Help Clayton Survive In Game Industry
Donation protected
My name is Clayton Donaldson and on paper I am considered a Usability Specialist / Game Designer.
Off paper I am a 24 year old kid that was raised by his Grandparents
By the age of 5, I had lost my mother, lost my brother, and while most kids were very very busy running around the swings at breakneck speeds I was very very busy trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I'd watch everyone else around me maybe spout about being a firemen or maybe a police officer as if they knew right then and there that they knew exactly who it was they wanted to be. I personally was a bit terrified. My family was bad at communicating, people at school were AWFUL at the whole " Help them figure out who someone is" thing, and as many can probably assume... Grandparents are usually very very tired and grumpy if they are stuck dealing with children past extended family visits. I was very very lucky to have discovered videogames.
Games like Final Fantasy 10 showed me ( a kid who was likely dealing with a broken heart) that something else existed beyond the confines of what I had seen in the world so far, and about 3/4ths of the way through that game I decided games were a pretty decent goal to stride towards.
I struggled through an uncaring middle school, I somewhat excelled through an undermanned, undersupplied, and heavily uncomputerized high school that had almost no proper funding for art and sciences, and I excelled through an associates degree program that was over 2 hours away from home while commuting everyday while also working full time. At this moment I realized I would need to leave New York State. There was no work in my area ( or anywhere really) that paid more then 10 dollars an hour, and I felt a need to have a bachelors degree in game design or at the very least in the simulation spaces if I wished to stand at chance at becoming something better.
I did something that I now am having some large regrets about.
I took out a loan for a chance at a higher education.
Personally, I was sick of never having enough money to survive, I was tired of having family cover anything that my work wasn't able to provide ( I was usually making less then 15,000 a year, and most families of 6 with 4 working in my area were only making about 30,000 ). So naturally being an idiot I move to Maryland because it had LOADS of different studios and outfits working in the area
( that were stable) and the University of Baltimore had agreed to take my credits.
I Signed up for the Simulation and Digital Entertainment program, and started to learn as much as I could get my hands on. After a few semesters I realized I was holding a 4.0 in my studies, Deans List honors, and I found myself with some decent free time so I tried looking for some additional internships or work I could do on the side. Anything really to pass the time.
I had some really REALLY mixed results. From the game industry in the area and tech industry I got absolutely nothing. Not even an admission that I actually existed. From friends on campus I ended up working on bizarre small projects. Everything from web design projects, couple work studies on campus, management for a company called "Sodexo", a small video recovery / editing project for the State of Maryland, and the craziest of all, "Usability and Game industry Research" for *cant say publicly* (because of NDA).
At the moment I thought *can't say publicly* was going to finally be my stepping stone to a better career. I "knuckled down", did my work, kept expanding on what I was learning at school / at the company, and things were honestly looking good. I had finally found a niche. Especially when the company started talking of starting up a full blown Usability Lab based off my research. Unfortunately because of the recession, a massive hacking, and a few other things *can't say publicly* had to very very publicly terminate a huge section of their workforce. Any ground I manage to build for being a full hire after graduation was obliterated along with it.
After this mess happened I found myself with less then a year before graduation, signs looking bad that a lot of Maryland based studios were about to go under, and almost no real replies from the studios in the area. Under advisement from some teachers at the school I decided to start a twitter account called "@hulkgamecrit" to help pass the time, maybe use it as a kind of anchor for game design projects to at least find some way of communicating with gamedevs that weren't in the Maryland area ( you know, the ones that actually like talking to people) and I found some crazy successes with the project. I first started finding like minded people that wanted to work on games, some really really cool game devs like James Portnow even helped get me into conferences or at the very least gave me some ideas on what to do next, but the issue of finding employment was still a problem.
People liked the account and were sending me emails now, but they all said I couldn't be hired because I was still in college. I had a really solid GPA ( Couple classes got me so I ended with a 3.6) and I had plenty of free time since I wasn't in my final classes yet. I was more or less cockblocked because the studios didnt think students ever had the right "stuff" to get the work done. I kept applying, kept hoping, kept searching for more projects, but hardly anything at all actually showed up or was thrown my way. Graduation came and the very same outfits now had a new story,
" You don't have any AAA titles on your resume. We can't hire you"
I was naturally....in shock. These were entry level and in some cases QA testing positions and they wanted AAA titles to already exist on the resume. I really didn't know what to do after this. I kept applying to positions, almost never heard anything after the fact, kept going to conventions when I could afford them ( not just for games but for tech too) and when I did eventually hear back I started getting even more insane requests.
