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General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: Belross on May 24, 2013, 11:23:49 pm

Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Belross on May 24, 2013, 11:23:49 pm
I was thinking the other day about how when I originally joined this site back in 2002, my dream job was to become a video game designer. Games were my super #1 hobby back then, and everything related to game design, level design, and GamingW itself was a huge part of my life.
 
These days I still entertain thoughts of eventually entering the game design industry professionally, but I wouldn't say I'm working towards that goal directly. I'm in college right now for design (either industrial design or interaction design - haven't decided which yet) and consider video game design one of many possible career paths I could pursue. More likely though is that I'll end up working for Amazon.com or do freelance web design or something.
 
Anyway, my point is: did any of us ever enter the video game industry professionally? I don't know of anyone who did, but I've been out of the loop for years, even before things started to disintegrate around here. I know Chef did his Barkley: Shut up and Jam: Gaiden thing which actually ended up being pretty popular, but he didn't make a living from that so it hardly counts.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Vellfire on May 25, 2013, 12:04:52 am
Anyway, my point is: did any of us ever enter the video game industry professionally? I don't know of anyone who did, but I've been out of the loop for years, even before things started to disintegrate around here. I know Chef did his Barkley: Shut up and Jam: Gaiden thing which actually ended up being pretty popular, but he didn't make a living from that so it hardly counts.
 
Wasn't the kickstarter for the sequel basically paying for the ToG crew to be able to work on the game as their full-time jobs?  I was at least under the impression that that's what the money was for.  Also it's not going to be freeware so I'd more or less call that making a living from it at least for now.  Other than that I can't think of any of us who are making a living off of games at the moment but also I'm half asleep.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: JMickle on May 25, 2013, 05:03:23 am
I'm heading towards it. Not there or even near though probably.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: goldenratio on May 28, 2013, 04:48:02 am
Anyway, my point is: did any of us ever enter the video game industry professionally? I don't know of anyone who did, but I've been out of the loop for years, even before things started to disintegrate around here. I know Chef did his Barkley: Shut up and Jam: Gaiden thing which actually ended up being pretty popular, but he didn't make a living from that so it hardly counts.
Wasn't the kickstarter for the sequel basically paying for the ToG crew to be able to work on the game as their full-time jobs?  I was at least under the impression that that's what the money was for.  Also it's not going to be freeware so I'd more or less call that making a living from it at least for now.  Other than that I can't think of any of us who are making a living off of games at the moment but also I'm half asleep.
I think the Barkley 2 kickstarter definitely puts Tales of Game's into the "pro" arena. Not just the fact that it existed or even was funded, but it made like 3-4x the target.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Belross on May 28, 2013, 06:47:51 pm
Granted, Tales of Games has been pretty successful. I was thinking more along the lines of people who had joined existing studios or worked on games more broadly successful though.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Ragnar on May 28, 2013, 07:50:55 pm
I did animations for gears of wars 5 I am such a success at life
 
personally I think barkley 2 is a greater achievement than like this entire last generation of games
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: hero_bash on May 29, 2013, 08:52:49 am
I forgot the username but there was one guy here who apparently now works in the game industry, he even came here to answer questions or give tips, etc.. Does noone remember him?
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Barack Obama on May 29, 2013, 10:14:59 am
i know a few people in and around the industry, the guy who taught me data stuctures/C was involved with making the xbox360, one of my close friends is always working contract gigs for game studios(SOCOM 4 was his last credit on console software) and another is doing graphic/web design in the Xbox division at MS... you're in seattle right? it's pretty hard not to bump in to someone who's in that racket 'round here, a few weeks ago I was talking with some dude at a bar who worked for Zynga and was trying to convince me that the company isn't simply a shady data-mining operation.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: dada on May 29, 2013, 10:36:00 am
Anyway, my point is: did any of us ever enter the video game industry professionally? I don't know of anyone who did, but I've been out of the loop for years, even before things started to disintegrate around here. I know Chef did his Barkley: Shut up and Jam: Gaiden thing which actually ended up being pretty popular, but he didn't make a living from that so it hardly counts.
 
Wasn't the kickstarter for the sequel basically paying for the ToG crew to be able to work on the game as their full-time jobs?  I was at least under the impression that that's what the money was for.  Also it's not going to be freeware so I'd more or less call that making a living from it at least for now.  Other than that I can't think of any of us who are making a living off of games at the moment but also I'm half asleep.

ToG is goin' places, mark my words.............
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Belross on May 30, 2013, 07:26:57 pm
i know a few people in and around the industry, the guy who taught me data stuctures/C was involved with making the xbox360, one of my close friends is always working contract gigs for game studios(SOCOM 4 was his last credit on console software) and another is doing graphic/web design in the Xbox division at MS... you're in seattle right? it's pretty hard not to bump in to someone who's in that racket 'round here, a few weeks ago I was talking with some dude at a bar who worked for Zynga and was trying to convince me that the company isn't simply a shady data-mining operation.
You're in Seattle now? Yeah, there are a loooot of video game developers around here, and just tons of tech people in general. I was mainly curious about peeps who used to hang out at GW though...
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on June 03, 2013, 03:59:25 pm
I forgot the username but there was one guy here who apparently now works in the game industry, he even came here to answer questions or give tips, etc.. Does noone remember him?
 
cactusquid? 

