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Help wanted: Microsoft looking to fill another 'Halo' job
Microsoft is looking for a new lead designer to join its internal Halo team and "help develop a new experience in the Halo universe," says a job listing at Microsoft's site. With the franchise's jump to the RTS arena, we're wondering what could be next on the horizon for those colonial marines and their enemies, the Covenant. Halo Horse Adventurez, anyone?[Via IGN]
North American Ubisoft exec Jay Cohen departs
Publisher Ubisoft recently confirmed that its North American vice-president of publishing, Jay Cohen, has left the company. He might not be among the most recognizable gaming industry luminaries in the nation, though he more or less served as Ubisoft's second-in-command in the Americas, taking responsibility for the company's content acquisitions, partnerships and strategic and financial planning. We sure hope he wasn't the only guy doing the "planning" for Beyond Good & Evil 2.Nobody's quite sure why Cohen left his prestigious position at the company, or what his future plans regarding employment are, but considering the current state of the nation's expansive, widely accessible job market, it seems the world's totally his oyster.
Game industry still hiring, notable job postings listed
It's easy to get bummed out reading about industry layoffs day in and day out. Trust us, writing about them isn't any day at the beach either. Still, there is hope for industry hopefuls scouring want ads openings, and Gamasutra blog GameSetWatch has compiled a list of what it's deemed the most "notable" openings recently posted to its sister site's job board.Among them, Other Ocean Interactive, the studio responsible for the Xbox Live port of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, is seeking a new producer to join its team, while Warner Bros. is hoping to cull an engineering director from the ranks of the unemployed. Namco is looking for multiple folks willing to tinker with mobile games, and LEGO Universe dev NetDevil is interested in hiring someone to head up programming on its space combat MMO, Jumpgate Evolution. Even Midway wants in on the hiring action, though we'd advise anyone interested in signing up there also get fitted for a life vest.
BusinessWeek thinks corporate execs can learn from WoW
In the midst of recruiters being told not to send WoW players to job interviews, BusinessWeek wrote an interesting piece about how World of Warcraft promotes innovation. The articles examines how Blizzard had designed a game that could probably be mimicked by any corporation looking to innovate. It's an interesting analysis of the game, with BusinessWeek saying that its players are motivated to achieve and solve tasks. Although some readers counter that the achievement-oriented environment is normal for MMOs, one key insight is how WoW reduces barriers to entry and early advancement. More than most MMOs, World of Warcraft is easy to access -- it's easy to level and there are no harsh penalties for dying (unlike some MMOs where death results in a sharp XP loss, sometimes to the point of losing levels). In fact, some might even say that WoW is a little too casual-friendly. Even then, there's a lot in the game that drives people to perform. The article recommends that corporate leaders take a look at the game and see how it creates a motivational environment. It even goes so far as to laud the gamer disposition, something that players have or develop. It's certainly a refreshing counterpoint to the idea that gamers (or WoW players, in particular) "cannot give 100%" to their jobs. So even though some companies might think that WoW is bad for their employees, BusinessWeek says it just might be good for the bosses.Thanks, Cahu!
LGJ: Wrath of the Discrimination King
Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq ("LGJ"), a column on legal issues as they relate to video games: GamePolitics recent posted a report that some employers may be 'discriminating' against World of Warcraft players. In fact, there have been longstanding reports of gamers, generally, not being the most favored employee in some workplaces. Of course, as soon as anyone reads the word 'discrimination' they immediately think 'lawsuit.' Whether that's an unfortunate byproduct of the direction of the American legal system or something else entirely is a discussion for another day. Today, rather, I want to take a look at the question of whether gamer discrimination could give rise to an employment discrimination lawsuit.
Red5 sends recruitment messages that won't self-destruct
The adage usually goes "it's hard to find good help these days." And it's all too true in the gaming industry. While other industries may shun players of MMORPGs, game development companies are actively looking to recruit top-notch talent. Competition is tough to get the best developers, especially when the projects they might be working on cannot be revealed. So to break the monotony of typical recruiter phone calls, Red 5 came up with a unique way to get potential employees interested.Their Golden Ticket system sent 100 developers an unmarked FedEx box. Inside was another box, labeled 1, that featured art from the game under development and looked vaguely like it might have come from a Mission: Impossible set. Then, in a sort of modern Russian nesting doll manner, the potential employee uncovered the full group of five boxes. Within the fifth box was an iPod, personally engraved for that recipient, along with a code to enter on the Red5 website. The iPod, once hooked up with the site, played a personalized message inviting the developer to the Red5 offices to check out the facility and interview. Quite a unique, if paranoia-inducing, way to get new applicants.
