Career Advice for New Devs - The WoW Diary by John Staats

wowhead.com:

John Staats published The WoW Diary, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of vanilla World of Warcraft back in 2018. A campaign on BackerKit is currently in progress, for a second printing of the beloved WoW Diary. We're excited to highlight excerpts written by John Staats during the campaign. If you find this article interesting, consider backing The WoW Diary —

Below is an excerpt from The WoW Diary on the Importance of Self-Publishing, written by John Staats --

In my book, The World of Warcraft Diary, and its supplementary articles, I’ve extensively written about game development, studio management, and business strategies. Still, most queries come from people trying to break into the computer games industry or questioning if their job is right for them.

As I reflect on my highs and lows, my unhappiest moments were the months before I found my first job. My senior year in college would have been less stressful if I realized I was competing with candidates who seemed ambivalent about where they worked. I would have told myself that my eagerness had made me a shoo-in. Enthusiasm about working is rare, even in the computer games industry. If your portfolio shows polish and you know how to use the latest software, no one cares where you went to college—or if you went. Employers are looking for passion if your portfolio and resume meet their requirements. It seems like a strange word to use until you step into the shoes of your average studio manager. Complainers and unmotivated employees plague employers everywhere. Eagerness to learn and improve is rare. The first person I interviewed for WoW’s level design crew had only one question—he