Rubina Ashotyan

Hello friends. Last month, I was looking for more work and finally secured some on Reddit from a guy who needed help with preproduction on his Tabletop RPG / Card Battler. After a meeting with him, he showed me what he had and it was quite impressive. He had a prototype of a card-battler using a tabletop RPG battle system, but he had little to no documentation or planning—he's been chiseling away at his game for a few months in his spare time after work. I suggested that before I dive into art, we flesh out the game design and the rest of the game up to around an 80% mark and let the last 20% be changes, additions, and that sort. As your game evolves, it'll come into it's own and you'll find things that need changed or added, this accounts for that. He agreed and I asked if I could work on all this since I did that with my game Alligori and lead the team from start to finish with our vertical slice, and I know tabletop RPGs very well. He agreed and we did the whole song and dance with paperwork, and he sent over a retainer and I began work the following Monday. Three weeks go by and we're working great together. I'm fleshing out his game, adding some meat to the backbone of his prototype with classes, abilities, etc. My goal was to write out as much as possible and then trim content to fit it into a 1-year development cycle. So I flesh a bulk of his game out, and then categorize it more into a game design document that clearly conveys concepts, ideas, and mechanics. Catching up, last week was the final week of my first month and payment was due. He just up and disappears like a fart in the wind, I have no idea if he's alive, incarcerated, on vacation, or what. He didn't remove me on Discord, so I don't entirely suspect malicious intent, but he gave no notice. That's the risk you run with working 1-on-1 with a client remotely, one day they can just up and disappear. I do have paperwork, so I may pursue legal action. If he doesn't log on by Friday, I'm going to publicly release all my documentation and the GDD I wrote on here.

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🕹Today in Gaming History!🎮 20 years ago today Spider-man 2 released for PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance from Treyarch, The Fizz Factor, Digital Eclipse Entertainment Partners, and Activision, in association with Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment. I remember being absolutely floored with this game on release, a must have! Played so much of it and the other movie games. It's great that we're still getting Spider-man games, and even more recently got another Spider-man 2 (although unrelated to the movies, aside from in-game skins) from Insomniac Games. #TiGH #GamingHistory #Gaming #History #Spiderman2 #Spiderman #Treyarch #TheFizzFactor #DigitalEclipse #Activision #Marvel #Sony #Movie #Action #Adventure #Games #Game #VideoGames #VideoGame #GamesIndustry #VideoGameIndustry

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Another International Talk Completed ✅ Digital Dragons, thank you so much for having me! With everything happening in our industry, it's easy to spiral, but that's when you need community the most. That's why travelling to Poland, representing Sumo Digital Ltd and PixelAnt Games, felt extra special! There's something amazing about getting together on-site, with people from all over, to #RethinkRecruitment (even if that means I need to budget extra energy for public speaking 😅), and I'm super grateful for the opportunity. --- This got me thinking... ...you might have noticed I haven't posted much recently, and this is why: 🗺️ Bird's Eye View has been working with two amazing partners to put together a bid for the BFI grant. 🔍 I'm busy at work reviewing a couple of hiring processes. 🤖 The LinkedIn Algorithm™️ is incredibly demotivating when it comes to pushing helpful content to people that need it the most. 🚫 I wasn't sure if I was making any difference since the industry barely has any roles open. However, so many people reached out during #DigitalDragons to say my content really helped their job hunt; I can't help but think I should give it another try! 👉🏼 So bear with me, I probably won't post every day (I'm aiming for 1-2 a week), but I'm planning on writing articles with all the content from previous posts, as well as new bits of advice, especially when it comes to a slower industry. 💬 If you have topics you would like me to write about, feel free to drop them below! --- 📣 Follow #RethinkRecruitment and ring the 🔔 to read about: 📙 #GameDev Recruitment Best Practices 🔎 #JobHunting, #CareerAdvice & #RecruiterTips 👁️ Bird's Eye View & the #ELSH ⏩ https://entrylevel.games/ 🌟 Opinions are very much my own™️

