chibilaharl
Member
I was curious as to the credentials that you guys look for in a particular position.
I'm interested in procurement or being a "buyer" as my previous employer called them, but am also interested in being on the publisher side of the whole: retailer<->publisher relationship.
So i guess I have two questions:
A) what would that particular position be called?
B) what credentials do you look for in said position
Kunio-kun
Jumbocock: Can I Really Be the Hero?
I too am interested in the above stated questions... Also, how many permanent staffers are currently on Aksys' payroll (I hope you don't mind me asking)...
Permanent staff < 20.
As far as your question, chibilaharl, I'm not entirely sure what sort of a position you're talking about. There are "buyers" at retailers and so on who purchase our games to sell them, but they don't really work for us. We do have a sales staff, who deals with retailers and so on, but to be honest, I don't know very much about what they do. As far as I know, there's no one here who's job is "procurement".
In regard to requirements, I can't really say for sure (as I'm not the one doing the hiring), but education/experience related to the position you're gunning for is always a good idea. If you could give me a more specific idea of what it is you want to do, I might be able to be more specific. For instance, my job is Editor, which means I go over scripts after they've been translated and fix/pretty them up. My job requires me to have a slightly better grasp of the English language than the average bear, as well as a certain amount of creativity. I have a college degree, although it's in Film Production, not English, but generally a college degree is only going to help you get a job, no matter what field it's in.
Anyway, if you can give me more details, I might be able to tell you more.
@ Belisarius
Question: do you guys have positions for game testing? IF so how can someone become one at Aksys games?
chibilaharl
Member
Sorry if I made it more confusing than it needed to be beli, I meant more like the sales team who goes and meets with retailers to sell the product to them. Basically the position that meets and talks with gamestop, walmarts, amazon's buyer/procurement team and gets them to "buy" the games that you want to p ut on market.
I basically jump on Any oppourtunity to get info on these positions since larger companies are more secretive about job requirements, so once again for responding and any info you can give me is much appreciated
Levi
Member
In a year I'll have a major in history (emphasis philosophy) and a minor in broad field social studies. This gives me the limited ability to time travel (since it's a bachelor's degree and not a doctorate I can't travel very far). I'd be very willing to travel in time for Aksys and for very fair compensation too. I can also fight Plato and other philosophers in pitched combat and teach children about social studies, which happen to be the bomb yo. You are now realizing you have my resume written in Aramaic, with recommendations from Miyamoto Musashi, Karl Marx, and a 12 year old Winston Churchill. If you do not hire me I will go back through time and traumatically alter you lives MUHAHAHAHHA!
Comandante
Member
Kaim The Legend said:
@ Belisarius
Question: do you guys have positions for game testing? IF so how can someone become one at Aksys games?
My suggestion, (though we'll hear the real truth from Bel) is to send in a resume. I've had a lot of good luck with just sending a resume in and saying "so when you guys need someone I'm your man!" Aksys might be the same.
Kaim The Legend said:
@ Belisarius
Question: do you guys have positions for game testing? IF so how can someone become one at Aksys games?
We do test games, from time to time, and testers are needed for that. If you have a resume, you can send it to us at resumes (at) aksysgames (dot) com. No guarantees, though.
chibilaharl said:
Sorry if I made it more confusing than it needed to be beli, I meant more like the sales team who goes and meets with retailers to sell the product to them. Basically the position that meets and talks with gamestop, walmarts, amazon's buyer/procurement team and gets them to "buy" the games that you want to put on market.
A big part of that sort of job is knowning people in the industry. Like, the biggest part. Your connections will make your career. I know this seems like a bit of a Catch-22 (you need contacts to get the job, but how do you get contacts without the job), but you wanted info, so there it is. Sales experience (in any field) is important, as is being a "people person", and having public speaking skills. A good sales person also travels a lot, to visit buyers and so on, so you would need to be willing to be away from home frequently. Although your job is, on the surface, about selling a product to people, it is also about building relationships--you want to sell them this game, yes, but you also want them to buy the next ten you ship.
I know that's probably not super-helpful, but there it is. Hope you can get something out of it. :)
Levi said:
In a year I'll have a major in history (emphasis philosophy) and a minor in broad field social studies. This gives me the limited ability to time travel (since it's a bachelor's degree and not a doctorate I can't travel very far). I'd be very willing to travel in time for Aksys and for very fair compensation too. I can also fight Plato and other philosophers in pitched combat and teach children about social studies, which happen to be the bomb yo. You are now realizing you have my resume written in Aramaic, with recommendations from Miyamoto Musashi, Karl Marx, and a 12 year old Winston Churchill. If you do not hire me I will go back through time and traumatically alter you lives MUHAHAHAHHA!
Nice try, but our temporal security agency identified you as a possible threat prior to your birth. They should be paying you a visit yesterday.
