ABSTRACT
When it comes to its inner workings, the normally voluble video game industry is remarkably silent. Like in a hot dog factory, the fi nished product is everything, while the creative process leading to that product is nothingor at least nothing to be shared openly with the public. As a result, there is precious little information available to those interested in the business and labor of electronic play. Th is is not to say, however, that there is a paucity of information about getting a job in game development. On the contrary, seemingly dozens of books are produced each year that purport to proff er insider secrets and commonsense career advice about how to break into the industry, whether one is a programmer, musician, artist, or designer. Almost all of these guides include short interviews, extended pull quotes, or short anecdotes by well-known professionals, and they all directly or indirectly characterize the nature of making games for a living.
