or at the very least pay out a fee to license its use rather than getting sued over it later.
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Oct 24, 2012 16:57
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mutata posted:They're struggling to stay relevant and hip by introducing cheeseball features like how other people can "endorse" the skills you've listed. http://www.linkedin.com/profile/sample
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Oct 24, 2012 17:33
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The Cheshire Cat posted:I'd think a big issue would also be making sure you aren't infringing on any patents. Gaming related patents are incredibly stupid, but that doesn't change the fact that you're on the hook for any you inadvertently violate (and there are a ton out there that are so ridiculously broad that it's easier to do that than you'd think - example: loading screen minigames). Yeah, though it's much moreso an issue for AAA developers and hardware guys. 99% of the time, if you have an infringement issue with your game, it's going to be copyright/trademark/trade dress, not patent. Adraeus posted:I think that's an experimental feature. The new profile layout, which hasn't rolled out yet, doesn't appear to have endorsable skills. Maybe it just hasn't been added to the new profile yet, or it is a removable "block" like the publications section. I got the endorsement thing on my profile without opting in or doing anything.
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Oct 24, 2012 17:47
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I kinda got the vibe that the endorsement junk is like the LinkedIn equivalent of "Liking" things on Facebook or something.
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Oct 24, 2012 18:05
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mutata posted:They're struggling to stay relevant and hip by introducing cheeseball features like how other people can "endorse" the skills you've listed. This has been slightly interesting to me if not for any employment-related reasons. My best subject for endorsements is apparently 'scripting' which I haven't done in any public way for years. Certainly I write Excel VBA stuff but no-one but me ever sees it. Much of it is coming from people who maintain my code though, which is gratifying but the sort of skewing that makes this a pretty pointless feature even if it isn't warped by the mutual back-scratching it all inevitably descends to.
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Oct 24, 2012 18:08
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mutata posted:They're struggling to stay relevant and hip by introducing cheeseball features like how other people can "endorse" the skills you've listed. I've been ignoring Glass Door, and whatever that green leaf thing is on Facebook. They seem like yet more noise, but... maybe they're the future?
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Oct 24, 2012 18:20
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^^^ Oh, as far as LinkedIn's "competition" I avoid them all. I figure if there's ever someone who's going to turn to an employment website to find my resume (as opposed to just going to my website), they'll go to LinkedIn and not anywhere else. Like I said, I'm on there and I keep it relatively up to date because it's just another way to increase your online presence, but I've never found it practically useful, and it hasn't really been for lack of trying.19orFewer posted:This has been slightly interesting to me if not for any employment-related reasons. My best subject for endorsements is apparently 'scripting' which I haven't done in any public way for years. Certainly I write Excel VBA stuff but no-one but me ever sees it. Much of it is coming from people who maintain my code though, which is gratifying but the sort of skewing that makes this a pretty pointless feature even if it isn't warped by the mutual back-scratching it all inevitably descends to. I've mostly been getting endorsements from people I went to school with who I haven't talked to in years. Some of them I don't even particularly like. mutata fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 18:21
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Shalinor posted:Is LinkedIn still the "best" of them, though, as far as places to keep your employment history and resume current? mutata posted:Like I said, I'm on there and I keep it relatively up to date because it's just another way to increase your online presence, but I've never found it practically useful, and it hasn't really been for lack of trying. Adraeus fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Oct 24, 2012 |
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Oct 24, 2012 18:23
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Well, we're all just sharing personal anecdotal experience, right? That's been my experience. As an artist, I personally find it tertiary to all other ways of promoting myself, and any connections or introductions I have made have felt the same way casual Facebook friends feel: empty and pointless with a whiff of annoyance. That said, I continue to hear of people who find it very useful, so I continue to maintain it, but yeah.