Here's an example,
1: 5 years experience in C , C#, Java,
2: At least 2 previous shipped titles ( Usually wanted AAA)
3: Must have experience with various Automation tools
4: Masters degree or higher from an Ivy league University
I wish I was joking about these requirements and these were for a qa tester (entry level) for what I label to be a mid range company.(I was raised to never be a "dick" so I wont say who the company was but yes, they still interviewed me) While of course a lot of outfits asked for less it was pretty damn clear that no one was interested in working with college graduates. They had no patience or were willing to assist them in learning what others in the company already know ( and the schools can't make someone a master before they leave).
Now for the part that doomed me the most. I was forced to move back home to New York State. Maryland shut down a lot of studios, laid off alot of workers, The IGDA was in shambles after a chapter president left literally overnight, the studios had taken a new insane love in complicated NDA's or plainly refused to help out locals grads or students because it cut into their family time or just didnt have any good parking in the area ( yes I really did hear that excuse) and people outside the area I had met on Twitter had no answer because their companies were also failing or I was too far away.
2 years go by, I managed to strike a couple small ( very small) projects with various outfits. I was a QA tester for Ben Markets, then I became a puzzle designer for a project that is yet to be announced (that probably wont pay much for a couple years). All attempts at finding work in the area have failed, All attempts at finding "entry level" work in over 30 states in the USA have failed, My savings has failed, and I now find out I owe taxes on the work I did last year.
I for the first real time since before I played final fantasy 10 feel completely defeated, destroyed, and have lost almost all faith in myself. I worked within the system, persevered beyond my horrid surroundings, and aimed to do better then the circumstances I was born into and circumstance ended up beating me back into the ground.
I keep trying to do better, I have applied for work so many times that I lost count, in the last month alone I have probably done a couple hundred different applications but usually get rejected (even though people usually say I could probably do the work) but strictly because of either location, age, or level of experience I am denied the ability to work. I need guidance but no one has been able to guide me, I have tried to find guidance but the people that were supposed to mentor have more or less gone quiet and as much as I hate to admit it. I think I need outside help.
If you know of someone that might know of someone that can help then I greatly appreciate it, if you feel like donating so my now retired grandparents aren't stuck with insane debt then that too is greatly appreciated.
Just so everyone understands my plan, here's what I need
1: Contact information for anyone in the tech or game design spaces that has available work. Can probably move anywhere on the east coast with ease....probably.
2: Follow me on twitter (a constantly growing following has actually gotten me job interviews before), also make sure to tell all your friends. It would be more ideal to find work then receive funds.
3: $1,000 will probably cover taxes and all additional late fees.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Higher tiers
$8,000 : I start feeling alittle security in myself, go back to focusing on writing for websites, reviewing games, and doing everything that led me to gaining a decent reputation in the game industry to begin with.
$20,000 : I take on the very insane, very stupid risk of moving to Boston or some other heavy tech city without first finding the work.
35,000 : I set up a website, server, and some form of Usability service that continues a lot of the work I already started on twitter. The websites purpose would be part comedy on whats happening in the game industry, providing usability analysis to whoever needs it, a kind of buffer for young devs so they have some idea of how people will react to their game before its released, and naturally to help fuel the work people have really clung to on twitter. They might not realize it, but I do TONNNNNNNS of usability for even the silliest of tweets.
40,000: I volunteer to help anyone inside the Indie spaces with their game projects free of charge for as long as I am able.
60,000: I stop job hunting, I hire people to help with the website, the usability work, and I dedicate more time on the game projects that I'm involved with.
70,000:I start taking more Usability, art, and programming classes to help improve the twitter account, the website, and my games.
I would be disturbed if I ever got passed 8, but if I somehow get passed 70 then I start searching for a way to meet the various minions that have been supporting me for the past two years. Some drew me pictures that many said was the reason why they followed the account, some help with my game projects free of charge, others join me for a podcast every week that sometimes felt like therapy, and others have gone even farther by helping as something like family. I owe them, I want to meet them, and I have no doubt we're going to make some real awesome games soon.
Want to here what others have said so far?
Here's Jane McGonigal , Tim CAD , Elcor's PR Rep , She Hulk , Indie Gamer Chick , DiscoBox , Jenn Frank , Dave S Gallant And my latest "Stalker" Taiga.
