As the game industry matures we’re finding more and more developers — programmers, musicians, artists, designers, you name it — pursuing independent careers as freelancers instead of full-time salaried employees. The life of a contractor is rewarding and entertaining, however it can be a lonely one since you’re not necessarily working on-site or with other colleagues for long periods of time. This isolation also tends to force individuals to learn the ropes independently. After talking to numerous friends and peers about this issue, it dawned on us that having a central resource for game industry contractors of all types would be awfully useful. Here we can write about our experiences and travails, share information privately and publicly, and provide a valuable service to potential clients by having a one-stop area to find and meet game development experts.

But, as contractors, we’re all still independent — think of this site as a watering hole for us, a place to sit around and talk about our experiences. GamingMercenaries.com is not a company, an agency, or a broker, it’s just a good place to find information and talented developers.

How Do I Join?

A common question from others is “How can I be a part of GamingMercenaries?!” The answer depends greatly on what you mean by “be a part of”. Anyone can be a forum member, so just go to the forum and sign up for an account and start chatting! Membership as a top level mercenary — the ability to post blogs, to read the private forum boards, and to have your company listed in the links — is by invitation only and based on experience, participation, and personality. If this sounds elitist, rest assured, it is, and that’s intentional. Managing the signal to noise ratio and ensuring a high set of standards for membership are important for everyone.