Game Development is complicated
Did anyone else get kinda blown away at first but how much more complicated gamedev is than you might imagine?
Willem Delventhal
Cover Letter Template
Willem's Week of GameDev Resources: Day 4! Today I'm sharing a cover letter template! Struggling to write the perfect cover letter? We got you! ➡ Get it hereI'm at Burning Man this week and completely out of contact! To continue to spread the love, I have scheduled a single, highly valuable Game Development or Careers resource to be posted every day on my behalf.
List of excellent Game Dev Portfolios to learn from
This one's a goodie. Here is a list of excellent game dev portfolios to learn from! ➡ high-quality PDF with clickable linksI'm at Burning Man this week and completely out of contact! To continue to spread the love, I have scheduled a single, highly valuable Game Development or Careers resource to be posted every day on my behalf.
Level Design: MASSIVELY Valuable Doc with EVERYTHING
Willem's Week of GameDev Resources: Day 1! For all my Level Designers out there, here is a MASSIVELY valuable doc with EVERYTHING you need to know about your craft! ➡ Get it hereI'm at Burning Man this week and completely out of contact! To continue to spread the love, I have scheduled a single, highly valuable Game Development or Careers resource to be posted every day on my behalf.Follow for 7 in total!What do you think of this one, Level Designers? Learn anything new? What's your favorite Level Design resource?
This is especially true when you’re on a convention floor
This is especially true when you're on a convention floor or otherwise have a deadline.
What do you do for a living?
I will admit... this is one of the perks I enjoy about being a game dev
A cool design resource: Combo Chart
I was looking at the stats on an Elden Ring enemy and discovered a cool design resource: a combo chart, basically a State Diagram of enemy movesets ⚔ State Diagrams are a game design staple. We use them for all kinds of things, from showcasing a games skill progression to mapping out the growable plants in a gardening system to displaying a games hub world and which levels the player can access when. (I'm curious, what else have you seen them used for?) They're a great tool for visually mapping out a complex system and getting a gut check on how it will work. Additionally, they're excellent for communicating between team members, making it extremely clear what needs to be created. 🗺 All that said, I've never seen one used to document the movements, and even more so how the […]
I have a dream for the game industry
I have a dream for the game industry, where we not only fix what ails us but use our example to inspire other industries besides. And I guarantee we can do it, together. 🫂 We've now been faced with going on the worst three years the game industry has ever known. Companies hired like crazy during the 2020 boon, knowingly bringing on too many team members they probably wouldn't be able to support as the pandemic ended. And as a result, we've seen more layoffs in a more condensed period than literally ever before. But! The thing about the game industry is... the people who work here are wonderful. Outcast dorks come together to celebrate something we love, together. We are kind and energetic. We love to share our weird hobbies and get fascinated by the art of our fellows. […]
Oh, your background is very… indie
In my last application cycle I had one interviewer love me... only to have his boss say, "Oh... your background is very... indie," implying this was less valid. I got rejected. 😑 So before I go on one of my fire and brimstone rants, I want to be clear that nobody should take rejections personally. Companies get inundated with applications and can often only hire less than 1% of peeps. It's normal and okay to get rejected, and all you can do is learn from each one. I'd even love to hear your own rejection stories below.Okay, now the fire and brimstone part. 🔥🔥🔥 EXCUSE ME WHAT!? Get down from your friggen' high horse for a second. Not to be rude (but to be a little rude) this dude was an upper lead at a relatively middling VR company. Not […]
Wheel of Emotions for your next game emotional objectives
Have you used this tool before? Take a look at the Wheel of Emotions to decide which emotional objectives you'll set for your next game, keeping feel unified throughout the project! 🎡 First introduced to me by Renee Gittins, founder of Stumbling Cat and all around very smart person, the Wheel of Emotions is a fantastic tool to help you pick how your game is aiming to make your players feel. By setting these emotions early you set your team up with a common direction of where to head that extends to every department. If your game is supposed to elicit a sense of betrayal, how does that manifest in your character design? In your environment design? In the mechanics your team chooses?This kind of focused design also makes the end product much more punchy, as often going just a […]
THE PROPHECY IS COMPLETE!
With the newest flowchart on interviewing THE PROPHECY IS COMPLETE! The trilogy concludes! Here are three comprehensive guides to help you work in games! 💜 While they take friggen' forever to make, I really enjoy putting together games job and hiring advice in flowchart form. It feels much more digestible and easy to follow.Come to think of it I would love your requests on what to make next! 🤔 So here are my three big boys to date, giving you a chronological step by step guide to working in games!Click the links for HD PDF copies with clickable links! ⬇ 1️⃣ Building a Portfolio2️⃣ Interviewing in Games3️⃣ Starting your Own StudioI hope these help you land some work or start your own thing in these crazy days. Remember that we're in this together. Be kind to one another. Support one […]
there’s too many juniors trying to work in games
I got told the other day that "there's too many juniors trying to work in games." Um ya'll. The pie is not finite. We can make it bigger. And ALL these peeps can find work. 🎂 We have more people trying to break into games than ever before and fewer seats for all those butts. And this IS an issue. It means juniors are working harder, waiting longer, and becoming more desperate than they ever have. But the problem is NOT that there are too many juniors. Juniors are the lifeblood of any industry. They ensure continuity and innovation. The problem is ridiculous levels of gatekeeping, too centralized a market with too many big players owning too many of the aforementioned seats, and good old corporate greed. ("Hey! Everyone is laying people off! That means we can too and avoid […]