Employers screening WoW players during recruitment?
Would you consider your MMO-gaming habits to be detrimental to your performance as an employee? Lucky for us, we here at Massively are kind of expected to be invested in the MMO world, but it seems that it may be best to keep your playing a secret when looking for other lines of work. Raph Koster picked up on a thread at the f13 forums in which we learn that a recruiter in the online media industry has been told by employers numerous times to straight-up avoid World of Warcraft players. The original poster, who was chatting with the recruiter in question, mentioned some of the positives that can come from playing MMOs, but the recruiter said that none of that mattered to the employers he dealt with and WoW players would not even get a second look.Some of the reasons cited for the rejections include bad sleeping habits, and an inability to give 100% due to a wandering mind -- presumably wandering to the next Azerothian adventure. Poor WoW has been taking all the heat lately, but it's doubtful that the fans (nor Blizzard) care too much about the bad rap. When it comes to your next job-hunt though ... we're not going to tell you to lie or anything like that, but just be a little wary of the chatty interviewer when they ask if you've checked out the latest WoW expansion, kay guys?
Get a Mac, get a job
As the economy makes with the poop, we can all use a little bit of extra help finding work. Whether it's side projects, or full-time employment, there are plenty of jobs available for system administrators, programmers, and creative people -- all who use a Mac. I've assembled a collection of sites and job boards that cater to those with a technical and creative skill set -- people who probably use a Mac. This is by no means a complete list, but should help anyone starting to look for work. Comments consisting of "how could you dare possibly omit [insert name of board here]" will be met with resigned sighs from me, but cheers from our readers. So feel free to point people in the direction of boards that you've used or trusted before in comments. Follow me across the jump for the list.
Turbine is seeking new headquarters and additional developer talent
Turbine Entertainment, the creators of MMO titles Asheron's Call, Dungons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online landed $40 million dollars in investment a few months ago. Speculation has run rampant on what console MMOG the company is developing, but now we know where some of that 40 million is being spent. The Boston Globe is reporting potential tax breaks for video-game development studios based in Massachusetts and spoke with Turbine chief financial officer, Peter Faubert regarding the proposed legislation. Game development is booming in Massachusetts and it turns out Turbine is looking for a new headquarters in the Boston area since they have outgrown their studios in Westwood. Faubert goes on to say that Turbine plans to add an additional 100 staff to Turbine's burgeoning ranks by the end of 2009. Many employment opportunities are available on the official Turbine INC. website, but any indication on the specifics regarding a new project is cleverly kept covert.
Cryptic is hiring ... but for what?
Cryptic Studios has announced that they're hiring people "to work on our upcoming next-gen MMOGs." This alludes to Jack Emmert's earlier remark at GDC 08, when he mentioned a "secret sci-fi project". And now that it's clear that Cryptic is growing, it just adds delicious fuel to the fire.A look at their Current Openings page reveals that every department has openings, which is good for would-be respondents, but reveals nothing for clue-seekers. As always, we'll let you know as soon as anything leaks, but this blogger dares to hope for the official resurrection of Star Trek Online. [Thanks, Christine!]
Learning your leadership skills from World of Warcraft
We've covered the IBM/Seriosity study before -- that's the one that said players who are able to organize and lead guilds can use those same skills to succeed in the workplace. Just recently, Computerworld sat down to chat with Seriosity co-founder Byron Reeves, who's since used his research to actually develop ways for companies to use MMO-style gameplay in the workplace, including creating a currency system to develop and manage interactions between employees.It's very interesting stuff. Reeves says that MMO games and the leaders in them are a prime example of the environment creating the leader, not necessarily the talents of the person themselves -- when a game gives you the tools and influences necessary to have you leading a guild, you'll do a good job at it. He also says that the speed of online games can be a huge benefit to workers -- when you need to organize groups fast ingame, those skills will directly translate to running groups in real life.Not everything is the same -- Reeves admits that the risks are much smaller when running around a virtual world (no one loses their livelihood if you don't down a boss), and there's a lot more transparency in games -- you can know characters' levels and specs, but you can't really know exactly how much experience your employees have or what they're really good at just by looking them up in the Armory. The interview is definitely an interesting read for anyone who's ever lead a guild or a workplace -- it's becoming more and more apparently that there are many lessons to be learned across both.
