Make Games

The careers section of our website (www.schellgames.com/careers) has all of our available openings listed, and there is an “Apply for this Job” button on each post. We are notified by email each time someone submits an application. This is the only way to ensure that your application will be reviewed. Note, if you know an employee at the studio and want them to put in a good (or great) word for you, please apply via the website, list their name in the “Referred By” section, and have them send HR an email telling us the many ways in which you are awesome.

Don’t freak out - we are always looking for talented people! Our General Submission posts are there all the time so we can receive applications from all possible candidates. If we have a specific need, we typically advertise that opening in a separate post and then go through our existing candidate pool from the general submission posts and convert those applications to active consideration.

Now that you have applied, we can assure you that your application was not swallowed by a black hole. All candidates will get an acknowledgment that we have received your application. Additionally, we will let all candidates know of the status of their application to specific job postings periodically throughout the hiring process.

If you send your application through our General Submission post, we will review the application periodically as specific job postings arise. If we find your application matches a newly posted position, we will notify you accordingly. To stay on top of all job postings from Schell Games, we recommend setting a Google Alert for new postings or checking back frequently to see if your specific skill set has its own post!

We always recommend having a portfolio of some sort, whether it’s your own personal website, or a Dropbox folder of stuff you’ve worked on. Having some prototypes, code samples, or artwork readily available helps demonstrate your passion and commitment!

No way! How you got to the finished product is just as important (if not more so) than the finished work itself. It’s also helpful to call out on a portfolio item what exactly you contributed if it was a team effort. Check out game designer Marlena Abraham's post: "Creating a Killer Game Design Portfolio: What To Include and Why."

Schell Games is a highly collaborative environment, so if you have examples of working in cross-discipline teams, we would love to have you share! A great way to do this is by writing a development blog where you discuss difficult challenges you’ve faced and how you’ve solved tricky problems as a team.

Not necessarily! Making games is hard, but if you’re dedicated, it’s easy to find resources to help. Full, professional video game engines are available to you, right now, for free. Unity, Unreal, GameMaker, and a plethora of smaller tools can be found with a simple web search, and most won’t charge you to start developing. There are also tutorials to help you get started using them. YouTube tutorials, quick start guides, and blog posts about individual problems are all at your fingertips. Nobody has ever gotten a job in the video game industry based on the strength of their ideas alone. Making video games is fun, but it’s also a lot of work, and you need to show you are willing and able to take that work on.

Having nothing to show for yourself except a dream and a degree is much, much worse than having a portfolio full of small, simple mods/art/games that you’ve seen through to completion.*