Valve’s Pipeline Aims To Help Would-Be Game Developers Navigate The Industry
Going to school to learn a trade is just half of the career battle - understanding what to expect is the other half. It pains me to think of all the people I've known who have gone to school to learn something and then realize later that the career just didn't suit them that well, and it's for reasons like those why Valve's just-launched Pipeline exists. It aims to help those who have no experience at all in the game industry actually understand what to expect.
At the current time, the official site is minimalistic, with the video seen below being the main source of content. In it, some youngsters explain what Pipeline is all about, and tells us that more is en route. Valve admits that things are just getting started, but by the end, it wants to answer these important questions: "What is it like to work on videogames? What should I study? What colleges are best for preparing me? How do I get a job in videogames?"
Valve typically doesn't go out of its way to hire people just out of college; instead, it prefers to go after those with proven experience. It'd like to change that, and is using Pipeline as a possible way to help. If those looking to get into the gaming industry fully understand beforehand what to expect, that could encourage them to continue, or tip them off to take up another line-of-work.
I'm genuinely interested in seeing what Pipeline becomes, because it seems like the sort of thing that should exist. I already know that it's something I'll be forwarding to some people I know.