There are many ways people can break into the industry.
First of all – there is a community of online mentorship program called Game Mentors online. This is a forum where professional game devs gather to take aspiring game devs under their wing. You can go online and create a profile and see if you can find yourself a mentor to help guide you.
Some other great resources available are online in the forums and blogs of sites such as Gamasutra and IGN. They have resources regarding how to break into the industry and learning tools available for your use – just create a free online profile and start helping yourself to all the great knowledge provided. You can also go into gaming forums where you can post your work and get critiques from other game devs at sites like Polygon, Tech-Artists.Org, etc.
Lastly, Insomniac offers Internship opportunities every summer. So if you’ll be a current student, able to work for an employer in the US (we do NOT sponsor students, you’d have to get a visa on your own or through your school if needed) and available for 8-12 weeks, we post all of our internships online around the Fall for the following Summer. So keep your eyes peeled and on our website and apply when they get posted. Remember to include your resume and link to your portfolio or some samples of work you’ve done in the past!
You can check out some VOD’s of our career focused Insomniac Live episodes that feature different departments. These game developers share their experiences and advice on the industry.