calendars

For anyone who has no idea but is curious about the gaming industry, then this is the book to get! For all I know ( for I am also a novice), this book covers everything about the world of gaming - game industry terminology, different game platforms, presenting concept ideas, receiving intellectual property. I know all that makes very little sense to a novice reader, but trust me, after reading this book, you'll know what I'm talking about. And for those already with jobs, but are hoping to make a career change into the gaming industry, this book provides encouraging yet practical advice on how to get started on achieving your goal. Simple things like what sort of education and internships. This book is also meant for those already in the gaming industry. It provides tips and advice on how to get your ideas on a distributor's list of possibilities and how to recieve as much credit for your idea's success. However, I'm not saying that with this book and this book alone will you be on your way to working for a major developer/distributor. The points made in this book are very blunt and straightforward. It'll explain how your love for games will be your only drive when forced to devote about 95% of your life to getting your game done on schedule. This book filters out the idealistic views of game-making to a practical cutthroat business where one minute you'll be recieving $70,000 pay for working on a game and the next being broke and out of the job and having to force an early release of the game which you've put so much time and energy into so that it can go to becoming one of the games that get sent into the discount bin. But that, with experience and determination, you may someday end up creating the next Half-Life or Call of Duty!!!

The best part of this book is a chapter that explains how a game goes from an idea to a finished product and even explains how games are marketed as well as recounting how much difficulty game programmers and artists have trying to meet milestones.

While I enjoyed the book I think it is more suited to people wanting to know how the game industry works and what the key players are instead of how to actually BREAK into the game industry.

It has some suggestions on how to make it big in the computer video game world but these are more common sense then anything, for example it suggests finding people that are in the business and becoming friends with them.

One thing that keeps this book above average is the countless tips from actual experts from big publishers and developers.
One thing this book will not tell you is what you should learn and what technologies are specifically involved in creating games. This is my one big gripe with the book. However other then that, I give this book 4 stars...

Until I read this book the world of computer gaming seemed mysterious and impenetrable--an elite group of smart, young people having a great time at "work." Well, it's still clear that an elite group of smart people get to do this kind of work, but GAME PLAN shows you how to join them. Barajas, Gershenfeld and Loparco demystify the process of breaking into the game business and break it down into useful information, concrete steps and practical advice that anyone serious and dedicated can--and will want to--follow.