One Day, One Job » video games

Riot Games

Willy Franzen — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:56:51 +0000

Apparently my parents and sister have engaged in a never-ending series of online Scrabble games played via iPhone. I’m with my parents in Florida right now, and every five minutes they’re bugging each other to make the next move. It’s crazy. Free online gaming has hit the masses, and it isn’t pretty. There are tons of new online gaming companies, and while some are focusing on bringing new gamers to the market, others are more focused on gaining ground with serious gamers. Culver City, CA based Riot Games is a perfect example of the latter. They are behind League of Legends, a free online role-playing game that is set in an imaginative world. The game has been downloaded more than a million times, and Riot Games has received $20 million in venture capital investment based on the game. $8 million of that investment came from a Chinese gaming company that has a huge user base, so this is very much an international play.

Incite a Riot

The interesting thing about Riot Games and League of Legends is that the game is essentially console quality. It’s the type of game that serious gamer would pay to play, but it’s free. Riot Games’ business model is more akin to that of Zynga than that of Blizzard. What that means is that Riot Games makes League of Legends free to play, but they charge for in-game item purchases. It seems like a smart idea, and if it works, they’re going to have a huge leg up on the game makers who charge an upfront cost for their games. With all of the recent investment, Riot Games is growing its headcount rapidly. A quick look at their Jobs page will show you that they have nearly two dozen full-time openings. Not all of them are geared towards entry level candidates, but enough are. Riot Games’ current openings are in Art, Programming, Design, Production, QA Operations, Customer Service, and Web, so check them out and see if you find something that fits your interests. If you do, you can apply e-mail and hopefully land a job where you’ll enjoy perks like ninja nerf gun battles, full expense trips to the bathroom, and stock advice.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you played League of Legends?

Telltale Games

Willy Franzen — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:55:23 +0000

As a kid I wasn’t a total video/computer game junkie, but I certainly spent my fair share of time sitting in front of a screen playing games. One of my favorites was a game that I played on my Mac called The Secret of Monkey Island. I figured that the game series had been discontinued long ago, but it appears that a relatively new company called Telltale Games has resurrected the series while also developing some new story-based games. Telltale Games is based in San Rafael, CA, and, as they put it, they are “the first and only studio to release interactive episodic content on a monthly schedule.” They seem to have found an interesting niche in the gaming industry, and they’re having success across platforms that include Wii, Xbox360, and the PC.

Tell a Tale, Get a Job

Telltale Games seems well positioned for the future of gaming, as their episodic approach to games is based on digital distribution. Not only have they created their own direct sales distribution channel, but they’ve also “partnered with leading distributors (Time Warner / Turner Entertainment (GameTap); Yahoo Games; Steam; IGN; Big Fish; JoWooD Group; Trymedia; Wild Tangent).” I guess the days of going to a store to buy a game are coming to an end. Score one for instant gratification. And if you want instant gratification when it comes to jobs at Telltale Games, you better have some serious game development skills. While they do have some non-technical positions shown on their Staff page, Telltale’s job openings include titles like Build Engineer, Cinematic Artist, and Tester. Those are the kinds of jobs that require a lot of hard work building skills and gaining experience, so hopefully you’ve been doing that throughout college. You can find specific application instruction on each job posting.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you played any games from Telltale Games?

WMS Gaming

Willy Franzen — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:53:35 +0000

Usually when I’m talking about jobs in gaming, I’m talking about jobs in the video game industry, but today “gaming” means something a little different. We’re going to take a look at WMS Gaming, a Chicago based company that produces the machines that you find in casinos. I found out about them from Brill Street’s list of Top 50 Gen-Y Employers in Chicago (which is surprisingly light on companies with entry level jobs available—I think the #1 thing a company can do to be “Gen-Y friendly” is hire new grads). WMS was founded in 1943 by Harry Williams, a Stanford engineer, who invented the tilt mechanism for pinball machines (which prevents cheating and damaging the machine). Luckily for WMS Gaming, the decline of the pinball industry coincided with the rise of the casino industry, so their transition to focusing solely on slot machines went pretty easily in 1999. I guess people would rather win—err lose—real money than “points.”

