|
mutata posted:Your response is a completely valid and reasonable one! Let yourself feel however you feel. Why wouldn't you feel this way? Today was a poo poo show. You can let yourself off the hook for a while and feel some emotions. Agreed. My first time I got laid off I was too proud to admit I was really hurt but it was rough and I lucked into a job very quickly. Take some time, do good healthy things like watch some sports, bike, and work on the smallest stupidest project you can think of ex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5hwH70qEaQ Fart Cat was made when the Rhode island studio shut down because they were burnt out. It'll get better and it will make the next time you get laid off that much easier. I've been laid off around 5 times now (and reemployed within 0-5 weeks) and at this point it still stings but it's so small that I can honestly happily laugh within a couple of hours. I'm a non-game programmer but my experience is not typical most programmers.
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 08:04
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 04:01 |
|
|
baby puzzle posted:I know I sound whiny but I am really not handling this well. Maybe things will seem better tomorrow. No, I've done the whole sudden unemployment thing a few times in the past. It loving sucks. Goondolances 
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 09:05
|
|
|
baby puzzle posted:I know I sound whiny but I am really not handling this well. Maybe things will seem better tomorrow. Hey man, I went through this 5 months ago and I totally get it. poo poo is gonna suck. Take a week to process stuff and start getting your affairs in order. Talk to folks. Figure out your budgets. You will find some relief in knowing how long you can survive without drawing a paycheck. Apply for unemployment immediately. There's no shame in that. Find health insurance immediately. COBRA is too expensive and if you're lucky like me your former employer will gently caress up your paperwork so badly that by the time you get the paperwork you'll have 2 weeks of coverage left and will get to pay for 2 months to access it. Use the exchange. Your current healthcare provider will likely mail you something as well. Reach out to friends and your network. If you don't have a linkedin connection with everyone at the studio, do it now. Talk to recruiters, even if they're dumb and lame as hell. Let people know you're looking! You will have more people looking out for you than you realize. Set goals and deadlines for yourself : I'm going to send out X applications this week. If I don't have a job in the area within 6 weeks, I'm going to look outside the area. If I don't have one in 4 months, I'm going to look outside the industry, etc etc. Make them right for you. Pick up a passion project / hobby. All that poo poo you were going to do when you have the time? You have the time. Set goals for this, make it your new job. Maintain a regular living schedule. Have events that help keep the pace of the week. IDK if you live alone or whatnot, but I found it to be very important to still go out and engage in the human race, even when I just wanted to watch Netflix and nap. Above all, fight the depression. I trust this is your first layoff, and if you're anything like me or most of the people who are in this industry, your sense of self worth is directly tied to Getting Paid To Make Games and Making This Much Money. It's very easy to make the jump to "I got turned down by a job, so I guess my market value is $0, so I'm worthless" kind of thinking. This is why you need to set goals and deadlines and above all keep re-engaging in the search process. Don't take a job of desperation, or if you do, don't settle for it. I posted a few months ago here about a potential employer that figured I was desperate and made me an offer that was $20k less than what I was making previously, a 4 year time warp in salary. They were high pressure assholes about the whole thing, but I had resigned myself to taking it and handing them back their gently caress Around Games by continuing to look for a job once I took their lovely offer (but then they rescinded it - they had an exploding offer and brought the deadline in on the last day, shifting it from EOD to morning, just to gently caress with me.) Two months after that trainwreck, and I'm at a new job that is $5k more than my previous salary, or $25k more than what the assholes were going to offer me. The takeaway here is that there are lovely folks who will try to prey on you and there are good folks who will recognize that someone of your tenure is worth what you're asking for. Finally, you'll come out of this with a better appreciation for the fact that your self-worth is not a direct product of your paycheck, and you'll have re-adjusted your lifestyle and budget, which ought to let you save a lot more money when you have the new job, which will make the next layoff (it's the industry, if you're planning to work it until you retire it's just a matter of time) much more palatable as you'll have a larger safety buffer. e: oh, and orcahq.com Sigma-X fucked around with this message at 10:03 on May 11, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 09:31
|
|
|