He made Hotline Miami, which is pretty popular. 
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: crone_lover720 on June 03, 2013, 11:40:53 pm
I forgot the username but there was one guy here who apparently now works in the game industry, he even came here to answer questions or give tips, etc.. Does noone remember him?
 
cactusquid? 

He made Hotline Miami, which is pretty popular. 
that's cactusquid? I had no idea. that's great.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: sunnder on June 04, 2013, 05:42:44 am
The guy who made Hotline Miami used to frequent here? That's pretty awesome.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: bonzi_buddy on June 04, 2013, 08:46:32 am
 
I forgot the username but there was one guy here who apparently now works in the game industry, he even came here to answer questions or give tips, etc.. Does noone remember him?
 
cactusquid? 

He made Hotline Miami, which is pretty popular. 
that's cactusquid? I had no idea. that's great.
ahahahah i had nooo ideeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ahhaha
 
The guy who made Hotline Miami used to frequent here? That's pretty awesome.
What the hell!!!!! welcome cool guy with a cool avatar (it reminds me of Nhl uh logos, n-nhl 97... i mean there was SOMEHTING in those games/also great experience when youre exposed to this 90's semi-multimedia CD experience from NHL 97/98 and the first time you see those banners of NHL teams... they're like hella intriguing/weird. probably something uh deeply holy in that jetset-native american logo for example. man they're all great...shit... could talk ages...
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Mope on June 04, 2013, 12:01:18 pm
I didn't know chef pulled 120k for barkley 2

You'd think they'd step it up and use something other than gamemaker though. Can they sell the finished product even if they use that program? Maybe it'll get them some endorsement and I can see that shit on a walmart rack.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Roman on June 04, 2013, 01:09:55 pm
yeah you can sell games made in game maker, and I think they upgraded to game maker studio which is better for real game development, though still kind of a weird choice for a game like barkley (based on what I've read about the program and game development in general, at least).  but Hotline Miami was made in game maker (and an older version of it, I think) so it's not unprecedented
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Medieve on June 04, 2013, 11:06:24 pm
Umm, was designer for an online moba game, which kinda poofed into obscurity. Nowadays I'm mostly illustrating things, though sometimes I poke my nose into designer's business. 
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Barack Obama on June 05, 2013, 05:28:40 am
Hiretsukan, the guy who was making Fury2, worked on Guild Wars and other stuff.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: ThugTears666 on June 05, 2013, 07:03:18 am
Mr Big T worked on quality games like Final Fantasy Sex Wars 666 and Pokefuck 5 if that counts.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: crone_lover720 on June 06, 2013, 05:38:39 am
he's really big in some circles.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Sludgelord on June 06, 2013, 06:38:44 am
Umm, was designer for an online moba game, which kinda poofed into obscurity. Nowadays I'm mostly illustrating things, though sometimes I poke my nose into designer's business. 
this guys a noob
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Sludgelord on June 06, 2013, 06:42:11 am
I'm working on Barkley 2 as. we. speak.
 
bort and his bro bhroom are teleconferencing with Frankie about the gun's fusion system right now. I'm in the background scripting. Barkley 2 is the full-time job of me, bort, bhroom and Frankie and we've got a lot of other people who are working on it part time like Bisse, offal, laz, Konix, Hundley, probably a few more!!! Dada and Cliff are doing media and website stuff for the game too.
 
Frankie and Konix have both worked as contractors on DS games. GZ has released several commercial games that Konix, Hundley and I have worked on and I've done freelance music for other commercial games. CBlockDis, who used to be a mod of the music forum, also does music for commercial games. I think jmickle has too? Oh yeah, I forgot Eternal |3lue does art for games I think. Probably Chainer too. The GW guy who will go furthest is swordofkings aka umathefurry. . . . . . .
 
There's a significant amount of GW people who are also Poppenkast, which is like the indie game dev Illuminati... Frankie, Bisse, im9today, thernz, laz, cactus, probably more. . . . .
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Mope on June 06, 2013, 11:02:31 am
ooooh can I have a cameo
 
I wanna cameo
 
I hope you make lots of money and buy a bugatti and put a snes in it

is charles barkley gonna do a voice over
 
gimme the scoop, raisin brand I want 2 scoops
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: JMickle on June 06, 2013, 11:21:05 am
oh shit yeah i did music for games i forgot about that (also i'm poppenkast)
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: thecatamites on June 09, 2013, 09:31:30 am
Right now I'm putting together a quick little physical zine of goblet grotto supplement feelie materials + maybe a disk to hock at some local DIY thing... if it comes together it will be my first lurching step into the terrifying morass plains of any kind of commercial transaction at all...
 
