Blizzard Seeking Mac Programmer

[FCCovett]

http://www.blizzard.com/jobopp/macintosh-programmer.shtml

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent
Solid knowledge of C/C++, debugging, and code optimization
Detailed understanding of MacOS X API's and infrastructure
A passion for making great Mac game software
Good spoken and written communication skills


Plusses

Have worked on shipping commercial or shareware game titles
Experience porting and optimizing Win32 game software for MacOS X
Experience optimizing for PowerPC and AltiVec
Experience using CodeWarrior and/or Xcode & GCC on MacOS X
Experience with CVS, Subversion, Perl
Knowledge of OpenGL / Direct3D graphics API's

No follow-up calls or e-mails, please. This is a full-time position in Irvine, CA; internships and part-time positions are not available at this time.

[kodex]

Is it just me or do those requirements seem a bit low for blizzard?

[PowerMacX]

Is it just me or do those requirements seem a bit low for blizzard?

The requirements are OK if you take into account that they seem geared to Mac porting/compatibility tasks, not "original" game development.

[blobbo]

You don't need school credentials to be a super-hacker. That much should be obvious.

[kodex]

I was more referring to the plusses section, I would think a lot of those things should be required. I would think they would require experince with porting and OpenGL among other things. I understand that they will most likely not look at resumes without most the plusses but it seems like they will be taking a lot of resumes that arent qualified for the job. Just my 2¢'s

[Najdorf]

a good argument

[Blorx2]

I was going to but...I'm not exactly...in...college...yet...and I don't have any samples to send them due to my experiences being working out bugs, fixing stuff, helping out with APIs and stuff...I haven't really written a full program of my own yet...and with the afternoon and weekends being my only time on plus my brother wanting to play WoW all the time, I'm not sure I'd have the time...anyway, I've gotten a solid understanding of C++ by basically seaching through code all the time and figuring out what stuff does. I hardly used my book and I'm trying to get a 2D artist so that I can start a side-scrolling game...

[kodex]

Not to mention you would have to relocate to CA and live there. Plus its a fiull time job =p

[Dan Potter]

I saw that and had my normal pang of "ahh I'd love to work for a game company but there's no way I want to be part of the mainstream game industry right now and no way in h-e-double-hockey-sticks I'm gonna leave Portland". :D I've got all the requirements and most of the desireds, but I don't have any serious urge to live in Los Santos^W^WLos Angeles.

[DoG]

Dang, that'd be a nice job, too bad its in CA...wait, CA is nice...double dang. Time to find out what they'd do for relocation...

[Puzzler183]

Parts of CA are nice... After 11 years of living in the hot, polluted state of California, I moved. Growth was out of control in my area, thus there weren't enough roads or schools either. Definitely look into the area before you get too excited (I don't know about Irvine specifically though).

[Malarkey]

Well, since I've been living in or next to Irvine for over a decade now, I might as well throw in my impressions (currently, I'm living about 6 miles from Blizzard). For one thing, you get all the Southern California weather where it's 60 degrees as the lowest in the middle of January but not all of the pollution like Los Angeles. You still get the crappy traffic, though. However, the downside is that housing prices in the area are just CRAZY! If you want to live in a decent area, expect to pay at least $1000 or more for a two bedroom/two bath. Also, since Blizzard is literally a stone's throw away from UC Irvine, two bed/two baths will go for $1500 a month.

And don't talk to me about real estate prices. An 800 sq. foot condo that's one bed/one bath can go for $300k or higher! :cry: For that much money, you can practically get a mansion in Houston, TX or any city in North Carolina.

[Dan Potter]

Real estate prices are similar or even higher around Portland. My parents live in a suburban cookie cutter house outside Dallas, TX, and yeah they are a lot cheaper there. Guess what, you get what you pay for. :) The 3 L's: Location, Location, Location.

[Puzzler183]

Oh yeah, how could I forget the ridiculously high cost of living and over-inflated hosuing market:P.

[BinarySpike]

Just found this...
This is AWSOME!!!
(to bad I don't live in CA...)


My friend said I should work for blizzard, then I opened my mouth and said somthing about bungie...