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Oct 24, 2012 18:30
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mutata posted:Well, we're all just sharing personal anecdotal experience, right? That's been my experience. As an artist, I personally find it tertiary to all other ways of promoting myself, and any connections or introductions I have made have felt the same way casual Facebook friends feel: empty and pointless with a whiff of annoyance.  I adjust my profile every now and then to see if I can go higher, but I haven't been able to break 1,100. Your profile likely sees far more weekly views than I do though. I'm an entrepreneur and, generally, people are only interested in entrepreneurs if they need to meet someone, if they need a cofounder, or if they need someone to take the reins. So, as a developer, if you're looking for a job and you haven't optimized your profile, you're missing out on a big opportunity. Despite my efforts to optimize my own profile, I primarily use LinkedIn as a research tool. I don't take a meeting with anyone without looking them up online first. LinkedIn is always my first stop. Successful communication is by and large about setting and meeting mutually shared expectations. If you perform your due diligence before every meeting — on managers, employees, colleagues, job candidates, new hires, journalists, influencers, vendors, etc. — you will go into meetings better prepared to find common ground. From there, you can build strong long-term relationships based on mutual respect and trust. Don't believe the naysayers. Those things are actually possible. As a networking tool, LinkedIn helps me manage my contacts and find new ones. Who do you know? LinkedIn usually answers that question fairly well; although, there are many people who aren't as careful with accepting invitations to connect as others. If you want to find a hiring manager, the candidate who landed the job you were gunning for, or even a leading artist to mentor you, LinkedIn can help you chart a path. At that point, however, you're responsible for following that path. The most valuable four words in business are "can you introduce me?" They're probably also the most underused four words in business. I've heard people say that asking for introductions is alien. I've heard people say that asking for introductions sounds/feels slimy. And I've heard people, even in business development and public relations, say that they didn't know they could ask. So, just in case you didn't know that exchanging introductions is a perfectly acceptable, professional, and effective business practice, you can ask! You don't need permission. LinkedIn is a resource for learning and a platform for engagement. Whether you find LinkedIn useful is entirely up to you. Or, you may just be an EE with no use for a planer.
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Oct 24, 2012 19:40
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I've had recruiters contact me via LinkedIn a couple of times. Always while I'm not looking for a job though, so I don't know if they would have turned into something, had I pursued those opportunities.
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Oct 24, 2012 19:45
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I got recruited for Google based on my LinkedIn about two months ago, entirely out of the blue, based on my profile. It can't hurt, and LinkedIn competitors.....it basically has none of any value.
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Oct 24, 2012 21:41
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Chernabog posted:I've had recruiters contact me via LinkedIn a couple of times. Always while I'm not looking for a job though, so I don't know if they would have turned into something, had I pursued those opportunities. It's probably a response to you being pushed to the top of some lists by updating your profile. Is anyone in the UK looking for someone to do build tech or miscellaneous C#/scripting work, or in QA management or the associate producer level? It's definitely time to move on from where I am, I seem to be getting pushed away from tech stuff and more towards having to deal with customers. Has to stop.
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Oct 24, 2012 21:55
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Wouldn't hurt to poke splash damage down here in London. While we don't post sometimes, it wouldn't hurt to send in your resume with the whole build tech and scripting stuff. vOv
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Oct 24, 2012 23:58
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To anyone who does crunch with a spouse, how do you deal with it? We've started some crunch and my fiance is still trying to get used to me being at work for 12 hours a day. I've been making sure to take time out and spend at least two hours with her and I eat dinner with her every night. Is there anything you guys make sure to do while crunching? I can't imagine doing this with kids.
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Oct 25, 2012 07:04
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Rupert Buttermilk posted:This is a stretch, but I don't suppose there's anyone who knows of a sound design position available in Montreal? 2+ years (industry) experience here. 19orFewer posted:Randomly turned up in a LinkedIn feed today - just after you posted Ah I just about to post that link. I worked 3 years at Gameloft Montreal (I'm still with GL but elsewhere in the world), if you have questions hit me up. I know nothing about sound but I can tell the isolated sound rooms for the guys look cool.
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Oct 25, 2012 07:51
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Fishbus posted:Wouldn't hurt to poke splash damage down here in London. When do we get to see what you;re working on besides Rad anyway?
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Oct 25, 2012 07:59
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I kinda lit a fuse on Monday and it has destroyed the UK gaming press and cost a television comedian his job. 
Monster w21 Faces fucked around with this message at 13:09 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 13:03
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Monster w21 Faces posted:I kinda lit a fuse on Monday and it has destroyed the UK gaming press and cost a television comedian his job. What the hell, man? You need to elaborate on this! Is this the controversy on Eurogamer/the thing the RPS writers have been tweeting about?
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Oct 25, 2012 13:46
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Senso posted:Ah I just about to post that link. I worked 3 years at Gameloft Montreal (I'm still with GL but elsewhere in the world), if you have questions hit me up. I know nothing about sound but I can tell the isolated sound rooms for the guys look cool. Well, I'm not officially bilingual, but being from NB and having taken french immersion, I'm so-so... is that a big deal at Gameloft?
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Oct 25, 2012 13:48
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:To anyone who does crunch with a spouse, how do you deal with it? We've started some crunch and my fiance is still trying to get used to me being at work for 12 hours a day. I've been making sure to take time out and spend at least two hours with her and I eat dinner with her every night. Also interested in these answers.
