I'm very much like the poster of the topic. I'm currently a highschool student which wishes to become a game programmer someday. In my lifetime I've heard hundreds of reasons of ways to break into the industry. The most repeated(and almost sure way) to get into the industry is just to show that you have what it takes to make it. Tim Sweeny stated in a response to a question on voodooextreme that you should either join a mod team or code some demos. These projects are as important to programmers as a portfolio is to an artist. Above all, you must show to companies that you can work efficently on a project and actually RELEASE it. Personally, I have made a few games in my lifetime which I know will help me later on when I'm searching for a job. I also taught myself OpenGL. These little hobbies can really go a long way if you keep at them.
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I'm very much like the poster of the topic. I'm currently a highschool student which wishes to become a game programmer someday. In my lifetime I've heard hundreds of reasons of ways to break into the industry. The most repeated(and almost sure way) to get into the industry is just to show that you have what it takes to make it. Tim Sweeny stated in a response to a question on voodooextreme that you should either join a mod team or code some demos. These projects are as important to programmers as a portfolio is to an artist. Above all, you must show to companies that you can work efficently on a project and actually RELEASE it. Personally, I have made a few games in my lifetime which I know will help me later on when I'm searching for a job. I also taught myself OpenGL. These little hobbies can really go a long way if you keep at them.