Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Game Developers Hate Central USA

So, I've been doing the whole job-hunt thing recently, sending out my resume to various and sundry employers in the hopes of bettering my situation. A lot of them I've sent via email, so I'm checking my inbox for new messages and notice an ad for a site proclaiming great income potentials for game testing, and how I, too, could become a success story.

It was a scam, of course. I'm no novice, and did my homework before committing the forty-odd dollars it asks for. But in the process, I came across a site that listed the employment opportunities pages for Nintendo, Blizzard, and EA games. So, curious, I went to look and see what was available. After all, practically everyone wants a job doing what they love, and gamers are no exception.

After scouring the listings, I did find a few I could qualify for. I hit one, tiny little snag, though. All of the listings were nowhere near where I live. It seems practically every gaming company has its development and testing sites in California or Texas, with some in Florida, and even a job offer in Bucharest, Romania. But next to nothing in the Central US, and absolutely nothing in the state of Misery.

So, I guess if you want what is arguably the coolest job in the world, you have to already live some place cool. Personally, I think St. Louis is pretty cool. Kansas City's not bad, either. And Columbia, Missouri is a pretty hip place, too, not to mention the fact it has several college campuses with students who would jump at the chance to support their education through gaming. And the city itself is booming, now boasting a population in excess of 100,000.

I'm not biased, though. If a major gaming corporation decided to open an office in some terribly obscure location in the Midwest like, say, Sabetha, Kansas, I'd be satisfied. Still without a gaming job, but satisfied.

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