Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: We're All Wrong About Each Other
- What juniors get wrong about seniors...
- What creative gets wrong about biz...
- What IC gets wrong about management...
- ...and vice versa
Join us in challenging assumptions:
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: The Mid-Career Trap
- Why it's so hard to get promoted
- Working harder isn't enough
- The new skillsets needed to break through
- Non-promotion advancement
- Discipline and studio differences
Join us today the start of Full Game Career Lifecycle week:
How Passion Helps and Hurts You in Game Dev
- Why hiring managers want team members with passion about the games they make (and how they take advantage of it)
- How you pay the Passion Tax
- Balancing the creative with the practical
- Which disciplines are affected most? Least?
Join us!
Today on Game Industry Coffee Chat: Tasting the Soup
- Why we play own games while they are cooking
- Why we play other games
- How do we judge games we're playing
- How nostalgia affects our perception
Join us for a delicious discussion:
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: Life After Layoffs
- Preparing for eventual layoffs
- Who gets chosen and how to decrease your chances
- The actual logistics of a layoff
- Dealing with the aftermath: layoff survivors
- What's different now?
A somber, but therapeutic talk today:
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: It's Not About You!
- Dealing with egos
- How ego manifests
- When your ideas aren't all that - and how do you find out
- Addressing your own main character energy
Join us...IF YOU DARE!
discord.gg/DdTmv7DUj
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: What's in a Game?
How a game can have great visuals, narrative, levels, and innovative features...and still be a horrible game.
- How to check your game idea is actually any good
- How devs build around this?
- How a great game can still fail
Join in:
Today in Game Industry Coffee Chat: The Process of Applying for Game Jobs
- In-House vs 3rd party recruiters
- The actual process of applying
- AI slop
- US vs Int'l
- How it differs by discipline
- Fees
- the Hiring Manager POV
See how the sausage is made:
Today in the Game Industry @Coffee Chat: Being a Parent and Game Dev
- What are the challenges raising a family while working in games?
- How is working in games as a parent different from other industries?
- How do studios treat parenting?
- Treat your kids' gaming as a dev?
Join in:
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: Show Me the Money
- How game devs are compensated
- Salaried FTE vs Contract
- Benefits
- ESOP vs Options vs RSUs, etc
- How should we be paid?
- Funding options: pubs vs VC/LPs vs grants/SBLs
- Taxes
- US vs INTL
(This is not financial advice)
Join in:
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: Game Schools
- Who is teaching at the schools? Do they have exp?
- Which schools actually have a good rep or not?
- Do student games count as shipped titles?
- Schools' incentives?
- Alumni networking
- Certs? Degrees?
Getting into it: discord.gg/DdTmv7DUj
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: Understanding Your Lane
- What are you responsible for? Explicitly? Implicitly?
- What are you explicitly NOT responsible for?
- Who is responsible for your career?
- Examples of team responsibility templates
- Tools
Join in: discord.gg/KNH4Ht8Fv
If you're on the market suddenly, know that we've been there, many of us are still going through it, while others have already come through. We'll hear vents, help you plan out next steps, review whatever you need help reviewing, and walk you through practice for when you're ready.
gameindustry.cc
We nerd out about production pipelines, industry trends, deep analysis on narrative vs mechanics, studio culture, and where we're all likely to be in a year or two.
Think of it like a 24/7 GDC social hour.
We are AAA and Indies, students and studio heads, aspiring devs working up their first game and grizzled vets who just shipped their 54th title, devs focused on eclectic Godot projects for Linux PC builds as well as mega budget console monsters shipping across 5 platforms.
We're a very diverse community of professional game devs across every intersectional group you could imagine and we keep the server clean and tidy (keeping the trolls and fash trash out).
We'll hear your venting, help you plan out next steps, review whatever you need help reviewing, and walk you through practice for when you get there.
For those of you on the market suddenly, know that we've all been there, many of us are still going through it, and many others have already come through it to the other side.
