THE BOSTON PHOENIX | GUIDE TO CONTINUING EDUCATION | AUGUST 6, 2010 51
Continuing
n o i t a Educ Leveling Up BE A BOSTON-BASED VIDEO-GAME DEVELOPER _ BY M A D DY M Y E R S
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Are you unemployed? Have you spent the last two weeks playing Red Dead Redemption and seeing how far you can run your horse around the map before the game stops you? (Here’s a hint: it’s forever.) Are you worried about how you are going to afford your World of Warcraft subsciption next month? Have you pawned your child’s shoes in order to do so?
We think you have a problem. But we have a solution for you: turn your sad obsession with video and computer games into a career. If you want to work in games, you’re in the right town. There are over 60 video-game developers in greater Boston, including Rockstar Games, the creators of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption — and did we mention they’re currently seeking programmers for their Andover location? Harmonix Music Systems, the developers of those Rock Band games that even your nongamer friends enjoy, have their main offices in Cambridge; they’re
looking for programmers, too, plus some other positions. Also, Irrational Games — developers of the BioShock series and System Shock 2 — need programmers and level designers. Not to mention the plethora of smaller companies in Boston, like Twitchy Thumbs Entertainment, Mecha Software, Arcane Journeys, and others. Or you could always start your own independent gaming company and be your own boss — but before you do anything, you’ll need to learn some tools of the trade. Continued on p 52