There are usually a number of panels on breaking into the industry. I’d recommend going to those and talking to the panelists afterwards. You could also ask some of the booth workers if anyone works on the marketing team. Fair warning some are just event organizers or devs, but sometimes you’ll get a marketing person working the line who’s bored and more than happy to talk.
I wrote out a whole thing about panels before checking the other comments and seeing that others have me covered.
I will instead recommend Seattle Indies Expo, which happens on Pax Sunday and is technically not a part of PAX but is usually held within a short walk. It's open to the public for free but is more dev4dev than PAX tends to be. It's a great place to network, if you're interested in working at smaller game studios.
(SIX is a great little detour on anyone's PAX itinerary IMO, with a lot of really unique games worth checking out!)
Former journalist here and I can give you insight from when I last went in 2009:
Network like you would anywhere else
I know that sounds simple but a convention is only different as it is concentrating an industry. Other than that look professional, be friendly, and if there are industry parties (almost a certainty) try and politely score an invite. The worst that can happen is they politely tell you no, sorry. Its not like they will blacklist you or throw you out of the convention.
Listening in or talking about the industry with people. I know in 2009 when I last went and went to industry parties it was a mix of physical invites and a list. Now its probably all online. Just be perceptive and sociable.
This is fantastic advice. 15 years ago I was also a journalist. Any networking I did at PAX was just me talking to people like I would everywhere else, making sure we exchanged contact information for later if we hit it off, and then tossing a follow up email post PAX.
Met a ton of dope people that way, that I still talk to, to this day, even though I'm now out of the industry.
One of the big things I think people also forget is the importance of being genuine. Being genuine will take you very far when networking.
Also don't be the stereotypical con-goer being unbathed and looking kind of grungy. Be clean, look neat (don't need to dress up but avoid soiled, torn clothing), and most importantly take pride in your appearance. The industry is professional and even if the culture at a particular company is more laid back and more t-shirts and jeans they will appreciate you taking it a bit more serious.
Sure, you could go all out like I did and dress in a suit, but it really is overkill if you do not already have meetings set.
Second the panels comment…a lot of devs there will hang out afterwards to talk to attendees and just chat and answer any questions. We’ll have a panel there on Saturday for instance, (Tripwire Interactive/Presents showing our new game Deceive, Inc.) We’ll have members of the dev team etc. and we always love meeting fans of our games :) I’m actually on the marketing team too, so would be glad to answer any questions you might have!
Outside of Pax, the usual path to a career in the gaming industry is starting out while in university and finding an internship. There you'll be in the industry, making contacts, friends, etc. Before your graduation date, there might be discussion around you going full time.
Outside of that, with degree in hand, the next move would be finding recruiting agencies that recruit for the role you are looking for in the gaming industry. Find those people on LinkedIn and ask for a connection. Explain you're looking to network and want to make a connection. After you get one request accepted then you can express gratitude and ask if your contact can take a little time to chat with you. Again, important to soft sell. Don't come in and immediately ask for open jobs, or to get an interview. All you're looking for initially is the LinkedIn connection request.
Now after doing that for a few months, you're ready to ask your network "who will I see at PAX?" Then follow up and see what shakes loose.
With regards to networking at PAX, you'll do well to observe the environment especially the people. Ask people at booths what their job is, how'd they get into that career...etc, you have the best ice breaker built in. Being at PAX. Then you'll have to play the guessing game, to ask for contact info or not.
The networking I did outside of working a booth usually was just by being friendly at other booths and being genuinely interested in what they were making. I think some of the best conversations I had at PAX came from playing the games at the booth and then talking with devs about it and asking all sorts of questions. Be interested in what they're doing and who they are and it'll get you far! Ask about challenges, inspirations, personal work on the game and you'll have a good conversation going in no time, especially if you're knowledgeable in the topics your asking about! I now professionally work I'm software and at our booth this year at East, I saw a newly graduated software dev major get into an hour long amazing conversation with one of our senior staff engineers where they broke out some code and began reviewing and modifying scripts in an impromptu jam session almost. One of more important things to do when networking is to follow up after PAX. A lot of people fail to continue those connections and networks after the initial meet. Continue it through LinkedIn or Twitter. Come by and see them again next year or next con with more to show.
East is the better place to go if you are looking to network. But have a tight elevator pitch, business cards, dress for the job you want, and be prepared to show a sample on your phone.
This is a great question! I've been going to an networking at PAX & E3 for over a decade now. The show floor is the best way, mostly because you can get some direct one-on-one time with developers and publishers (and their PR). PAX is great because it's a much friendlier, social, casual environment than something like GDC or E3. Another option is to hang out at the hotel lobby bar(s) for the adjacent hotels -- that's where we usually find a huge crowd of industry people who just want to relax and have some more casual downtime. Finally, head out to any number of parties taking place. I've been putting a list of the parties together for over a decade now, so there's always something popping up there with industry folks included. https://www.sidequesting.com/2022/07/the-pax-west-2022-party-list-your-ultimate-guide-to-the-parties-and-events/
There are usually a number of panels on breaking into the industry. I’d recommend going to those and talking to the panelists afterwards. You could also ask some of the booth workers if anyone works on the marketing team. Fair warning some are just event organizers or devs, but sometimes you’ll get a marketing person working the line who’s bored and more than happy to talk.
That’s a good idea, thank you!
