# Video game composition job boards?



## tmm (Dec 29, 2019)

Do these exist? What’s the best way to find video game writing work? From what I’ve seen so far, it seems to be mostly networking and word of mouth... but how can you get “in” to start with?

Any tips / resources would be much appreciated - thank you in advance!


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## gohrev (Dec 29, 2019)

I remember seeing gigs on the likes of fiverr, upwork, etc.


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## ghobii (Dec 30, 2019)

Search for indie game development forums and facebook groups. You'll need to monitor them constantly, and it helps if you regularly contribute to the conversations. However, any developers that put out a call for composers usually get get dozens or hundreds of responses.


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## MartinH. (Dec 30, 2019)

Check out Unity Connect. It's made for that sort of networking: 








Unity


Unity is the ultimate game development platform. Use Unity to build high-quality 3D and 2D games, deploy them across mobile, desktop, VR/AR, consoles or the Web, and connect with loyal and enthusiastic players and customers.




connect.unity.com







berlin87 said:


> fiverr



Fuck that! Only people who don't want to pay you a living wage go there to hire people.


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## tmm (Dec 30, 2019)

Thanks for the tip MartinH.!



MartinH. said:


> Fuck that! Only people who don't want to pay you a living wage go there to hire people.



Hahahaha yep... after berlin87’s recommendation above, I signed up for both.

Then I looked around to see what the environment was like. I think I actually like Upwork so far.

Fiverr though... the SELLERS are just as bad! The amounts they are charging for their services on Fiverr are so devaluing. They might be able to pay for their beer for the week with that. A pizza to go with it if they really grind.


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## MartinH. (Dec 30, 2019)

tmm said:


> Fiverr though... the SELLERS are just as bad! The amounts they are charging for their services on Fiverr are so devaluing.



Absolutely, they are making it worse for everyone trying to make a living from freelancing. 




tmm said:


> Do these exist? What’s the best way to find video game writing work? From what I’ve seen so far, it seems to be mostly networking and word of mouth... but how can you get “in” to start with?
> 
> Any tips / resources would be much appreciated - thank you in advance!



Another tip I can give you would be to get up to speed on using FMOD for creating "adaptive music" that the programmers can easily direct via a couple parameters on their end of the codebase. It's not hard to learn and will give you one more skill that sets you apart from the crowd. I wouldn't look for people openly advertising job positions, I'd try to build a strong portfolio and presence in the gamedev community and then look for teams that you think a) have a budget for music and b) you'd work well with and c) it's a project that you think strengthens your portfolio and guides you towards the jobs you want more of.


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## dannthr (Dec 30, 2019)

If you want to work in games, you need to start acting like a game developer. 

This means going everywhere and anywhere game developers go to advance their careers or collaborate on projects. Join game developer communities and engage with them. Get to know the problems they're solving and think about how you can be an active collaborator.

Join local Meetup groups to network and learn and discuss with other game developers about game development.

Seek out Game Jams and other events that present opportunities for collaboration.

Make games. Literally make some games.

Places like Fiverr force their market toward the bottom dollar because they create a shopping-style marketplace where content creators compete with one another for a client's money.

This pushes the potential client into a mind-state where they are thinking about music and sound as mere assets they need to acquire--in which case you are competing with libraries and free stuff.

What you want, if you want to make decent money at this, is to be treated as a contractor who joins a project not to deliver assets but to actually assist in developing the game. When the mindset for the client is that they're bringing on a team-member, your value will instantly increase.


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## Henu (Jan 1, 2020)

dannthr said:


> What you want, if you want to make decent money at this, is to be treated as a contractor who joins a project not to deliver assets but to actually assist in developing the game. When the mindset for the client is that they're bringing on a team-member, your value will instantly increase.



THIS. Working in games myself, this is one of the most important aspect of value you can bring. 
*Never be the "asset machine" if you can be a valuable team member instead*. You're not only upping the quality of the product while having fun and pride with it, but you will get priceless experience on designing music for games and how is it implemented, while making sure it gets implemented exactly how you wanted (and if your idea doesn't work, you are also able to fix it while still in development!). 
Not only this will increase your professional level a lot, but also makes you a valuable candinate for any new team.


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