Comments on: Writing a Resume for a Game Company

By: Yojimbo » Blog Archive » Resume 2.1

Yojimbo » Blog Archive » Resume 2.1 — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 10:50:51 +0000

[...] reading these two articles, I realized that my current resume was utter crap. So I redid everything and uploaded the new and [...]

By: Darius Kazemi

Darius Kazemi — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:27:43 +0000

I’d put games you’ve tested under work experience.

By: Livingston Datkowitz

Livingston Datkowitz — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:45:56 +0000

Great Advice! I’m currently restructuring my resume and have a question. There’s 6 or 7 games that I tested and was wondering if I should include them under my Projects section or treat them differently? The reason I’m asking is because I’m going back to school to study art and I feel listing the games I’ve tested under the Project section might seem out of place down the road. So, the question I guess is: should I mix tested projects along with projects I will do art for?

Thanks!

By: Darius Kazemi

Darius Kazemi — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:37:08 +0000

Gosh, I see I never got back to Seth. I think it’s because I was traveling at the end of January.

Anyway, sorry about that, and the answer to the question is: “Unannounced game for X console.” It’s very common. You need to check with the company, though: often even the console is secret. I’ve everything from “Unannounced next-gen game” to “FPS-RTS hybrid based on external IP for Xbox 360.”

By: Darius Kazemi

Darius Kazemi — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:40:20 +0000

In retrospect I think one page is a little harsh — but if you’re someone just coming out of college one page is probably a good limit unless you’ve been EXTREMELY exceptional.

For industry folks with a few years’ experience, two pages should be fine.

By: Lucas

Lucas — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:37:25 +0000

Thanks for the advice, Darius. I’m sure much of it is worth following when applying outside of game development as well.

I wonder about the one-page limit, however. Most resumes are submitted electronically, so there’s no reason to concern yourself with paper and ink (right?), and, as you’ve pointed out, it’s good to leave enough space so that your resume is easy to read.

I can understand that limiting yourself to a single page is a good way to avoid writing too much, but if you’ve the ability to keep things brief and relevant, does it matter that you “cram all your contact information into the top inch of your resume?” Is a two-page PDF really that much worse than a single-page one?

By: Seth

Seth — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:03:39 +0000

I have a question about putting unreleased games on a resume. I worked on two games on my internship, but neither has been released yet. Should I write them down as “Unannounced game for X console” or something? Or ask somebody at the company I worked at what I can put?

By: How to Squander Your 15 Minutes By Repeatedly Shooting Yourself In Both Feet: An Instruction Manual — Tiny Subversions Tiny Subversions

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:55:24 +0000

[...] about your game and what sort of email you should be writing them. It reminds me a lot of writing a resume for a game development job: you need to stand out but also tailor it to your specific [...]

By: shinn

shinn — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:32:37 +0000

Thanks for sharing your ideas on how to write a good resume...

By: Rob

Rob — Sun, 10 May 2009 01:37:00 +0000

Cool. Thanks for your help Darius!