20. CoolGameJobs.com
Not to hit you over the head with job sites, but if you want to break into the industry and then continue to grow in it you will need a feed full of job sites. Also, you will need to check them on a fairly regular basis. CoolGameJobs.com is a little different than some of the job sites we've included on the list in that it is more like a head-hunting agency then purely a job site. They place people in General Management, Development Management, Marketing Management, Product Management, Producers, Game Designers, Game Programmers and Animator roles.
No worries if you're just starting out, they help out newbies too so long as you have marketable skills like C++ programming or computer animation, but be warned they aren't going to throw jobs your way. You will have to work at it—and don't contact them about becoming a “game tester”, they know this simply means getting paid to sit home in your mom's basement playing video games and they don't handle rink-dink candidates.
19. Amit's Game Programming Website
This little gem is a goldmine for n00bs, amateur, beginner and intermediate game programmers. Amit has various topics, all of which are helpful: Shortest Paths, AI, Tiles, Hexagons, Game Design, Scripting, Objects, Adventure and Economics. A fair bit of his content branches out to other sites, but his centralized approach to the understanding and teaching of game programming has an excellent flow, is easy to understand and will easily lead you from one topic to another.
The site isn't myopically focused on game programming though, it also focuses on, “general ideas instead of platform-specific information (graphics, sound, compilers), and ideas and designs instead of source code (I find it easier to go from an idea to code than from code to an idea)”.
18. Game Developers Conference
The annual Game Developers Conference isn't exactly a check-daily kind of site to bookmark but it is critical to put in your calendar. Their website tells you who is speaking when and what are your can't-miss events. Newbs to the business would be remiss to miss this yearly event because the networking opportunities are nearly infinite with over 20,000 industry professionals in attendance and more up-to-date information and trends than would fit in all the storage in all your gaming consoles combined. If you can't make the event due to distance (which is the only acceptable excuse for not going) then follow the great coverage on Gamasutra.com or sign up for GDC's newsletter because it offers some decent coverage of the event.
17. Y Combinator
Y Combinator is a must-know for aspiring app and game developers looking to startup their own small business. Entrepreneurial developers can lean on Y Combinator for seed funding to get their small businesses off the ground, but in addition to their seed funding they also have a large alumni network that can offer you experienced advice, do beta testing for you, provide networking connections/introductions and more.
16. TIGForums
TIGForums are another gamer forum site with real gaming professionals—and insanely good amateurs--hanging out, and ready to talk shop. The site is handily divided into discussion groups, including: Get Togethers, Competitions, Announcements, Feedback, Creative, Technical, Tutorials and Business. Joining—and participating in—gaming communities is critical to making a name for yourself, as is having moral support during your endless creation hours. If you're hoping to settle into a forum-based community, this is a helluva good one.
15. WhatGamesAre
WhatGamesAre is a blog from one guy, about game design, publishing, marketing and production. The site author is legit--he has over 20 years in the business, is a regular contributor to Gamasutra, writes a monthly column for Edge magazine and teaches game production classes at the UK's prestigious National Film and Television School.
14. Pixel Prospector
Pixel Prospector isn't a typical addition to this list, but their “Big List of Game Design” is just too good to pass up. The page is entirely links to other articles on the web (links from many websites already on this list) but their article choice and organization is bloody brilliant. The list is divided into categories, like Level Design, Prototyping and Platformer Design, then each category lists a number of uber-relevant articles, like A Detailed Cross-Examination of Yesterday and Today’s Best-Selling Platform Games, Big And Scary: The Science Of Size In Video Games and Anatomy Of A Game Mechanic. The list is reasonably exhaustive and it will take you a week to read all their guided readings.
13. Edge-Online.com
Edge is a veritable cornucopia for aspiring gamers, and just like the newbs reading this—Edge is fairly new to the game as well. Edge has only been around since mid 2011 but has quickly carved out a place for itself in the industry, and it's no wonder given its insightful commentary, edgy style and killer design (it's about time a game design website had a stellar design). This award-winning website (and magazine) features game reviews, news, features, opinions and information about games, design and the business side of the industry. The site also has an email-alert in their jobs section so you can be the first to know about new jobs posted on the site.
12. GameTutorials.com
Uber newbs should learn to love GameTutorials.com, despite its rather irritating site design. GameTutorials is a great site for those just starting off in game design as they offer 300+ tutorials on C/C++, Win32, DirectX, OpenGL, C# and Java. This site can single-handedly turn you from a know-nothing newb into a not-a-complete-moron beginner game designer. The site also has a decent FAQ section that serves as a what's what of basic game design questions.
11. IGDA
Professional associations thrive for a reason, they are critical to earning success and recognition in the industry. The International Game Developers Association is the largest non-profit gaming association in the country and keep tabs on all the major conferences, special interest groups, gaming-related legislation and other gaming-related events and happenings. For newbies looking to break into the industry IGDA's networking opportunities are worth their weight in gold, including their Chapters, Events/Parties, Forums, and LinkedIn group; their professional development is top-notch too with their Leadership Forum and SIGs.
The group and its members even hold some influence regarding regulations and public perception via their Anti-Censorship Advocacy, Speakers Bureau; maintain industry standards via Credit Standards, ECQC and the Casual Games Reporting Standards; and report on the state of the industry with their White Papers, Wiki Knowledge Base and Columns/Articles.