If somebody wants to be hired for the first time

[Shiru]

it is better to move on the modern systems.

So what should one do in order to build a portfolio and make enough money to move and search for a job, as a first step toward getting hired and eventually licensed to develop on modern consoles?

I really don't get it, how this is even related? You can build your portfolio from projects that you're released under free licenses or for free, and can get hired. Actually, you don't need to have any portfolio to get hired for first time, and you can build your portfolio that way, without any personal projects in it. It is very probably that you'll never be able to become a licensed console developer on your own, as a sole developer - so you have either to create a company/studio that develops software for modern platforms, and do a lot of prior non-console work, or get hired by such company.

[qbradq]

Going OT here, but I'm down with it

The game development industry is extremely competitive. Having a personal portfolio to show when you apply for jobs is going to help. But to your point, it is possible to get hired without any sort of credentials.

[tepples]

So I first have to build a portfolio on a non-console platform. But it's hard to crowd four people around the tiny monitor on a computer desk, even if they did happen to bring PC-compatible gamepads such as Xbox 360 controllers. So how can I convince people to either buy a second PC for the TV room or carry the PC back and forth between the TV room and the computer desk?

[thefox]

So how can I convince people to either buy a second PC for the TV room or carry the PC back and forth between the TV room and the computer desk?

How about making a project that fits the target platform, instead of trying to change the target platform (including people's behavior) to fit your project.

[tepples]

Is this yet another case of signaling, in which one has to perform irrelevant actions (make and sell video games in a mouse and keyboard genre) in order to become allowed to perform the actions that one ultimately wants to perform (make and sell video games in a local multiplayer genre), like peacocks "wasting" energy on making plumage?

[Shiru]

Could the thread be named in a way that will not make it look like I'm asking about getting hired?

tepples, it all does not matter, as the problem is that you normally can't become an indy console game developer as a sole person. You can do it in a company, and in this case you don't need to be an indy developer in general, i.e. not the one who works on all aspects of a game all alone. Companies hire people with narrow specialization, to do things they saying the way they saying in the time they saying. So if your dream is to make your own 'proper', 'full size' game for a modern game console, you will have to get through years of boring, tedious work just to get chance to get a chance of it.

[blargg]

Is this yet another case of signaling, in which one has to perform irrelevant actions [...]

If companies have plenty of people with portfolios that amply show their talent, why would they take more risk on people without such evidence?

[tepples]

Could the thread be named in a way that will not make it look like I'm asking about getting hired?

The owner of the first post in a topic can change the topic's title by editing the first post.

So if your dream is to make your own 'proper', 'full size' game for a modern game console

I'm not necessarily looking to make a disc game.

you will have to get through years of boring, tedious work just to get chance to get a chance of it.

Due to my disability, I occasionally have a problem finding the most tactful way to express a given idea. So what's the tactful way to express to the general public that there exists a nearly completed game of a smaller scope than a disc game that the general public cannot play because established publishers have failed to give information useful for improvement of the product in their rejection letters?

EDIT: The most tactful way I can think of would be to put a trailer for the Windows PC based playable prototype on YouTube with "we are seeking a publisher" where the release date would be. Had Robert Pelloni done this with Bob's Game instead of the e-drama route, would it likely have turned out happier?

If companies have plenty of people with portfolios that amply show their talent, why would they take more risk on people without such evidence?

So how should one show his skill in a portfolio? Are there well-accepted dos and don'ts for portfolios of candidates applying to video game companies, and if so, what are they? Is being a fan of first-person shooter and real-time strategy games, which as I understand it are the genres traditionally associated with PCs, necessary if one wants to become a professional developer even in some other genre?

[rainwarrior]

Well, the single most important thing you should do if you want to get hired is every day apply for several jobs you want, and repeat until you succeed (it may take several months).

Tepples, in my opinion what you've already got on your website is a great portfolio if you want to be a game programmer. If you want to continue to create more and better game projects on your own, that's great, but I think you've already got more than enough to be interesting to a game company. If you started applying around I think you'd start getting called back for interviews fairly regularly.

