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You are on the cusp of major salary increases for your age and experience outside of the game industry. Time spent inside the game industry is generally viewed

You are on the cusp of major salary increases for your age and experience outside of the game industry. Time spent inside the game industry is generally viewed outside of the game industry negatively . Only gamers give the game industry respect, in a professional sense, as technical creatives tend to view the high levels of unpaid production overtime as mismanagement and abuse with the game industry's eternal crunch time schedules. Those less on the inside think making games is "playing games all day". If you ever leave the industry, your time in the industry will be treated as a professional negative by any company outside of the entertainment industry. Speaking as a 15 year veteran of the games industry, I strongly do not recommend taking the job.

jayd16 8y ago
>Time spent inside the game industry is generally viewed outside of the game industry negatively. Are you referring to all roles (as in art and tech roles as well) or just production roles? I can't say I've felt the same sentiment but I was an engineer that played games who then joined the industry.
- bsenftner 8y ago
  Engineering and production. In general, the public barely knows with "production" is, and to them engineering and production are the same thing.
LifeLiverTransp 8y ago
Depends - when it comes to tech, its like hiring a formula one mechanic at a local car shop. Those guys know to optimize though. No excuses to not know your stack their. And we all had that idealistic phase, where we worked for the idea, not the dough. The are those of course who are bitter, for not having the courage (or stupidity) to follow theire dreams for once in their lifes.
- bsenftner 8y ago
  Tech shops say their work is too boring and you'll leave them; if they don't say that, they think you played games all day and suspect you do not have a serious work ethic. When I left the games biz, I had to hide my time there, describing the years as embedded software development. (I was an OS Dev for the 3DO, then OS dev again for the first PlayStation, then lead for a decade after at places like EA & Sony. I finally left for VFX, but that took two career turns to get there.) In general, games are only now getting professional respect.
  - AlexKu 8y ago
    So it's getting better, right?
    - bsenftner 8y ago
      Yes, it is getting better, from dismal.
AlexKu 8y ago
tough answer, contrasting with the other ones, but thanks for your view :) honestly, as i want to make a career's switch to either product management or producing, i don't feel i'm on the cusp of major salary increases. Either way i need to build a career borderline from the ground up. And it seems i'm lacking experience, especially in "execution", delivering stuff, and technical understanding, to be a product manager in a tech company like facebook. So for now, it's the only concrete offer i got. You would still advise against it? Big studio (with good reputation), big game...
- bsenftner 8y ago
  In my experience, the larger studios go two ways: you'll have a support infrastructure and a mentor to guide your learning the ropes for a brief period (EA/Sony). This is maybe 1 in 5 of the larger studios. The remainder will be you're dropped into production and have to figure it out as you go, while being mindful that the "associate producer" or whatever title they give you is a glaring target others use blame situations simply because you'll not have social political support yet. The larger studios are ALL about internal politics, with literally a hierarchy of upper levels shitting on lower levels, and that shit cascade being "how we do things around here".
  - AlexKu 8y ago
    had insurances that i would get "groomed" to become a producer. Two managers believing in me and wanting me to learn and progress quickly. No reasons to doubt them, i guess? But then, game industry is though, not sure they will have the time to deliver on their promise...
    - bsenftner 8y ago
      "Learning the ropes quickly" is code for "you'll get a brief explainer, and have to figure it out from there." Also "grooming to become a producer" means "once you learn how to manage life consuming schedules, you'll be ready to produce without our oversight to insure the crushing schedule."

jayd16 8y ago

>Time spent inside the game industry is generally viewed outside of the game industry negatively. Are you referring to all roles (as in art and tech roles as well) or just production roles? I can't say I've felt the same sentiment but I was an engineer that played games who then joined the industry.

bsenftner 8y ago
Engineering and production. In general, the public barely knows with "production" is, and to them engineering and production are the same thing.

LifeLiverTransp 8y ago

Depends - when it comes to tech, its like hiring a formula one mechanic at a local car shop. Those guys know to optimize though. No excuses to not know your stack their. And we all had that idealistic phase, where we worked for the idea, not the dough. The are those of course who are bitter, for not having the courage (or stupidity) to follow theire dreams for once in their lifes.

bsenftner 8y ago
Tech shops say their work is too boring and you'll leave them; if they don't say that, they think you played games all day and suspect you do not have a serious work ethic. When I left the games biz, I had to hide my time there, describing the years as embedded software development. (I was an OS Dev for the 3DO, then OS dev again for the first PlayStation, then lead for a decade after at places like EA & Sony. I finally left for VFX, but that took two career turns to get there.) In general, games are only now getting professional respect.
- AlexKu 8y ago
  So it's getting better, right?
  - bsenftner 8y ago
    Yes, it is getting better, from dismal.

AlexKu 8y ago

tough answer, contrasting with the other ones, but thanks for your view :) honestly, as i want to make a career's switch to either product management or producing, i don't feel i'm on the cusp of major salary increases. Either way i need to build a career borderline from the ground up. And it seems i'm lacking experience, especially in "execution", delivering stuff, and technical understanding, to be a product manager in a tech company like facebook. So for now, it's the only concrete offer i got. You would still advise against it? Big studio (with good reputation), big game...

bsenftner 8y ago
In my experience, the larger studios go two ways: you'll have a support infrastructure and a mentor to guide your learning the ropes for a brief period (EA/Sony). This is maybe 1 in 5 of the larger studios. The remainder will be you're dropped into production and have to figure it out as you go, while being mindful that the "associate producer" or whatever title they give you is a glaring target others use blame situations simply because you'll not have social political support yet. The larger studios are ALL about internal politics, with literally a hierarchy of upper levels shitting on lower levels, and that shit cascade being "how we do things around here".
- AlexKu 8y ago
  had insurances that i would get "groomed" to become a producer. Two managers believing in me and wanting me to learn and progress quickly. No reasons to doubt them, i guess? But then, game industry is though, not sure they will have the time to deliver on their promise...
  - bsenftner 8y ago
    "Learning the ropes quickly" is code for "you'll get a brief explainer, and have to figure it out from there." Also "grooming to become a producer" means "once you learn how to manage life consuming schedules, you'll be ready to produce without our oversight to insure the crushing schedule."