Harmonix posted their first ad today, so I wanted to welcome them to the site. The creators of Rock Band need no introduction – hell, even my wife (the quintessential non-gamer) is starting to play bass on medium. I exchanged e-mails with their recruiter, Kevin Fanning, today, and he says they should have more jobs to post in the near future. If you know any programmers looking for a job, let them know about the Harmonix ad!
I’m a little late with this one – NCsoft has actually had ads going up since last week. It looks like they’re hiring for just about every disicipline, at every level, at every studio! They’ve got ads for positions at all of their studios – Carbine, Paragon, NCsoft Austin, ArenaNet and NCsoft Corporate. That covers Seattle, Austin, the SF Bay Area, and Orange County – whew!
It should come as no surprise that looking for a job is a little scary right now (I mentioned that competition is fierce last week). But, there are plenty of opportunities to be had if you know where to look. NCsoft already has 17 openings posted, and there’s more coming. Ubisoft Montreal has posted almost 40!
Check out the NCsoft studio listings, or see our entire list of video game jobs:
I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, but I finally got around to adding a Links area to the blog. I’ve broken it into 2 sections, and I plan on continually adding to it. The first section is for “Friends of GJH” – these are companies or people that we’ve got a close relationship with. They’re all up to interesting stuff, so you should definitely check them out!
The second section is called “Helpful Links.” It’s sparse right now, as I’ve only got 2 up. I’m looking for sites or blogs that contain useful information on getting or growing a career in the game industry. I’m a big fan of the 2 that I have up there (Tiny Subversions and Make it Big in Games), so I’m fine with the “quality over quantity” approach for now. 
If you have any suggestions, let me know!
This is a sobering article from Gamasutra – they estimate that around 6300 North American video game developers have been laid off and are on the hunt for a new job. The past year has seen big developers shedding jobs and studios shutting their doors, despite the continual drum beat from just about everyone that the games industry is “recession-proof.”
As the blog’s author, Wanda Meloni, points out, this is potentially leading to what she calls a Gaming Renaissance Movement. I think all of that talent floating around is definitely contributing, but it’s just one of the factors behind this movement. It’s never been easier for a reasonably talented developer (or developers) to create and publish their own game. Game engines are cheap (Torque, Unity, etc.), stock 3D content can easily be purchased at sites like TurboSquid.com , and the number of available distribution channels is growing by the day (iPhone, XBLA, WiiWare, web portals like Big Fish Games, etc.). I’m not saying it’s easy to make money doing this (Jeff Tunnell has a great post on his blog about this topic) – that obviously takes a lot of talent and some luck – but it’s easier to TRY than it ever has been.
This is one of the reasons why we started GameJobHunter.com – to highlight all of these new/small/unique/etc. companies as they sprout up. People are working on incredible things, and we want to make it easy for people to find their jobs when they’re looking to grow! Small studios can be an incredibly refreshing opportunity to someone that’s been in the industry for a while. We’re thrilled when we get to promote a company like Giant Sparrow or thatgamecompany by listing their jobs. Of course, all companies are welcome, but if you know anyone at a newer or smaller studio that’s hiring, let them know it’s free to post their ads with us!
I put together a list of upcoming video game conferences last month, and it looks like I left one off the list. The Independent Game Conference East is actually starting today and lasts 2 days. It looks like they’ve got a nice list of speakers and sessions set up, from leading names in the indie scene to exectuives at AAA developers.
I’ve been out to a few of the Indie Games Conferences that Garage Games used to host – I don’t think they’re in any way related, but I’m guessing the vibe is similar. I saw a lot of innovation and passion at the two shows I attended. There’s a lot of interesting development going on that’s being done under the radar by people who simply love games. If you’re in the Boston area, I’m sure it’s worth trying to take in the show.
About a week ago, I saw someone tweet about a new game from a studio called Giant Sparrow. The title of the game is “The Unfinished Swan.” Check out the video:
The tech demo looks incredible, so I immediately fired off an e-mail to them. As it turns out, they’re hiring, and they just posted an ad today! They’re located in Los Angeles, and their bio says, “Giant Sparrow is a tiny video game company focused on creating surreal experiences people have never had before.” Looking forward to seeing what they put out!