Dear Blizzard, please pay me lots of money
by Alex Ziebart 
Mar 8th 2008 at 3:00PM
I do a lot of checking the Blizzard Job Opportunities page, even though I'm fully aware I don't have much of a chance of landing a spot on their team. A shame, really, considering how sexy and charming I am! And such a hard worker, too!Erm. Anyway. I check the job opportunities page all of the time, because really, who wouldn't want a shot at working for Blizzard? I know a lot of my guildmates do the same, though not necessarily for the same reasons. Me? I'm all about creative writing and I'm a huge lore buff. No matter the game, if I'm playing it, I want to know all about the lore and backstory of the world. I even take that nerdity a bit further, and spend a lot of my free time brainstorming lore for my guild. For example, my guild's backstory is based in Northrend, so on and off I've been preparing for an intro to Wrath of the Lich King for us. It's an RP server, so it's not too bizarre to have a detailed behind-the-scenes story, and it'll give the guild's roleplay a bit of a jump start when the time rolls around. Fuel for the collective creative fires and all of that.
So needless to say, I would jump all over a creative writing, quest design, or really any other lore-centric opportunity that came my way. Unfortunately, I don't really have the professional experience necessary, so it'll be a good long time before I have a chance higher than zero. Regardless, I check at least once a week simply to stare longingly at the Job Opps. Guildmates of mine do similar with things like programming and graphic design. Some days I think we're obsessive, but most of the time I just pretend we have high aspirations. It makes me feel better when I do.
Who else is with us on this? I'm sure most people have at least thought about working for Blizzard once or twice.
Edited for clarity.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Lore
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
AtroceKT Mar 8th 2008 3:18PM
Send a writing sample anyway. Make the application.
The worst they can do is say No, and even if / when they do, you'll know that you made the attempt.
Doom3killer Mar 8th 2008 3:18PM
well good luck
Pingmeister Mar 8th 2008 3:19PM
I remember someone telling me that if there is something you love never make it your job.
I am sure there are exceptions but I think the first time you got pulled into a Writers meeting at Blizzard and they asked you to take your submission and "sex it up" or try adding some cliche'd key words you'd be ready to go back to McDonalds and spend some quality time at the Fry station.
Theserene Mar 9th 2008 2:10PM
I would tend to disagree. Programming is something I love doing, and I do it as a career.
Doing something you love gives you the incentive to put up with early starts, commutes from hell and low pay.
censorman Mar 8th 2008 4:15PM
Working for a game dev and having been in the industry for 10+ years, lemme give you some advice.
1 - Forum fanbois suck. We hates you.
2 - Bloggers used to impress blizzard, but they are a real company now. Fake journalists who canst rite aren't getting a jobby job.
You want a job, get a degree, have an impressive writing sample, don't be a retard.
You can work your way up through QA, lots of us did. You can intern if you're lucky. Artists and programmers have a MUCH easier time getting a job off of resumes and samples than designers. Any moron can make crap up.
As for a lore job with blizzard. Lore...haha. Blizzard and continuity. You gonna put more pop-culture immersion breakers in the game or you gonna try and work in advertising this time? The best part of WoW's story is from the RTSes...other than that it's Salvatorian Goodkind generic sauce.
Flame all you want, I won't read em and will still get paid to do what you wish you could. :) Keep flipping my burgers.
Blizzard Mar 8th 2008 4:38PM
You're fired.
spasticthinker Mar 8th 2008 4:43PM
If you really do work in the games industry (EA's janitor, maybe?) I bet your coworkers wish you didn't - I know I would hate working with a huge asshole like yourself :)
Shawn Quigley Mar 8th 2008 4:37PM
Wow. What a dick.
thorlok Mar 8th 2008 4:49PM
@3 so if your not supposed to do something you love as work are you supposed to do something you hate? i changed careers and i turned my passion for computers into a job that I love, I'd never go back. I don't think i would turn my hobby into a job, now that is something that would suck.
@4I actually know that pick censorman. after he wrote that he showed it to me, its pretty funny but turnabout is fair play. he is not a programmer of any kind, he has not been in the bizz for 10+ years. he works for his dad and they clean office buildings after everyone goes home. i know they clean a few offices where programmers work so that is where he is getting his experience im sure. ha ha ha, sorry man i just had to let the cat outta the bag, that was just too funny.
Brian Mar 8th 2008 5:00PM
ok......so is this an article or craigslist post? How is this beneficial to me as a WoW player? I come to this site to improve my game play expereince...Not to read some schmucks personal aspirations.....this really belongs in your pink diary....Dear Blizzard..I have no expereince....my writing samples suck...i.e...90% off your insider posts.....and I want to get paid uber buck to write lolore......I have to agree with censorman keep flipping my burgers.....and to the wowinsider leads out there PLEASE censor this type of crap....
Theserene Mar 9th 2008 2:11PM
Funnily enough, not everyone is you.
Alex Ziebart Mar 8th 2008 5:00PM
For the record, my intent was to see if anybody did similar, not to advertise. ;)
Brian Mar 8th 2008 5:08PM
I actually know thorlok....he told me he was going to write a response saying he knows censorman, which he doesn't...I told him not to but he said he was tired of playing with himself and needed something else to pass the time while he waited for his transvestite lover to come over.....
brandon varnell Mar 8th 2008 5:18PM
I just lost all respect for wowinsider for allowing this guy to post this garbage
you wanna work for blizzard? thats cool.. good for you but this have nothing to do with the game itself, this isnt your personal little hey hire me website, fire this guy or delete this trash
bezulba Mar 9th 2008 6:07AM
oh god forbid there is actually something on wowinsider you can't instantly use... get over it.. don't read the text, go to the next item.. i know it's hard to move a mouse with an iq lower then my shoesize but hey we all learned in the end
thorlok Mar 8th 2008 7:26PM
hey brian you agree with censorloser b/c you are censortard, u don't have time to do this and take out normal people's garbage. pretty clever using another account to come back and read this thread and reply defending yourself when you said you would not make it back to read'em. pretty clever for a retard.
Tolthalan Mar 9th 2008 11:45AM
As he says- keep flipping his burgers. You don't exactly sound like a member of the intellectual elite yourself, you know. Are you jealous or just a really bad troll?
brandon varnell Mar 9th 2008 12:48PM
to bezulba
its not about not being able to use it, its the fact that this pathetic kid who keeps getting rejected from blizzard decides to post a pathetic post about how he wants to work for blizzard
this isnt your personal resume site, this is a blog about WOW and things inside wow, i don't care if i can use info posted or not but what i do care about is when someone like him makes a totally unprofessional post, this is one reason no one and no company takes BLOGS seriously, because of people like HIM.
now get off his nut sack
Tolthalan Mar 9th 2008 1:13PM
I think this blog post as a whole would be better if he'd asked 'Have you ever thought about working for Blizzard?', but as it is the blogger just seems to post about himself in a way that doesn't really tell us anything about WoW.
Theserene Mar 9th 2008 2:13PM
Have I ever thought about working for Blizzard? Yes
Will I actually ever apply? No
I know where my skills lie and I doubt Blizzard has any need for people who build Business Intelligence systems. I am not a game programmer, I am a corporate one. It's slightly more soulless but the prospects are better.