The 2007 Game Career Guide issue of Game Developer magazine is out, and a nice digital version is available for download. I actually wrote one of the articles for this in the Top 10 Tips section for programmers looking to get into the game industry. Now, the tips in the guide are pretty generic, and really aimed at a high school / starting college demographic. However, if you’re in that audience I totally suggest you give it a read. It can only help.

When I was writing the tips, I actually thought of a whole bunch of others that I wish I had known just coming out of college and looking for a game job (or when I was looking after a year as a government contractor). I thought about putting these tips in, but they were really for a completely different audience (namely, me 3 years ago) and partially politically charged. So, I left them out, made the article advice more focused and generic, and decided when the article came out I’d post the other tips to my blog. They make better blog fodder anyway.

So here’s a few tips for those of you that are about to take that first job in the game industry. This is from personal experience and a few years of misery in the game industry, and it should all be taken with a grain of salt.

1. Know you development style, and know the company’s as well. Before you commit to working for a company, know how they work. If you’re a stickler for process (like myself) make sure you know whether the company you’re about to work for is as well, or if they’re willing to adjust to become so. If you’re more the “get things done” type, besides being doomed in the long run, you shouldn’t go to work a place advertising that they’re full agile, full XP. Granted, working there might do you some good.
2. Don’t undersell yourself. Money isn’t everything, but being underpaid really sucks, regardless of nebulous bonuses that are promised (Note: I was underpaid in the IT world way before I went into the game industry, so this really applies across the board). Know what other people are making in the industry in your area. Know what you’ll need to live comfortably on, and know how skilled you are. You’ll be thankful later.
3. Always improve. After you get your first game job, don’t think you can coast around on easy street. Don’t ignore new technologies coming out (outside of games too guys), because you never know how much you could improve things at a company just by paying attention to advances in things like .NET and database development
4. Know what you’re getting into. Make sure your significant other knows too. Crunch sucks. And it’s almost everywhere in the game industry. Avoid places that have horrible crunches (very hard) or make sure your significant other knows that there will be months at a time where you might not see each other. It’s sad, but a reality.
5. Know the company’s stance on conferences. If you’re the type of person that likes going to GDC and likes talking at GDC (like me), know whether your company will allow you to do that. Also find out what they’ll reimburse you for, and what they won’t. You don’t want to find out a month before GDC that they don’t want you going. That just sucks.

Now, this advice is kinda slanted toward people that have a lot of confidence in having a lot of offers in the industry (which doesn’t happen often), but following this advice will at least let you know what you’re getting into before you jump in and become miserable.