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Luck vs. Skill in Casino Gaming 🎲🃏 When it comes to casino gaming, the age-old debate between luck and skill continues to captivate both casual and avid gamblers alike. Whether you're drawn to the thrill of chance or the strategic challenge, there's something for everyone on the casino floor. Luck-Based Games: 🎰 Slots: Simple, flashy, and incredibly popular, slot machines are the quintessential luck-based game. With no strategy required, anyone can spin the reels and potentially hit the jackpot! 🎲 Roulette: Place your bets and let the wheel decide your fate. The suspense as the ball bounces around is unmatched. 🎴 Baccarat: Known for its straightforward rules, baccarat is all about betting on the right hand – no skills necessary, just pure chance. Skill-Based Games: 🃏 Poker: Mastery of strategy, psychology, and probability make poker a true test of skill. It's a game where the best players can consistently come out ahead. ♠️ Blackjack: With optimal strategy and card counting (for the daring), players can reduce the house edge and improve their odds. Skill and knowledge play a significant role in this classic game. Why Do Luck-Based Games Dominate? - Accessibility: Easy to learn and play, making them ideal for beginners and those seeking casual fun. - Low Pressure: No need for strategic thinking or expertise, just pure entertainment. - Quick Results: Instant gratification with fast-paced rounds and frequent wins. Why Choose Skill-Based Games ? - Challenge: Engaging and mentally stimulating, perfect for those who enjoy strategic thinking. - Control: Skilled players can influence outcomes and potentially tilt the odds in their favor. - Community: Often involve social interaction and competition, adding another layer of enjoyment. No matter your preference, both luck and skill-based games offer unique thrills and experiences. Which side do you lean towards? Share your thoughts and favorite games in the comments below! #CasinoGaming #LuckVsSkill #Gambling #GamingStrategy #CasinoLife #Poker #Slots #Blackjack #Roulette #Baccarat #Entertainment

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Seen some other post similar to this and found the data very interesting so I thought I'd share my experience. Over an unemployment period of roughly 250 days I had 124 applications sent out to various positions. In this specific case these were only for full-time employment work, not including any part-time work on this chart. From those 124 applications: - 46 applications were declined after review. - 2 applications requested some more information and began email correspondence with me. - Both of those email correspondences stopped responding after sending further information. - 4 applications reached out to set up interviews. - 3 of those interviews moved forward with different applicants. - 1 interview led to an offer I accepted. The number that hit the hardest, however: - 72 applications with no response. Some other fun facts: Quickest response - 3 hours Longest wait for a response - 72 Days Most applications filed to a single company - 9 I just really like data and charts so it was fun to track and share this information!

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Stay ahead of the game with the latest Battlefield 2042 news. Get all the details on what's next for this epic franchise!

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Mini Gear Grinder... not a crazy one, just a mini one... Candidates: when replying to Posts that have jobs listed, multiple companies / Games Studios, etc. within them. A comment of "I am interested" does not do you much good. A comment of "I am interested in the following role at XYZ company" is however helpful. Seeing so many of these & I love that you're interested in the roles posted, but which ones? Help the Recruiter or the people out that are putting the resources in front of you & let them know what you're interested in. ⚙ The job? Which one, we have 5+ listed. ⚙ The company? Which one, as some of these posts list 5+ organizations. ⚙ The person posting? Let's keep it PC / PG here people, I'm not advocating for weirdness 😝 I'm referring to a conversation or asking for help where you need it potentially. Don't be creepy, please do not be creepy! ⚙ The products they make? Etc., etc. Identify a bit deeper... Help them help you! 😁 Keep fighting the good fight everyone! Enjoy the weekend & wishing you best out there! #'s for the #'s #TheMattBarney #OneLove #TheMeatballs #GearGrinder #VideoGames #PirateRecruitersUniteUnderOneBanner

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🎮 Want a job in the video game industry? 🎮 📅 It's July. We made it through the first half of 2024. Are you looking at your resume/skills/experience for the second half of the year and 2025? Are you bookmarking your favorite career sites in case the perfect job opens up and you're ready to apply? *cough* https://lnkd.in/gmapUg36 *cough* What skills are needed in your line of work for your next role? Are you taking any classes/courses or applying to tangentially related roles (i.e. not the dream job yet) to build those skills? In your last interview, was there a skill could you not explain to the best of your ability or are you unsure of that you could learn more about? Your dream job won't always come tomorrow, but are you preparing in case it opens in a week? A month? January 2025? Any questions? Put them in the comment section and we'll see what we can do to help. #startpreparingnow #Letsgetyouhired

