Oh.. and.. another advice. Don't count in to much chances to actually get the spot at Blizzard. If the application requieres some idea or something that reflects your creativity. DO NOT COPY. Try to create something new

It doesn't necessary need to look or feel good. Creativity is Blizzards BIGGEST advantage. Also.. be open-minded. Don't put yourself into a box. Try to show a multi functional person of yours. Willing to learn NEW stuff.

El_DeathDealer

5 Posts

April 30 2012 00:07 GMT

#22

Hi! You might be interested in joining our group:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/287628267973243/320671974668872/?notif_t=group_activity

We are all like-minded folks discussing and sharing updates on the entire Blizzard Internship process.

Thanks!

itkovian

United States1763 Posts

April 30 2012 01:31 GMT

#23

Working at blizzard would be a dream for many people. Seeing as you mentioned you wanted to transition into one of the companies out of college, I would disregard how long it takes to commute now, and focus more on which one you would rather work for in the future. You'll really only have to suffer the commute this summer, since if you worked at blizzard after college you'd probably move closer.

Activision might seem like a more tempting offer right now based of current logistics, but in the future if you would rather be working for Blizzard, I would suggest sacrificing a little now for that opportunity later.

rebdomine

6040 Posts

April 30 2012 02:17 GMT

#24

On April 12 2012 10:29 Thaniri wrote:
Game Developers reportedly work double overtime when a project is close to deadline

with no pay.

This is true regardless of what vein of development work. Corporate software developers have it tougher when deadlines are close. I was literally at the office close to 24/7 for a whole month. (If I did get to go home it'd be at an ungodly hour like 4 AM, and I'd just shower up to freshen myself and head back to work by 9 AM)

To stay on topic, I'd pick the actual developer over the publisher. So go for Blizzard

SunTurtle

156 Posts

April 30 2012 03:44 GMT

#25

Go for Activision.

leperphilliac

United States399 Posts

April 30 2012 04:39 GMT

#26

Work wherever you feel you'll enjoy/learn more. Which, to me, sounds like Blizzard.

Gearuza

150 Posts

January 05 2013 00:29 GMT

#27

This blogpost is super old, but I thought I'd give an update on my decision and why I picked Activision, and my experiences there thus far.

So yes, I ended up choosing Activision. I'm a huge Blizzard fan, but various circumstances such as housing and distance, along with general job duties, made me choose Activision.

Activision is located in Santa Monica vs. Irvine. I go to school in downtown at USC, and I figured if I did well during the summer, I could work part time at Activision (this is impossible for Blizzard, since Irvine is 1.5 hours away by car from downtown LA). Lo and behold, at the end of summer, they ended me an offer to continue part-time during the school year. As a college senior, this was a great opportunity for me to smoothly transition into a fulltime job after graduation, while still keeping me a competitive candidate on the gaming job market.

There's a lot of hate for Activision out there. Employees inside the company know about this, but most of them still love their jobs. I worked in the Call of Duty production team, and there's a great culture of responsibility and performance that I really enjoy. The company also treats its employees well-- there's health fairs, free fruits and veggies in the break room, free soda, food, all-expense paid company parties, and lots of free swag. The management genuinely cares about their employees, and you can feel it all the way down to the intern level.

To address the issue of the gaming industry being terrible to work in: Yes, there are crunch times the month before a title ships that we work 12 hour+ days and weekends, but the company pays for meals and everything + overtime and comp days. Engineers do work very hard, but they're well compensated. That's not to say the industry is all glory and riches though. You will get a better salary and better working hours at a non-gaming company doing the same job. The gaming industry essentially pays you partially in "happiness equity", which basically means you really have to love games to make it worthwhile. You also can't just love one game or company; it's an overall passion for the industry (since when that one game or company is gone, what are you gonna do?).

Slithe

United States985 Posts

January 05 2013 00:41 GMT

#28

Thanks for the update. I find it rather interesting that there's such a difference in your experience compared to others such as KSKaleido. Do you have any ideas why that's the case?

blade55555

United States17423 Posts

January 05 2013 01:03 GMT

#29

Ah nice update.

While I am one of those activision haters, that's more because they keep making the same cod every year. I wish they would at least try to create a new game with a new idea or something rather then cloning cod with small differences every other year.

Either way I bet it is a good experience that aside seeing how they work.

Gearuza

150 Posts

January 05 2013 01:18 GMT

#30

On January 05 2013 09:41 Slithe wrote:
Thanks for the update. I find it rather interesting that there's such a difference in your experience compared to others such as KSKaleido. Do you have any ideas why that's the case?

I think our experiences differed because of two reasons (these are just guesses from KSKaleido's responses about creativity)

1. I've heard in the past Activision didn't treat its employees as well as they do now. Within the last couple of years the company has made great strides to put employees first. Maybe KSKaleido worked at Activision during no-so-great times.

2. Vested interest in a certain game. I'm not a big CoD fan at all (i hadn't play a CoD game in 6 years before coming to Activision). I came to Activision to work and learn how games are made at the AAA scale. What really interests me is watching games develop and come together. However, if I were someone who was a huge CoD fan, I can understand that I'd be frustrated that my opinions weren't changing the overall design of the game (the lead designers and such make those calls, not the entry-level guys).

I really think that there are 2 type of people who join the industry: those that love the games industry, and those that love the game(s). The latter tends to leave the industry when they realize that they can't influence design decisions from an entry-level position (though these type of people are also responsible for the new indie game wave, which I love). The first kind of people that like the industry overall tend to stay. Projects come and go; I could be working on a non-CoD title after my current job wraps up, but I'd be happy with that as long as the game is something that has quality behind it. If I was a die-hard CoD fan, I'd probably be upset at being taken off CoD, and would leave. People who stay in the industry are flexible and are enthusiastic about any project that has promise behind it. My boss for example worked at Squaresoft, then the Spiderman games, then WWE, then CoD.