Off paper I am a 24 year old kid that was raised by his Grandparents
By the age of 5, I had lost my mother, lost my brother, and while most kids were very very busy running around the swings at breakneck speeds I was very very busy trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I'd watch everyone else around me maybe spout about being a firemen or maybe a police officer as if they knew right then and there that they knew exactly who it was they wanted to be. I personally was a bit terrified. My family was bad at communicating, people at school were AWFUL at the whole " Help them figure out who someone is" thing, and as many can probably assume... Grandparents are usually very very tired and grumpy if they are stuck dealing with children past extended family visits. I was very very lucky to have discovered videogames.
Games like Final Fantasy 10 showed me ( a kid who was likely dealing with a broken heart) that something else existed beyond the confines of what I had seen in the world so far, and about 3/4ths of the way through that game I decided games were a pretty decent goal to stride towards.
I struggled through an uncaring middle school, I somewhat excelled through an undermanned, undersupplied, and heavily uncomputerized high school that had almost no proper funding for art and sciences, and I excelled through an associates degree program that was over 2 hours away from home while commuting everyday while also working full time. At this moment I realized I would need to leave New York State. There was no work in my area ( or anywhere really) that paid more then 10 dollars an hour, and I felt a need to have a bachelors degree in game design or at the very least in the simulation spaces if I wished to stand at chance at becoming something better.
I did something that I now am having some large regrets about.
I took out a loan for a chance at a higher education.
Personally, I was sick of never having enough money to survive, I was tired of having family cover anything that my work wasn't able to provide ( I was usually making less then 15,000 a year, and most families of 6 with 4 working in my area were only making about 30,000 ). So naturally being an idiot I move to Maryland because it had LOADS of different studios and outfits working in the area
( that were stable) and the University of Baltimore had agreed to take my credits.
I Signed up for the Simulation and Digital Entertainment program, and started to learn as much as I could get my hands on. After a few semesters I realized I was holding a 4.0 in my studies, Deans List honors, and I found myself with some decent free time so I tried looking for some additional internships or work I could do on the side. Anything really to pass the time.
I had some really REALLY mixed results. From the game industry in the area and tech industry I got absolutely nothing. Not even an admission that I actually existed. From friends on campus I ended up working on bizarre small projects. Everything from web design projects, couple work studies on campus, management for a company called "Sodexo", a small video recovery / editing project for the State of Maryland, and the craziest of all, "Usability and Game industry Research" for *cant say publicly* (because of NDA).
At the moment I thought *can't say publicly* was going to finally be my stepping stone to a better career. I "knuckled down", did my work, kept expanding on what I was learning at school / at the company, and things were honestly looking good. I had finally found a niche. Especially when the company started talking of starting up a full blown Usability Lab based off my research. Unfortunately because of the recession, a massive hacking, and a few other things *can't say publicly* had to very very publicly terminate a huge section of their workforce. Any ground I manage to build for being a full hire after graduation was obliterated along with it.
After this mess happened I found myself with less then a year before graduation, signs looking bad that a lot of Maryland based studios were about to go under, and almost no real replies from the studios in the area. Under advisement from some teachers at the school I decided to start a twitter account called "@hulkgamecrit" to help pass the time, maybe use it as a kind of anchor for game design projects to at least find some way of communicating with gamedevs that weren't in the Maryland area ( you know, the ones that actually like talking to people) and I found some crazy successes with the project. I first started finding like minded people that wanted to work on games, some really really cool game devs like James Portnow even helped get me into conferences or at the very least gave me some ideas on what to do next, but the issue of finding employment was still a problem.
People liked the account and were sending me emails now, but they all said I couldn't be hired because I was still in college. I had a really solid GPA ( Couple classes got me so I ended with a 3.6) and I had plenty of free time since I wasn't in my final classes yet. I was more or less cockblocked because the studios didnt think students ever had the right "stuff" to get the work done. I kept applying, kept hoping, kept searching for more projects, but hardly anything at all actually showed up or was thrown my way. Graduation came and the very same outfits now had a new story,
" You don't have any AAA titles on your resume. We can't hire you"
I was naturally....in shock. These were entry level and in some cases QA testing positions and they wanted AAA titles to already exist on the resume. I really didn't know what to do after this. I kept applying to positions, almost never heard anything after the fact, kept going to conventions when I could afford them ( not just for games but for tech too) and when I did eventually hear back I started getting even more insane requests.