Make a Bet on WMS Gaming

WMS Gaming’s business has really matured over the last decade. They started out focused on video slots, but now their games seem to include everything that you’ll find in a casino beyond table games. WMS is heavily focused on improving the user experience for gamblers (or “gamers” as they like to call them), so they’re always looking for new ways to make their games more exciting. Whether it’s Sensory Immersion Gaming or themed games like their co-branded Monopoly slots, they always seem to be on the cutting edge of the business. They’re also a pretty cool place to work for young people, at least according to Brill Street.

I’m more concerned with the fact that they have what look to be some excellent job opportunities available for new grads. They provide a good deal of relevant information in the Working at WMS section of their website, which says that they’re always looking for top talent in the areas of Accounting, Administrative, Computer Animation and Sound, Human Resources, Information Systems, Manufacturing, Marketing & Sales, Engineering, Operations, Product Game, Development, and Software Engineering. You can search for specific positions by using their job search function, where you’ll find positions like Gaming Software Engineer, Submission Coordinator I, and a bunch of field positions in cities with casinos. You can apply online, and you may also want to try reaching out to WMS Gaming through e-mail at hr@wmsgaming.com to see what other entry level positions they have available

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Slide

Willy Franzen — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:39:03 +0000

It looks like Yahoo! Finance has taken a page out of my book and used Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list to highlight some companies that are hiring. I found the link on Twitter, and was pleased to see that I had already featured a number of the companies. One that I haven’t yet featured (and don’t remember hearing about before) is Slide. They’re a San Francisco based startup that claims to be “the world’s leading social entertainment company.” I think that’s a bit of a stretch, but they do make social networks more fun for hundreds of millions of people. Their 40 Under 40 CEO is Max Levchin, who co-founded PayPal (which was sold for $1.5 billion to eBay). He is apparently well on his way to having built another billion dollar company, considering the fact that Slide was valued at $550 million last time that they took money.

Slide into a New Job

The basic premise behind slide is that social networks are better when you can bring outside content in—whether it’s sharing something that you’ve made like a slideshow or using an application that allows you to throw sheep. People want customization, yet they don’t have the web development skills to do it on their own. They need help, and that’s where Slide comes in. Monetizing social network traffic isn’t necessarily easy, but Slide seems to be heading in the right direction when it comes to turning their massive traffic into revenue. Not only do their investors believe in them, but so do advertisers like Starbucks, Sunkist, Activision, AT&T Wireless, Discovery Channel, Estee Lauder, McDonald’s, Lionsgate Films, Universal Pictures, and Paramount Pictures. I guess 5 million sheep thrown a day is worth more than I thought it was. Slide is very clearly growing, and as I mentioned in the opening of this post, they’re hiring. Their Jobs page shows more than a dozen open positions, and a bunch of those are suitable for new grads. These include Product Manager, Community Manager, Flash Animator/Illustrator, Flash Social Game Engineer, Graphic Designer, Junior QA Engineer, Linux Server Engineer, OO Javascript/Front-end Engineer, Python Web Developer, and Community Support Representative. You can apply online directly from these links, so give Slide a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use Slide?

Rockstar Games

Willy Franzen — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:22:44 +0000

After a second company used the term “rockstar” in their job postings, it became clichéd. I know that I’ve said this before, but no matter how good your coding skills (or whatever other rockstar skills employers look for) are, you’re never going to be a rockstar. Unless, of course, you land a job at Rockstar Games. If you work there, at least you’ll be a rockstar in name. You may not have a guitar, but you’ll be working for the company behind video game series like Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and Manhunt. And for those of you who have a different taste in games, they’ve got Table Tennis for the Wii. I keep harping on the fact that the video game industry is doing well, but it’s just so impressive. Other content producers like newspapers, magazines, record labels, and move producers are struggling with changes in how we consume content, but video game companies keep humming along—and Rockstar Games is no exception.

Grand Theft Entry Level Job

I first found out about the fact that Rockstar Games is hiring when I watched this YouTube video from the Art Institutes’ Career Services team (this video actually comes first in the series). It was cool to see such in-depth content on what it takes to get a job at Rockstar Games, and it obviously got me looking to find where they post their job opportunities. Their website is entirely in Flash, which is a total pain in the butt, and the main navigation for the site only shows up if you put your mouse over it. And even if you do put your cursor in the right place, you won’t find a link to their Jobs page (at least I couldn’t).