Champions Online dev discusses how to become a game designer
'Heretic' on the Champions Online developer blog, has posted a short piece on how to "break the wall" and become a game designer. The factors involved are fairly obvious once given consideration, but it's always worth going over them again, to refresh one's memory. Among the important issues are getting experience in a related, or "parallel" line of work, such as programming or art; noting that there are few available design positions available, and these are typically filled from within the company; and remembering professionalism, courtesy, responsibility, confidence and diplomacy as important assets for any employee.
Dear Blizzard, please pay me lots of money
I do a lot of checking the Blizzard Job Opportunities page, even though I'm fully aware I don't have much of a chance of landing a spot on their team. A shame, really, considering how sexy and charming I am! And such a hard worker, too!Erm. Anyway. I check the job opportunities page all of the time, because really, who wouldn't want a shot at working for Blizzard? I know a lot of my guildmates do the same, though not necessarily for the same reasons. Me? I'm all about creative writing and I'm a huge lore buff. No matter the game, if I'm playing it, I want to know all about the lore and backstory of the world. I even take that nerdity a bit further, and spend a lot of my free time brainstorming lore for my guild. For example, my guild's backstory is based in Northrend, so on and off I've been preparing for an intro to Wrath of the Lich King for us. It's an RP server, so it's not too bizarre to have a detailed behind-the-scenes story, and it'll give the guild's roleplay a bit of a jump start when the time rolls around. Fuel for the collective creative fires and all of that.So needless to say, I would jump all over a creative writing, quest design, or really any other lore-centric opportunity that came my way. Unfortunately, I don't really have the professional experience necessary, so it'll be a good long time before I have a chance higher than zero. Regardless, I check at least once a week simply to stare longingly at the Job Opps. Guildmates of mine do similar with things like programming and graphic design. Some days I think we're obsessive, but most of the time I just pretend we have high aspirations. It makes me feel better when I do.Who else is with us on this? I'm sure most people have at least thought about working for Blizzard once or twice.Edited for clarity.
Want to build a dungeon?
If you've ever wanted to work on an MMO here's your chance. Providing you have the appropriately mad programming skillz that is.The folks at Dungeon Runners are looking for a few good men and/or women to help them on a little construction project... expanding the sprawling dungeon complex for DR. They're looking for a Programmer and Senior Programmer to come and join the crew in NCsoft's Austin office.So if you think you have what it takes check out the employment entries, polish up your resume, dust off the construction tools... and good luck!
Vancouver Apple Store closer than ever
Ah, the much-rumored Vancouver Apple Store. We've heard many stories of its existence, but so far, we've got nothing but hopeful speculation to back them up. And that hasn't actually changed, but here's some more speculation: reader Seamus sent us this Craigslist posting from Vancouver's page, supposedly looking for Apple Geniuses in Vancouver. Yes, Vancouver, you too are even closer to having a place to hack iPhones of your own.Sure, it could be a fake (and it doesn't help that the posting links to the US job site-- how does that work?), but the post specifically mentions the Pacific Centre Shopping Mall, which would be a great location for a Mac retail store. If you're in Vancouver and hankerin' to buy some Apple stuff at a store built just for you, your chance could be coming soon.
Man vindicated after being fired for texting in sick
A UK tile store sales clerk has been awarded almost £7,000 (over $14,000) by an employment tribunal after he was fired for texting in sick. Apparently Edinburgh's Tile It All takes the phrase "calling in sick" quite literally -- requiring an actual phone call stating one's intentions to miss work -- but former employee Mark Morrison claims to have been unaware of this policy when he took over two weeks off due to his brother's death and the resulting depression. Before he could return to his job, however, Morrison was summoned to a disciplinary hearing where he was given the ax for failing to abide by company policy. Instead of taking up arms a la the traditional disgruntled worker, Morrison wisely chose a more official forum to air his grievances, and succeeded in proving that he had not received proper discipline or warnings prior to getting pink slipped. [Via The Register]
Becoming a blue
You've thought about it, come on, I know you have: slipping onto the other side of things and working for Blizzard. I know I have, and have honestly applied to half a dozen jobs at the company over the last two years. My friends that have worked in the industry maintain that if you spend all day working at something you love, you will lose that love. I'm not so sure. Just because I worked a summer at Walt Disney World doesn't mean I'm jaded against the park; I still love the Tower of Terror just as much.But again, I know I have applied multiple times to positions that my resume screams competency for and gotten not even so much as a sneeze from the Blizzard HR. So I guess my question is this: Have any of you out there applied to a Blizzard job and received a reply, perhaps even an interview? What exactly is the secret to getting your resume seen in that mountainous email pile of theirs, even when you follow all their submission suggestions to the letter?
