Paid to Play: An Insider's Guide to Video Game Careers (Paperback)

~ Alice Rush (Author), David Hodgson (Author), (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

*Unique - Currently there are NO OTHER video game career guides with over 100 interviews from current, working game professionals. They are fully candid and give readers an unvarnished look inside the industry. The biggest secret? It's actually work.
*Written by Insiders - The authors are a professional, registered Career Counselor and two game writers who have worked on over 1000 game reviews, 70 strategy guides, and scripted storylines for over five different video games.
*Total Coverage - The authors will be interviewing over 100 professionals, all of them in different jobs within the video game industry. This will give readers a complete overview of what jobs there are in the industry and which ones may be suited to their talents. Rather than a vague list or a focus on programming and development, Paid to Play will blanket the various fields that are utilized in the world of video games.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Prima Games; illustrated edition edition (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761552847
• ISBN-13: 978-0761552840
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #411,524 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finaly the 100% blunt ugly truth about making video games!, November 29, 2006

By	Metal_SlugX (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews

I can just imagine gamers walking into Game Stop seeing this guide and getting big dreams of getting paid to play video games. This book crushes those dreams once and for all. The book tells the good and the bad of what it is like in the video game industry. And the reality is that making games isn't easy or always fun.

However if you feel like you can cut it and the warnings don't scare you the book does list practical no nonsense tips about how to approach breaking into the industry. That's where this book differs from other books about getting into video game making (Like the Game Career guide from Game Developer Magazine) this book gives specific tips relating to each sub-field of the video game industry it covers.

This book is not a technical guide however. I would have liked to see recommended reading for each job category. The book struck me as just a large compilation of opinions of video game industry members with some weird comments thrown in by the authors. The comments can be amusing but at times they where distracting and at worse condescending. As a programmer I was irked at the stereotyping of programmers and repeated usage of the words code monkey throughout the chapter "Technical Jobs". Overall enjoyed the book and found valuable info but I was expecting a little more professional presentation of the material so I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This fine guide needs to be on the shelves of any high school career library, February 8, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This is no singular treatment of the industry: over a hundred video game industry pros were interviewed and over 50 careers are profiled for Paid to Play, an insider's survey of how to obtain real jobs in the gaming industry. From self-assessment exercises and sample resumes to insights on salary, educational requirements, training, and employers, the aspiring video gamer receives everything needed to pursue their game-playing as a career. This fine guide needs to be on the shelves of any high school career library or public library strong in business and career planning.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff, January 27, 2010

By	Axel J. Wedel Baena "BlackHawk" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I always wanted to work in the Gaming industry, but I never found any books on the "how to".
When I found this book, it didn't take long to find the "order" button ;)

The book is written with a lot of humor, but they also are serious on the topic. the structure of the setup is also really good, since, if you are not sure what field you could work in with gaming, you can find out what would best suit you!
they give some really good resources that one should check up on.
This book helped me push my dream more toward realism, and now I am also clearer on what I have to do, and how I will have to do it to achieve my goal.

A must have for any person who loves gaming and wants to go into the industry.
If you are undecided which field you would want to work in, its also a good book. If you are unsure whether you even want to be in gaming, its a good book to show you what challenges await you.

I DEFINITELY recommend this book!