Hello everybody!
I live in Italy and I'm italian. I hope I didn't mistake the forum. Italy is not the proper place for games industry, there aren't so many good game software firm, maybe i could say there aren't too many software house too.
I think the only way to start in Italy is the DIY way. maybe doing some Indie project and trying to work for european market.
I've a background as a web enterprise programmer, I work with java, recently i studied some essentials of Unity and i'm developing a card game with my brother, that is studying for artistic design. In the past i developed one demo of a point'n'click adventure (see signature).
I know C, C++ (basic), C# (basic), Javascript (Medium - high), Flex (Basic-Medium). I know how to use Adventure Game Studio too.
The question is: if you were me, what would you do to break into the game industry? I suggest you to imagine Italy when you think the answer, everything is different from the USA.

Thank you for your support,

Federico

Ciao m3rlino. Where do you live in Italy? There are some game studios in Italy (for example there are Ubisoft and Milestone in Milan), but if you really want to have more job opportunities in the game industry you probably have to move to another country.

The question is: if you were me, what would you do to break into the game industry? I suggest you to imagine Italy when you think the answer, everything is different from the USA.

You can start off with reading the FAQ of this board. It'll answer several of your questions.

The 'easiest' way into the industry is being really good at what you do.
There's been a ton of discussions on education, what kind of spare time projects and various other subjects. But it all comes down to learning the craft and being good at it.
Don't think about what would be the bare minimum to get in. Just keep coding.
Don't think about making games, just make em and finish em (finishing a game is the most important and educational thing you'll ever do).
Keep yourself busy and hone your skills while you do it.
Programming is a wonderful thing, every time you finish a project you've learned another way to not do it.

This sounds rather abstract, but as you keep on coding you'll reach a point where you just know you're ready.
Personally I found it to be the point where I understood exactly what I didn't know. A point where the things I didn't know wasn't voodoo or magic, but rather something I could name and look up.
After that it's like any other job. Write up your CV and start applying.


As for the location. I've generally come to accept that relocating comes with the job.
In most countries it's not entirely impossible to find a job at a local studio, but finding that one job will likely involve some travel.
Luckily Europe is far from devoid of game studios and as an Italian national you'll have no problem relocating to other countries within Europe.
Considering the current economical situation in Italy, that might not be a bad bargain either way.

edit:
As for the indie route.. I wouldn't recommend that at all as someone starting out.
You'll find that most successful indies either had some experience under their belt or took many years before they started pulling in minimum wage.

Ciao apatriarca.
I see that you are from Turin too, I'm from Florence. Maybe the fact that game industry here is in Italy is not well developed could also be an opportunity.
It would be interesting to hear some opinion from somebody who lives abroad.
Maybe we could experiment it in Italy.
See you soon,

Federico

The game industry is pretty global - major market districts are: Europe, Middle East, Russia, Asia (or Japan/China), US. Job opportunities are of course more localized as the complexity of importing talent is quite a headache. Which is why being good at what you do is probably a little underwhelming unless you move to where the studios are -- you probably have to be great to be worth the trouble ('great' as in 'talk worthy' great).

Other than that, there is of course the indie route, in which case you'll face most of the familiar challenges all startups face. If so, prepare to put your back into it (and probably breaking it a few times) as the business of going independent is pretty much a hornets' nest whichever way you go!

If all you want to do is work on games I heavily dissuade you from creating your own startup -- unless you have a very savvy partner lined up to take care of the business side of your startup there is a good chance you'll find yourself bogged down with a lot of those pesky details. Trust me, not the most pleasant experience if all you want to do is getting on with work!