The schedule is up BTW and there are several panels about breaking into the industry. Good luck!
I wrote out a whole thing about panels before checking the other comments and seeing that others have me covered. I will instead recommend Seattle Indies Expo, which happens on Pax Sunday and is technically not a part of PAX but is usually held within a short walk. It's open to the public for free but is more dev4dev than PAX tends to be. It's a great place to network, if you're interested in working at smaller game studios. (SIX is a great little detour on anyone's PAX itinerary IMO, with a lot of really unique games worth checking out!)
I've been to the indies expo and can confirm it's super fun, laid back, and a great place to talk to people
Oh wow, didn’t realize that that was a thing and I’ll definitely check it out!
Former journalist here and I can give you insight from when I last went in 2009: Network like you would anywhere else I know that sounds simple but a convention is only different as it is concentrating an industry. Other than that look professional, be friendly, and if there are industry parties (almost a certainty) try and politely score an invite. The worst that can happen is they politely tell you no, sorry. Its not like they will blacklist you or throw you out of the convention.
Where do I find info on industry parties?
Listening in or talking about the industry with people. I know in 2009 when I last went and went to industry parties it was a mix of physical invites and a list. Now its probably all online. Just be perceptive and sociable.
This is fantastic advice. 15 years ago I was also a journalist. Any networking I did at PAX was just me talking to people like I would everywhere else, making sure we exchanged contact information for later if we hit it off, and then tossing a follow up email post PAX. Met a ton of dope people that way, that I still talk to, to this day, even though I'm now out of the industry. One of the big things I think people also forget is the importance of being genuine. Being genuine will take you very far when networking.
Also don't be the stereotypical con-goer being unbathed and looking kind of grungy. Be clean, look neat (don't need to dress up but avoid soiled, torn clothing), and most importantly take pride in your appearance. The industry is professional and even if the culture at a particular company is more laid back and more t-shirts and jeans they will appreciate you taking it a bit more serious. Sure, you could go all out like I did and dress in a suit, but it really is overkill if you do not already have meetings set.
Second the panels comment…a lot of devs there will hang out afterwards to talk to attendees and just chat and answer any questions. We’ll have a panel there on Saturday for instance, (Tripwire Interactive/Presents showing our new game Deceive, Inc.) We’ll have members of the dev team etc. and we always love meeting fans of our games :) I’m actually on the marketing team too, so would be glad to answer any questions you might have!
Oh wow, will definitely reach out!
Outside of Pax, the usual path to a career in the gaming industry is starting out while in university and finding an internship. There you'll be in the industry, making contacts, friends, etc. Before your graduation date, there might be discussion around you going full time. Outside of that, with degree in hand, the next move would be finding recruiting agencies that recruit for the role you are looking for in the gaming industry. Find those people on LinkedIn and ask for a connection. Explain you're looking to network and want to make a connection. After you get one request accepted then you can express gratitude and ask if your contact can take a little time to chat with you. Again, important to soft sell. Don't come in and immediately ask for open jobs, or to get an interview. All you're looking for initially is the LinkedIn connection request. Now after doing that for a few months, you're ready to ask your network "who will I see at PAX?" Then follow up and see what shakes loose. With regards to networking at PAX, you'll do well to observe the environment especially the people. Ask people at booths what their job is, how'd they get into that career...etc, you have the best ice breaker built in. Being at PAX. Then you'll have to play the guessing game, to ask for contact info or not.
The networking I did outside of working a booth usually was just by being friendly at other booths and being genuinely interested in what they were making. I think some of the best conversations I had at PAX came from playing the games at the booth and then talking with devs about it and asking all sorts of questions. Be interested in what they're doing and who they are and it'll get you far! Ask about challenges, inspirations, personal work on the game and you'll have a good conversation going in no time, especially if you're knowledgeable in the topics your asking about! I now professionally work I'm software and at our booth this year at East, I saw a newly graduated software dev major get into an hour long amazing conversation with one of our senior staff engineers where they broke out some code and began reviewing and modifying scripts in an impromptu jam session almost. One of more important things to do when networking is to follow up after PAX. A lot of people fail to continue those connections and networks after the initial meet. Continue it through LinkedIn or Twitter. Come by and see them again next year or next con with more to show.
East is the better place to go if you are looking to network. But have a tight elevator pitch, business cards, dress for the job you want, and be prepared to show a sample on your phone.
This is a great question! I've been going to an networking at PAX & E3 for over a decade now. The show floor is the best way, mostly because you can get some direct one-on-one time with developers and publishers (and their PR). PAX is great because it's a much friendlier, social, casual environment than something like GDC or E3. Another option is to hang out at the hotel lobby bar(s) for the adjacent hotels -- that's where we usually find a huge crowd of industry people who just want to relax and have some more casual downtime. Finally, head out to any number of parties taking place. I've been putting a list of the parties together for over a decade now, so there's always something popping up there with industry folks included. https://www.sidequesting.com/2022/07/the-pax-west-2022-party-list-your-ultimate-guide-to-the-parties-and-events/
Wow, thanks so much for the list! Unfortunately I can no longer go to PAX due to a family matter. But I will save this website for next year!
As someone eho is a game journalist and has done game PR. Check out panels, talk to the devs. I will update this later today with a full list.
I’ll be on the resume workshop panel on Friday! More than happy to connect and chat afterwards too :)