baby puzzle, I went through very similar emotions to what you're expressing both times I was laid off. There's no shame in any of it, the situation sucks all around. I had real concerns that my skill set was very specifically shaped to my previous role, how in hell would I find the same thing elsewhere? But the fact is I did not fit that role immediately upon hire, I had to grow into it. This was true for the next studio, and then the next. You will adapt, too, as annoying/unrealistic/patronizing/etc. that might sound coming from a random stranger on the internet.Sigma-X posted:Apply for unemployment immediately. There's no shame in that. Both of these. Employers pay the lion's share for unemployment, so you might as well use it. COBRA is only if you need/want to have the same coverage as your group health care plan, but you have to pay the full amount yourself  , and it's temporary. I went through my most recent layoff back in December and there was actually a rep from a health care provider set up at the unemployment office. I learned that the ACA requires everyone to have coverage, and on unemployment I qualified for free coverage, so definitely look into that.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 14:23
|
|
|
If it makes you feel any better I almost burnt out from the industry entirely after my first gig in the bay area (making poo poo money). I finally found a studio that appreciates all the hard work I do and rewards you for it, it's also one of the most stable feeling companies I've ever been a part of and it feels like a family more than a studio (despite being like 300 people now!). It's been 4 years since I left that first job before the studio imploded, 2 years at my current job, and it feels good to be making fun games with fun people. Watching a game you enjoy playing go gold and then launch, the community grow, and you being a mini-celeb within that community is a really nice feeling. As an engineer you'll have no issues, just be patient and persistent. And honestly you're probably much more sought after than us character artists haha
|
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 15:30
|
|
|
I guess I'm fortunate in a few ways. I am still getting pay/benefits for a few months. I have emergency savings as well. I still have access to the office for now, so I can dig up whatever I need to build my portfolio.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 15:32
|
|
|
Sounds good man, time to move onto the next venture! It'll be fun man, new projects, new people. Inside or outside of games, doesn't matter.
|
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 15:41
|
|
|
baby puzzle posted:I guess I'm fortunate in a few ways. I am still getting pay/benefits for a few months. I have emergency savings as well. I still have access to the office for now, so I can dig up whatever I need to build my portfolio. Sounds like they're doing right by you then. With a few months severance you ought to have a nice buffer to hunt for the jobs you want.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 15:59
|
|
|
Actually we're all still full employees for 60 days whether there's archiving work for us or not, then severance after that. It's a pretty good exit package.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 16:01
|
|
|
mutata posted:Actually we're all still full employees for 60 days whether there's archiving work for us or not, then severance after that. It's a pretty good exit package. Use the time to get everyone on Linkedin, take screen shots of your work/build a portfolio website. Extra credit: Exercise/Diet get fit.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 16:15
|
|
|
Wow, super sorry for all the DI folks Stay strong, you'll pull through!
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 16:19
|
|
|
I always hate hearing about big layoffs, and like everyone else has said, it's completely normal to feel like poo poo after getting laid off, I know when it happened to me at EA I went and got a bottle of bourbon and spent the night on my couch drinking, crying, and playing games. Also, to help with people looking, Robot is hiring, we've got lots of open positions: http://origin-www.robotentertainment.com/hiring/
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 16:50
|
|
|
baby puzzle posted:I know I sound whiny but I am really not handling this well. Maybe things will seem better tomorrow. I know everyone said their piece, but it's fine to feel this way. 3 years later and I"m still getting laid off and it sucks no matter what. I'm pretty sure everyone in here probably has the same story but each company I worked for? Laid off, whether it's they got bought by a another company(Lucasarts being bought by Disney) or they want to relocate resources QA to another location. (Sony x2, Namco) I mean before Sony, my unemployment spell was almost a year and I was about to just call it quits with the QA because I felt maybe I wasn't experienced enough. (Of course I realize moblie is just a bitch to get into and they want more QA people to learn how to code) But well thanks to a supporting GF and whatnot I was able to pull through, and keep going. I got laid off by Sony like a month or two ago, and well I feel like experience finally pays off because now I got a contract again. Granted it won't start til like Mid July but it's something. So it's ok to feel like poo poo. I know the first time I got laid off at sony, my team and I got drunk like hell afterwards. edit: I remember in this thread I got a little whiny when I got laid off at Lucasarts or Namco but these guys in here are great so you aren't alone.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 17:16
|
|
|
Getting laid off was the best thing professionally to ever happen to me!
