This question comes up all the time on the game design newsgroups...and here's my stock answer:
"The quickest way? Start your own game company and start making the game
you want to make. That's what we did. If you don't yet have the skills
necessary to actually make a game, then pick a direction -- art or
programming -- and learn them. Go work for a game company and get the
experience and knowledge of the industry you'll need. Starting out as a
tester is a good way to get experience while learning. If you're really
dedicated, you can skip the game company experience and just start on
your own game, but you'll have to learn a lot of things about the biz
the hard way.
IMHO, "Game Designer" is a title that carries a lot of mythical baggage,
much like "Fairy Princess". Yes, everyone wants to magically become a
Fairy Princess/Game Designer. Just kiss an enchanted frog or wave a
magic wand, and *boom* -- you're wearing a glittery pink tutu and
diamond tiara, sitting on a comfy tuffet at a tea party in Candyland
with Carmack, Molyneux and Will Wright. "Please pass the sugar...mind
you don't wake the dormouse in that teapot. Now what were you saying
about pathfinding, Mr.Miyamoto?"
But, sadly, it doesn't work that way.
Now, where's my damn tutu?"
Sparky
co-conspirator, They Came From Hollywood
http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com
Yes, That's My Furby Site In Your Pants...
on
Autopsy Of A Furby
·
· Score: 1
...but I am happy to see you.
Yup, the FA was mentioned here back in '98. BTW, the Autopsy is not updated anymore because, well... Furbys are lame, and we just don't give a Pokemon's ass about 'em anymore. Plans to combine a Furby with one of those annoying singing plastic Xmas trees and call it "Douglas Furby" were abandoned sometime mid-99. Sigh. Like Wang Chung's popularity, "Party Of Five", and the Cuban Missile Crisis, "it was fun, folks, but it's over."
During beta testing, we did try running the YETI@Home client on an AIBO. Unfortunately, the little fellow promptly lifted his leg (surprising, given the AIBO's rather limited range of motion) and showered our main server with a fragrant stream of unidentified yelllow fluid. He did not respond to voice commands, and thus I had to smack him silly with a rolled-up copy of "Boardwatch". [1]
He also infested our office with those infernal chip-with-plastic-googly-eyes-glued-on-it "novelty computer bugs" that one usually finds in bulk at the CompUSA checkout counter.
One of our interns dropped him off on the steps of the local Metreon. I'm sure he'll find a loving home with some overworked and undergoateed Yahoo! employee, or perhaps he'll be run over by a cab.
Nevertheless, our work continues onward towards its illustrious goal.
-Dr. Sparks, YETI@Home [1] Go ahead, notify the SPCA, or the SPA, whichever comes first. But keep in mind we know about that copy of AutoCAD13 you "borrowed". (Yes, the one you have so cleverly hidden in that "Traveling Wilburys Greatest Hits" box set on the third shelf).
Gee, make us chicks look like a bunch of whiners, Mr. Katz. Most of the hostility I've seen in the tech workplace (and on the net) is not of the "women vs. men" sort but "geek vs.norm"...99.5% (it floats!) of geeks in today's world are men. In my experience, the lines of communication don't seem to break down across gender, but between those who once owned an Amiga and those who thought that an Amiga was a compact car sold in Venezuela [1]. I am no stranger to flames/flaming myself (which anyone who has ever been served my meatloaf can attest to [2] ). This "women are scared of technology and the Internet because there are MEAN BOYS there" line is a bucket o' bat guano.
[1] which, not surprisingly, lacks cupholders, air conditioning, or door handles. But, dammit, you can play "Lemmings" in it.:P [2] C'mon, a little carbon never hurt anyone.
Slashdot Mirror
"The quickest way? Start your own game company and start making the game you want to make. That's what we did. If you don't yet have the skills necessary to actually make a game, then pick a direction -- art or programming -- and learn them. Go work for a game company and get the experience and knowledge of the industry you'll need. Starting out as a tester is a good way to get experience while learning. If you're really dedicated, you can skip the game company experience and just start on your own game, but you'll have to learn a lot of things about the biz the hard way.
IMHO, "Game Designer" is a title that carries a lot of mythical baggage, much like "Fairy Princess". Yes, everyone wants to magically become a Fairy Princess/Game Designer. Just kiss an enchanted frog or wave a magic wand, and *boom* -- you're wearing a glittery pink tutu and diamond tiara, sitting on a comfy tuffet at a tea party in Candyland with Carmack, Molyneux and Will Wright. "Please pass the sugar...mind you don't wake the dormouse in that teapot. Now what were you saying about pathfinding, Mr.Miyamoto?"
But, sadly, it doesn't work that way.
Now, where's my damn tutu?"
Sparky
co-conspirator, They Came From Hollywood
http://www.theycamefromhollywood.com
...but I am happy to see you.
Yup, the FA was mentioned here back in '98. BTW, the Autopsy is not updated anymore because, well... Furbys are lame, and we just don't give a Pokemon's ass about 'em anymore. Plans to combine a Furby with one of those annoying singing plastic Xmas trees and call it "Douglas Furby" were abandoned sometime mid-99. Sigh. Like Wang Chung's popularity, "Party Of Five", and the Cuban Missile Crisis, "it was fun, folks, but it's over."
During beta testing, we did try running the YETI@Home client on an AIBO. Unfortunately, the little fellow promptly lifted his leg (surprising, given the AIBO's rather limited range of motion) and showered our main server with a fragrant stream of unidentified yelllow fluid. He did not respond to voice commands, and thus I had to smack him silly with a rolled-up copy of "Boardwatch". [1]
He also infested our office with those infernal chip-with-plastic-googly-eyes-glued-on-it "novelty computer bugs" that one usually finds in bulk at the CompUSA checkout counter.
One of our interns dropped him off on the steps of the local Metreon. I'm sure he'll find a loving home with some overworked and undergoateed Yahoo! employee, or perhaps he'll be run over by a cab.
Nevertheless, our work continues onward towards its illustrious goal.
-Dr. Sparks, YETI@Home
[1] Go ahead, notify the SPCA, or the SPA, whichever comes first. But keep in mind we know about that copy of AutoCAD13 you "borrowed". (Yes, the one you have so cleverly hidden in that "Traveling Wilburys Greatest Hits" box set on the third shelf).
Gee, make us chicks look like a bunch of whiners, Mr. Katz. Most of the hostility I've seen in the tech workplace (and on the net) is not of the "women vs. men" sort but "geek vs.norm"...99.5% (it floats!) of geeks in today's world are men. In my experience, the lines of communication don't seem to break down across gender, but between those who once owned an Amiga and those who thought that an Amiga was a compact car sold in Venezuela [1]. I am no stranger to flames/flaming myself (which anyone who has ever been served my meatloaf can attest to [2] ). This "women are scared of technology and the Internet because there are MEAN BOYS there" line is a bucket o' bat guano.
:P
[1] which, not surprisingly, lacks cupholders, air conditioning, or door handles. But, dammit, you can play "Lemmings" in it.
[2] C'mon, a little carbon never hurt anyone.