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Oct 25, 2012 13:54
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floofyscorp posted:What the hell, man? You need to elaborate on this! Is this the controversy on Eurogamer/the thing the RPS writers have been tweeting about? Yeah. So for those not in the know I posted a photo of Geoff Keighley looking dead inside surrounded by Halo merchandise, bags of Dorritos and Mountain Dew on Monday with the text: "Poor @GeoffKeighly #GamesJournalism" I thought it was just a funny picture that said something about the way SpikeTV choose to do business. The tweet got spread around a lot. A lot. By games journalists around the world. The tweet was seen by a writer and Scottish comedian named Robert Florence (Video Gaiden, Consolevania). He then wrote this article and added in some stuff about a small controversy about Trion giving free PS3s to journalists at an event in exchange for a tweet ad. People (some of whom are close friends of mine) who were quoted (from twitter) publicly were pissed. They threatened legal action against EuroGamer and EuroGamer had to edit the article and Rob Florence jumped/was pushed from his job as a writer there. Now the UK press is tearing chunks out of each other.
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Oct 25, 2012 14:02
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Rupert Buttermilk posted:Well, I'm not officially bilingual, but being from NB and having taken french immersion, I'm so-so... is that a big deal at Gameloft? Nah, I know a few people there (mostly immigrants but also people born in Montreal) who don't speak a word of french. It'll be easier for you if you do speak french but it's not required.
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Oct 25, 2012 14:06
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:To anyone who does crunch with a spouse, how do you deal with it? We've started some crunch and my fiance is still trying to get used to me being at work for 12 hours a day. I've been making sure to take time out and spend at least two hours with her and I eat dinner with her every night. Like most things in relationships (at least for me), it kind of boils down to communication and management of expectations. Be up front with circumstances and inform her of the worst case scenarios. If your boss says "8-12 weeks of crunch", then communicating that you're hoping for 8 but it's entirely possible it could be 12 will help get both your expectations in line so you can both mentally prepare for that possibility. Lying to each other or trying to downplay things will only create false and unfair expectations that can cause a hard mental/emotional crash when they come falling down. Since your job is taking up most of the time, it goes a long way to make your partner the top priority during the time you're NOT at work (which it sounds like you're doing). This includes weekends. We've taken to using our couple hours in the evenings to plan something awesome for the weekend. It helps generate excitement enough to get you through the week and then you have some awesome and often memorable time together on the weekend to recharge. Hopefully you have at least 1 day of the weekend off... It is also EXTREMELY helpful if your partner has a hobby or interests. Some might laugh, but in a lot of relationships, one's partner becomes their hobby of sorts and if they are not used to having tertiary interests that they can participate in and feel fulfilled by ALONE, then when crunch time hits and their only daily activity suddenly isn't around anymore, it can be jarring. If she doesn't have any real other hobbies, then crunch time for you is a good time for her to explore some of that stuff. When it comes down to it, though, crunch sucks and all affected parties just kind of have to deal with it. Everyone's personalities are going to respond differently to it, so one can only say so much before the answer boils down to "stick it out until it's over." Mind you, my experience is limited, and I'm only married (no kids) so I'm looking forward to seeing more thoughts. mutata fucked around with this message at 16:04 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 15:30
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:To anyone who does crunch with a spouse, how do you deal with it? We've started some crunch and my fiance is still trying to get used to me being at work for 12 hours a day. I've been making sure to take time out and spend at least two hours with her and I eat dinner with her every night. My first serious (and horrible) crunch we ended up getting a dog. After that I decided not to crunch like that again. Crunch, is voluntary I imagine, so it's up to you to decide how much time to put in. Work and personal life needs balance, and you have to regulate that yourself. If your company gets mad or fires you for choosing a balanced life then they are a lovely place to work. I've crunched on my latest game as well, but this time I only crunched as much as I thought was appropriate. My company was happy and my personal life didn't suffer. It's up to you to balance life and work.
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Oct 25, 2012 17:02
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Resource posted:My first serious (and horrible) crunch we ended up getting a dog. After that I decided not to crunch like that again. Crunch, is voluntary I imagine, so it's up to you to decide how much time to put in. Work and personal life needs balance, and you have to regulate that yourself. If your company gets mad or fires you for choosing a balanced life then they are a lovely place to work. I've crunched on my latest game as well, but this time I only crunched as much as I thought was appropriate. My company was happy and my personal life didn't suffer. They can't fire you for not crunching, but they sure as hell can pass you over for promotions.
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Oct 25, 2012 17:14
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Oof, grapevine's saying that Turbine just laid off 20% of staff. Not a great time to be in Boston.
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Oct 25, 2012 17:35
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Yeah. Oh man this is pretty loving wild. Everyone is just calling each other out and its pretty crazy. Haha goddamn man.