Luckily a Google search turned up Rockstar Games’ Jobs page. It’s loaded with opportunities (and not all of them are in Software Development), so it’s kind of like a hidden treasure. We can’t link to specific postings (stupid Flash), but I can tell you that they have Game Programming and Animation jobs in Vancouver, British Columbia; a Game Content Creator position and all kinds of Game Programmer positions for RAGE in San Diego, CA; Game Programmer and Character Artist positions in Toronto, Ontario; Junior Web Developer and Marketing Coordinator in New York City; and Gameplay Generalist/Programmer in Andover, MA. Additionally, Rockstar Games has a ton of open position at their 4 locations in the United Kingdom. It’s amazing how many job openings Rockstar Games has, so whether you’re an artist, programmer, or marketer, there’s probably something for you. You can apply online for any of the positions.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Rockstar Games’ titles is your favorite?

Mochi Media

Willy Franzen — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:30:49 +0000

Have you ever tried mochi? It’s delicious, right? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, mochi is “a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape.” Ok, so that doesn’t make it sound good, but when it comes filled with ice cream it’s extraordinary. Now, I’m not sure why Mochi Media chose to name their company after a delicious Japanese treat, but it seems to be working for them. They’re a San Francisco based company that happens to run the largest ad network for online Flash games—they reach over 100 million gamers.

Try Some Mochi

There’s no dispute that Flash games are fun, but they often seem like time wasters. I try to avoid these types of games, because if I start playing one, it usually ends up 3 hours later and I still can’t beat it. I’m sure you’ve had similar experiences. Because of the nature of Flash games, I’d imagine that they’re pretty hard to monetize; however, Mochi Media seems to have figured it out. They’re enabling game developers to actually make money off of something that the developers used to do just for fun. Additionally, Mochi Media is also building a pretty solid business off of their network of free games. If you want to work somewhere where getting caught playing games on your work computer isn’t going to result in your getting fired, then you should check out jobs at Mochi Media on Startuply. Right now they have two design positions posted—one in CSS/XHTML Design and one in UI/Visual Design. Mochi Media used to have their own Careers page, but it doesn’t seem to be active since they redesigned their site. You’ll need a strong portfolio to land one of these jobs, so be sure to include a link when you apply online.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever tried mochi?

JamLegend

Willy Franzen — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:08:44 +0000

I’ve already written posts on Activision (Guitar Hero), Harmonix (Rock Band), and Tapulous (Tap Tap Revenge), but can you ever really get enough of the music playing video game genre? Of course not! That’s why we’re looking at JamLegend today. How are they different from the other game makers that I just mentioned? First, JamLegend is free. Second, it offers more songs. Third, you can use your computer keyboard as a guitar. Fourth and most importantly, it’s social! You can play your friends, you can play the world, and you can even enter tournaments to win prizes. JamLegend isn’t just the name of the game, it’s also the name of the company, a small startup based out of San Francisco.

These Jobs Are Your Jam

If you’re a music loving video game junkie who is fascinated by the social web, then you really couldn’t find a better fit than JamLegend. Beyond that, it’s a good career choice. The video game industry continues to thrive through the recession, and social gaming appears to be the next big thing. That’s why you need to check out Jobs with JamLegend. You won’t find any specific postings on their Jobs page, but that’s ok because I love their philosophy. They say, “Our belief is that we should hire gifted people even before we need them, so send us an e-mail (jobs@jamlegend.com) and tell us why you are interesting.” That’s about it. Awesome. JamLegend does have some positions posted on Startuply for a Flex / AS3 Developer and a Facebook Connect / Social-Web Developer, but it’s unclear whether these are internships or full-time jobs. It really doesn’t matter though, just reach out to them and tell them how you can help them. Don’t constrain yourself by applying for a specific position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you played JamLegend?