Maybe if I hacked some real-estate and sold me a house that would account on my resume for the collage degree and the "shareware" experince :wacko:

[DoG]

...collage degree...

It must hurt...

[Malarkey]

Just found this...
This is AWSOME!!!
(to bad I don't live in CA...)


My friend said I should work for blizzard, then I opened my mouth and said somthing about bungie...


Well, keep in mind that working for Blizzard would mean working 10+ hours a day for 6 days a week while only getting paid for 40 hours a week. It gets worse once you get closer to deadlines (such as E3 and gold master).

[Jake]

Well, keep in mind that working for Blizzard would mean working 10+ hours a day for 6 days a week while only getting paid for 40 hours a week. It gets worse once you get closer to deadlines (such as E3 and gold master).

Where did you read this? I am interested in how they can make you work 60 hours and only pay you for 40.

[Malarkey]

Where did you read this? I am interested in how they can make you work 60 hours and only pay you for 40.

This is what I hear from friends that work at Blizzard. I also have a couple friends that are working on Starcraft Ghost and I know they're working every day of the week at 10+ hours a day. This is pretty much how most game companies work. So far, EA is the only one getting sued for the practice.

And they don't make you work that many hours. You're free to quit and look for work elsewhere but the reason it works out that way is because programmers are willing to put in those kinds of hours to put out the next big game. If people weren't willing to work overtime without overtime pay, then it wouldn't be such a problem.

The last thing is California's overtime exemption laws: http://www.management-advantage.com/products/overtime-exempt.html

There are rules that govern whether or not a company needs to pay overtime and I'm pretty sure most computer programmers are exempt. As such, their employer is not required to pay them overtime.

[phydeaux]

I'm interested in getting a job in the industry- does anyone else have any stories of game companies being particularly good or bad about this?

[Josh]

I'm interested in getting a job in the industry- does anyone else have any stories of game companies being particularly good or bad about this?
Stories like that are very common in the game industry. Of course, most of them are far from first hand as well.

[Dan Potter]

Yeah, from everything I've heard, 40 hours a week at a game company is by far the exception rather than the rule. It does happen. Typically at small niche developers who aren't working on "AAA titles". With the next round of consoles coming out and requiring still yet more work to make it look up to par with everyone else, I'd expect the problem to get worse before it gets better... though it's definitely promising that people like IGDA are starting to discuss it in a serious way.

[BeyondCloister]

I've only known people who worked in the UK games industry.

I know someone who worked for one of the UK based game developers and he was working silly hours when deadlines appeared. He left the games industry.

I also know someone who worked for one of the big games developers in the early 1990's. I'm not so sure things were so hetic back then with the long hours, but I guess back then people still did it for the love of it and not for the accountants.

Another friend was forced out of the industry when the company went bust a couple of years ago.

However it is not just restricted to games development as the same problem occurs in all areas of software development and I've experienced the problem first hand. The simple solution is you get out and go to work for someone who does pay you for doing the extra work.

[Malarkey]

Stories like that are very common in the game industry. Of course, most of them are far from first hand as well.

Well, I myself have worked those crazy hours twice already on a couple projects and the people that I know that work for Blizzard and Swinging Ape, I see or talk to on a regular basis. I also keep in semi-contact with old co-workers who are working in different parts of the country at other game studios and their stories are pretty much the same too.

This isn't to scare anyone away from working on games, mind you. It's just that this is the current state of the industry right now.

[kodex]

Where did you read this? I am interested in how they can make you work 60 hours and only pay you for 40.

I work atleast 70 hours a week and have done on upwards of 90 hours a week and only get paid for 40. Its called Salary =)

[RedWolf]

Burned out at 30 is what I foresee for those desiring to work extra long hours for years.

[Malarkey]

I work atleast 70 hours a week and have done on upwards of 90 hours a week and only get paid for 40. Its called Salary =)

Except that just getting paid salary doesn't automatically legally exempt your employer from giving you overtime compensation (depending on which state you live in, of course).

[kodex]

What if you dont live in a state and live on a Federal Reserve? <grin>
And your employeer is the United States Goverment.