Here's an example,
1: 5 years experience in C , C#, Java,
2: At least 2 previous shipped titles ( Usually wanted AAA)
3: Must have experience with various Automation tools
4: Masters degree or higher from an Ivy league University
I wish I was joking about these requirements and these were for a qa tester (entry level) for what I label to be a mid range company.(I was raised to never be a "dick" so I wont say who the company was but yes, they still interviewed me) While of course a lot of outfits asked for less it was pretty damn clear that no one was interested in working with college graduates. They had no patience or were willing to assist them in learning what others in the company already know ( and the schools can't make someone a master before they leave).
Now for the part that doomed me the most. I was forced to move back home to New York State. Maryland shut down a lot of studios, laid off alot of workers, The IGDA was in shambles after a chapter president left literally overnight, the studios had taken a new insane love in complicated NDA's or plainly refused to help out locals grads or students because it cut into their family time or just didnt have any good parking in the area ( yes I really did hear that excuse) and people outside the area I had met on Twitter had no answer because their companies were also failing or I was too far away.
2 years go by, I managed to strike a couple small ( very small) projects with various outfits. I was a QA tester for Ben Markets, then I became a puzzle designer for a project that is yet to be announced (that probably wont pay much for a couple years). All attempts at finding work in the area have failed, All attempts at finding "entry level" work in over 30 states in the USA have failed, My savings has failed, and I now find out I owe taxes on the work I did last year.
I for the first real time since before I played final fantasy 10 feel completely defeated, destroyed, and have lost almost all faith in myself. I worked within the system, persevered beyond my horrid surroundings, and aimed to do better then the circumstances I was born into and circumstance ended up beating me back into the ground.
I keep trying to do better, I have applied for work so many times that I lost count, in the last month alone I have probably done a couple hundred different applications but usually get rejected (even though people usually say I could probably do the work) but strictly because of either location, age, or level of experience I am denied the ability to work. I need guidance but no one has been able to guide me, I have tried to find guidance but the people that were supposed to mentor have more or less gone quiet and as much as I hate to admit it. I think I need outside help.
If you know of someone that might know of someone that can help then I greatly appreciate it, if you feel like donating so my now retired grandparents aren't stuck with insane debt then that too is greatly appreciated.
Just so everyone understands my plan, here's what I need
1: Contact information for anyone in the tech or game design spaces that has available work. Can probably move anywhere on the east coast with ease....probably.
2: Follow me on twitter (a constantly growing following has actually gotten me job interviews before), also make sure to tell all your friends. It would be more ideal to find work then receive funds.
3: $1,000 will probably cover taxes and all additional late fees.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Higher tiers
$8,000 : I start feeling alittle security in myself, go back to focusing on writing for websites, reviewing games, and doing everything that led me to gaining a decent reputation in the game industry to begin with.
$20,000 : I take on the very insane, very stupid risk of moving to Boston or some other heavy tech city without first finding the work.
35,000 : I set up a website, server, and some form of Usability service that continues a lot of the work I already started on twitter. The websites purpose would be part comedy on whats happening in the game industry, providing usability analysis to whoever needs it, a kind of buffer for young devs so they have some idea of how people will react to their game before its released, and naturally to help fuel the work people have really clung to on twitter. They might not realize it, but I do TONNNNNNNS of usability for even the silliest of tweets.
40,000: I volunteer to help anyone inside the Indie spaces with their game projects free of charge for as long as I am able.
60,000: I stop job hunting, I hire people to help with the website, the usability work, and I dedicate more time on the game projects that I'm involved with.
70,000:I start taking more Usability, art, and programming classes to help improve the twitter account, the website, and my games.
I would be disturbed if I ever got passed 8, but if I somehow get passed 70 then I start searching for a way to meet the various minions that have been supporting me for the past two years. Some drew me pictures that many said was the reason why they followed the account, some help with my game projects free of charge, others join me for a podcast every week that sometimes felt like therapy, and others have gone even farther by helping as something like family. I owe them, I want to meet them, and I have no doubt we're going to make some real awesome games soon.
Want to here what others have said so far?
Here's Jane McGonigal , Tim CAD , Elcor's PR Rep , She Hulk , Indie Gamer Chick , DiscoBox , Jenn Frank , Dave S Gallant And my latest "Stalker" Taiga.
Organizer
Clayton Donaldson
Organizer
Kirkwood Town, NY