Hey Rami, You're one of my biggest inspirations! I was looking for a bit of advice, if you don't mind :) Often times I feel super unwelcome from the industry. I'm nervous to even go to an event because people don't even reply to my tweets online. I see a bunch of cool devs online, but they seem pret
I think there's two parts to the answer to this, and the good news is that it is extremely unlikely that you're super unwelcome in the industry.
The first part is that the reason any developer is in the industry is because they're passionate about the medium. I am going to go ahead and assume it is the same for you. In a way, that creates a lot of shared culture and history. We know what a Zelda game is (although opinions on how good it is may vary), we know what Grand Theft Auto V is (although opinions on whether its success is a good thing may vary) and we know who Hideo Kojima is (alth-nah, I guess pretty much everybody is kind of confused by Konami right now). A great way of getting to know people is just tagging along with some developers going for lunch at an event. When I first went to GDC San Fran back in 2011, I knew nobody, but tagged along to a lunch with a bunch of industry folks. Some of them were the then-Winnipeg indie crew, two of whom now make our trailers, and another time one of them was Adam Saltsman, who was a giant inspiration to me. They were all lovely folks.
The second thing is that - and this sounds weird - but events are both the best and worst place to get in touch with developers. A lot of developers know each other, and don't get to see each other very often - so they'll often prioritize seeing their old friends a bit. It's a bit silly, but it's kind of the way it is. The same goes for Twitter, that people don't respond to your tweets doesn't mean anything beyond that someone didn't respond to your tweets. It doesn't mean they don't like you, or aren't interested - it just means your tweets are one amongst hundreds if not thousands a day, or they don't respond to strangers online.
Usually, you'll have to meet people a few times before you 'know each other' anyway. A lot of more visible devs meet hundreds of people at events. Try and spend proper time with a few people at an event, instead of trying to meet dozens. Every dev is a unique person, so just stay in touch, keep trying, be considerate.
And come find me at some event in the future. Maybe we can grab lunch?
The first part is that the reason any developer is in the industry is because they're passionate about the medium. I am going to go ahead and assume it is the same for you. In a way, that creates a lot of shared culture and history. We know what a Zelda game is (although opinions on how good it is may vary), we know what Grand Theft Auto V is (although opinions on whether its success is a good thing may vary) and we know who Hideo Kojima is (alth-nah, I guess pretty much everybody is kind of confused by Konami right now). A great way of getting to know people is just tagging along with some developers going for lunch at an event. When I first went to GDC San Fran back in 2011, I knew nobody, but tagged along to a lunch with a bunch of industry folks. Some of them were the then-Winnipeg indie crew, two of whom now make our trailers, and another time one of them was Adam Saltsman, who was a giant inspiration to me. They were all lovely folks.
The second thing is that - and this sounds weird - but events are both the best and worst place to get in touch with developers. A lot of developers know each other, and don't get to see each other very often - so they'll often prioritize seeing their old friends a bit. It's a bit silly, but it's kind of the way it is. The same goes for Twitter, that people don't respond to your tweets doesn't mean anything beyond that someone didn't respond to your tweets. It doesn't mean they don't like you, or aren't interested - it just means your tweets are one amongst hundreds if not thousands a day, or they don't respond to strangers online.
Usually, you'll have to meet people a few times before you 'know each other' anyway. A lot of more visible devs meet hundreds of people at events. Try and spend proper time with a few people at an event, instead of trying to meet dozens. Every dev is a unique person, so just stay in touch, keep trying, be considerate.
And come find me at some event in the future. Maybe we can grab lunch?
Liked by:
Alex Dunn
Myriame Pilgrim