Hi. How difficult is it to find a contract job to work over the internet? What are the advantages, disadvantages, additional requirements, catches... etc. I'm talking about a job in any of the branches of game development. Finally, how does this usually work (making the contract, payment, and communication with project manager or other team members). Thanks in advance.

You just asked ....

Quote: How difficult...

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Quote: What are the advantages,

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Quote: disadvantages,

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Quote: additional requirements,

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Quote: catches...

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six?

Quote: I'm talking about a job in any of the branches of game development.

so you want the above answered for programmer, artist, musician, producer - so six questions times four equals twenty four questions so far......

Quote: Finally, how does this usually work (making the contract, payment, and communication with project manager or other team members). Thanks in advance.

twenty five, twenty six and twenty seven questions - the contract one on its own would take a week to answer. Afraid I don't have that much time so I will just go with the short answer.

If you don't know the answer to the above questions then you lack the necessary experience and business skills and it would be far too hard. Companies (as in mainstream developers, not one man indie teams) require freelancers to have experience. You would be better off learning the ropes as an employee and learning how to run a business before striking out on your own.

Another simple answer: if you don't have at least 3 years experience working in game development there is zero chance that you will get any kind of contracting job (let alone one that allows you to work remotely). Game development companies go to contractors for proven experience.

There are probably lots of little hobby projects that will take you, but you won't get paid.

-me

Let me rephrase then. Is it very difficult to find a job to work remotely? I admit I have zero business skills. I assumed that working remotely by definition means it's a contracting job, but it seems I was wrong. Can one get a "remote" job with, say, a degree in computer science and a good animation demo reel? Thanks.

Quote: Original post by adelamro
Is it very difficult to find a job to work remotely?

Yes, given that you lack the necessary experience and business skills it would be very hard. Companies (as in mainstream developers, not one man indie teams) require freelancers to have experience. You would be better off learning the ropes as an employee and learning how to run a business before striking out on your own.

Basically the requirements for working remotely for any job are either:

a) at least 3 years of experience working in that job professionally: with the ability to show a portfolio of work you've previously done in that precise profession.

b) friends or family to hire you to build the portfolio for step a

Basically, working remotely is something that you get to do if you are either lucky and have friends who will hire you or something that you get to do if you've already worked professionally for a while.

It's infinitely harder to work with someone remotely than with someone in your own office. Therefore you will only hire someone to work remotely if you know they are kickass at the job.

-me

Thanks. I'm ruined.

Quote: Original post by adelamro
Thanks. I'm ruined.

A good start which can usually be achieved remotely would be working on a mod or indie project - the Help Wanted section has plenty of people willing to hire talented team members remotely, but there are often no promises of compensation. However, this is extremely valuable experience and could lead to a paid job later down the track.

Quote: Original post by adelamro
Thanks. I'm ruined.

Well, that's certainly one way to look at it.

Here's an alternative path:

1. NO AAA studio will hire you without experience. They get too many applicants that they can manage in-house for you to be worth the added risk out-house

2. You can join some of the Help Wanted posts, but in 95% of the cases they're not going anywhere. You CAN use them to build a portfolio.

3. That portfolio will probably NOT get a AAA studio to hire you, but may help you to attract an indie that's willing to pay for your contract services. Note that (being a small 10-man indie-company), I don't quite share the bias against them. Having done the whole cubicle-farm-MMOG-sweatshop thingy, I'm kinda happy to be working on small fun games that I enjoy again. But I digress.

4. You can track down another 2-3 developers with complimenting skillset (art, design, sound, code), and COMPLETE on a small, polished, indie-title. If you're really lucky, you'll have a hit that can help fund future development. If you're not, you'll at least have an excellent showcase title; see step 3.

Good luck,

Allan

Quote: Original post by adelamro
Hi. How difficult is it to find a contract job to work over the internet?

Not that difficult. But much harder if you're looking for gamedev work. Unless you're willing to work in the casual games market, the chances of your finding remote contracting work is like having sex in the International Space Station: Fucking close to nothing.

Quote: What are the advantages, disadvantages, additional requirements, catches... etc.

Advantages - Disadvantages:

1. You get to keep your own hours...
...but they usually end up being 9-5 anyway.

2. You're your own boss...
...except your client calls the shots.

3. Take a holiday whenever you wish...
...but don't get paid for 'em.

4. Award yourself a pay rise when you feel like it...
...but remember to leave enough to cover dead periods, taxes (you usually pay more as a freelancer), business taxes, accountant, etc.

5. You get to run your own business...
...and find out just how boring it is.

6. You get a variety of jobs...
...but you'll stare at the same monitor and sit in the same chair regardless of what the job entails.


Freelancers are a way for businesses to _save_ money in the long term. You might think it'd be cheaper to pay $40K per year to an employee, but you also have to factor in the costs of insurance, office facilities, taxes and even wear and tear on furniture to get the _true_ costs of employment. Running a business is a hard, hard lesson in bureaucracy and politics.

If you can get full-time employment, go for it. It makes _you_ better off. You can always try freelancing once you've built up your CV and have the kind of skills that businesses want in a freelancer. But rest assured that freelancing is a lifestyle choice, not a way to get quick bucks.

Quote: I'm talking about a job in any of the branches of game development. Finally, how does this usually work (making the contract, payment, and communication with project manager or other team members). Thanks in advance.

And that's why you should avoid the idea like the plague. Sure, there are loads of 'get rich quick' schemes out there that suggest you can become fabulously wealthy as a freelancer, but trust me on this: they're talking rubbish for the most part. Businesses expect freelancers to train _themselves_, out of their own pocket. So you'll be thrown right in at the deep end and expected to just get on with it.

Trust me, I've done this. And I don't want to keep on doing it. I was lucky enough to start my gamedev career as a freelancer, but this was back in the early 1990s. It wasn't a success -- my first client left me high and dry when he was indicted on 14 counts of fraud, just as my wargame reached beta -- and I don't recommend it unless you've got a safety net to fall back on.

Regards,