Bungie

Willy Franzen — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:50:56 +0000

It’s been almost 6 months since I first started talking about how the video game industry is a good place to find a job during a recession, yet I continue to be amazed by how aggressively some gaming companies are hiring. I don’t know if it’s a result of the fact that people buy video games when they’re unemployed or it’s that hard to find people to fill these jobs, but I’m shocked to see a company like Bungie with 21 job openings – many of which appear to be suitable for new grads. Now, Bungie and I go way back. I’ve been using Macs since the early 90s, and Bungie was one of the premier game creators for Macs. Although I was never a serious gamer, I definitely have fond memories of Bungie’s first huge success – Marathon. Then they hit it big with Halo. Microsoft bought them out, and they picked up shop and moved (all of their employees chose to follow the company) to Kirkland, WA.

Take a Bungie Jump

Bungie may have been bought out by the evil empire (they were the premier Mac game publisher), but they’ve remained true to their roots. Here’s the Bungie Creed:

Bungie is a studio built first and foremost on the strengths and abilities of its people. We use the best technology and the best talent in the industry, assembled together in the best place, to create compelling games, stories and worlds.

With all these pieces in place, Bungie can concentrate on its ultimate goal:

7 Steps to World Domination.

1. Start independent gaming software company.
2. Dominate Mac platform: Launch assault on Windows platform.
3. Announce killer gaming title.
4. Acquire strangely addictive Chinese food company.
5. Recover Ling Ling’s head.
6. Stage bloody coup of new parent company.
7. Take over World. Shoot enemies into sun with giant slingshot.

If you’re interested in world domination, then you need to check out Bungie’s Jobs page. Their job listings are easy enough to browse that I don’t need to repeat them for you, but I will tell you that most of the opportunities are in Art and Engineering/Software Development. There are also positions in Production, Design, and Testing. You can apply by sending resumes (along with demo reels, portfolios, sample code, and anything else that demonstrates your skills) to jobs@bungie.com, and you really should dive deep into their website. It’s one of the best corporate websites that I’ve seen, and it’s loaded with information that potential employees will find fascinating.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Did you ever play Marathon back in the day?

Raptr

Willy Franzen — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:32:24 +0000

One of the cool things about all of the social technologies that we have these days is that it removes a lot of social inefficiency. What do I mean by social inefficiency? How about the fact that you’re sitting in an airport waiting for a delayed flight even though your friend is 3 gates away and you have no idea. You’re probably not going to call that friend randomly, but a Facebook or Twitter update might alert you to the fact that you have someone to hang out with for the next hour or two. There are a million examples like this, and Raptr, a Mountain View, CA based startup, has created some technology to address one inefficiency in particular – gaming alone. Ok, so they’re not going to invite your friends over to play video games with you, but they will allow you to find out which of your friends are playing what video games when, so that you can link up and play together. Social gaming is huge, but it’s happening mostly on non-gaming platforms like Facebook. Raptr is trying to bring this technology to more traditional gaming systems and aggregate your information across the social networks that you already use.

Don’t Fear the Raptr

Now, if you’re ashamed of your excessive gaming, then maybe Raptr isn’t the service for you; however, if you are always looking for someone to play against, then it should be a pretty good addition to your gaming repertoire. Apparently Raptr is as easy as setting up a few accounts, so I can’t imagine why a serious gamer wouldn’t want to use it (unless of course they’re one of those people I described in the first sentence of this paragraph). I think Raptr is a pretty cool idea, and I’m excited to see more startups that address social inefficiencies. If you’re excited about both video games and social networking, then you might also want to check out Raptr’s Job Opportunities. Right now there’s only one opening, but it’s perfect for a new grad. Raptr is looking to hire a Community Manager to help them develop and interact with their online community. It sounds like an awesome job, and there’s a ton of information about Raptr on their website. You can apply for the job by sending a resume and cover letter to jobs@raptr.com (and make sure that you paste it into the body of the e-mail – no attachments).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you tried Raptr yet?

