Erin Hoffman's Inside Job

Inside Job: Why We're Here

We hear about "the love" constantly; at the end of the day, it is what keeps game developers involved long past the point where other purely occupational efforts would cease. Combine love and challenge, and you get a danger zone that in and of itself can be energizing, whether or not it's healthy.

But games also fuse creativity and technology in a way that keeps them more down-to-earth than other purely creative industries. Haris Orkin broke into screenwriting years ago for Hollywood; a surprising number of game writers actively write for television or feature films. But because the games industry can be just about the games, it swerves around a lot of the ugly sides of Hollywood.

What keeps me in the industry, writing for games, is the simple fact that I love it. I love gaming and I love writing and this field combines two of my passions. I've been a professional writer for a long time. I've written for the stage, for TV, films, advertising, and it's never been an easy way to make a living. You constantly have to hustle for work, and I've had many ups and downs and disappointments. But I've also had my share of victories and a few moments of great satisfaction. I enjoy collaborating and the process of writing. I love the challenge of creating a story within a game and the fact that game narrative is in its infancy. You don't see the sharks you see in the TV and movie world. At least I haven't. It's still a fairly new medium, and there are no hard and fast rules. I love that. The possibilities seem limitless.
- Haris Orkin, Freelance Game Writer, Red Alert 3

The Times, They Are A-Changin'
In addition to the persistent challenges - for good and ill - offered by the industry, our creative evolution has fortunately been bolstered in recent years by an evolution in the methodology and mindsets of game creators.

What keeps me in the industry ... diversity, change, opportunity. Doors open all the time; the industry is growing and ever changing. There is always something new around the corner. What I do is similar, but not quite the same day to day. I face new challenges and am constantly growing. I am the type of person who loves to ride the roller coasters, jump out of airplanes or off cliffs into a gorge below. Working in the game industry is like that; the knowledge that your hard work and preparation is about to pay off is a massive adrenaline rush.

What challenges to overcome ... unemployment and unprofessional behavior. I have been unemployed three times since coming to the industry due to layoffs. Companies rise and fall, run straight into walls or just grind their people into little bits. Either way, at some point in time you are going to be unemployed. The unprofessional behavior has ranged from sexism, frat-boy antics and the ignorance of standard business/HR practices and why they should be employed. As we grow as an industry, everyone starts realizing that the old standards are old standards for a reason, and maybe we should incorporate those into our processes. It's definitely getting better.

The people are smart, funny, quirky and creative. It is like hanging out with all my friends from college. We played the same games, watched the same movies and can give the same quotes. Geek is chic, and being athletic is a necessary evil of getting older. All of us get the in-jokes and understand why "All your base are belong to us" was funny ... before YouTube.
- Jennifer Bullard, Senior Producer, Aspyr Media