What Is Networking?

In a nutshell, networking means meeting new people and making long-lasting connections that will help you along your career path.

I view it as making new friends and the reason for that is friends like to help and see each other succeed.

I’ve gotten all of my game audio jobs through friends whether by recommendation or simply a hint that company X is looking for someone but haven’t posted a job opening online yet. Of course, this isn’t the case for everyone but even if you’re applying formally to a studio having a friend who already works there and can vouch for you can improve your chances of getting the job.

Why Should You Do It?

Who you know is almost as important as what you know because this industry is very saturated, especially at an entry-level which means that lots of people are waiting in line to get through that door but only a handful at a time can fit through.

By knowing the gatekeepers and the people inside it’s a lot more likely that you’ll get to skip the queue and head through the door a lot earlier than most people.

In non-analogy terms, this means that if you’re applying for a job and you’ve already met and are on good terms with the audio director of the project your chances of getting hired go up massively. This is because humans like to work with people they like and know they can trust.

Companies (especially smaller ones) often don’t have the time or capacity to scan through hundreds of job applications, especially when deadlines are tight. This means that they will often ask their employees and friends for recommendations to fill that position. So a bunch of jobs never even get advertised in the first place.

It also pays off to be friends with lots of developers as they sometimes need sound designers and composers for their projects and will often also directly hire someone off recommendation.

The game audio and game dev community, in general, is filled with amazing, talented, kind and fun people. I’ve never felt more at home in a community and as long as you are friendly you’ll always find people happy and willing to help you!

How To Network

1. Make friends!
   No one wants to spend time with some desperately hurling business cards at everyone and asking for jobs and advice. Be the person you’d want to hang out and spend time with. Show your fun side and don’t be afraid to nerd out about video games, audio and other things you're passionate about.

2. Add value!
   When you approach someone ask yourself “How can I add value?”. Help others and they will help you, it’s a win-win situation for everyone and in my opinion, the best way to approach life in itself. You might think you have very little to offer an experienced sound designer but don’t underestimate yourself. Oftentimes introducing other people can be one of the most helpful things, imagine someone telling you they are re-furbishing their studio, you might know a mate who is a builder who could lend a hand or an acoustic engineer to assist with the soundproofing. Additionally, simply asking if you can take them out for dinner or buy a cup of coffee or a beer in return for their time can be a great way to get some advice from someone you look up to.

3. Be yourself!
   Don’t worry we’re all weird nerds who are into video games and other nerdy things like sound, art, programming, Lego or Warhammer. So don’t be shy and let your personality shine, there is a large possibility that you’ll have lots of things in common with the people you’re talking to.

4. Follow Up!
   Once you’ve connected with someone it’s a great opportunity to exchange details (business card time). Following up with an email or a dm on Twitter will go far to solidify the connection and hopefully make friends.

I recommend reading this great Twitter thread by Ryan Ike on things to avoid doing when networking: https://twitter.com/RyanIkeComposer/status/1529141553704275968

Here is a helpful video for the introverts out there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAPySGLL3gg

This is also an excellent article from Ben Gallagher on the topic:
https://www.thegameaudiopro.com/post/the-key-to-successful-game-audio-networking

Where To Find Networking Events

Networking events have many shapes forms and sizes, from weekly informal local meetups to large scale industry gatherings like EGX and GDC as well as online workshops and hangouts.

I’ve linked some useful resources below to help you not only find but also organise your own events.

Audio Events Calendar: An amazing resource to find all kinds of online and offline events big and small: https://www.asoundeffect.com/audio_events/

Game Conference Calendar: Similar to the one above this calendar shows you lots of game industry conferences: https://www.gameconfguide.com

Game Audio Groups (Map):
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/viewer?ll=-3.81666561775622e-14%2C7.577103575251044&z=1&mid=1mk6JWHdBuTJ9WG4wzLj9zHHf-j4

Large Scale Events:

GDC (USA):
https://gdconf.com/

Game Sound Con (USA):
https://www.gamesoundcon.com/

EGX (UK):
https://www.egx.net/

WASD (UK):
https://www.wasdlive.com/?store_event_id=29223

Local Events/Meetups:

The best way to find local meetups is to search for Facebook groups and ask around. If there are any game dev studios then it might be an idea to approach some people working there and ask if they know of any (just remember to be friendly as cold emailing sometimes won’t get you any response). Additionally, make sure to go to all types of game industry events, not just audio ones!

Meetup is a great way to find or organise local events:
https://www.meetup.com/

The Internation Game Developers Association is also a great place to look for networking opportunities:
https://igda.org/

Organising A Networking Event:

If there are no events in your area but you might think it’s big enough for a couple of people to be interested in game development then you might want to think about organising your own event.

I’ll break down the process in a couple of simple steps:

1. Create an event group!
   This can be done via social media like Facebook or a ticketing event service like Eventbrite. Make it so that people can select whether2 they will attend or not as it will help you book enough tables for people to sit at.

2. Add a location!
   The next step is to add a location, you can simply scout out local pubs and ask what the maximum amount of tables is that you can book. This will make sure that you don’t accidentally invite more people than you can book tables for.

3. Advertise your event!
   In order to get people to come you first need to make them aware of the event, you can do this by posting it on Twitter, into local game dev groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media. Additionally, word of mouth is a powerful tool as well so make sure to talk to any friends in the industry and make them aware of your event.

4. Get a headcount!
   As the date comes closer you’ll have a good estimate of how many people will show up so you can now book the tables at your location.

5. Run the event!
   On the day of the event, you should arrive at the location early and set up printed signs on the tables as this will help people find your group. As the organiser, you should introduce yourself to new arrivals and welcome them to the event. This is a great excuse to talk to new people and make new connections. After the event, it's always a good idea to send out a thank you email and potentially even start planning the next one.