Comandante
Member
Hollow_Ninja said:
I'd hate to be a game tester. It would take all the fun out of video games, I just know it.
I've been a game tester and you're right in a way. You see a lot of games in their "alpha" versions which means before they have textures and such and everything is grey cubes.
Basically, imagine playing your favorite game, ya know, the one with all the cool guns and awesome hot chicks. Now, imagine playing this game for 8-12 hours a day for 5-6 hours a week. Remember, you are only allowed to switch to a different game once you have completed the 8-12 hours. Imagine now that you are assigned the tutorial level and you are only allowed play that the whole week. No switching levels, just that one. Make sure to write up everything about it that is even slightly out of place. That's your break from playing the same tired old level. Ok, here's the kicker, imagine that it's not your favorite game...
Mostly you get into game testing to start your career in the video game industry. It's kind of the "mailroom" of the video game industry. It's tedious work, but getting to work with really cool people makes it all worth the while.
Hollow_Ninja said:
Editor sounds like a fun job. You do a pretty good job too, BTW.I'd hate to be a game tester. It would take all the fun out of video games, I just know it.
Thanks, glad you like it. :)
Testing isn't the most glamorous job, to be sure, but testing for a localization company is a little different. Most of the games are already finished (gameplay-wise), which means what you're doing is pretty much checking for text bugs. Your grasp of English is generally going to be a lot more important that your ability to play games well.
To borrow Comandante's example, imagine your job is to read your favorite novel, every day, all day, and look for tense errors and comma splices. Now imagine it's not your favorite novel. If you like English and words and stories (I happen to), then it can be pretty rewarding, but if you're not big on reading, it can get old pretty fast.
Comandante
Member
masuto said:
Now imagine that in most game companies, game testers rarely get promoted which confuses me when they say things like "being a game tester is the foundation towards being a producer/designer/director.
Well, for the most part, every designer that I've talked to have all said they had to "do the time" at some point in their career. I even tested with a guy who was basically told that they would hire him for marketing but he needed game industry experience. Essentially, they wanted him, but wouldn't take him until he'd tested for six months.
Hollow_Ninja
Member
Belisarius said:
Thanks, glad you like it. :)Testing isn't the most glamorous job, to be sure, but testing for a localization company is a little different. Most of the games are already finished (gameplay-wise), which means what you're doing is pretty much checking for text bugs. Your grasp of English is generally going to be a lot more important that your ability to play games well.
To borrow Comandante's example, imagine your job is to read your favorite novel, every day, all day, and look for tense errors and comma splices. Now imagine it's not your favorite novel. If you like English and words and stories (I happen to), then it can be pretty rewarding, but if you're not big on reading it, can get old pretty fast.
Ahhh, okay. That's better then if it's just text. I would hate to have to bump into walls over and over again to make sure that the player doesn't go flying off into space somewhere. But checking text can't be that bad. I still wouldn't want to do it. I have a lot of respect for testers.
masuto said:
Now imagine that in most game companies, game testers rarely get promoted which confuses me when they say things like "being a game tester is the foundation towards being a producer/designer/director.
I think even a couple from the Aksys crew mentioned in one of their early podcasts that they had to do testing.
If you are *seriously* considering on becoming a tester, either short or long term, here's an article that might give you a few ideas on what to expect:
"Acing the Test Interview: The Must-Have QA Skills They Never Taught You"
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/814/acing_the_test_interview_the_.php?page=1
masuto said:
Now imagine that in most game companies, game testers rarely get promoted which confuses me when they say things like "being a game tester is the foundation towards being a producer/designer/director.
I think even a couple from the Aksys crew mentioned in one of their early podcasts that they had to do testing.
If you are *seriously* considering on becoming a tester, either short or long term, here's an article that might give you a few ideas on what to expect:
"Acing the Test Interview: The Must-Have QA Skills They Never Taught You"
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/814/acing_the_test_interview_the_.php?page=1
masuto said:
Now imagine that in most game companies, game testers rarely get promoted which confuses me when they say things like "being a game tester is the foundation towards being a producer/designer/director.
I think even a couple from the Aksys crew mentioned in one of their early podcasts that they had to do testing.
If you are *seriously* considering on becoming a tester, either short or long term, here's an article that might give you a few ideas on what to expect:
"Acing the Test Interview: The Must-Have QA Skills They Never Taught You"
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/814/acing_the_test_interview_the_.php?page=1
Jamtea said:
Are your translation posts in-house or do you ever outsource? I've always enjoyed a bit of translation and wanted to get into the field even as a bit of part time work. I lived and worked in Japan for three years, so my ability isn't bad.
Our translation is all done in-house.
It seems kind of curt to just leave it at that, but...I can't really think of anything clever to say on that subject right now.
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