What is needed to get hired?

[wasabiguy]

Is there any where I can look on the website that I can look for what I need to get a job with Squad, I am currently in college in the UK doing a Level 3 games development course and I have been using Unity (Which KSP uses)

In short. Can someone link me to a Job requirement page.

[llamatoes]

Make a mod, wait for it to become the most popular one on the forums and hope the devs ask you on.

[The Darkness]

I think its just more than making a great mod. I believe its more about your ambition and skill level. A great mod would increase your likeliness to be considered. But I think its about who is a team player. Who can interact with the community and build it. Who can face there flaws, overcome and contribute to the project overall. Who can be willing to take great rejection from a very passionate community, and understand its more than a game to some players. I'm not speaking for SQUAD and saying I know what its takes, I'm just saying I imagine its more than just one attribute.

[air805ronin]

Order pizza for the squad offices? Just kidding!

Edit: Squad's corporate page doesn't really list game development slots. Most hirings seem to have been through direct contact.

Most recent hirings I noticed have been mod makers who have shown they have the skills to further the game's development. This is the same trend that most studios have used in that they want see proof you know what you're doing.

So get modding, get active in the community, show passion for the game, maybe make some technical demos that don't have anything to do with KSP, and in general show you have what it takes.

Since I don't work for squad, though, this is all conjecture.

Edited September 5, 2013 by air805ronin

[little square dot]

Wasabi, you're approaching this from an angle that will never land you a job at an indie studio mate. Squad is not EA.

Think of KSP as being Squad's child.

People have to prove themselves before parents will trust them to play a significant role in their child's development.

Given that we have a massive community of modders who have shown a great deal of passion for both the game and the community, devoted an incredible amount of their free time to the continued expansion of KSP while having asked for absolutely nothing in return, and many of whom have developed loyal followings through their hard work and dedication, and further considering that many of these active members of the community have proven to be nothing short of brilliant in their respective fields, why the heck would Squad even consider hiring someone who has done little more than seek a list of prerequisites for employment?

I'm afraid your approach is akin to shooting yourself in the foot, but good luck to in your endeavour. =)

Edited September 5, 2013 by little square dot

[pxi]

I am currently in college in the UK doing a Level 3 games development course and I have been using Unity

The question is, what have you made? You need to be developing a portfolio to showcase the skills you have acquired. Having a games course under your belt is not enough - the industry since year dot has been primarilly been fuelled by people who taught themselves to make games and then got published and these are the types of people you will be competing with. As others have pointed out mod-making would be a good place to start at the very least.

Edit: I hope this doesn't come across as too harsh, I don't mean to discourage you, rather give you some honest advice.

Edited September 6, 2013 by pxi

[HeadHunter67]

Most importantly, it takes more than just making a popular mod - the modders that have joined Squad so far have been the ones who made mods that Squad considered indispensable to the core game. In other words, find what KSP needs and do that - and do it well. That may be very different from a cool mod that might be awesome and expand gameplay, if Squad doesn't feel that's necessary to the core of development.

It helps if you do it in a way that is resource-efficient and even moreso if you can do it better than Squad feels they could have in-house. It's a tall order, but it's happened before, and far more often than any other game I've seen (except when the whole Desert Combat team got hired by DICE to turn their mod into Battlefield 2).

[Diche Bach]

I have to say the whole "modding as a pathway" for creative people to get into the industry is quite fascinating to me; not that I expect to ever do it myself. But I do not know of many previous industries (music or other arts I guess) that have worked quite that way.

However it does seem to be a recurring theme: the guys/gals who make the most famous mods for various games eventually wind up landing gigs with studios, even if it is not with the studio that made the game for which they made the famous mod. I've also heard more than one game designer say in interviews: "If you want to break into the industry, make mods."

[Somerled]

"Make a mod" is riffing on the theme of building your portfolio.

Even better: you're learning Unity, so make a game in Unity. Lots of indie devs got a huge start building small one-offs in Unity, Unreal Engine, Source, etc. You want to break into the industry? Smash your way in with some solid ideas and sincere execution. Also build levels, make art assets, script game modes, whatever takes your fancy. Show what you can do, then ask to join a team like Squad.

And don't forget to please tell us all about what you've made/are making. We want to enjoy it, too.

[Mr Shifty]

Note that Squad is not a video game company; it's a marketing company. That they're funding a successful indie game is a happy accident. The KSP development team is quite small, and not currently soliciting resumes.

Before you get started in indie game development, you might want to browse through some of the feature articles on Polygon. Here are some examples:

http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/28/4460616/voxatron-lexaloffle

http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/6/20/4441680/how-games-are-made-defense-grid-2

http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/5/29/4362838/the-birth-and-re-birth-of-klei

[Whackjob]

Squad? Pay me six hundred dollars a week, and I will quit my regular job and will fill your site photo archives with pictures of crafts galore. I will veer madly between the functional and mundane, to the strange and esoteric, to the incomprehensible and improbable.

Of course, this will likely never happen, but I make the offer anyway, as I do for all games I board on beta.

[Mistake Not…]

However it does seem to be a recurring theme: the guys/gals who make the most famous mods for various games eventually wind up landing gigs with studios, even if it is not with the studio that made the game for which they made the famous mod. I've also heard more than one game designer say in interviews: "If you want to break into the industry, make mods."

Speaking from personal experience - I absolutely agree.

How to get a decent job making games? Make games.

[Canopus]

As many people already said here, prove yourself. Nova, C7, bac9 and Claira (forgive me if i spelled the name wrong) all made great mods. They didn't asked to be hired, they were asked.

[Dimetime35c]

just cause your in a class using the same game engine doesnt mean your a good game designer. hate to sound harsh but truth is if you dont have anything that showcases your skills as a game designer it doesnt matter how many classes you have. not saying you did but how does squad know if you just got poor grades in the class but still high enough to pass it? how do they know you actually learned and are able to use all that you were taught in the class. my advice start with a mod. try and make something that will stand out then maybe contact them. that way you can have something to show off that highlights your skills.