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Oct 25, 2012 17:47
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floofyscorp posted:They can't fire you for not crunching, but they sure as hell can pass you over for promotions. Never, ever, ever, ever kill yourself in the hopes of a promotion - you will get a new title, and more work, and that's about it. If you want a promotion, apply elsewhere for the next level of position on the back of experience gained wherever you are. EDIT: (I realize there are studios where this does not apply, but I would argue that in any so-enlightened studio, bad crunch would also probably not be a factor) Shalinor fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 17:58
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Now the UK press is tearing chunks out of each other. If it makes you feel any better, when I read this I imagined that scene in V for Vendetta where he sets off that massive wave of dominoes. As a side note, Sega Europe decided not to take me on for someone else with more experience, arse.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:00
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I've never found myself in a mandatory crunch period like some, but I've definitely worked longer hours when the project warranted it. In those instances, I've always opted to come in early so that I could still head out at a decent hour. I found that this worked really well with my kids, since they get up at the buttcrack of dawn anyways. I could do all of my chores and then have their breakfast ready right before I headed out. Then when I got home, I'd have time to sit down for dinner, play with the kids, do bedtime together, and then hang out with the wife. Trying to do the opposite (going in at regular time and staying really late) put a lot more stress on my wife, since she would have to do bedtime all by herself, and then I'd only be seeing my kids for 30 sleepy minutes in the morning.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:00
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:To anyone who does crunch with a spouse, how do you deal with it? We've started some crunch and my fiance is still trying to get used to me being at work for 12 hours a day. I've been making sure to take time out and spend at least two hours with her and I eat dinner with her every night. You make as much time for them as you can, and do as much extra stuff as you can to make up for it. Bring home some flowers, spend the little spare time you have with them, bring them out for a nice meal. Anything you can do to make them feel special and important even though they know you're stuck at work way too much. If you have to, skip the free dinner your company probably gives you a couple times a week to have dinner with them, and head back to work after. Chatting on IM while you work helps a lot too.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:07
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Irish Taxi Driver posted:To anyone who does crunch with a spouse, how do you deal with it? We've started some crunch and my fiance is still trying to get used to me being at work for 12 hours a day. I've been making sure to take time out and spend at least two hours with her and I eat dinner with her every night. I just wrote an article about this on Gamasutra that got featured. http://gamasutra.com/blogs/PatrickDriggett/20120810/175793/Having_a_Family_While_Facing_the_Realities_of_Crunch.php#comments
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Oct 25, 2012 18:14
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Wow, that Eurogamer thing really is blowing up... It's like someone finally said the emperor has no clothes or something, only half of everyone is nude as well.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:19
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I'm pretty sure that back when everyone who posts here was growing up, we read game magazines at least a little bit. We liked them because they had all kinds of access to stuff that we didn't have access too -- games before they were released, behind-the-scenes looks at game studios, trips to Japan, etc. We thought they were really awesome people and wished we could be them someday. Nowadays game media is dying, and by that I don't mean print media but all of game media. That's because not only have regular consumers realized that game media are just normal people like you and me, but the PR people at publishers have realized that too and so now they're just concentrating on their own communities (and Twitter and Facebook) instead of giving media first priority. People pay more attention to community sites or neogaf or Reddit than they do to IGN etc. and the "trust" I think has shifted there. So as a result stuff like that PS3 thing, which -- if (made-up example) EGM got a free Game Boy screen grabber from Nintendo in 1990 so they could take screenshots with that, and then Nintendo got more Game Boy coverage in EGM as a result of that, would you have seen that as unethical? I don't think so. But people's idea of what it means to be game media has changed irrevocably. Short version of the story is that enthusiast media like this has always been inherently "corrupt" but people care about it a lot more in this era of internet openness. SUPER HASSLER fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Oct 25, 2012 |
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Oct 25, 2012 18:31
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Yeah. I spoke with Keighley back when I was at my uni paper about the original Mass Effect blue boobs controversy. He seems like a good guy who's just stuck in a horribly parasitic industry and doesn't get the chances to do actual journalism he would like. Remember that scummy dude who got into a Twitter/PR fight with Penny Arcade or something? Keighley tore into him afterwards like he was a kid being let into a candy store. I can't speak for his opinion on this episode obviously but it's a pretty funny and weird spark to the entire sad situation.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:35
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Yeah. Certain folks are also getting harassed right now and that's never a good thing. I'm sorry about this whole situation and how it snowballed. It's a nightmare all right.
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Oct 25, 2012 18:57
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You caused that? Oh man, I will buy you a beer some time, that has kept me chuckling all day.
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Oct 25, 2012 19:23
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Well this is a lot to catch up on after a day of hard photoshopping. D:
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Oct 25, 2012 19:30
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