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 17:19
|
|
|
Stick100 posted:Use the time to get everyone on Linkedin, take screen shots of your work/build a portfolio website. Extra credit: Exercise/Diet get fit. Fortunately, thanks to a mixture of me never bothering to get out of the self-marketing mindset since college and me rumor-mining over the past few months/weeks, I'm already up to date on all that. https://www.artstation.com/artist/mutatedjellyfish  Like I've said in our Slack channel, though, my main issue is after having moved 3 times over the past few years, 2 of which were across multiple states, we're really wanting to stay put. The problem here is the only other viable game studios here are, like, WildWorks, EA SLC, and ChAIR, and none of them appear to be staffing up heavily. I'll likely end up outside of games, at least for a while. https://instagram.com/mutatedjellyfish/ mutata fucked around with this message at 17:32 on May 11, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 17:28
|
|
|
devilmouse posted:Getting laid off was the best thing professionally to ever happen to me! Mind you, I would NOT suggest you go that route, unless you happened to already be doing stuff on the side. Or if you have some friends that you trust who were planning something, etc. Point is more, change in the industry can often be really good. Changing jobs between studios is one of the few times you'll get the huge corrective pay bump you were owed but your old studio was never going to give you, as a for-instance. It's also a chance to shake out of the rut you were in, and go jump into a shiny new codebase / new genre / etc. All those really dug-in bugs and shortcoming of your engine that you loathed, but could never get the sign-off to do anything about? ALL GONE! And it'll take you at LEAST a year to discover the equivalents at your new studio, and another year or two before they really start getting you down. mutata posted:Like I've said in our Slack channel, though, my main issue is after having moved 3 times over the past few years, 2 of which were across multiple states, we're really wanting to stay put.
Shalinor fucked around with this message at 18:38 on May 11, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 18:34
|
|
|
Really feeling for Avalanche. It's not a whole lot I can offer but we're always looking for more people 
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 18:39
|
|
|
Lots of positions open: http://www.certainaffinity.com/career/ Between my last job and Certain Affinity I was completely burnt out on games and spent 3 months interviewing for anything but games, eventually ended up here on a 6 month contract through a friend and for me it was more of a "I'll see what this place is about" kinda thing. 2 years later and I'm still here. Honestly it's probably one of the few places that treat people well enough to have kept me in the industry. Edit: Also throwing this out here again as a good general resource: https://orcahq.com/jobs Dinurth fucked around with this message at 19:31 on May 11, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 19:25
|
|
|
devilmouse posted:Getting laid off was the best thing professionally to ever happen to me! Same here. It sucks when it happens, but when you get your bearings again, it sometimes ends up being a good thing in hindsight. I'm still job hunting right now. Got some dead end interviews and others pending. It's been more than a month since I sent out my first resumes, so I'm only having companies get back to me now. Still haven't heard back from most of them. If anyone in Europe is looking for a game designer with 2 years GD and many more general industry experience, I'm still available. RealSovietBear fucked around with this message at 19:31 on May 11, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 19:28
|
|
|
Shalinor posted:
It's worse! We kind of really dislike most of the hubs generally!
