I Take That Other Post Back

Turns out that my prediction from my previous blog entry has held true. No longer am I having to put up with pages and pages on how working in the gaming industry sucks. And while they sure aren’t making it sound easy, in recent chapters they have been good at providing a contrast of the good and the bad. Much better than flat out saying “if you think you’ve got what it takes to do these jobs, read this chapter and reconsider (Rush, 5).

This is not to say that they do not tear these jobs apart. It is actually quite the contrary. When describing the life of a programmer, Stratton is quick to point out that you can “work eighteen hour days for a month” (Stratton, 56). However this bothers me less as this is concrete information regarding why it can suck, of which I am sure constant 18 hour days would suck. This is as opposed to the first few chapters in which they would essentially questioning why anyone would want to be a programmer in the first place.

What is especially refreshing is that they also point out the good in those same positions they tear apart. For example while they stressed that programming can be very stressful, they also made sure to include positives such as “always working with the latest technology” (Stratton, 54). They also make sure to include various quotes from those who love their jobs, as stressful as they may be, to ensure that the reader is able to view various opinions on each area of work in th gaming industry.

Overall, I think that this past section of the book has been much more objective than the earlier parts as the authors take a bit of a step back with their subjective opinions on the various careers. Instead of telling you what you probably would be up to or what they think you may enjoy, they instead give you a career and list the types of personalities it fits as well as the opinions of those working in the fields. Add to this a summary of the ups and downs to ensure that the reader has sufficient pros and cons to where they can make their own decisions and you have a pretty good overview of that specific career. And while there will always be some opinion shining through (oftentimes in the form of a bad joke pertaining to a certain job), it has been, for the most part, very informative.