Harmonix

Willy Franzen — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:42:00 +0000

If you’ve been reading every day for the past few months, you’ve probably heard me talk about the recession/video game paradox. When people are out of work, they often play lots of video games. (I also think that people who play lots of video games are often out of work.) Some might claim that video games sap productivity from our economy, but I’d argue otherwise. When a recession hits and lots of unemployed people start gaming, it actually creates jobs in game development. So, when you’re jamming to Rock Band 2 for 9 hours straight instead of job searching, don’t feel too bad, because your purchase made it possible for someone with a little more ambition, initiative, and drive to land a job at Boston based Harmonix. That’s how the economy works. Isn’t it a beautiful thing? If only your high score translated into dollars…

Jobs that Rock

There isn’t a lot of information about Harmonix on their website, but all you really need to know is that they’re behind Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and Phase. There’s a pretty cool video about them on their Jobs page too, but that’s it. Despite the sparse information, people who want to work for Harmonix are probably already familiar with the company. If your interests include music and video games and you have strong Software Development skills, then you’re just who Harmonix is looking for. (And don’t worry about not liking the job. Harmonix was named one of Boston’s 100 Top Places to Work. So what can you do at Harmonix? Right now they have half a dozen job openings, and a couple could be suitable for new grads – Software Developer, Network Services Support and Game Programmer. You can apply for these jobs online directly from the descriptions, and if you don’t have the software skills to do them, then get back to playing Rock Band 2 in your underpants.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you game instead of job search?

OMGPOP

Willy Franzen — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:25:47 +0000

So, when I first typed the name of today’s company into the title field in WordPress, I wrote OMGPOOP. Most companies probably wouldn’t be very happy that I made that mistake, but I feel like NYC based OMGPOP wouldn’t mind so much. They seem to have a penchant for the ridiculous. I mean, they just changed their name from ImInLikeWithYou.com to OMGPOP. Since you probably have no idea what I’m talking about, we should probably start from the top. OMGPOP “is a place to hang out, play free online multiplayer games, chat, and make friends.” They’re very different from other online gaming sites, although it’s hard to describe how. You really need to check them out to get a feel for what they’re all about. When you land on their home page, you’ll see this: “Why hang out with your friends in person when you can do it on the internet? No need to wear clothes that way. Seriously, this is bigger than unicorns and wrestling put together.” That about sums it up.

OMGJOBS

So, you’re probably thinking that I’m nuts for talking about real jobs with a company called OMGPOP. Well, they just secured $5 million in funding, which means that they are for real (and so are their jobs). They don’t have a traditional jobs page, but they just posted 3 awesome opportunities on their blog. They’re looking for a Community Manager / Director of Social Media, a SEO Guru, and an E-commerce / Virtual Goods Manager. These aren’t typical entry level jobs, but if you have a background in any of those areas, these are opportunities that you need to take a look at – especially if you’re interested in social gaming. How you apply should vary depending on the position that you apply for, but you can apply for all positions with an e-mail to jobs@omgpop.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you played games on OMGPOP?

Kaos Studios

Willy Franzen — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:41:25 +0000

If you’re sitting around playing video games instead of being a diligent job seeker, then you’re the reason that companies like Kaos Studios are on “a hiring binge.” I guess that’s a good thing because you’re creating jobs for other people. It won’t do much for you, but you can call it an act of selflessness. I continue to be amazed by how well video game companies are doing in such a rough economy. The connection between unemployment and gaming seems to be pretty clear (although the question of which comes first is yet to be answered). I’d rather you enroll in our job search training course, than buy a couple of new games, but I’d imagine that the folks at Kaos Studios would disagree. They’re a NYC based video game and their most recent title is Frontlines: Fuel of War – yes, it’s a shoot ‘em up.

Need Some Kaos at Work?

It’s nice to see a company that is as aggressive about hiring right now as Kaos Studios is. They seriously have Jobs stuff plastered all over their site. They have an unannounced project that they’re working on that they need help with, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reasons why you might want to work at Kaos. Others include Donut Fridays, Bagel Mondays, a breakroom with all kinds of games, shooting your boss with a paintball gun, and a creative and open environment. Those are just some selections from their Top 10 List, which doesn’t even include the top notch compensation and benefits that they offer their employees. Kaos is an indie studio that has a deal with a major publisher – THQ – which apparently is a good thing in the video game industry. There’s a lot more to know about Kaos Studios, but you should be able to find plenty of info on their website. Right now they’re looking for mostly Senior people, but they have a few job openings that should appeal to new or recent grads. These include Graphics Programmer, Animator, Multiplayer Programmer, HR Generalist, Level Designer, and Associate Level Designer. You can apply for each of these jobs directly from the job postings, and if you don’t see anything that suits you, you can send a resume and cover letter to Jobs@KaosStudios.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever played Frontlines: Fuel of War?