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"Required: X titles shipped" I've been involved in a few conversations lately with aspiring or junior developers who are frustrated that so many job descriptions require shipped titles. It gets even more difficult when a JD requires specific types of games shipped. These job seekers become more infuriated to find out that a lot of recruiters or hiring managers don't really count their game jam titles or solo games as "shipped" for purposes of these roles. Why is that? What exactly are hiring managers looking for here? Does it even matter? To answer that last question first: yes. It matters. First off, let's be clear on a couple of things here. As a general rule, you shouldn't be seeing shipped title requirements in true entry level positions. In those cases, any experience is better than no experience, so you should call out your jam, student, or solo games whenever you don't have anything else to show (or just call them out anyway if you're still relatively new or you're particularly proud of something you've worked on or built). But the reason you see a lot of jobs asking for shipped titles is less about the end result and more about showing that you've got experience working in a particular environment. If I'm asking, it's because I want to know that you can work on a team in the first place. You've been through the process already and have gone through the reviews and planning sessions and discussions that you simply wouldn't get building a game on your own or even in a quick jam. I've been through this a lot, with games that shipped and those that unfortunately did not. I've seen it on tiny teams where we could fit everyone in a single room and the entire schedule took months to teams which numbered in the hundreds across continents with multiyear schedules and the differences are very real. I've seen how different it can be in having to ship a boxed game through first party submissions or maintaining a liveops MMO that only existed on PC or mobile. Different processes. Different tools. Different methodologies. Different scales. I know how rough the market is out there. I know it seems hopeless at times and utterly unfair. I know it can really hurt to find a role you think you're just perfect for but then you see they want "shipped titles" experience or you need to have "worked on AAA teams" or "must have liveops experience" and it just doesn't make sense. Your challenge is in trying to show how you have the skills without the direct experience, while also competing against others (potentially dozens of others) who already have both. I wish the process could be easier for you. At the least, I hope I've added some context from the other side of the table here.

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Complaining won't get you hired. Sending hundreds of applications without a reply sucks, I get it. And job hunting in game development is tough in 2024. But hear me out: No one hires out of pity. People hire because you show value. Instead of complaining about the market, focus on creating value for others: • Share common best practices • Contribute to professional topics • Create useful solutions or courses • Make a tutorial on a complex issue Or go a step further: prepare a list of recommendations for the company you want to join and send it with your CV (and also share it publicly). How so, you might ask? Do something for others for FREE? Yes, absolutely. It's called "content marketing." You create value upfront, become more recognizable, and gain a reputation. And then you get hired easily because you provided value upfront. If you're willing to spend hundreds of hours on interviews, spend some time creating value for others. It'll pay off in the long run.

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🎮 Want a job in the video game industry? 🎮 ➡ Proactive - creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened ➡ Reactive - to be ready to react or respond to something else Are you Proactive or Reactive in your job search? 1. Open to work banner on 2. Following favorite companies 3. Notifications from those companies (the bell icon in the top right) 4. Clicking on the "People" tab on the career page to find employees to follow on Linkedin to absorb their wisdom There's no one way to get a job. There's only the way that finally works for you individually. It is super tough right now. Any questions or comments? Advice for fellow job seekers? Put it below in the comments and we'll see if we can help. #Letsgetyouhired #RecruiterAdvice

