每个人都喜欢玩游戏，而与亲朋好友们一起玩游戏则更是其乐无穷。“社交游戏”就是由此而来的一种新式视频游戏类型。由于Facebook等社交网站的大肆流行，这为独立应用开发商的出现创造了契机。社交游戏也从逐渐地简单的涂鸦程序发展为如FarmVille和Mafia Wars等复杂而广受欢迎的游戏。

近来，手机也在社交游戏市场取得巨大发展。过去因为手机老式硬件的图像效果差和读取速度慢等原因，手机游戏一直不受玩家青睐。但如今的智能手机技术则为手机游戏的发展开辟了新天地。最近，Unreal engine在iPhone手机上的运用，黑莓和Android等手机技术的迅速发展促进了社交游戏在质量和受欢迎程度上的大幅度提升。

虽然社交游戏渐渐被越来越多人所接受，但其中只有极少数知道这些游戏的开发过程。不论是知名游戏FarmVille或小型的独立作品，每一款游戏背后都有一个游戏开发团队，其中有游戏开发者、设计师和程序师等。但有时候，这所谓的“开发团队”也有可能仅仅只有是你和你的同伴两人。

此外，社交游戏领域是一个门槛低、竞争激烈的市场。随着传统电视游戏公司的逐渐介入，社交游戏市场的竞争变得更为激烈。为了有效帮助求职者在社交游戏领域觅得一块立足之地，我们向几位业内专家就如何立足于社交游戏工作市场咨询了一些建议。

1，入门简单登峰难

Mafia Wars

在开发游戏的所有工作类别中，有一些工作岗位比较容易上手。GameTrailers.com总编Shane Satterfield认为，不论是何种游戏开发，最容易上手的就是常见问题解答和游戏测试工作。他指出，随着前电视游戏开发者逐渐进入社交游戏领域，高层职位的工作竞争愈演愈烈，因此游戏测试是一种比较好的入门工作。因为成为一名合格的游戏开发工作者或游戏设计师都需要具备长期的工作经验，因此Satterfield十分反对刚入行便急于进入开发者行列的求职想法。

每一个游戏开发团队都需要一位实力坚强的工程师。社交游戏公司Zynga的工程主管Amitt Mahajan如是说。Zynga发售的多款社交游戏每天拥有上百万游戏玩家，Zynga工程师们每天都要不断地升级游戏服务器以解决玩家们在游戏中遇到的各种问题。因此Zynga公司乐于招募那些乐于学习习并愿意通公司共同成长的员工。对此Zynga公司的人事主任Florence Thinh也表示了赞同。

2，求职基本素质

不论您所寻求的是什么岗位，所有社交游戏公司有一项共通的基本要求。除了扎实的技术基础和工作热情以外，更重要的是要展现求职者的适应能力和求学欲望。因为一人往往可以担任多个职位，社交游戏行业的员工需求远远低于传统游戏行业。因此，Mahajan特别强调工作人员求学欲望和与公司共同成长的重要性。

Mahajan认为，如果你喜欢游戏，那么亲自参与游戏制作无疑是最理想的一种工作，不仅可以得到最为生动的反馈，还可以较直接地明白自己做错的地方——行程某种想法并努力去实现它，这就是潜力员工最为重要的一个品质”Thinh正是这种驱动力和工作热情的最佳呈现者，他们所要求的员工必须积极向上，适应性强，富有野心、聪明而具有创新意识。

因此，求职者的简历和资料必须真实地反映自己。你并不需要将自己打造成经验丰富的专业人士，真正重要的是想向求职公司提供能说明自己兴趣，热情和技能的信息或例子。

社交游戏给人的印象总是“好玩、简单”，但事实上开发社交游戏是一项十分艰难的工作。社交游戏从业者必须有惊人的敬业精神，对社交游戏的无比热爱。这里的“热爱”并不是指玩视频游戏的热衷程度，而是与朋友家人就这一领域的深度交流。

社交游戏有严格的截止期限、强烈的工作压力和长时间工作的煎熬，尤其是一些小型游戏工作室。但这些情况也会为创意的产生的最终游戏产品的形成创造条件。这是一个艰辛但却能最终获益的付出和取得过程。

FarmVille

3，平台比较

与电视游戏相比，社交游戏有自身的优点和缺点。电视游戏拥有更好的画面效果，运行速度也比较快。但这并不能主宰一切。社交游戏具备高价电视游戏所不具备的独特功能。不论是多人游戏或简单的剧情分享，游戏的终极目标是与人的相互联系。社交游戏从本质上就强调这种联合经验。

4，结论

我们通过玩游戏与人们相互联系，而社交游戏的本身开发宗旨也在于此。游戏行业的共同误区是过分强调游戏本身而忽略了游戏的交际性。此外，开发一些能够弥补人们早上咖啡或乘地铁空闲时间的游戏也十分重要。

Satterfield指出，社交游戏中重要的一个特点就是与他人的互动，游戏中的各种分享在对人们社区意识的行程尤为重要。这也是社交游戏超越电视游戏的优势所在。

在社交游戏行业求职是一个艰难的过程，但只要愿意付出，求职者很有可能在这个迅速发展的行业领域创造出令人惊叹的可能性。就像Satterfield所说的那样，“开始的几年会很辛苦，但如果一个人足够聪明并愿意认真对待工作，他的付出一定会获得相应的回报。”

Everyone likes to play games, especially when those games involve your social circle. “Social gaming” is a relatively new category of video game for a variety of reasons. The explosion of social media sites like Facebook  opened the door for independent app creators. What started as simple graffiti programs has grown to include complex, incredibly popular games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, among others.

