DaveBeFree

No.  Never.  As a life time Chicagoan no one will ever come close to Michael Jeffrey.

Okay.  So i've been debating for awhile now making the trek to one of these major game conventions in order to try and secure work in the game industry.  I was really depressed after the GDC Bombcast when developers came out and said that they were basically asking for resumes.  I live in Chicago, so it's not a small thing to try and get a job on the West coast, but I'm that passionate about having a profession I give a damn about.  So yea, has anyone else used these conventions to try to network their way into a job?  Would it be worth a shot?  Thoughts, comments, discuss...      

Kanye West is kind of my idol, despite his eccentricity.  If you don't believe that Kanye is a significant artist, let me give you some perspective.  Almost single-handedly he's morphed the music business around himself, defining the evolution of music across two decades.  Certainly people had used Daft Punk samples, auto-tune and blended genres with hip-hop before, but no modern artist can utilize as an eclectic blend of music in their production as Kanye West, and remain on top of the game. The man is truly a master of his craft, and is the only reason I have any interest left in modern Hip-Hop. 

My aspirations aren't so lofty, but I want to be that talented of an artist.  I want to write, constantly.  I wish ideas would flood from my head for video games, movies and books.  As it is I struggle in front of a keyboard, trying to scrounge what ideas I have into coherent ideas.  Also, it may seem contrived to compare writing to rhyming, but the process is very similar. I simply don't want to put my penned work exclusively to music.

It's something I strive hard for, though the ability to write commercially viable product isn't innate; it's earned through hard work, and diligent development.  Kanye often rhymes of developing his work in his basement and finally breaking through when he was twenty-five.  I feel like success stories like Kanye often distort our perception of how lucky they were, to be discovered so early.  Some people work their entire lives to only earn a break at the end.  Being touched by an established star, like Jay-Z, is also unheard of for most normal people. 

To this point, I offer the insight I've gained in these troubled times.  No one wants to help you.  The only thing people see is what they can gain from you.  If you don't have anything that others can profit from, then you're basically invisible.  Remember that, you're only valuable so long as you're profitable.  A bitter reality for anyone still struggling in the grind.  But, an important lesson none the less.

Hey!  Go catch my man's free tracks!  Remember, you can pretty much do whatever you want creatively once you're on top.  Just gotta get there...      
 
Davebefree

 I've been looking for a job for...  Well, at some point it's best to lose track of for how long.  Needless to say I've been looking for a job for a long time.  My expectations have fallen in line with the times, and I don't believe I'm unreasonable in my wishes.  I just want a job that will further my career, and won't make me want to blow my brains out.  Fair enough, right?  I don't demand a large salary, or excessive benefits, just a level of satisfaction with what I do and a reasonable sense of autonomy. 

My scope has settled on Gamestop as my last, best hope of immediate employment.  I've applied there any number of times, but I've done my utmost to strike up a rapport with the local manager.  I feel like I've been successful, considering I am a consistent customer, and a acquaintance of much of the staff.  However, I feel like I just keep getting blown off.  Maybe my local manager just doesn't know when they're hiring, but she generally doesn't seem receptive to my earnest to work there.  It can be a frustrating situation to sort out.

Even part-time work would be huge in the wake of my latest rejection.  I felt that traveling to Canada to work in Japan would be proof of my earnest to secure work, but being rejected by a English teaching company was just yet another sobering experience.  It seems unreal that someone with a college degree, a strong work ethic, and solid credentials couldn't get work.  But, it's the troubling story of my life so far.   

Furthermore, this will sound crazy, but I feel that GameStop is the perfect place for me at this juncture.  I have a deep knowledge of the current video game climate, and I really enjoy interacting with and helping people.  Also, ideally, it would give me a foundation of experience to start penetrating the video game industry.  It may be highly idealistic, but I'm willing to do anything to make moves at this point.

Well, thats where I'm at now.  If you have any advice or want to share your experiences with retail or the current economy, leave it in the comments.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to hustling.     
 
Davebefree

I recently finished Bioshock 2.  It was wonderful, despite the fact that I didn't particularly enjoy the first Bioshock.  My enjoyment of the second game, however, has made me think that maybe I should revisit the original voyage through Rapture.  I'm skeptical, though, that the first game will be able to hold up against the second.  I sold the first game, along with my dying 360, and wasn't to broken up about being separated from it at the time.  Also, the improvements in gameplay were really significant for me, and I enjoyed the combat much more in the sequel.  With that said, I consider myself a collector of sorts when it comes to classic games.  But, I don't want a game sitting around my house that I will never pick up and play.  So, should I 're-up' on the original Bioshock, or should I just be content with the newer-- and in many ways better-- game?