It's rough out there. You don't need to handle it by yourself.
gameindustry.cc
Today in the Coffee Chat: Expectations
- Pre-release hype vs reality of the game as is
- How much does engagement bait play a part?
- How playerbases aren't monolithic...and neither are reviewers
- Internal expectations management: stakeholders, team members, yourself
Join in to the conversation:
Today in the Game Industry Coffee Chat: Toxic Positivity
- What even is toxic positivity?
- How can positivity be toxic?
- Examples where games have failed due to their toxic positivity
- How to recognize and avoid being toxically positive
-Also DLSS 5
Join in. I'm ready for this today.
Game Industry Coffee Chat members enjoying tiki drinks and mocktails to talk through day 2 at GDC at the Pagan Idol.
I have shenaned once and I will shenanigan. Find me for donuts today at Yerba Buena and GDC!
A women in a scoop necked black top and a leaf necklace standing in front of a porthole- like window
One more for #WhatAGameDevLooksLike. I’m Jo, a Senior Game Writer at Motive who started at BioWare in 2008. I’ve written for IP like Star Wars, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Dead Space.
I also write short stories and novellas (in between baking, swimming, and getting nagged by a routine-driven cat)
Okay LFG #WhatAGameDevLooksLike! I’m Mary, + this is my 10th year in games. I’ve been AAA and indie, everything from narrative director to contract writer, and I’m now a senior writer at CD PROJEKT RED.
I’ve got two wee children and a very lorge cat, 50+ houseplants, + many unfinished manuscripts 💕
JC has pink and purple hair and is wearing sunglasses, a black sleeveless hoodie, and a silver necklace with a pizza charm on it. She is in front of a bunch of flowers that look like they are exploding out of her head. The sky is blue behind her.
This is #WhatAGameDevLooksLike! I’m JC, I’ve been a gamedev for 10+ years in AAA/indie, and I am currently lead producer and (NEWLY MINTED) COO at my studio, @twirlbound.com! I love making cool stuff with cool people, developing sustainable career paths, and of course yelling (lovingly) about Jira ✨
This is peak #WhatAGameDevLooksLike for me!
(I'm just missing my fanny pack full of snacks)
I'm not at GDC this year, but I've been focusing on more local events like Toronto Games Week while I work as Creative Director at @kittencupstudio.bsky.social and Art Director at @mightyyell.bsky.social. ✨
A picture of a woman at night wearing glasses, a white hello kitty beanie, and a winter jacket looking at the camera. The woman has one hand up holding a warm drink and the other hand is at the edge of the picture holding the handle of a rollator that is not fully visible on screen
Hi #WhatAGameDevLooksLike I’m Jess! I’m a disabled 3D character artist who’s been making games for almost a decade now! I’m missing GDC this year but wanted to say hi and hope everyone has a great time! Next time I’m there I’ll let you all checkout my cool hot pink rollator 💖
Not at GDC this year, but:
#WhatAGameDevLooksLike
I'm Mars! I've been in the industry for 14 years, working with WB, Riot, Blizzard, and a few others. Now I'm #sologamedev and working with friends on a start up. HMU if you wanna connect! :)
it's op flashing a millenial peace sign under an awning. they're in all black with a gold chain choker, wearing transition eyeglasses that are half-darkened, like a real step-dad
selfie of op in their sabres jersey, damp-haired and sleepy-looking
op is doing a tarot card reading dressed in black and red and gold, with very dramatic makeup
hello, my name is leyla and i'm a (very hireable) producer/pipelines pervert based in baltimore county. this is my fifth year in game dev, where i've worked in AAA and start-ups, and i am most certainly #WhatAGameDevLooksLike.
Lauryn with big shades and flashing some ditto nails
Big sunglasses, ginger hair, and Ditto nails. Here’s #WhatAGameDevLooksLike who somehow survived AAA and is now just AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!