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2016 23:15
|
|
|
mutata posted:It's worse! We kind of really dislike most of the hubs generally! Shalinor fucked around with this message at 01:53 on May 12, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2016 01:50
|
|
|
Hell, I live in Capitol Hill and getting to the east side on public transit can be kind of a mess at Going To Work times. I can only imagine how bad it is from actual suburbs.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2016 02:45
|
|
|
Warsaw is not bad, but Krakow is legit nice. And the public transit is actually good, so you don't need a car at all.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2016 14:15
|
|
|
Panic! at Nabisco posted:Hell, I live in Capitol Hill and getting to the east side on public transit can be kind of a mess at Going To Work times. I can only imagine how bad it is from actual suburbs. Also, if anyone is actually considering this, you want to be near Bainbridge ferry or Southworth/Fontleroy which has a great downtown water taxi from Vashon. Pretend the Bremerton ferry doesn't exist, aside from for casual downtown trips. Mostly ditto for the Kingston ferry, since it lacks the Vashon downtown shortcut. Shalinor fucked around with this message at 17:05 on May 12, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2016 17:02
|
|
|
Does anybody here work at Unity? In Bellevue? What's that like? My portfolio is in a sort of a state: https://danielwlemon.wordpress.com/ It seems dumb to have this separate main page when it doesn't really have much on it. People always say to put the content first and foremost. I'm not sure how to organize it. Now that I look at it, I think I should just put everything on one page. Edit: To be specific, I would like feedback on what I have on my portfolio site. baby puzzle fucked around with this message at 00:07 on May 13, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2016 18:20
|
|
|
I'm thinking about applying for a 2D artist job in The Industry and i was wondering if yall have any advice about how to put together a portfolio. I mean i made this whole game http://www.lonelystargame.com but how do I reorganize this stuff into portfolio format?
swamp waste fucked around with this message at 21:14 on May 12, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2016 21:00
|
|
|
Before you commit to a commute make sure you learn how good the transit system is in your city. Every non games job i've taken a voluntary 1 hour bus commute for has quickly turned into a 2 hour bus commute due to terrible drivers, drivers with a lead foot, drivers who never bothered to or didnt care to learn the schedule, and random groups of tweens, tourists and elderly people packing buses and the city not providing extra support  If that ferry is a 45 min commute but it runs to the exact minute every day like clockwork it might not be as painful as it sounds
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 02:41
|
|
|
zolthorg posted:runs to the exact minute every day like clockwork No, if it's anything like the King county bus service, it's often 10 minutes late or more if it decides to show up at all Not that I really can fault the bus system too much for that. Everyone suffers because of Amazon/Microsoft traffic.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 03:19
|
|
|
Panic! at Nabisco posted:Ahahahahahahaha This is also where I point out people voluntarily driving the hell that is I-5 for over an hour just in case a bus or ferry is maybe rarely late... have weird priorities, or are secret sadists. Or, are just possesed of that uniquely American thing where we have illogical worries if we aren't behind the wheel. Shalinor fucked around with this message at 06:32 on May 13, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 06:28
|
|
|
Shalinor posted:It's not perfect, but it's sure as poo poo better than busses, mostly because it takes a VERY dedicated rear end in a top hat driver to block a ferry path. Not to mention, balls of steel. Ferry delays come more from variable loading times, or ferries having mechanical problems sometimes. whypeopleliveontheeastside.txt
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 07:28
|
|
|
Howdy, folks! I'd greatly appreciate some feedback on my portfolio: http://www.craiglewin.com If you've got the time, I'd specifically like to know how my portfolio and resume looks to people who hire or refer for design positions in a PC/Console studio making mid-size to AAA games. That said, all feedback helps--I'm actively looking at new gigs, preferably in the US, but potentially anywhere. I've been QA for ~two years and a designer for ~two years now at a mobile games company in SF, and I'm looking at my options for career advancement. One path I'm considering is moving from mobile to PC/Console games. Opportunities to cleanly move there from mobile seem a bit thin on the ground, but I persevere. Recently, I've been gaining a lot of technical skills; I just wrapped up the final bits of creative writing on my project (my final hurrah was ~50 stanzas of alliterative verse Viking saga poetry in a narrative-heavy hidden object game1), and have for the past several months also been doing Python-based scripting/automation/tool-building for other games within my studio. The career path I'm aiming for looks something like Content Designer -> Game Designer -> Senior GD -> Lead GD -> Creative Lead (7-10 years from now, I suppose). Reading this thread for the past five (?!) years has been very helpful, and I'm keen to hear your thoughts. 1 http://pastebin.com/PQSHbz4w (Things our players already know: Maddie and Justin are time-and-space-traveling cosmic problem-solvers recruiting companions to battle the villainous Cabal, and Gunnlaugr is their old friend.) Diaghilev fucked around with this message at 08:53 on May 13, 2016 |
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 07:53
|
|
|
Anyone from Runic/know anyone from Runic around here?