Mobile too has seen a lot of recent growth in the social gaming market. While mobile games were once limited by the graphical and processing capabilities of older hardware, smartphones have paved a new way. Now, with the iPhoneiPhoneiPhone planning to use the Unreal engine (also used on the Gears of War series), and technology rapidly improving across BlackBerryBlackBerry Rocks!BlackBerry Rocks!, AndroidAndroidAndroid (and not to mention the iPad), social games have started to increase both in quality and popularity.

While social games are gaining traction, few people know how those games are actually made. Behind every game, from the FarmVilles to the smallest indie creations, is a team of developers, designers and programmers; even if that “team” is just you and your best friend.

Still, social gaming can be a tough market to break into, especially as more and more people move from “traditional” console games to work in the space. To help, we spoke with some industry pros to get some tips on tackling the social gaming job market.

The Easy-Ins and Hard Routes

Of all the roles that contribute to creating a game, some are easier to approach than others. “As with any game development, the easiest jobs to get are the Q/A or testing jobs,” said Shane Satterfield, Editor-in-Chief of GameTrailers.com. “With so many ex-console [developers] moving into the space, competition for higher level jobs are beginning to get fierce, so testing is a good way to get your foot in the door.” Satterfield cautioned against immediately gunning for a game development position as more people have to work for years before becoming a game developer or designer.

A solid engineer, while perhaps not the “sexiest” job, is almost always a welcome member to a team. “We have so many people playing our games,” said Amitt Mahajan, director of engineering at Zynga Games. “We have unique problems when it comes to scaling our servers to handle the millions and millions and people that play our games every day… we’re looking for folks willing to learn and grow with us in scaling servers.” Zynga’s Staffing Director, Florence Thinh emphatically agreed, writing: “Engineers, engineers, engineers! For popular web companies… finding a strong PHPPHPPHP [or] Flash developer is a hot commodity. Also, UI Designers.”

Star Qualities

Regardless of what position or foothold you’re looking for, there are basic qualities that social gaming companies look for. Aside from solid skill sets and passion, it’s important to demonstrate flexibility and desire to learn. Social games (in general) have smaller staffs than traditional games where individuals can be responsible for several different roles. Mahajan stressed the importance of a candidate willing to learn and grow with the company and their specific games. “The hiring practices are very similar in that regard,” Mahajan said. “We look for folks that have demonstrated some passion in their spare time and the ability to actually finish those products.”

If you’re interested in games, Mahajan said, there’s no better experience (or way to show an employer) than to start making them yourself. “You actually get live feedback, it’s much easier to learn what you did wrong… to have an idea and follow through with it, that’s a good sign for potential investors and employers.” That drive and passion is mirrored by Thinh. They look for candidates who don’t get discouraged easily, are flexible, ambitious, smart, and creative.

Still, your resume and even your portfolio should genuinely reflect your personality. It’s less important to present yourself as a seasoned professional (if you aren’t) and better to include information and samples that speak to your interests, passions, and skills.

As much as social gaming might seem like, well, “fun and games,” the reality is that developing social games is a lot of hard work. “You have to have an amazing work ethic and you have to be incredibly passionate about it. And by that I don’t mean that you like to play video games,” Satterfield said. “I mean that you like to talk to friends and family about them on a much deeper level and you’re passionate enough about it to get in arguments.”

Social games are made on strict deadlines with lots of pressure and long hours, especially at smaller studios.

Those conditions also afford room for creativity and real ownership over the final product. It’s a give and take that can be grueling but ultimately beneficial.

Console Comparisons

Social games are not like console games for both better and for worse. Console games are able to run at faster speeds with better graphics with more complex game environments. But that’s not really the whole story. Social games are able to present features and unique perspectives that large budget console games can’t.

Ultimately, games are about connecting with people, whether you are playing multiplayer or simply sharing stories with friends about that impossible level in Contra.

Social games inherently reinforce that joint experience. “It’s like a live service,” Mahajan said, “we worry about the user experience at any given second… the key thing is that we’re a service and not a boxed product.” That ever-changing game experience allows for quick changes and an organic work experience based on feedback and interaction.

Conclusion

We play games to connect, and social games are inherently built to do just that. “The common mistakes games make is they focus too much on the game on not enough on what you’re doing with friends,” Mahajan said. It’s also important to think about whether the game could be played over your morning coffee or in the subway. “Games are meant to fill those gaps you have in your life.”

Satterfield might agree: “It may seem obvious, but I think the best element of social games is being forced to interact with others. The sharing is especially important as it builds a sense of community within the player that motivates them to reciprocate. This is something that flashy console games have yet to really get right.”

Getting a job in social gaming can be tricky but for people willing to pay their dues it can also lead to amazing creative possibilities in a quickly expanding field. As Satterfield concluded: “The first few years can be a grind, but for those who are talented and dedicated enough, it can be incredibly rewarding.”(source:mashable)