Activision

Willy Franzen — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:41:54 +0000

As we noted when we featured Blizzard’s entry level jobs, video game sales tend to do really well when unemployment is high. This is one of those times that you’re probably thinking about buying a Wii/Xbox 360/PS3 and forgoing the job search for the comfort of your parents’ basement. As much fun as it might be for the first 6 months, that’s not the answer. That’s why Jason Seiden and I are announcing our 21 day online job search training course today. It’s called Found Your Career, and it’s open for enrollment. We’re offering an introductory price to the first 100 students to sign up, so get in before the price goes up. It’s a great way to put all of that video gaming energy to good use (and it’s much more affordable). Another way to put that energy to use is by considering jobs with Santa Monica, CA based Activision, the company that is behind Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and many more games. Video games are hot now, but now’s not the time to hone your expert level skills on Guitar Hero, it’s time to hone your job search approach by developing new skills and focusing on industries that are still growing in tough times.

Entry Level Job Hero

You’ll know that “You Rock!” when you get hired. Until then, you’re playing a game called Entry Level Job Hero. If I was to go any further with this metaphor (that people who have never played Guitar Hero won’t get), I’d say that the current level/song is “Activision.” Anyway, Activision makes extremely popular video games, and video games in general are really popular right now. It’s no big surprise that they have close to 70 job listings (including internships) posted. You can find out plenty about the company on their About and Investor Relations pages. You may notice that the company is now known as Activision | Blizzard because the two companies have joined forces, but since they both generally operate separately, we’re featuring their jobs separately. Activision does have a University Relations page; however, it only has information on internships. That means that you’re going to have to browse through Activision’s job listings to get the scoop on entry level jobs. We also can’t link to the specific job listings because of the way Activision’s Applicant Tracking System is set up. When you’re browsing the listings, keep an eye open for job titles like Web Application Developer, User Interface Artist, Staffing Assistant, Software Engineer, QA Tester (ok, fine, this job actually requires video game expertise – get practicing), Network Programmer, Inventory Analyst, Junior Publicist, and quite a few more (unfortunately they pulled the Bullshot Artist job). Most of the jobs are located in Santa Monica, CA, but they also have locations all across the country and the world. You can apply for the jobs on Activision’s website, so start researching and get at it.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you going to enroll in Found Your Career?

Blizzard Entertainment

Willy Franzen — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:47:47 +0000

Some people seem to think that this financial crisis is a sign that the end of the world is coming. Well, I can assure you that it is not going to lead to the end of the World… of Warcraft. Why’s that? Because video game sales were up 18% from last October to this October. I guess when you can’t find a job, a new video game seems like a smart investment (you have a lot of time on your hands). I’d recommend that you invest in our job search training course instead, but that’s just my opinion. So, even if you’re frustrated by your job search, don’t give up on the World… of Warcraft. Not only can video games give you a way to blow off your steam while you’re getting pwned by your job search, they can also provide you ideas for new employers to look into. For instance, Irvine, CA based Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind World of Warcraft seems to be on a hiring binge. Maybe your 1337 gaming skills aren’t useless (and don’t tell me that you don’t need a job because you’re mining cybergold). Oh yeah, and if you’re playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure, you’re doing it wrong, n00b.

Looks Like You’re About to Get Pwned

Most of the jobs at Blizzard require technical expertise, but that’s what you’d expect from a major video game developer. There are also a ton of artistic/creative jobs and customer support jobs, and there are even some opportunities in HR. There’s no need for us to list the specific job opportunities, because Blizzard’s Jobs page is fantastic. They lay out and categorize all of their opportunities for you on one page, and they provide a drop down box that highlights jobs by specific function. That means that you can see all of the Software Engineer jobs highlighted across different departments. It’s really slick. Unfortunately, they don’t come right out and tell you which jobs can be considered entry level, but it’s actually not hard to tell just from looking at the job titles.

