yacht club games internship

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Yacht Club Games’ Intern-Turned-Director takes charge on Mina the Hollower

On forced vacations, palette limitations, and other ruminations

“ The Shovel Knight guys. ” That’s what people call Yacht Club Games. The fact that many members of the team there worked on Contra 4 , Double Dragon Neon , and many other classic IPs is often glossed over. Between five years of massive updates to his original 2014 adventure, multiple cameos in other games, and all-new titles like Pocket Dungeon and the upcoming Shovel Knight Dig , Shovel Knight casts a big shadow.

But for now, the blue burrower is taking a break, giving the spotlight on a hollower named Mina. But what the heck is a hollower? And why is the company’s next big marque title a pseudo-Game Boy Color game about a whip-cracking mouse?

We got into all that in an interview with Sean Velasco , co-founder of Yacht Club Games, and Alec Faulkner, director of Mina the Hollower ( currently in its last hours on Kickstarter ).

Of course, they had a lot to say about Mina, but I also wanted to “dig” into what really defines Yacht Club Games. As it turns out, this is the kind of company that sees an intern’s passion for the NES games in the original Animal Crossing and takes it as a sign to hire him full-time. Not only do they discourage crunch, even in the midst of a massive Kickstarter campaign, but they also allow their staff unlimited vacation days, and force them to take at least some time off every year. And they also aren’t ashamed to let you know that they may not have quite as much cheese in the bank as many may think.

It makes sense then that their next big game is about a tiny rodent who spends much of her time out of sight, concocting geo-magic underground, never sure of exactly what will happen when she pops her head up next. Ever since Yacht Club’s first game, I’ve had a theory that each of their titles is an unintentionally autobiographical metaphor about who they are and where they’re at in their careers.

We get into that too, but this time, Sean actually returned the favor. In the email chain that led to this Mina the Hollower interview, he let me know that while the rest of us see this…

He sees this.

And I couldn’t be more flattered.

2019 Summer 2D Pixel Art Internship

• Los Angeles, CA
• Category: Intern
• Type: Intern
• Min. Experience: Intern

Company Description

Founded in 2013, our goal is to create gameplay-first titles that will both tug at your heartstrings and delight you with levity and charm. Importantly, the team wants to create games that all people can play and enjoy.

After launching the company with a wildly successful Kickstarter, the team at Yacht Club Games released their first game, Shovel Knight, to worldwide critical and commercial success. With multiple Game of the Year Awards and releases across all major platforms, Shovel Knight has become a major sensation. But we’re just getting started!

Yacht Club Game is a small collection of tenacious game development enthusiasts. In addition to enjoying all types of games, the team has over 50 years of collective experience in developing games on innumerable platforms. Yacht Club Games currently works from a sunny office located in Marina Del Rey, California .

Job Description

A Pixel Art internship with Yacht Club Games will have you learning and using a variety of different art techniques and processes. From creating pixel art models, tilesets, and animations, to implementing tileset artwork in game, we provide an opportunity to refine your skills so you’re ready for an a job in the game industry!

Learn what it’s like to work in a game studio with a small team, and learn important skills that will help you to become a game developer!

This internship is unpaid. Interns must have a way to be present at our office in Marina del Rey, and we are not able to assist with living accommodations or transportation during the internship period.

Qualifications

• Potential Interns must meet the requirements for an unpaid educational internship*
• Can commute to the office in Marina Del Rey, CA during scheduled hours
• Good attitude; can work well in a team
• Basic knowledge and interest in at least one of the following art disciplines: pixel art, or animation
• Basic knowledge of Pro Motion or similar Pixel program
• Must be able to earn school credit for the internship
• Required: Provide an art portfolio to show your past pixel work!
• Must be 18 years or older

*Note: this position is unpaid. It is required that it works towards your education in some way. You need to be able to prove you’re getting school credit or you have a school professor, teacher, principal, advisor, etc who approves the activity. Please refer to this document for any questions regarding what qualifies you as an unpaid intern.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.pdf

• Every member is a core part of the team, involved in any part of the company that interests them!
• Working in our beautiful penthouse office located on the Marina in Los Angeles!
• Free onsite parking if needed
• Fully stocked kitchen with unlimited snacks!
• Chance to work with a top-notch team on cool and unique games!

Deadline to Apply

The last day to apply for this internship is January 31, 2019

After this date we will begin reviewing applications in October and we will reach out with updates to everyone's application.

Other Roles?

Please review the following page for other positions:

http://yachtclubgames.com/jobs/

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