The book is written in easy to digest short chapters. Actually, it's all done in a question and answer format. Sometimes the authors, Brenda Braithwaite and Ian Schreiber, are answering the questions, but there are a variety of people from all over the industry providing answers and differing viewpoints. This is much the way you might go about breaking into the industry anyway. You'd ask people on the inside for advice. Sometimes the answers are a kick in the pants, sometimes they're reassuring. For being so close to the reality of hitting the pavement and asking questions (what you need to do anyway), this book instantly gets points. The topic matter also covers a wide range of issues, from your typical interview etiquette to problems that LGBT people might encounter (good news: not many).
The book's informal tone can also be one of its drawbacks. Brenda mentions the importance of knowing your game history with an anecdote about meeting an important game designer at GDC. However, she never mentions the name of the person! It's not as if it were a super personal story either, she simply mentions swapping business cards with this person because she was able to hold a conversation about GDC's (Game Developer's Conference) history. There can also be some redundancy, but this can be viewed as reiteration of important points. For example, questions about business cards are asked several times. The answer is always "Yes, yes, yes, carry business cards," but there's a bit more elaboration on the why and the how each time. If you'd never thought about having a personal business card before, you'll be scrambling to print some out by the end of this book.
There are some no-brainers given for advice, but this isn't really a problem. Sometimes you need the obvious pointed out to you when you're just starting out and you have no clue what's important. Yes, sometimes you need someone to tell you that you should be programming, making games, building a portfolio, and eeking in as much quality work as you can. But there are some other tidbits of advice that feel a little less obvious. For example, the importance of knowing your game history is stressed. It's useful in starting conversations (networking!) and in making sure you don't repeat the same mistakes. And it also just generally makes you look like you care about the industry (passionate people get hired!), as you should if you're looking to get into making games.
In addition to the more anecdotal answers in the book, there are some well thought out "rules" every now and then. And to be sure, this book does cover much more than you'd get from simply having a 5 minute conversation with someone at a convention. There's a particularly deep section on building your portfolio, for example. It covers taste, quantity, and other aspects like tailoring your art to the company you're applying for. There's only so much that a person can assume when they have not worked in the industry, so again, this kind of advice is valuable. That being said, the book does have a little fun every now and then, answering questions like "Is the game industry a good place to meet someone to date?"
Overall this book feels like a conversation, which makes it easy to read, even if you're only curious about the game industry. If you're just starting out, or haven't even started working in the game industry, this kind of thing is gold. It's something that may be impossible to obtain as a newcomer. It's like getting face-time with a star, and then getting to ask them how you can be one too. From everyone I've talked to, this book feels like it's doling out the right advice. Of course, advice is just advice, and no one can expect to have the same luck, and the same opportunities described in a book, even if they follow it. But I'd say this is a darn good start.