Sony announces PS3-related job cuts in US -- forgets to mention when or how many
It's not like we didn't see it coming or anything what with Sony's game division -- home of the PS3 -- recently posting a $1.91 billion loss for the year. But man, our hearts go out to those whose jobs at Sony Computer Entertainment are now on the chopping block. Thing is, Sony, while announcing plans to cut jobs in the US, is only turning the screw deeper by not providing any details. The move comes as Sony struggles to keep up with Nintendo which again snagged top-honors for the 4th consecutive month in the US market: 360,000 Wiis sold to the PS3's 82,000 while Microsoft sold 174,000 Xbox 360s. The gap between the Wii and PS3 sales in Japan is just as bad, if not worse. Fortunately for Sony, their Bravia LCD TVs, VAIO computers, and Handycams are all doing well enough to (mostly) offset the PS3 related losses. We'll have to wait and see if Sony's summer game catalog, bigger disks, and possible price cuts can reverse SCE's fortunes.
Blue Notes: Shaman dispel poison and a web designer opening
A long-standing bug regarding Shaman having difficulty curing Rogue poisons will finally be squashed, though not until 2.1.0. From Ommra:Ok, so I had the wrong information on when this bug was fixed. Apparently it didn't get fixed in the last patch (as you noticed), but will get fixed in 2.1.0 instead. The change will be that the difficulty of dispelling the rogue's poison is based on the level of the player instead of the level of the weapon the poison is applied to. That makes sense, but I have trouble seeing how weapon level is ever going to be higher than player level, making this almost look like a nerf on the face of things. I'm sure it's not, though -- anyone want to explain?In other news, perhaps Blizz took my jab at their web design on Sunday a little too seriously -- they're now on the lookout for a new web designer:Blizzard Entertainment has an immediate opening for a Web Designer. The ideal candidate is well versed in HTML, JavaScript, and Photoshop and experienced in all manner of web-design elements, such as the design and layout of buttons, links, menus, and text. The Web Designer's primary duties will be to help design and implement the HTML pages for our growing websites. A lot of focus will be spent on supporting existing and future Blizzard titles. The Web Designer will also be responsible for daily web updates and maintenance of existing Blizzard sites. The ideal candidate will also have a strong working knowledge of Blizzard games. For more information on this position, please view the job description at: http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/web-designer.shtml
Want to write for Engadget?
Do you read Engadget and Engadget Mobile like, a hundred times a day? Do you live and breathe gadgets? Good. Now, can you write about all this stuff with wit, concision, and authority? If so, Engadget needs you -- we've got some positions to fill: Afternoon / evening editor Night time editor Weekend editor Morning Engadget mobile editor Afternoon Engadget mobile editor HDTV specialist Podcast / audio producer You don't have to be a professional journalist to try out for the job, but you do have to be able to commit to blogging for us daily (or on the weekend, depending). And yes, you will get paid -- this is a real job, believe it or not. We're looking for: Solid writing ability Prolific knowledge of the consumer electronics space Reliable schedule Self motivation To apply for a position, here's what we'll need: Three sample posts written in the Engadget style. DO NOT send material you've already written. Classic: top five gadgets of all time. Mobile: your top three cellphones of all time. Podcast: a link to some audio work you've done. A few words about yourself and your background. Your contact info The position you're applying for, your location, and scheduling. Be realistic about what you can commit to. ABSOLUTELY NO ATTACHMENTS -- put everything in the body of your email. We will only review fully complete applications. To apply to Engadget classic, please send an email to us at jobsATengadgetDOTcom. To apply to Engadget Mobile, please send an email to us at jobsATengadgetmobileDOTcom. And please remember that we tend to get a lot of applications whenever we do one of these, so excuse us if we don't email back -- we can't reply to everyone!
