Secrets of the Game Business (Game Development Series)

The videogames industry is in a growth cycle and the best development talent is in constant demand. The worth of a studio is in a large part determined by the caliber of its development staff. In an industry with such a high demand for talent, a new studio should not rely exclusively on advertising and should be both creative and aggressive in their recruiting efforts.

• Advertising. This is the most obvious method. There are numerous avenues to consider with advertising, from print to the Internet. There are trade magazines published specifically for the game development community as well as the computer graphic arts community. On the Web there are game developer forums and Web sites to consider as well as a few private sites in the developer community that will post job ads free of cost to developers that they trust. While simple advertising will likely produce the largest quantity of applicants and the occasional diamond in the rough, it should be mentioned that often the majority of the respondents are either inexperienced or looking to break into the games industry rather than experienced veterans.

• Networking and trade shows. Talk to friends and employees, ask who they know. Attend trade shows like E3 and the CGDC and let people know about the exciting projects you are working on.

• College recruiting and internships. Today's colleges are producing some brilliant young engineers and artists. Many a startup owes their success in part to their proximity to a college campus; Raven—University of Wisconsin, Volition—University of Illinois, Redstorm—University of North Carolina, Turbine—MIT, and so forth. As the games industry matures, more and more colleges are developing curriculum with games development in mind and then there are schools that specialize in games development like Digipen and Fullsail. Many of these students actually have exposure to console development before they graduate. An enthusiastic student intern or recent graduate with the essential skill-set and a fanaticism for games can be a terrific addition to your team.

• A Professional recruiter. Using a professional recruiter seasoned in the industry is the most efficient and direct method of sourcing the entire applicant pool, not just the candidates that are actively looking. A good recruiter will champion your studio in the games community and aggressively pursue the passive candidates. Passive candidates are not unemployed, not unhappy, not reading the want ads, and represent the majority of development talent. If your studio has something exciting to offer, it is the professional recruiter who will be pro-active and make sure the right people know about it. Some recruiters in the games industry even offer special fee arrangements to startups. The recruiter that you select should know the industry top to bottom; have an extensive network of contacts, and have a good reputation within the games community.

• Reputation. This is an often overlooked facet of recruiting in the games industry. The games development community is very closely knit. As a consequence, news travels fast. Good development staff is in high demand, so a good candidate has many choices. The caliber of talent that you attract will have a great deal to do with how your studio is perceived in the games community. Your reputation will, in part, be based on the founders' reputations, the quality of game you are producing, your studio's work environment and studio culture. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage when creating a startup. It is difficult to repair a poor reputation. Take special care with your burgeoning reputation in the community and treat all applicants graciously.