postPAX debriefing

I got to play a lot of games, but I didn't wait in any long lines. I also spent a lot of time in the game developer lounge, which was a nice mix of professionals and people looking with interest at the industry. I passed out a number of business cards that point here, so I thought I'd do a bit of a follow-up, since I have a number of things I tried to say over the course of the three days.

Number one, for all the students there that didn't seem to know: Darius Kazemi has written — a lot — about effective networking that is worth a read. Take your time, don't try to go through it all at once, but read it.

Also, something that came up a few times was the difference between "how do I become a part of the game industry?" vs. "how do I get a job at a game company?" There is a very real place for indie game development, and the distance between indie and establishment is, I think, not that large. If you want to make games, make them. Going alone, you are limited in scope, but that doesn't preclude fun or innovation, and that really helps you make a career out of entertaining people. I'm not saying, by any means, to avoid the big dogs (that would look a bit strange as an employee of BioWare, part of EA), but that you should be open to all possibilities.