Why don’t you just go to http://www.gamedevmap.com/, check several companies in your area, and read their “Careers” or “Recruiting” pages?

Listings that require no experience or specifically intern positions will be directly applicable to you.
Other jobs which require X years of experience/shipped titles will give you an idea of what skills you need to be studying.

Not only will you find pertinent information about the game-development industry in general, but a much more precise answer about the game industry in your area (or any other area if you happen to be curious or plan to move).


One thing that will universally improve your chances is a portfolio demonstrating several completed projects/demos.


L. Spiro

I make stacks of cash never having touched C++ or anything more then basic math in my entire professional game making career.

Good for you

'C++ or die mentality'

If that's the message you got from my post you must have misunderstood my intentions.
The message I was trying to get across is quite different. I used c++'s perspective as that was mentioned in the OP.

The important part is to be able to self educate and adapt.
I argued being a good programmer is more important than learning dozens of APIs, a good programmer would be able to pick up new APIs as he goes while on the job.
Even switching languages on the job shouldn't be much of an issue for a good programmer.

I will say however I found mastering C++ made me a better programmer in languages such as C#.
And in general C++ is still very widely used. The positions the wannabe (as Tom likes to call them ) game programmers tend to aim for are still primarily C++ based.
I wouldn't in good faith discourage anyone from learning C++ if he aims for a career in game programming.

Either way, my main advice was to not chase a checklist of APIs to learn, master programming and gamedev in general instead.
This has little to do with 'c++ or die'.

For context, I work at a startup tech company and conduct interviews and review applications during scheduled time. This is the responsibility of programmers, not non technical HR staff. Almost all applicants have degrees. A vanishingly small fraction of applicants are hired, mostly because we cannot justify their competence to ourselves such that we could hire them.

A high quality folio is rarer than a degree, and seems to be a better indication of competence. YMMV

Do you not have an HR screening process? I can only imagine that you must not get a lot of applications if you have other responsibilities besides conducting interviews and reviewing applications without an hr screening process; one of the most typical is to throw out anybody without a degree.

In a world where you have the luxury of fully reading every application that gets sent to you, a lot of the existing rules can be thrown out.

I make stacks of cash never having touched C++ or anything more then basic math in my entire professional game making career. Not that those aren't good skills to have but the 'C++ or die mentality' that infests hobby programming is slightly out of touch. Give the incredible rise of mobiles its a very real possiblity you will find yourself just doing Java everyday.

I was forced to lower myself to mobile games for a few years while settling into a new lifestyle.
Even though mobile gaming may be on the rise, I have not touched Java, and it is unlikely anyone else will need it much to be able to make it in the mobile industry. The rise of mobile games actually only means that Objective-C is becoming more in-demand, since everyone and his or her dog can program in Java.

And then there is the hard limit you put on yourself.
I made mobile games too.
I got tired of doing things that were so far beneath me.

I finally decided to move on to another company. I do have goals afterall, and they don’t include doing mobile games for the rest of my life.
I wanted to move on to real games, in a real company. Games that everyone would either play or at least know the name.

We recently released a game called Final Fantasy XIII-2 here in Japan, not yet available in the rest of the world, but it will be soon. My position: R&D programmer (core game engine programmer).


Basically it boils down to this.
Even if mobile games rise and rise, Objective-C programmers are just going to get more in-demand since they are much farther between. I did mobile gaming for 3 years and never touched Java.
And then you have to think about the future. Mobile games. Is that the epitome of what you want to do?
I mean, 2 guys walk into a bar.
After they get up, and duck under it, they meet some folks.
One says, “I make mobile games of which you have never heard or played.”
The other says, “I make AAA titles that cost millions to make yet bring in 10 times that amount, and every single human on earth knows, even without having played any games, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and future next-gen consoles.”
Which one gets the girl?

Or put another way, which one makes you feel good about yourself and what you have accomplished with your life?


stupid_programmer claims to make a stack of money.
I imagine there are Java programmers who do.
But if you read his post and think that you are going to make a stack of money via Java programming, the harsh reality is that if you actually do end up that way, you have beaten some incredible odds.


If you really have goals—if you really want to “get somewhere”.
If you really want to be part of a big game and be proud to have your name stamped on it, you will need C++.