I got my first job (i.e. junior game programmer) after five months of applying everywhere I could think of. I had far less to show at the time, but I had some solid computer graphics knowledge, and I could handle an interview well enough.

Skilled programmers are actually pretty hard for any given company to find, especially one with skills relevant to any given specialty (e.g. games). Your existing work already demonstrates your competency at programming. What you'll have to demonstrate in an interview is that you're someone they can work together with. That's about it, I think.

[mic_]

What rainwarrior and shiru said.

You can of course apply to become an official developer for one of the major consoles (to be allowed to buy an SDK etc), and look for publishers that would be willing to publish your work. But unless you've got a few published titles under your belt already they'll most likely turn you down. To build that kind of experience your best bet would probably be to seek employment at a game development studio that works with one or more of the major consoles.

If you want to develop your own game concepts you could put forward some of your ideas while working at a studio, which may or may not be successful depending on the size of the company, management attitudes, what types of games the company usually makes, etc. Or you could work for a few years at a studio to build experience, and then look into the possibility of starting your own company with some other people from the industry. Or you could take the route of self-publishing games (as download-only releases) for an open platform, like PC, iPhone or Android (ok iPhone isn't really an open platform, but anyone can create and release their own applications as long as the app isn't malicious/offensive/...).

[tepples]

To build that kind of experience your best bet would probably be to seek employment at a game development studio that works with one or more of the major consoles.

Which leaves how to afford getting to and from interviews in another state for several months. Are entry-level candidates with a degree and a portfolio expected to move before applying?

Or you could take the route of self-publishing games (as download-only releases) for an open [or semi-open] platform, like PC, iPhone or Android

How does a platformer work on iOS or on an Android device that isn't an Xperia Play? I was under the impression that most people didn't already own a Bluetooth gamepad, and when I tried playing Nesoid on my Nexus 7, I kept missing the on-screen buttons.

[mic_]

Which leaves how to afford getting to and from interviews in another state for several months. Are entry-level candidates with a degree and a portfolio expected to move before applying?

Depends. Back when I was looking for a job I used to ask the companies if they'd pay for my travel expenses for those interviews that were in a different city (I did this when they got back to me to schedule the interview, not in my initial application). Only one company objected to this, and they changed their mind when I said I wouldn't go if I had to pay for the trip myself.
Perhaps they can hold a telephone interview with you if they're really far away, and fly you in for an additional interview if they still feel you're a good candidate.

How does a platformer work on iOS or on an Android device that isn't an Xperia Play? I was under the impression that most people didn't already own a Bluetooth gamepad, and when I tried playing Nesoid on my Nexus 7, I kept missing the on-screen buttons.

You'll have to adjust the game to fit the target platform. If you're going to develop a game for a touchscreen device, then maybe a platformer that requires spot-on control accuracy isn't the best idea.

[tepples]

If you're going to develop a game for a touchscreen device, then maybe a platformer that requires spot-on control accuracy isn't the best idea.

Then which device is the best target for an indie platformer?

I understand that the expected use case for PC multiplayer is that each player has a separate PC, monitor, network card, and copy of the game. So how do PCs on a LAN or on the Internet find each other?

[Jeroen]

Minecraft now lets people connect directly using ip adresses, and before that you had to set up a "server" computer to do the job. Didn't stop minecraft multiplayer from becoming popular though.

edit: and I think he was saying that whilst pc and phones are probably your best target platform, you're simply not gonna be able to make certain types of games. This is just a restriction due to the target platform.

Don't ever expect to be able to make the games you really want to make, there's always gonna be compromises based on money and other such things. Think of these limitations as the modern equivelant of hardware limitations on older systems.

[tepples]

Don't ever expect to be able to make the games you really want to make, there's always gonna be compromises based on money and other such things. Think of these limitations as the modern equivelant of hardware limitations on older systems.

So the limitations nowadays are purely bureaucratic in nature rather than technical. And for some reason, people wonder why there's no innovation in video games.

To reiterate one question that I asked above but which appears not to have been answered directly: Would a video of a playable prototype of a game in a not exactly PC- or phone-friendly genre ending with "We are seeking a publisher" be considered tactful or tactless?