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Sad news this evening with Gameloft announcing that their studio in Cluj, Romania has been closed. To those impacted by this closure, please find a comprehensive list of resources, below: 🥇First, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 9 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI This resource contains around 1,300 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eu2bjadW ⚙ Engineering and Programming This resource lists just over 1,700 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/etPj22BE 🕹 Quality Assurance This resource lists over 440 QA jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/dkiEy8da 📑 Game Production This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/d9qfQ5tg 📢 Marketing & Community This resource lists around 380 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/dc-PVb3h 🎶 Audio and Sound Design This resource lists around 180 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/dU8t6Esq 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev This resource lists around 300 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/dMdWv4xN ⚙ IT This resource lists around 100 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/df7d-KkR 🎮 Game Design This resource lists around 600 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/d2kKaw95 🥈 Second, the Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥉 Third, If you have worked in publishing, please message me. I am looking for quite a few roles right now! ⬅ 🎖 Finally, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #jobsingames #gameloft #cluj

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SayGames consistent portfolio strategy is paying back, as we see Tower War scaling to more than $1 Mil. 🤑 IAP only revenue a month. We got to chat with Anton Volnykh (SayGames's Chief Publishing officer) about some of those portfolio decisions, especially around My Perfect Hotel and Dreamdale 😎. The company is a masterclass in efficiency as it currently has only 170 😱 people, with the portfolio downloads crossing already 5 Billion downloads 💹. This is especially true if you look closely at some of the recent updates of their games. We can see clear synergy, where an update in one game result in positive uplift and then it is quickly translated and adapted across other portfolio games, even though it is built by completely different game teams. A good example of this is the addition of permanent progression into My Perfect Hotel 🏨 during last year. This was done after we covered it in a separate episode on the podcast, and you could see it being adapted across whole game, where the daily quests system, battle pass and even old hotels now give you this permanent progression coins 📊. Now that it was proven and AB tested that this system works 💡, you can see this same system being integrated into Tower War (image on the right). Again same strategy was applied, where slowly the team is adding more progression and metagame layers into the game, scaling it constantly. Join us, as we discuss all of this and more together with 🦩 Matej & Felix and big thanks to Anton for coming on the pod and sharing a lot of interesting insights 😁. Data based on Sensor Tower, thanks for the support 🤗 📺 Watch on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dXPfRuJ3 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/d8MsZad4 🗣 Join the discussion in our slack channel: https://lnkd.in/eGr8EDe6 #gamedev #gamedevelopment #gamedesign #gameindustry #mobilegames #mobilemarketing #mobileadvertising #userexperiencedesign #userexperiencen #gamedeveloper #games #gameart #ads #creative #casual #hypercasual #hybridcasual #puzzle

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Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a restorative and relaxing weekend. Here's your round-up for today. 1. SAG-AFTRA actors have officially gone on strike against video game companies after a deal with what SAG-AFTRA deemed suitable protections against AI could not be reached. Negotiations had been going on for 18 months prior to this, and in all that time AI remained the one topic on which a consensus could not be found. https://lnkd.in/gk_prDqg 2. Humble Games, the publishing arm of Humble Bundle has been shut down, though that's not what parent company Ziff Davis would have you believe. ZD laid off the entirety of the HG staff and handed over the remaining work left for ongoing projects to a third-party company, and kept the HG name. So in ZD's eyes, nothing has been shut down, a bunch of people have just been let go. If you ask those former employees, well, they tell a different story. https://lnkd.in/g2kFtczY 3. A new report reveals how to developers at top publishers like Activision, EA and Riot are being forced to use Generative AI. https://lnkd.in/g7KitZBU 4. Paradox Interactive's CEO admits that the publisher has "made the wrong calls in several projects" following the cancellation of "Life By You" and an overall poor year for the studio. https://lnkd.in/gwx3NUFq 5. "Concord" will not have a battle pass, developer Firewalk Studios confirms. To me, this news might be the games saving grace, as I feel like we're all getting a bit of battle pass fatigue. https://lnkd.in/gevSrV_2 6. "Valorant" is now live on consoles in open beta form. https://lnkd.in/gv32-fza 7. Respawn backtracked hard on the battle pass changes it made to "Apex Legends" after thousands of negative reviews flooded the game's Steam page. https://lnkd.in/ggB6EkGY 8. "Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon" has shot passed 3 million copies sold since launch. https://lnkd.in/gKm_GqMK 9. "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" will feature 700 characters and 140,000 lines of dialogue, the most featured in any "Dragon Age" game before it. https://lnkd.in/g3GEzcdG That's all for now! I'll have a few longer features going up this week, so keep your eyes peeled for that! Until the next one, have a good week everyone!