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 08:27
|
|
|
I commute an hour to work with some extra time to walk or wait for the right time (usually ending up at ~1.5 to 2hrs from leaving work to getting home); but trains are soo much easier than buses/ferries, at least in the UK. Surprisingly it runs almost perfectly on the minute, rarely gets blocked, has a food service if you want it, and has heating in winter. Only problem is the price for trains here. Blows quite a large hole in my pocket, but I gotta deal with it until I move closer (unsure if I want to) or change job eventually!
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 11:09
|
|
|
My commute is about 20 minutes. It's pretty high traffic, especially bikes, but it ends up not affecting me. I only have to get maybe a dozen blocks. There's a pretty consistent delay for construction along my route though, I have to cross the same street twice. Really the biggest delay is waiting for the walk signal. Walking to work is great, guys. I know a guy who walks into work from Bainbridge, it takes him an hour each way. Considering half of that is spent sitting reading a book on a ferry, not bad.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 15:11
|
|
|
swamp waste posted:I'm thinking about applying for a 2D artist job in The Industry and i was wondering if yall have any advice about how to put together a portfolio. I mean i made this whole game http://www.lonelystargame.com but how do I reorganize this stuff into portfolio format? I would break out individual high rez screens (for pixel work it can help to blow it up several times) and most importantly I would work on developing a broader portfolio. The reality is that nobody large is hiring for 2d pixel art, and those folks that are doing so are going to still have their own particular styles and you'll need to demonstrate your ability to hit different styles. I think lonely star looks fuckin' awesome, aesthetically, so the goal is to demonstrate that you can work outside that particular aesthetic and still put together beautiful imagery. Are you looking for 2D gameplay or 2D UI work?
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 22:16
|
|
|
So today is launch day for DOOM, the first "real" game I'm credited on. I've got two other things I've considered shipped (contract work that the company completed), but this is the first one that ended up on shelves that I can just buy outright and see my name on there. Not only its my first game on retail, its based on my favorite series ever. Pretty neat.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2016 23:30
|
|
|
ShinAli posted:So today is launch day for DOOM, the first "real" game I'm credited on. I've got two other things I've considered shipped (contract work that the company completed), but this is the first one that ended up on shelves that I can just buy outright and see my name on there. My Twitter feed today is discussing what's up with this Doom marine's feet, and whether or not they are in fact a horse. Or maybe a lady wearing high heels? Or someone who tragically lost their toes? It's a real head scratcher. 
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2016 00:54
|
|
|
Shalinor posted:My Twitter feed today is discussing what's up with this Doom marine's feet, and whether or not they are in fact a horse. Or maybe a lady wearing high heels? Or someone who tragically lost their toes? It's a real head scratcher. Why not all three? Who says a horse in high heels can't have lost her toes?
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2016 01:04
|
|
|
Looks like extra plating over the top of the foot. Sort of see that look on hockey players, it bulks up their shins quite a bit.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2016 01:05
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 04:01 |
|
|
xzzy posted:Looks like extra plating over the top of the foot. Sort of see that look on hockey players, it bulks up their shins quite a bit. (Basically what I'm saying, ShinAli, is that people are really digging your game)
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2016 17:23
|
|