What the Hell is This?

Welcome, one and all, to the first installment of Relevant Conundrum. This weekly column will take a look at...well, bluntly, any damn thing I want to take a look at.

After spending almost two years doing game design columns, I've had enough--and so, in my opinion, have most readers. The game design column has been done...perhaps not to death, but damn near. So, on to other things.

This column will cover matters of interest to the gaming community. Reactions to and coverage of important industry news, interviews with folks of interest to gamers (both in the industry, or in the mainstream), generally topical rants, game mastering advice, playing advice...maybe the occasional review. In short, consider this column as an annotated companion to the gamer experience. Not a lick of game design...I promise.

This week, I figured that I'd start small. So, without further ado, let's take a look at: How To Get Into The Game Industry.

Here's the secret, in a nutshell. It comes in two parts, and both are equally important.

One: You must have some form of published credit. That gets your foot in the door. Whether that credit is professional, amateur, or even just something that was put up on the web, you need something that can show not only your level of ability, but also the fact that you can work on assignment.

Two: Get to know a lot of people in the industry. Yes, you read that right. Schmooze. Work the room. Shamelessly pimp yourself. The fact of the matter is, like in most aspects of life, it always helps to know someone. Line Developers for RPG companies work with freelancers, and it is natural to assume that they will deal with people that they know. They might not automatically give a job to someone they know, just because they know them...but you can be reasonably sure that you'll at least be considered. Speaking personally, a submission from someone that I know will often get more of my notice than one from someone I've never heard of...and getting a "leg up" out of the slush pile is your first hurdle to clear.

Once you've gotten a few published credits in the industry, the list of people who know you will grow, making it easier to get more assignments. Sure, it's a vicious cycle, but it's the way life works.

That's pretty much it for this week. Next week, we've got an interview with Tim Powers, author of the gamer-fave novels The Last Call, The Anubis Gates, On Stranger Tides, and many more.

One last thing: Every week, I'll also give you two recommendations. I'll tell you what I'm currently reading, and what I'm currently listening to (I'll ask the same thing of my interviewees, as well). Feel free to check them out, or not...I'm just doing it because I've got a soapbox, and it gives me a chance to share stuff that I think is pretty damn nifty. This week's recommendations: I'm reading The Golden Age of American Pulp Magazines by Peter Haining. I'm listening to The Sopranos: Peppers and Eggs (the second soundtrack collection from the HBO series).

See ya in 7.