Spellbreak Dev Tracker

A good list of some of the usual questions and pitfalls involved in raising VC for games. (We only had to learn 1 or 2 of these the hard way early on!)

Updated the default statuses for the gamedev slack server. Just think you can be verified for FREE!

(The others are too real.)

Lazyweb: It's been 10 years - what's the heir to the FTL throne? I need more low-friction / short-session replayable gaming.

That's all I've got for now but I'm sure there's a whole new list if this were written tomorrow. Like I said at the top, we're hiring! Check out and for more info. Thanks @matthew_villers for the tagteam. (18/18)

After the interview, follow up with folks to say thanks. It takes all of a minute and might not help your chances, but it'll definitely at least leave things on a friendly note. (17/18)

The industry is TINY. People talk and their reputation follows them around. If you've said or done things in the past, expect folks to know about it, for better or worse. (16/18)

Speaking of being nice - expect us to eventually look at your linkedin, twitter, etc so comport yourself accordingly. (15/18)

Nail the fundamentals of being an applicant. Be on time, timely with responses to emails or calls, and for the love of all that is good, BE NICE to everyone you talk to along the way. (14/18)

For your portfolio, highlight the best thing. Put it front and center. Make it easy to see what you did, what's cool about it, what you'd change. Don't expect me to install your game, just make a video on YouTube. P.S. Excel files totally count as portfolio material! (13/18)

In an interview, when asked a question, take a breath. You don't need to rush through answers. We want to see how you work through problems, how you collaborate and take feedback, so "show your work". We want you to succeed so ask for clarification or help if you need. (12/18)

Do mock interviews with your school, friends, or anyone you can. Interviewing is a skill and it's hard, so get some practice in. (11/18)

Be concise. For a entry-level role, we get 100s of applications, so get in, say what you need, and get out. Don't make me sift through a 4-page resume and 30 pages of supporting documents. Also make it legible. This is not the place for your creativity to shine through. (10/18)

Have a friend copy-edit and proofread your materials. A second set of eyes is so much better than looking over things yourself. (9/18)

Use your cover letter to tell us, specifically, why we should hire you, specifically. Don't just restate your resume, long-form. Don't use a generic cover letter for a dozen different jobs. (8/18)

You know that feeling you get when you're so wound up about something that you start to ramble? Harness that and make us feel your excitement (but don't ramble). (7/18)

Have core knowledge for the role. If you're applying for a systems design job, you should have an understanding of probability and stats. If you want to be an encounter designer, be able to debate the merits and drawbacks of trash or downtime on fights, and so on. (6/18)

There's never been a better time to tinker with games. Game engines, tools, and compilers are free. Modding games is easy. Build a portfolio, show off your stuff, even if it's not polished. Tell us what you learned in the process and what you'd do next time. (5/18)

Be familiar with game and genre you'd be working in. Come prepared to talk about them and don't be surprised when you're asked for your thoughts about what's good, bad, what could be better, what you'd do differently, etc. Be honest and constructive. (4/18)

Call out experience with the games of the company where you're applying. Own the fact that you achieved something big, contributed to the wiki or fan site, built tools for a game! (This is how I got my foot in 23 years ago...) (3/18)

You probably have more relevant experience than you think! That volunteering to teach kids to code, moderating a gaming discord, leading a guild... those are all way more interesting and relevant than the year you spent being paid by a chain restaurant. (2/18)