For those of you who may be interested, the Global Game Jam is coming up on January 30 to Feb 1. Basically a bunch of developers get together and form teams to make a game over the weekend. I’ve never been to one of these, but I have participated in the Game Design Workshop for the past several years at the GDC and it’s a lot of fun every time. I will be attending this event and I strongly encourage any aspiring game developers out there to also attend. You’d be amazed at how much you learn, but more importantly you’d be amazed at how many contacts you’ll make. And we all know getting a job in the game industry is all about who you know.
Just to prove that point, John Sharp is running my local Atlanta Game Jam. He and I were co-speakers on a panel about kid’s games at 2008 Siege Con (which is basically the GDC of the southeast). It amazes me how small the game industry is. I still consider myself a fledgling and I’ve already recognized quite a few of my friends’ names in the list. It’s very important to remember that your reputation will follow you everywhere in the form of people, so make sure you don’t ever burn bridges.