As co-creator of games like Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein 3D, John Romero is one of the most influential video game designers of his generation. These classic franchises helped define the first-person shooter genre, so our Game Development staff was excited to welcome Romero back to campus recently to speak with students about his two-decade career in the industry.

Romero has had a long association with Full Sail, previously hiring graduates at former companies like Monkeystone Games, as well as his latest venture, Gazillion Entertainment. During his latest visit, he spent the day touring our facilities, checking out class projects, and, finally, hosting an open lecture for students – where he covered everything from making games in his bedroom growing up to what they need to know when prepping for their own careers.

“Your first resume should include a list of the tools you know, any code or assets you’ve created, and all the positions you’ve held,” he said. “It lets everyone at a company look at your skill set quickly and figure out where you’ll work best, because the game industry has become very specialized and they’re often hiring for a specific need. Those are actually our best interviews because you can see exactly what these people have done before.”

Romero also held an hour-long Q+A session with students following the presentation, where he fielded more specific questions on how programmers, artists, and designers could stand out from the competition in their field when applying for a job.

“Having a website is really important these days because it saves us the hassle of loading up a CD,” he said. “When you have a stack of resumes with discs attached to them, being able to just click on a link and check out your stuff is something that will make you stand out no matter what position you’re applying for.”

It’s not often you’re able to get career advice from one of the innovators of your industry, and John Romero’s recent visit to campus was a rare opportunity for our students. He even stayed for nearly an hour after the event, talking one-on-one about everything from how to beat certain stages in classic games like Commander Keen and Dangerous Dave, to what he thought of the student projects he played during this latest trip.

“The stuff that’s coming out of the Final Project class here is really promising to me,” he said. “We really need new blood in the gaming industry right now, and it’s really important to get new ideas out there. What I see you guys doing is really encouraging to me.”