Joe Pro...
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: ThugTears666 on June 09, 2013, 01:14:37 pm
Can you take some pics of it for us
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: gargonherd on June 10, 2013, 09:11:29 pm
Well, if you *MUST* know... Here's a little photo of me, World-Class Game Dev B.I.O.L.I.L.I.T.H. "chilling" with the best designers out there!
 
(https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb320/MumpGod/GameDevs_zps2d8c907d.webp)
 
You might just say I'm a big deal. Hm? No, I think you're all wrong. Anyway, watch out for my latest game, "Gore Heads VII". Hope you're all having fun... Not! Sayonara, suckers!
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: bort on June 12, 2013, 07:00:51 am
good pic, good beard
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
don't take offense to beard. i've got one myself. it doesn't say anything about ya.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: thecatamites on June 12, 2013, 06:20:57 pm
Well, if you *MUST* know... Here's a little photo of me, World-Class Game Dev B.I.O.L.I.L.I.T.H. "chilling" with the best designers out there!
 
marvellous! beautiful! truly a "snapshot from the front" of our new vanguard of games --  a beachhead from which to launch strikes upon another world!
 
 
Can you take some pics of it for us
 
yeah!
 
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/42127055/Zine1.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/42127055/Zine2.jpg)
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Neuropath on June 12, 2013, 07:07:17 pm
gargonherd you are stylish and I like apartment game!
 
thecatamites how much money would it take to convince you to send one of those bad boys overseas?  I probably do not have enough but I am curious anyways
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: JMickle on June 12, 2013, 08:27:04 pm
it shouldn't cost too much actually. and it looks like you outdid yourself i would buy one of them
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: JMickle on June 12, 2013, 08:27:33 pm
citation: i bought the shrek zine from notorious american kc green and it cost me $7 including shipping (to uk)
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: thecatamites on June 12, 2013, 08:35:02 pm
yeah these were fairly cheap to do + paypal/currency rates would eat up anything you'd send me so they'll hopefully just be free for any internet pals :o) but i dunno how much shipping is or how many i'll have left over. i can give update in 2 weeks!
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: gargonherd on June 12, 2013, 08:58:47 pm
good pic, good beard
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
don't take offense to beard. i've got one myself. it doesn't say anything about ya.
 
it's not my beard. the beard belongs to phil fish. i'm just the pretty face!
 
also i am extremely glad to see how yr grotto pak came out stephen :o lookin good...
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: denzquix on June 12, 2013, 09:35:13 pm
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/42127055/Zine2.jpg)
 
RAD :O
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Neuropath on June 13, 2013, 02:45:10 am
yeah these were fairly cheap to do + paypal/currency rates would eat up anything you'd send me so they'll hopefully just be free for any internet pals :o) but i dunno how much shipping is or how many i'll have left over. i can give update in 2 weeks!
 
 
YES
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Ice Baby1 on June 13, 2013, 02:46:31 am
i,m going to die if that goblet grotto book doesn't make it across the "pond" and into my gritty mittens STAT. how much you want cata-chan. ill double it
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: Neuropath on June 13, 2013, 03:51:04 am
i bid 7 goblets on the mystic tome
 
 (https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i.imgur.com/NR1jNeZ.jpeg)(https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i.imgur.com/Y8s37W6.jpeg) (https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i.imgur.com/JPfIMjk.jpeg) (https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i.imgur.com/XdyXZzi.jpeg) (https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i.imgur.com/8U8JNdG.jpeg) (https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i.imgur.com/bNEz7pW.jpeg) (https://legacy.gamingw.net/etc/i.imgur.com/QZAbVtV.jpeg)
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: gnawbit on June 18, 2013, 05:22:37 am
not at all, i stuck with writing though.  made a few Dungeons and Dragons modules, a handful of short stories, and i've been working on a science fiction story for... well, forever.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: superflat on July 11, 2013, 11:57:50 pm
i don't know about professional but i do make 'games' to pay the bills... i guess i figured that even if you have to waste a lot of your life on the tedious and possibly abhorrent aspect of 'polishing stuff or making it more accessible to a player', it is still a more palatable way of feeding my family than any other? i also do music as secondary thing to cleanse the palette, and though it's still sometimes for commercial use, the sentiment behind it isn't usually so concerned with that, hopefully. well, I guess there's an element of 'making a good / loud / clean' mixdown which is influenced somewhat by the fact that it may need to be sold, or something?  actually, it's all a weird blurry line to me these days. i like to think i still believe in only making exactly what you fancy, though, and not changing any fundamentals because of commercial concerns...  whether that ends up being true, i just don't know.
Title: Did anyone ever become a professional game designer?
Post by: sambr on July 13, 2013, 07:01:15 pm
 
Well, if you *MUST* know... Here's a little photo of me, World-Class Game Dev B.I.O.L.I.L.I.T.H. "chilling" with the best designers out there!
 
marvellous! beautiful! truly a "snapshot from the front" of our new vanguard of games --  a beachhead from which to launch strikes upon another world!
 
 
>Can you take some pics of it for us
 
yeah!
 
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/42127055/Zine1.jpg)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/42127055/Zine2.jpg)
 
 
damn, these look great!