In addition to Blizzard’s sweet Jobs page, they also have a University Relations page. It offers some additional information for college students who want to work at Blizzard, and it includes a calendar of Blizzard’s upcoming campus recruiting events. Other than that, though, there isn’t much additional information. The page says

We’re hiring recent graduates in all areas, including programming, art, animation, and design. Please research the available positions and send your resume, cover letter, salary history, and demo reel (if applicable) to resumes@blizzard.com.

So, in other words, go look at the jobs page and see which positions you think that you’re a good fit for. There is a universityrelations@blizzard.com e-mail address, so you may want to direct any questions that you have there. Blizzard does a great job of selling their jobs, so you should be able to easily find everything that you need to know. Now get together a 1337 cover letter and resume and show Blizzard that you’re not a n00b.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you play WoW?

Zynga

Willy Franzen — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:43:48 +0000

We haven’t been able to find any hard statistics to back it up, but we’re pretty sure that a lot of people use their dog’s name for their passwords. Just look at Paris Hilton, whose cell phone supposedly got hacked because someone was able to find her dog’s name on her MySpace page. That story has since been discredited, but it can be a fable for the 21st century. Instead of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” we will tell our kids “The Girl Who Used Her Dog’s Name As Her Password.” So, if you’re trying to guess someone’s password (which you shouldn’t be), their dog’s name is a great first guess. If you don’t know their dog’s name, guess “Max.” Apparently 1% (which is a lot) of dogs in the U.S. share that name. Marc Pincus really blew it when he decided to name is social gaming network startup after his dog. Nobody would have ever guessed Zynga – he wasted a great password.

Social Gaming, Huh?

Now that you know why Zynga has its name, we should probably talk about what Zynga does. They claim to be the “#1 social gaming company on the web.” Social gaming isn’t really a new concept, but it seems like it is. If you can remember, games used to be played in-person with cards and boards. You and your family or friends would sit around a table, play a game, and have a good time. For a while the social aspect of gaming disappeared as personal gaming devices became all the rage. GameBoy, GameGear, computer games, and even many of the consoles focused on a single player experience. The Internet has gradually been bringing the social nature back through online multi-player gaming, but for a long time it seemed like it was easier to play against strangers than your own friends. Now that companies like Zynga are leveraging social networks (Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Friendster, and meebo), you can play casino games (Texas Hold ‘Em is their biggest hit), word games, board games, role playing games and party games with your friends while you’re both working at your first entry-level job. We can be sure that Zynga won’t frown on that practice, although your friend’s boss might.

Game On!

Zynga’s gaming network has 18 million players and 55 million registered users. That’s a lot of people to show ads to, and that’s what Zynga is doing. That’s why they’re already breaking even without having laid a finger on their venture capital yet. They’ve already raised a total of $39 million in VC funding and have swelled to 80 employees. You can bet that number is going to grow as they start to dip into their funding to develop games that are better suited to withstand competition from video gaming behemoths like Electronic Arts. They’ve already swiped EA’s former Chief Creative Officer, Bing Gordon.

So how can you join Zynga’s team? Take a look at their Jobs page and find an opportunity that is right for you. Currently they have a number of jobs that might be well suited to new college graduates. These include Accounting Coordinator, Application Developer, 2D Graphic Designer, UI Web / Game Designer, Flash Developer, Web Developer, and Online Ad Sales Rep. Most of these job descriptions say that the jobs require slightly more experience than a typical entry-level candidate may have, but we think that if you knock their socks off by sending a standout cover letter and resume to jobs@zynga.com, they’ll at least give you a look. Maybe instead of a job interview, they’ll challenge you to a game over Facebook – if you win, you get the job. You can add Zynga to the list of companies that do a crappy job of telling you where they’re located, so we did some Googling to determine that they’re based in San Francisco, CA.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Don’t even ask in the comments, I’m not going to tell you what my dog’s name was.

