Getting a job at EB stepping stone into Video Game Industry?

game_fanatic

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hey guys, thread title says it all basically. Obviously I love video games and would love a career in the industry, so would getting a job at an EB Games help me at all, or is it considered too far down the chain to be of any real use? Thanks for the help!
 
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I would think that logically "EB games employee" would look better to a game company than something like "burger-flipper extraordinaire", but not by much. If you have the chance for a better paying job at a place that won't have people asking "where's the wii/wii fit etc." 50 times a day it might be preferential.
 
Like any retail position, moving up the ladder without schooling is tough. Even so, with the economy in the shape it's in, I doubt the bottom of the ladder would be worthwhile if you're hoping to move into bigger things.

I could be wrong though, go for it regardless. If you're a good worker, they should notice..."should"
 
If you want to get into the industry (in something other than QA) you should start building a portfolio. Look into what area of game design you are interested and take it from there (eg. if you want to be a level designer it might be a good idea to start modding levels and such, and throw those in the portfolio). Obviously secondary schooling looks good on a resume, but some companies are more interested in the portfolio.

If you decide to go the schooling route, some universities offer game design programs (the quality of these can vary greatly though so do your research). Getting a degree in Computer Science can help, but lets face it thats the default route for most people wanting to get into the industry. If it's on everyone's resume, then you won't stand out from the rest. There also exists many schools that specialize in game design. You might want to look into whats available in your area.

But most of all, you need to decide if this is what you want to do. Schooling isn't cheap and you don't want to spend all this money discovering this isn't where you want to go. Playing games is a lot different than making them. I suggest starting your research at gamasutra.
 
If you can get a better job, get it. The extra money you make (and the peace-of-mind) will be far more beneficial than a couple lines in your resume about working at EB.

If you want to get into the video game industry, do some game programming and get good grades; those are what employers look at.

Though it would be interesting to hear about your stories of stopping an RFD hoarder from trading in 10 copies of some cheap BBV title. :)
 
[quote name='Lone_Prodigy']If you can get a better job, get it. The extra money you make (and the peace-of-mind) will be far more beneficial than a couple lines in your resume about working at EB.

If you want to get into the video game industry, do some game programming and get good grades; those are what employers look at.

Though it would be interesting to hear about your stories of stopping an RFD hoarder from trading in 10 copies of some cheap BBV title. :)[/quote]

LOL if ever there is a reason to get a job at eb/gamestop it would be to screwing over rfd hoarders.
 
Well I'm at Laurier now majoring in History, so my English skills are quite good, as they should be, considering the exorbitant amount of essays I have to write. I'd prefer to focus on the linguist aspects, so the game design and whatnot seems a little out of my league. I'll most likely look into writing for video games, be they story boards or scripts or simple editing. Just trying to get my foot in the door and have my passion and hard work pay dividends. Thanks for the answers guys!
 
No offense to EB employees here, but working there is so below the bottom rung, you're pretty much 6 feet under.

If you want in the industry, luck out somehow or make your own game.
 
[quote name='game_fanatic']Well I'm at Laurier now majoring in History, so my English skills are quite good, as they should be, considering the exorbitant amount of essays I have to write. I'd prefer to focus on the linguist aspects, so the game design and whatnot seems a little out of my league. I'll most likely look into writing for video games, be they story boards or scripts or simple editing. Just trying to get my foot in the door and have my passion and hard work pay dividends. Thanks for the answers guys![/quote]


I was looking at doing video game writing for the longest time. I mean, I always hear of companies looking for writers(look at how many games have the stupidest storylines/character dialogue/etc). I just keep on seeing places require an English degree or something to that effect. I WAS going for a BA in Professional Writing, until they started docking my works on content.

I'm a visceral kinda guy, what can I say? lol.

Good luck to ya!
 
[quote name='game_fanatic']Well I'm at Laurier now majoring in History, so my English skills are quite good, as they should be, considering the exorbitant amount of essays I have to write. I'd prefer to focus on the linguist aspects, so the game design and whatnot seems a little out of my league. I'll most likely look into writing for video games, be they story boards or scripts or simple editing. Just trying to get my foot in the door and have my passion and hard work pay dividends. Thanks for the answers guys![/quote]

You can even become a historical consultant on some games. Keep in mind many people move around in the entertainment industry too, so if you can't get a job in game design right away try television or movies. Usually experience in one, can be used in another.
 
Thanks for the tips guys, I think my best course of action is to finish up my history degree at Laurier and get back to working on my gaming blog. Hopefully a job position for script-writing or story design will crop up somewhere!
 
Also keep in mind that a AAA company like Bioware won't look at you unless you work for somebody smaller...I think Silicon Knights is based out in Ontario..Believe them to be a smaller company. May want to try your hand with them.
 
Silicon Knights is considered to be 'big' as well ... well not so much now after the Too Human fiasco. :p

If you really want to start, go indie and either start with XB Community Games or freeware on PC.
 
Yeah, I definitely want to get into the industry too. I want to do something along the lines of a Community Manager ( or assistant community manager). Seth Killian from Capcom seems to have this dream job. Here is an article from Joystiq:

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/17/joystiq-interviews-capcoms-seth-killian-at-street-fighter-iv-la/

I, too, am going to school like game_fanatic and will be receiving my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration this May from the University of La Verne. I've worked in retail for nearly 6 years and have always had a personal drive to push customer service and listen to the customer. Doing what Killian does would be perfect. Plus, you get to attend the different events (E3, TGS, PAX, etc) to promote your company's games.
 
I'm actually about to graduate from Game Development at Algonquin College, and can tell you that with few exceptions working EB will get you nowhere related to the industry.


The exception is really game testing. Most testing job requirements don't go much further than having a love of video games and a knowledge of trouble ticket systems. From a game testing department you might be able to get some exposure into the way the rest of the industry works, but it is in no way a guarantee that you'll get any further than that.
 
[quote name='imcrazy'] Playing games is a lot different than making them. I suggest starting your research at gamasutra.[/quote]


THIS. IMPORTANT. SO IMPORTANT.

I've seen a lot of people realize that they enjoy playing games more than making them - making a game is a lot of really hard work, and can be EXTREMELY tedious and frustrating at times. The payoff is great, but many people don't find the road to that payoff to be worthwhile.

I'm actually considering doing a post-grad degree that branches away from game development, now that I have a full understanding of the process.
 
That's not entirely without basis; The worst games are the ones who have nobody that has a passion for playing games giving their input before they make their way to consumers.
 
sorry if im hijacking the thread kinda, but how do you get a job at ebgames in the first place?

i dont see any online applications or signs in stores at all... do you just go drop off a resume and then hope for a callback to go to an interview inside that tiny little storage room at your local ebgames?
 
It might be best if you work two angles whichever route you take. For instance, get a CS degree and code some games while studying. You can get an interview as a co-op or entry level position in some Canadian studios with that under your belt. At least that was the case back in 2004, it might be a bit harder these days. If that doesn't work, you can still make a decent living as a developer in a different industry.

Last I heard, English, History or Art majors have a difficult time finding jobs in Toronto. Not sure how it is in other parts of Canada. I would recommend studying something where you can find a job fairly easily even if it's not in the game industry. While working, you can develop your own game and see if that leads you anywhere. I call that the safe approach to get in the video game industry.
 
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