I am sorry but you just don’t make games such as Final Fantasy *, or Super Mario *, or Battlefield * with Java.
And it is also extremely unlikely you will be making as much money as those who are too (but if you care about money, shame on you; this industry is about passion).


L. Spiro

[quote name='stupid_programmer' timestamp='1326993161' post='4904316']
I make stacks of cash never having touched C++ or anything more then basic math in my entire professional game making career. Not that those aren't good skills to have but the 'C++ or die mentality' that infests hobby programming is slightly out of touch. Give the incredible rise of mobiles its a very real possiblity you will find yourself just doing Java everyday.

I was forced to lower myself to mobile games for a few years while settling into a new lifestyle.
Even though mobile gaming may be on the rise, I have not touched Java, and it is unlikely anyone else will need it much to be able to make it in the mobile industry. The rise of mobile games actually only means that Objective-C is becoming more in-demand, since everyone and his or her dog can program in Java.

And then there is the hard limit you put on yourself.
I made mobile games too.
I got tired of doing things that were so far beneath me.

I finally decided to move on to another company. I do have goals afterall, and they don’t include doing mobile games for the rest of my life.
I wanted to move on to real games, in a real company. Games that everyone would either play or at least know the name.

We recently released a game called Final Fantasy XIII-2 here in Japan, not yet available in the rest of the world, but it will be soon. My position: R&D programmer (core game engine programmer).


Basically it boils down to this.
Even if mobile games rise and rise, Objective-C programmers are just going to get more in-demand since they are much farther between. I did mobile gaming for 3 years and never touched Java.
And then you have to think about the future. Mobile games. Is that the epitome of what you want to do?
I mean, 2 guys walk into a bar.
After they get up, and duck under it, they meet some folks.
One says, “I make mobile games of which you have never heard or played.”
The other says, “I make AAA titles that cost millions to make yet bring in 10 times that amount, and every single human on earth knows, even without having played any games, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and future next-gen consoles.”
Which one gets the girl?

Or put another way, which one makes you feel good about yourself and what you have accomplished with your life?


stupid_programmer claims to make a stack of money.
I imagine there are Java programmers who do.
But if you read his post and think that you are going to make a stack of money via Java programming, the harsh reality is that if you actually do end up that way, you have beaten some incredible odds.


If you really have goals—if you really want to “get somewhere”.
If you really want to be part of a big game and be proud to have your name stamped on it, you will need C++.

I am sorry but you just don’t make games such as Final Fantasy *, or Super Mario *, or Battlefield * with Java.
And it is also extremely unlikely you will be making as much money as those who are too (but if you care about money, shame on you; this industry is about passion).


L. Spiro
[/quote]

Best thing about 'lowly programmers' like myself is the lack of ego. I know you just wanted a chance to get on your 'I'm a rock star of the programming world and get all the girls' and 'C++ or die' messages out. But I never did say that Java was the only way to go. Just with the incredible rise of mobiles that you don't have to be in the trap of 'I don't know C++, I can't get a job'.

Millions of people play my 'lowly' games. I have direct impact on the overall direction of our games (I'm not design and have had major features changed). I'm on the cusp of upper management. I've rubbed elbows with AAA game execs at the best GDC parties. If my current job goes away I have a job the next day (not just a peon programmer job). I'm sorry, but only C++ elitist like yourself would feel bad about that.

Best thing about 'lowly programmers' like myself is the lack of ego. I know you just wanted a chance to get on your 'I'm a rock star of the programming world and get all the girls' and 'C++ or die' messages out. But I never did say that Java was the only way to go. Just with the incredible rise of mobiles that you don't have to be in the trap of 'I don't know C++, I can't get a job'.

Millions of people play my 'lowly' games. I have direct impact on the overall direction of our games (I'm not design and have had major features changed). I'm on the cusp of upper management. I've rubbed elbows with AAA game execs at the best GDC parties. If my current job goes away I have a job the next day (not just a peon programmer job). I'm sorry, but only C++ elitist like yourself would feel bad about that.

I'm sorry, are you here to just put words in people's mouth and beat your chest?
Or do you actually have something constructive to add to this conversation and potentially help OP?

I'm going to close this thread down now. I hope the OP got the answer he needed.