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🕹Today in gaming History!🎮 30 years ago today Alien vs. Predator released in arcades from Capcom #TiGH #GamingHistory #Gaming #History #AlienVSPredator #AVP #Alien #Predator #Capcom #BeatEmUp #Arcade #Games #Game #VideoGames #VideoGame #GamesIndustry #VideoGameIndustry

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🕹Today in Gaming History!🎮 40 years ago today King's Quest released for PC from Sierra On-Line and IBM. #TiGH #GamingHistory #Gaming #History #KingsQuest #Sierra #IBM #PC #Adventure #Games #Game #VideoGames #VideoGame #GamesIndustry #VideoGameIndustry

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HOW OFTEN DO YOU ASK QUESTIONS? 🤔 Recently, a friend told me about his mom who’s jumping into the QA field. She got a test task from a company that was super confusing—badly written instructions, you know the drill. She even asked her QA course buddies, but no luck; the task just didn't make sense. Eventually, she reached out to her son, a programmer, who confirmed that the task was indeed impossible to complete as written. Turns out, she was a bit scared to ask the hiring team for help directly. I get it, starting out in a new industry can be intimidating. And this really got me thinking. If you’re ever in doubt during the job application process, just reach out. Seriously, ask those questions! Whether it's HR or a recruiter, they're there to help. It saves everyone time and a whole lot of stress. So, don't hold back—clarifying things can only help. It might even be the thing that moves you forward in the process and unasked questions can cost you a job offer.

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A couple Netflix Games things you don’t want to miss this week! 🟥 You can play Dumb Ways to Survive now on Netflix! Be a bean and try to stay alive. Will you die a dummy or are you smart enough to survive the wilderness? You can download the game now on mobile! Not sure if it’s your jam? Watch the trailer here: https://lnkd.in/gGKps7cf 🟥 On our journey to have a game for everyone on our service, I’m back with a D&I Senior Manager, Game Production role on our External Games team! We are looking for someone who can infuse D&I into the game development process. Our ideal candidate has strong D&I experience and framework implementation on products. It’s important to note that this is not a role for building D&I into the workforce (we’re already working on this!) They must have product-specific experience. Hybrid role. Ready to make an impact? Apply here: https://lnkd.in/guF6hHiz 🟥 Ready for wonder, danger, and humor? I’m working with Night School Studio again on a Senior Producer, Game Studio role, and are looking for a strong production leader who can elevate their production craft. Our ideal candidate will be able to influence teams, set strategy across all disciplines, and keep a balance of scope and creative ambition on one of their game titles. Must be in LA, as the team frequents the office during the week. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ge3HvjHP 🟥 “Okay, Marie. But the real question is: are there cozy games on Netflix?” Of course there are! We’ve got Spiritfarer, Laya’s Horizon, Storyteller, Cats & Soup, Farming Simulator 23, Vineyard Valley, and Terra Nil. But if you’re asking about a game with the official cozy stamp, the coziest of games is coming this year! Cozy Grove: Camp Spirit from our internal studio, Spry Fox! Take a sneak peek here: https://lnkd.in/gQ9B2tmF 🟥 We've got over 90 games on mobile and I encourage to try them! I know mobile isn't everyone's jam, but think of these as experiences. Maybe it just takes the right game for you to consider a game on your phone or tablet. If not mobile, then try out a game on TV! Our Games on TV beta is available to a subset of our members, but if you're able to try it out, I also encourage trying that experience as well! Learn more about Games on TV here: https://lnkd.in/gcC_WE5d If you're interested in any opportunity with Netflix Games, please apply directly! I don't always get to my DMs on LinkedIn anymore and I spend my time *gasp* looking at applications and resumes! I get asked a lot about what people can do to prepare for interviews here at the game studio and one of my answers is this: Play our games! I'm not kidding! Me sharing our games isn't just to show off, but is actually a signal for you to try them so you can speak to them during an interview! We're not asking you to be gamer status, but at least know what our portfolio looks like! 🎮 ▶️

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