| You will probably become rich after your company sells just one copy of a game |
| This is absolutely false. Although some game makers do earn large salaries, most only earn an average income. Also, game makers do not receive most of the money made on selling these games. You have to take into account the costs of production and advertising, which take out a healthy chunk of cash themselves. |
| Game makers are their own bosses; they work on their own terms and make up their own hours |
| This is also a complete fabrication. Game makers have a strict schedule to which they must adhere to get the game onto store shelves on time. There is always a project manager whose job it is to assign tasks and make sure that you are completing them at a good pace. In the game industry, your hours depend on how close to the deadline you are. If your company has a lot of work left to do and there is only one week left before production, you are going to be pulling some major hours behind your desk coding. |
| You only need a good idea to get a job in the game industry |
| This is not usually true. Although some people may have forged their way into the trade with their creative ideas, the truth is that most game programmers and artists are hired because of their skills and experience |
| No one really cares what my grade point average is. I'm very creative, and that's the kind of people they hire as game makers. |
| This is completely false. Yes, the industry hires creative people. Creativity is good; it fuels the game making process. But.. there are more important things than your imagination. Schooling is very important. They want college degrees! They want a certificate that says that you are as intelligent as you say you are. They want experience, and they want the whole package. I hate to break it to you, but your creative mind alone will not get you an interview at a game company. You need the resume to back it up. |
| I won't need a good grade in <insert any subject here> because it doesn't directly relate to game making |
| Not true again. You can relate almost any academic subject to game making. History can play an important role in the game making process. What if your game happens to be a World War II simulation? Similarly, physics also plays an important role in any first-person shooter game, such as Quake by Id Games. Next time you play one of these types of games, think about how shooting a rocket will propel your character backwards; that's physics at work. Sports is a favorite subject for games, so pay attention in gym too. |