Hi,

Maybe some people (I doubt it) remember me asking some questions when I was looking for an internship in game audio and now here I am again asking for the next steps to take.

After a VERY hard road and some bad luck (2 studios rejecting me just because the period of the year was not right or so they said at least) I did suceed at getting my internship, it is not really in a game studio but in a company hired to do sound design for video games and developing audio tools to make sound design easier/better for video games.

So I will spent my time (4.5 months internship) doing programming and sound design which will give me a good portfolio (I hope).

I also got very positive reviews on my demo reel by some very "high level" people, one of them who actually worked with Ben Burtt (who is the dude who made the sounds for Star wars). (1)

What I mean by all of that is that I think I am on the right track and I feel confident in my audio level but I would like to put everything on my side in case I need to look for a job if they don't hire my after my internship.

Right now my demo reel is only made of trailers taken from popular games, I don't have any "student" projects with great sounds. I have a short movie with a pretty bad sound because it was my first ever and I have a very little game I have programmed with only voices.

This is because I didn't do a sound design or game school, I have a master degree in signal processing and audio programming. I do sound design as side classes.

I also have basically only 1.5 year of experience in sound design since I discovered it right around January last year so basically I didn't have much time to find student projects (I was actually on 8 overall this year) and all of them sadly died.

I will also maybe get the opportunity to make the sound design for the tramway of my city thanks to (1).

Should I make some little games with Unity and put some sounds in them? I can code decently enough on it to make some small games.

Should I just stick to my demo?

What are your advices?

It is also probably needed to know that I sadly don't live near a game company hub. I live in France which is not the worst but not that good either but I am willing to move obviously almost anywhere, the problem being that I can't just go to the US like that because of the visa stuff.

Thank you for your answers.

1. After a VERY hard road and some bad luck (2 studios rejecting me ...
2. I did suceed at getting my internship, it is not really in a game studio but in a company hired to do sound design for video games and developing audio tools ... So I will spent my time (4.5 months internship) doing programming and sound design which will give me a good portfolio (I hope).
3. I need to look for a job if they don't hire my after my internship.
4. Right now my demo reel is only made of trailers taken from popular games, I don't have any "student" projects with great sounds. I have a short movie with a pretty bad sound because it was my first ever and I have a very little game I have programmed with only voices.
5. I have a master degree in signal processing and audio programming.
6. I didn't have much time to find student projects (I was actually on 8 overall this year) and all of them sadly died.
7. I will also maybe get the opportunity to make the sound design for the tramway
8. Should I make some little games with Unity and put some sounds in them? I can code decently enough on it to make some small games.
9. Should I just stick to my demo?
10. I sadly don't live near a game company hub. I live in France... I can't just go to the US

1. You had good luck, too! Getting two interviews is not easy. Two rejections is nothing - you can expect to get quite a few more of those (that's the way the game industry is - get several interviews and rejections before finally getting accepted).
2. Good! That will be good experience, and maybe give you some things for your portfolio.
3. As explained in FAQ 53, most game audio work is not full-time work (it's mostly freelance). Most game audio people work on a freelance basis. That means they look for projects, not a full-time job.
4. You are saying you do not have a portfolio. You need a portfolio. Throw out the movie with bad sound. If your voice game is not great, throw it out too. You must have only very good work in your portfolio. See FAQ 12 (the section on portfolios). http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson12.htm
5. Good - then you have enough education and do not need more.
6. That's the way it is with a lot of indie and student projects.
7. Excellent - that will look good on your resume, and maybe it will give you material for your portfolio.
8. Only if you want to. Keep making as many samples as you can, add them to your portfolio, and keep looking for indie projects to help on.
9. NO. You should never "just stick to" whatever you have done -- you must always keep polishing your portfolio and improving your skills.
10. You do not need to go to the US. Look for nearer game hubs. Network at every opportunity.

Thank you for your answer.

1) I got way more than 2 rejections if you count all the people who did not answer. But that's ok anyways, just needed one to say yes.

3) The place were I will do my internship told me about the possibility of a full time job. That's because they don't do only sound design but also audio programming which I can do too. They make plug-ins and stuff like this full time and they do sound design on top of it when they have projects.

So that's why I am talking about a full time job, I am aware of the situation for game audio.

4) Yes I did not put them in in the first place. I use the little game with the voices to talk about a game I made with Unity3D but not as a game I made sounds for.

9) Ok, no problem for this.

Thank you for your advices.

Also I have a question maybe a little bit unrelated but I am wondering about this since a good amount of time now :

- I was a news writter and was writting guides for the game "Dota 2" for a decently big french portal. Do I put this on my resume or nobody really cares?

- I was a news writter and was writting guides for the game "Dota 2" for a decently big french portal. Do I put this on my resume or nobody really cares?

Assuming your work experience includes only a few jobs, your resume should include every paid job you have held. It should show a complete timeline of your post-school life (interviewers ask explanations for any gaps). Game-related experience should, of course, all be listed.

Well it was not paid, I did it when I was a student for free like everyone else in this organisation.

Then that doesn't go under "Work experience." ("Experience" means paid jobs.)

I understand but can I put it under some other part of my resume?

I don't know how it is called in english/american but some kind of "others" part where sometimes people put their hobbies and stuff like this.

I understand but can I put it under some other part of my resume?

I don't know how it is called in english/american but some kind of "others" part where sometimes people put their hobbies and stuff like this.

Yes, you can. If you can't find a good place in the resume, put it in the cover letter.

Ok thank you very much for the infos.