One of the key steps step towards getting hired for video game jobs involves determining who it is you would like to work for. A big factor in determining this choice will be your own preference of gaming platform, as well as gaming experience. Are you a big Xbox fan? Strategy games, or sports games? Narrowing down what you are most familiar with and enjoy playing will help immensely in determining who you would enjoy working for.
The four largest employers in the video game industry are of course Microsoft (Xbox), Sony (PlayStation), and Nintendo (Wii), and for the PC, Electronic Arts. Yet it would be a mistake to only consider these four companies as your only options. There are numerous small and medium-sized companies that create numerous video game jobs, both temporary and permanent. Preparing to apply to the dozens of other game development companies for video game jobs will enable you to expand and diversify your list of possible employers, and your chances of getting hired will increase tremendously.
For this reason, it is also very important to acquire knowledge and experience on multiple gaming hardware platforms. While to be sure, there are numerous video game jobs available for specific platforms (Xbox, Wii, Playstation, PC), at the very least, in addition to one or more of those platforms, one should have experience using the PC as a gaming platform. Furthermore, online gaming experience is an additional advantage, especially the massive online role playing games (MMPORGs). Even in the recession, online video games continue to expand in usage and popularity.
There are many other companies you should research and consider working for; to name just a few, consider the following 25 companies, mast of whom have video game jobs open even now:
o Acclaim Games
o Activision Blizzard
o Atari
o Big Fish Games
o Disney Interactive Studios
o Capcom
o Codemasters
o Crave Entertainment
o Eidos Interactive
o Epic Games
o Got Game Entertainment
o Ignition Entertainment
o JoWooD Productions
o Kemco
o Konami
o Linux Game Publishing
o LucasArts
o Matrix Games
o Mercury Games
o Paradox Interactive
o Playlogic Entertainment
o Rising Star Games
o Ubisoft
o Valusoft
o Warner Bros. Interactive
So do your research, and make a list of all the companies, major and minor, that you would be interested in working for. Focus on companies that make games you enjoy playing - whether it be puzzles, strategy games, role-playing games, online gaming and MMPORG's, auto racing games, or sports games, or even science fiction games such as Gears of War.
Consider joining up with a membership site that maintains a huge database of video game companies that have video game jobs opening up on a consistent basis. There is a nominal fee for the premium sites, but it is well worth it in terms of the job opportunities that they provide. Finally, after you have made your list of preferred employers, you will be ready for the final step - creating a winning resume and cover letter, and getting the job interview for what should be the first of many video game jobs!