[SlowAndCalm]

I am similar (putting my WebGL games on my portfolio) and I've found it's actually a pretty good filter of employers for me. If they bring it up and are willing to have a discussion about it, it's always a good sign. There's a wide range of topics to talk about that can relate to the possibly more boring requirements of the job.

If they are dismissive of them, it tends to be an early sign that they are unable to think of things in a broader or alternate context. These are also the interviews that tend to have questions with right or wrong answers, even if the questions have multiple solutions and warrant discussion.

[z3t4]

If you are over qualified, like having published several games on your own, it's not like they don't think you can do they job, they might think you will get bored and miserable.

[VBprogrammer]

I've personally come across this dilemma when hiring people. My own take is that's none of my goddamn business and if the person is the most qualified for the job then it's theirs for the taking.

[MillenialMan]

Do people really pass on candidates that often because they're too impressive? Overqualification in general seems like the kind of spectre that I just can't see translating to the real world.

[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

Maybe the candidate just wants a nice quiet easy job so they can reduce their stress and put their focus on other parts of their life?

[cableshaft]

Making games doesn't mean they're financially successful or making bank. Several of those I made were released as free Flash games back in the day, for example. And yet even those were more popular than some games I worked on professionally for companies while in the industry.

So now I do enterprise development for my day job and work on games on nights and weekends. And enterprise development isn't inherently boring either.

Programming is still programming, in both games and enterprise software there are times where you just need to power through easy boilerplate with some music or a podcast on, and other times where it's an intricate puzzle you have to mull over in silence, do some research or experimenting on, ask your colleagues for their opinions or insight, etc.

[obedm]

Being a good engineer goes beyond being good at coding.

Many great coders suck at communication or are just not nice to be around.

I've seen amazing "coders" not being hired because they can't have a good conversation during the interview. I'm sure they're the same ones that complain about interviews being too hard.

[commandlinefan]

> it's actually a pretty good filter of employers for me

Reminds me of the story of the movie Good Will Hunting - Ben Affleck and Matt Damon added a completely out of place scene (a gay sex scene) in the middle of the screenplay just to see who would call it out, as a way of checking to see who had actually read the entire script.