Insomniac Games

Willy Franzen — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:00:32 +0000

Do you remember the Far Side cartoons by Gary Larson? There was one with two parents watching their son playing a video game. Both parents had thought bubbles coming from their heads with dreams of classified ads listing high-paying video game testing job after high-paying video game testing job. Their dream has come true. A career in video games is a reality for today’s college graduates. Unfortunately, those video game jobs aren’t always as dreamy as they might seem. The industry is known for a high rate of burnout; however, Insomniac Games is not one of the culprits – for the past 3 years they have been in the Top 10 of HR Magazine’s List of the Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America.

Insomniac Games is an independent video game developer located in Burbank, CA. They develop games for the Playstation, Playstation 2, and Playstation 3 – including Ratchet Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Ratchet Clank, Resistance: Fall of Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Disruptor. By sticking to 5 key principles, Insomniac Games is able to make award-winning games, compete in an often ruthless industry, and keep their employees happy.
For an insider’s view on their games and what it’s like to make them for a living, we recommend that you tune into their podcast called the Full Moon Show. You should also read this article about Peter Chan, an Insomniac game tester.

So, does a company like Insomniac Games hire kids fresh out of college? Their FAQ says: “We do! We do! We are looking for talent, not just years of experience. So, even though you have only been tinkering with games in your down time, if you have the talent and drive, we do want to hear from you. We encourage students to finish their education and contact us when it is time to start paying back their student loans!”

They currently have openings in two departments. In Programming they are looking for new Game Play Programmers and Associate Tools Programmer, while in Support they’d like to hire Quality Assurance Testers, Community Leaders, and Tools Support Reps/Testers. Insomniac Games also accepts applications for unlisted positions, so don’t be afraid to send them your resume if you don’t see a position you want on their Careers page. Can we talk about their Careers page for a second? It includes a Top 10 List of reasons to work for them and mentions some pretty sweet perks. Insomniac Games has Massage Therapy Mondays and Frag Fest Fridays, while also offering a relaxed dress code and the opportunity for Nerf gun wars to break out in the office at any moment. So your job is playing video games, and you take breaks by shooting each other with Nerf guns? Nice. Check out their website for more information on Insomniac Games, it’s top notch.

Note: On April 22nd we revisited entry-level jobs at Insomniac Games.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Insomniac Games may not make games for the Wii, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enter our contest to win one for free.

Nintendo

Willy Franzen — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:00:01 +0000

We have exciting news today at One Day, One Job! We’re offering you the chance to win this year’s hottest holiday gift, a Nintendo Wii, by sharing One Day, One Job with your job searching friends. If you want to win a Wii, visit our contest page and read the rules on how you can enter.

Since we think giving away a Wii is the best way to bribe you into becoming a One Day, One Job evangelist, we thought it would be appropriate to take a brief look at the jobs that Nintendo is offering at the entry-level. We’ve been working really hard putting together this contest for you, so we’re going to leave most of the research on Nintendo’s entry-level job opportunities up to you. You already know enough about the company, you grew up playing Mario. Here’s what to focus on…

Nintendo’s Jobs page is a list of jobs and nothing more. The best fits for new college graduates come from a number of different areas in the company. Some of the more technical job openings include Design Engineer, Java Developer, and Associate Software Engineer. There are also a number of jobs that require bilingual skills, such as Bilingual Product Specialist (English/Latin American Spanish), Bilingual Product Specialist (English/French Canadian), and a contract position as a Technical Writer/Translator (Japanese or Spanish language).

There are also a few other positions that aren’t exactly geared towards new college graduates, but might be the right fit for you depending on your interests and experience. These include Channel Marketing Analyst, Product Testing Technician, and a contract position as a Audio Visual Editor.

Sorry for a short post today, but we’re making up for it by giving away a Wii. One last thing that you should do if you’re researching Nintendo’s career opportunities – Google the Regginator (aka Reggie Fils-Aime – Nintendo America’s President and COO).

Note: On April 22nd we revisited entry-level jobs at Nintendo.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you know what it’s like to work at Nintendo? Leave us a comment.

Want to win a Wii? You can’t win if you don’t subscribe through e-mail. Visit our Find a Job, Win a Wii contest page for more information on how to enter.