Video Game Industry Trends of 2008

A lot of companies use in-house languages with similarities to popular outside languages. Unreal script for example would be accessible to anybody coming from a traditional java background but it is different in some ways, i.e. polymorphism based on 'game state' as a built-in construct. A lot of other in-house languages look like Python. Some companies script with LISP and LISP-derivatives. In my experience most game scripting has less to do with programming and more to do with game design. If you are interested in solving algorithmic and engineering problems, it's not the way to go. Game programming per se usually involves hacking almost exclusively in C, C++, assembly and shader languages.

No matter which direction you go, the best way in is to show them a body of work even if it's unpublished projects done in your spare time. If you only want to do scripting work and avoid systems-level programming, you can get into modding.

As for the 'breadth of what you need to know' you shouldn't be terribly intimidated if you're a junior person. Most generalist programmers at a game company are not much different from very good systems programmers at other companies. If you want to get into specialized fields like AI, physics, or graphics, you will need to demonstrate that specialized knowledge.

I don't know how many game developers are here on HN, but I know there are at least a couple of us.

The short version of the requirements for an entry-level scripting position is that it varies widely from studio to studio, because what one company wants when they ask for a scripter can be very different from what another company wants. I've seen job listings that are cut and paste from the listing for programmer, and I've seen design jobs that require scripting almost as an afterthought.

Having said that, the best way to get into the industry is to make games. Make a Flash game or a mod for another game, or just write your own game, and if it's good, you'll find a place in the industry.

I went to a small panel led by Tim Train of Big Huge Games, with showings by Firaxis and a few smaller companies. For any position, they said the ONE thing they wanted from people trying to break in was finished, polished demos. To quote Time directly: "Polish, polish, polish."

They have a process where only about one in five of the games they start makes it out the door. They cull ruthlessly.